News from Design4now

Ovale collection - Bouroullec brothers for Alessi

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 01:42:37 +0100

"The Ovale collection strives to be original, but it also wants to be rustic and traditional. We set out in pursuit of delicate expression. This composition speaks about every day life, about breakfast, lunch, about everyone getting together for dinner. There is a desire for simplicity”. He then coined a new expression to describe Alessi, a likeness that appeals to me: "For me, Alessi is very similar to the operation described in Tim Burton's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." A wonderful factory where Alessi produces cakes and sweets."Let's say, with this collection, that we tried to reach a balance: a project that's not too sweet, I'd say it's rather delicate”.Ronan Bouroullec. Delicate, slightly expressive, simple, almost neo-primitive, deliberately saying "Hold the sugar!", the complete table service, "Ovale", marks the entry into the Alessi catalogue of the two brothers from Brittany. I am very grateful to them not only for this beautiful project - with its subsidiary expressiveness, I'm sure it will find its way among the major "pièces de resistence" (main courses) of our catalog - but also for having coined, defining a "producteur de sucrerie" (candy maker), a phrase worthy of Starck's definition in the 80s, "Alessi est un marchand de bonheur" (Alessi is a merchant of happiness).Alberto Alessi

Aquariva by Marc Newson

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:02:00 +0100

Australian designer Marc Newson has designed a speed boat in collaboration with Officina Italiana Design for Italian boat brand Riva. Called Aquariva by Marc Newson, the design is a reinterpretation of the Aquariva boat design that incorporates anodized aluminium and a textile-based laminate with the appearance of wood. The design will be available in an edition of 22 through Gagosian Gallery.

MiLAN 2010 preview #2

Sun, 02 May 2010 17:40:00 +0100

Milan 2010: Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana have designed a range of furniture for Italian brand Edra, including this storage unit entirely concealed by dangling lengths of raffia.

MiLAN 2010 preview #1

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:52:39 +0100

SPARKLING, edited by Magis.Design : Marcel WandersPresented: Preview Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2010, MilanChair in blow moulded PET

Restaurant Dos Palillos by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:35:00 +0100

French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have completed a new restaurant for shoe brand Camper in Berlin, Germany.From Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: Camper invited us to design Dos Palillos, the restaurant of the Casa Camper Hotel in Berlin Mitte that will open in January 2010. What immediately interested us was that Dos Palillos was a one of a kind culinary experience offered by Albert Raurich, elBulli’s former chef. In order to celebrate his cuisine, the concept of the restaurant gives full means of expression to his culinary art. Naturally, the kitchen had to be the centre of the space and thus, it had to be wide open so that guests could see the preparation of the dishes from the beginning to the end. We have decided to articulate the environment around one long wooden table and the stainless steel kitchen, one module facing the other. Consequently, the guests find themselves at the centre of the kitchen, while the chef acts in front of them. It was important for us as well to set a dialogue between the 10 cooks and their nearly 30 guests, invited in the chef’s kitchen. In order to emphasize such an interaction and encourage eye contact, we worked on different ground levels so that the guests are able to have a global experience once seated at the table, as if they were attending an artistic performance. Throughout the project, our intention was to reduce our level of intervention to the utmost to let the scenery express itself. Indeed, the space is voluntarily raw with very few elements and materials to sustain the idea that the legitimate sense of the space comes from the relation between the guests and the cuisine. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Casa Camper hotel. Large glass windows separate the space from the street in order to invite the people passing by to participate to the show that is happening in the kitchen.

Fade out-chair by Nendo

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:13:21 +0100

Japanese design studio Nendo will be displaying a collection of their works at the museum of arts and design in new york in an exhibition entitled 'ghost stories, new designs from nendo'. the show will feature projects including; 'fade out-chair','phantom waves' and blown fabric.

La chose (the thing) - Cedric Ragot

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:53:56 +0100

3 new editions for the stool La Chose, designe by the young french designer Cédric Ragot.He was previously edited by the Tools Galery, Paris, well known for his distribution of contemporary ceramics, who has edited the stool in white, black and pink.The gallery Ymer&Alta re-edit the stool in chrome sliver, gold and rubis in a small edition of 8 each by color.

Nimrod 2009

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:58:44 +0100

New versions for the Nimrod chair, designed by Marc Newson for Magis.Low chair. (New version). Year of production: 2007. Material: shell in polyethylene or polyethylene painted glossy. Cushions in expanded polyurethane (violet, yellow, green and red) covered in woollen fabric or in leather. More information on Magis website

Slump table, rarity

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:57:13 +0100

This table is a very rare model of the Slump table, designed by Marc Newson for Cappellini in the 90s.Existing items of this table should be only 3.The prototype shown at Milano was broken during the transport, but due to the high price and to the difficulties to sculpt (this is corian) the tale, a few orders were satisfied.This one was proposed at the auction house Camard & Associés, Paris, the 12th of October. ( Lot n°164)Estimated at a price range of 12000 - 14000, there was no buyer.Slump table: White Corian, H. : 72 cm L. : 148 cm l. : 68 cm

Seam Chair and Bench by Chris Kabel

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:13:00 +0100

Dutch designer Chris Kabel has won the €15,000 Doen Materiaalprijs 2009 for a chair and bench made entirely of polypropylene fabric.A very promising techniqueThe Dutch Material Prize of €15.000 goes to Chris Kabel with the Seam Chair/ Seam Bench. The project of Chris Kabel is original, ingenious and very promising. For his product he uses one single material (polypropylene) that is cheap, non toxic and completely high-grade recyclable. With completely innovating technique he shapes this material into lightweight and rigid furniture pieces.For a sustainable innovation in the future it is important that objects are made of a single material. It saves time in recycling and the material does not become conterminated. The technique as is used by Kabel saves energy and creates a lightweight material that can replace the toxic and single use thermosetting glass- and carbon fiber resin systems.Resourceful and passionate designers that manage to combine existing knowledge and personal insights using unorthdox methods are of crucial importance for innovation.The jury is impressed by the potential of the novel technique. A low tech approach leads to high tech possibilities. The jury feels this technique is applicable to many more objects. With this prize the jury hopes to stimulate Chris Kabel to develop the technique further and investigate new applications.–Statement by Chris Kabel:In 2007 I started a research project together with the material lab of the Aerospace Department of the Technical university in Delft and composites producer Lankhorst Indutech.I wanted to see if the material Pure, that is produced by Lankhorst, could also find applications outside of the ballistic and automotive industries where it was mainly used until then. Pure is a 100% polypropylene (PP) woven fabric (comparable with the yellow and blue IKEA bags) with special propertiesPure starts as a textile cloth that becomes very rigid under the right pressure and temperature. It is woven of 100% PP yarn that has an inner core that melts at 180°C and an outer core that melts at around 130°C. At the right temperature the outer core melts and impregnates and fixates the inner cores; this process is comparable with resin and glass or carbon fibres. Having similar strenght Pure is 100% recyclabe as aposed to the glass fibre reinforced plastics that are currently used in the (furniture) industry. This makes Pure a 100% recyclable and it doesn’t nered to be downgraded, it can be used over and over again –just like gold-.Because the Pure material is a fabric when not hardened it is also sewable. this brings another advantage: when a bag in the shape of a chair is sewn and filled like a sandbag so that it gets its shape you do not even need a mould to produce it. It is then put in a reusable bag and put in the oven on high pressure. after around an hour baking on 130°C (this is less than an apple pie) the fibers are impregnated and fixed together. A hole lets the sand come out and you are left with an ultra light piece of furniture. The blue seam is also PP by the way.The goal of this chair protoype apart from seating is that it is a harbinger. With this chair I want to show that you do not need resin and glass or carbon fibres to create superlight (using little material) and superstrong constructions that are 100% recyclable.

Mouse and abstraction

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:09:46 +0100

The new multi touch mouse from Apple. When objects disappear and become only a surface. From Apple:Magic Mouse — with its low-profile design and seamless top shell — is so sleek and dramatically different, it brings a whole new feel to the way you get around on your Mac. You can’t help but marvel at its smooth, buttonless appearance. Then you touch it and instantly appreciate how good it feels in your hand. But it’s when you start using Magic Mouse that everything comes together.The Multi-Touch area covers the top surface of Magic Mouse, and the mouse itself is the button. Scroll in any direction with one finger, swipe through web pages and photos with two, and click and double-click anywhere. Inside Magic Mouse is a chip that tells it exactly what you want to do. Which means Magic Mouse won’t confuse a scroll with a swipe. It even knows when you’re just resting your hand on it.

Pavillons from the London Design Festival

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:46:13 +0100

Pavillons from the London Design Festival will be sold during the design auction sales, on October 15th at PhillipsdePury (sold to benefit of the festival)The superCell pavillon from Marc Newson is the main auction: PROPERTY SOLD TO BENEFIT THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL MARC NEWSON‘SuperCell’ pavilion, 2009Laser-cut enamelled steel. 327.7 cm. (129 in.) high, 627.4 cm. (247 in.) diameter For the Size + Matter Project, part of the London Design Festival.ESTIMATE £100,000-150,000 † EXHIBITED 'Size + Matter', London Design Festival, SouthBank Centre, London, until 18 October 2009(More pictures in this pdf from the London design festival here)The second is from Shigeru Ban: the Paper tower pavillon: PROPERTY SOLD TO BENEFIT THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVALSHIGERU BAN‘Paper Tower’ pavilion, 2009Paper tubes, steel, concrete. 2300 cm. (905 1/2 in.) high, 900 cm. (354 3/8 in.) diameter For the Size + Matter Project, part of the London Design Festival.ESTIMATE £50,000-70,000 † EXHIBITED 'Size + Matter', London Design Festival, SouthBank Centre, London, until 18 October 2009

Marc Newson PhillipsdePury- London

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:59:43 +0100

MARC NEWSONlot 63 Phillips de Pury, London, October 15th‘Micarta Chair’ (wingless), 2006Linen phenolic composite. 75 cm. (29 1/2 in.) high Number one from the edition of ten. Underside with metal label impressed with 'Wingless/Micarta char/Marc Newson/ 1 / 10.' ESTIMATE £40,000-60,000 Ω PROVENANCE Gagosian Gallery, New York LITERATURE marc newson, exh. cat., Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2007, pp. 38-41 and 43 for the winged version; Sophie Lovell, Limited Edition: Prototypes, One-Offs and Design Art Furniture, Basel, 2009, p. 236 for the winged version and p. 237 for the wingless version in marble MARC NEWSONlot 79 Phillips de Pury, London, October 15thLarge ‘Diode’ floor lamp, 2006Moulded glass, painted steel, carbon, aluminium. 220 cm. (86 5/8 in.) high Number four from the edition of ten plus one prototype and two artist’s proofs. Foot with steel roundel 'Diode lamp/L/Marc Newson/4 / 10'.ESTIMATE £30,000-50,000 Ω PROVENANCE Gagosian Gallery, New YorkLITERATURE marc newson, exh. cat., Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2007, pp. 56-57

Lampada by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:44:00 +0100

French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec will launch a ceramic lamp for Bitossi Ceramiche at Super Design in London this week.Available in three heights 55cm, 66cm 77cm.Limited Edition of 49pcs. Price £1900 inc. VATAvailable at Vessel Gallery, London

r5.5 by Jasper Morrison for Rado

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0100

British designer Jasper Morrison has launched a collection of watches for Swiss brand Rado at Vienna Design Week, which began yesterday.

Marc Newson sheepskin jacket for G-star

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:37:54 +0100

It has been six years since Marc Newson began collaborating with apparel label G-Star.This year they presented a limited edition capsule collection where the industrial designer translated his view of design into clothing. Newson applied what he called his "architectonic" approach, incorporating fluid lines and clean designs he is famous for into a series of jackets and sweaters. The unique construction, the only "decoration" is amplified through accentuated seams which sometimes unzip to reveal a contrast color beneath. Basic monotones of black, white and grey are applied to a mix of rich materials ranging from the classic leather and silk to the more futuristic laminated Goretex.Available in New York exclusively through Moss.Produced in a limited edition of 100 signed and numbered pieces / price: from $1,600.00 to $5,800.00. Model shown: $5,800.00

Tephra Formations by Robert Stadler

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:11:00 +0100

Austrian designer Robert Stadler has designed a range of furniture based on volcanic explosions.The series, entitled Tephra Formations, includes seating, an armchair, pouf and low table. The name ‘Tephra’ is derived from the Greek for ‘ash’, while ‘bomb’ is the term used for volcanic eruptions that emerge in a partially melted state. The project is a continuation of an earlier work by Stadler called Pools & Pouf!, which was shown at the Carpenters Workshop Galleryin London as part of an exhibition called Bifurcations last year

BAC chair by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:01:00 +0100

British designer Jasper Morrison has designed BAC, a wooden chair for Italian brand Cappellini.

Lanterne Marine by BarberOsgerby for Venini

Thu, 21 May 2009 08:32:00 +0100

Italian glassmakers Venini launched a collection of hand-blown vases by London designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.Lanterne Marine by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby:Launched at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile 2009, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby’s first major commission for Murano glassmakers Venini are on display at the Venini Showroom in Milan. The six, limited edition, hand-blown, glass vases comprise three vase designs, each available in two colour versions.It was through the frequent boat trips from the Venetian mainland to the island of Murano that this project was conceived. ‘We were inspired by the metal frames that are used for protecting hanging lamps on boats around the Venetian Lagoon. Metal bands are also used in the construction of the timber posts and buoys that mark the traffic lanes,’ says Osgerby. The aluminium frames surrounding the vases are intended to evoke the vernacular nautical objects found around Murano. The circular frames are attached to an aluminium disk that separates the base and top. Each base and top are blown in a range of special Venini colours which interlock to create new colours through layering. The open calyx-like tops are intended to hold the flower stems.Barber and Osgerby’s relationship with Venini began eight years ago whilst designing architectural elements for Stella McCartney’s flagship store in New York. Through the ongoing working relationship, Barber and Osgerby have become fascinated by the elemental nature of glass making and the ancient craft skills of the Venini experts.‘Lanterne Marine extends the themes that we have been experimenting with in other areas of our work. The project combines explorations of detailed handcraft with engineering. It expands upon our longstand-ing interest in nautical design and our fascination with colour composition, transparency and layering,’ says Barber.

Nuance, chair by luca nichetto fro Casamania

Wed, 06 May 2009 01:34:23 +0100

Nuance, chair by luca nichetto.Nuance is a new concept in upholstered seating. nuance is available in two versions: one designed to be used with a table, and a ‘lounge’ version- lower and wider.Produced by Casamania