Unfolding ‘Crates’ by Naihan Li
Architect and designer Li Naihan’s latest series of home and office furniture The Crates is inspired by the volatile and exuberant spirit of a contemporary urban habitat like Beijing and its epic detournment of building construction, decay and regeneration. Sofas, beds, bookshelves, workstations, and foosball tables pop out of their own shipping shell to form a unique spatial language that is whole with a ‘total’ concept of dwelling.
Wooden crates become carapaces to contain the body, objects and memories we carry with them: situational freeplay and sculptural abstraction blend here to make room for a design practice which is intrinsically relational and open-ended. Concierge is developed in collaboration with Beatrice Leanza, curator and co-founder with Li of Beijing-based studio BAO Atelier, a creative lab integrating curatorial, editorial and design production to promote new encounters and transversal research among the visual arts, design and architecture. This special installation materializes an inexistent part of an actual building dubbed ‘The House of Leaves’, a semi-private/semi-public residence located on the edge of the 5th Ring Road in Caochangdi village. Drawn upon an intimate image of both action and reflection, this serendipitous space represents an antechamber of no definite time or spatial confines, a public retreat and an interior garden activated by a politics otherwise known as ‘meeting’.
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Batoidea Chair by Peter Donders
Aptly named by Belgian designerPeter Donders for the genus of fish which includes the elegant stingray, Batoidea is an example of design and technology. Fluid and airy the chair defies practical conventions. Read More…
The Secret Clubhouse by Martin Vallin for Cappellini
The Secret Clubhouse is the designed by the young Swedish designer Martin Vallin for Cappellini. A little world into which to escape, constructed entirely of recycled wood and softened by felt covered cushions. Read More…
PEAHI Sofa by Sophisticated Living
PEAHI is the name of the new sofa collection created by the brand ‘Sophisticated Living‘. Fully modular and dissociable, each seating can be ordered in color or floral prints. Read More…
Typographic Furnitures by Tabisso
Tabisso’s typographic lounge furniture comes in letters A-Z and numbers 0-9 and the coordinating floor lamps cover more than 20 punctuation marks.
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Foliage Sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Kartell
Patricia Urquiola has introduced the new quilted sofa called Foliage designed for the Italian manufacturer Kartell.
Dialogue between natural realities and artificial Foliage, the sofa clearly bears the graphic hallmark of Patricia Urquiola as an object that looks as if it just grew naturally in plastic. The leaves form a crown resting on a framework of branches which virtually form a seat. Foliage is a sofa with great personality featuring a seat with top-stitched embroidery on four round legs. Cosy and soft, Foliage offers two roomy seats. The top-stitching runs over the entire surface and on the back too making the sofa a standalone piece that can be placed even in the centre of a room and seen from all sides.
MUS Sofa by Francesc Rifé for Koo International
MUS is a modular sofa designed by Francesc Rife for KOO International. Its a clean and simple modular sofa idea with various elements composition including a chaise lounge and puffs. This seating furniture collection can be combine with auxiliary furniture elements such as side tables, coffee tables or accessories such as magazine racks and garden boxes.
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Bahia Chair by Studio 20age
Created by 20age, Bahia Chair is a vintage chair that was reupholstered in yellow velvet cord and yellow and green checked cotton and has 5,000 Brazilian ribbons attached to the back side. According to 20age, these ribbons are a lucky charm in Brazil. Typically one ties it to one’s wrist using three knots. A wish is made for each knot and when the band falls off your wishes come true.
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Cutie Armchair, Fetiche Collection by Munna Design
Inspired by the intense cold winter, Cutie Armchair part of Fetish Collection from Munna Design reveals a pure delight for the eye and touch. Upholstered in fur and sustained by gold feet this armchair adds a luxurious essence to your home. Read More…
Jalis Sofa by Jehs-Laub for COR
Jalis, taken from the Arabic, is the magical word for relaxed communication, comfortable in any circumstances. Cushions side by side – like stories told one after another. Special upholstery provides support and fabulous comfort. No less unusual than the concept itself is the new cover fabric Patio with woven-in ornaments, developed by the rohi textile manufacturing company. Only becoming visible when the incidence of light changes, its patterns seem almost three-dimensional and resemble fine embroidery. Create oases of well-being: the upholstered furniture range is an all-round talent that can float, rest on pedestals, integrate or highlight tables, change levels, and incorporate niches and floor recesses.
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Molecular Chair By Antonio Pio Saracino Cervo
The Molecular Chair created by New York-based Italian designer and architect Antonio Pio Saracino is an exploration of the structural components found in the natural world and the ways in which they can find expression in design. Each chair imagines the scale of matter within a traditional baroque chair, using the same microscopic structure but in human scale. The chairs are composed with a wire-frame mesh and differently sized felt balls or “molecules” are woven together to create a comfortable chair. The felt represents a natural, low-tech, and eco-friendly material.
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Libro Armchair by Busnelli
The Libro lounge chair by Busnelli has a form of a book and each of the “pages” can be flipped over to adjust the height of the back from lounging to sitting up right.
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“Brick Series”, by KiBiSi for Versus
KiBiSi launches Brick, a couch series for the new Danish design brand, VERSUS. It consists of a pouf, a chair, a two and three sofas. The cushions are tied together and fixed with a tailor quality button. The buttons, also designed by KiBiSi, aremolded of fiber concrete – Yet another architectural reference.
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“Four Works,” Armchair & Desk by Four Design
Designed by Patricia Terrazas & Michael Svane for Four Design, Four Works Armchair includes a built-in desk for laptop, power outlets and storage for stationery and various media. The chair also swivels a full 360 degrees.
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Jean Paul Gaultier for Roche Bobois
The furniture outfit enlisted the infamous fashion designer to create the new pieces, called Jean Paul Gaultier Pour Roche Bobois Paris, to commemorate its golden 50th anniversary. At 207 boulevard Saint Germain from June 10th to 14th, guests could preview the collection that will be available, along with select limited edition pieces, in Roche Bobois’ 240 global boutiques starting in the fall.
He started by reworking famed, and recently deceased, German designer Hans Hopfer’s iconic Mah Jong sofa, itself created for Roche Bobois in the 1970’s. Gaultier paid tribute to the master by keeping the modular seating’s shape but updating it by swapping out its hippie-chic upholstery for the striped-canvas Sailor, a nautical number that draws one of his favorite themes.
Bohemian Sofa by Busnelli
Busnelli, the Italian furniture company has designed Bohemian Sofa. A display of elegance and classic design reinvented. With an aristocratic appearance, the product looks very inviting and fits well in a minimalist design meant to impress. The interesting aspect of this item and the one that makes the Bohemian sofa stand out is its upholstery.
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Gibraltar Sofa by Mostapha El Oulhani
The shape of the Gibraltar Sofa has been inspired by the famous rock which bears the name of where the designer comes from
“Snowflake” Installation for Kartel Gallery by Tokujin Yoshioka
Below Tokujin Yoshioka talks about his new collection entitled “The Invisibles” and his shop installation “Snowflake.”
You are presenting both product and installation in collaboration with Kartell this year. Please talk about the projects?
As a special collaboration between Claudio Luti and Tokujin Yoshioka, I am presenting “The Invisibles” collections and a shop installation entitled “Snowflake”. Recent years, I find myself often proposing designs, which incorporate the essence of natural phenomena and invisible elements.
The idea of the “Invisibles” initiates in the discussion I had with Mr. Claudio Luti almost two years ago. We both looked at the possibility to develop and express a new product in acrylic, which inherits the essence of optical glass bench “Water Block”.
It has been thought nearly impossible to create an industrial product in acrylic of this thickness. However, their innovative techniques and motivation and challenge to create a new product with a fresh dimension to idea have made it possible.
“The Invisibles” only leaves the sense as if seating in the air. The presence of the object is eradicated and it will create a scenery of a sitter floating in the air.
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What is your vision for transparent material?
I am drawn by things that do not have forms but leave emotional effect to people. At a glance, such material is invisible and its existence is erased. Through the interaction with light, however, the form suddenly emerges. I am fascinated not only with such phenomena, but also elements that can stir and stimulate our imagination. I also like the idea of light, which is the form of design itself.
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