The Montreal company TOMA “takes hold of daily living with a dash of humor and a hint of cunning” in their approach to designing their household objects, as well as adhering to a green philosophy. I find their InsideOut series especially appealing. Shown above, clockwise from top left corner:
Category Archives: Industrial Design
Paperclip Potpourri
Click to enlarge
Here is a roundup of paperclip-inspired objects as well as a few that are actually made of paperclips.
Clockwise from the top left corner:
The Paperclip Lamp (3 images); Paperclip radiators; Koziol Clip Pen & Pencil Tray; Paperclip Fruit Bowl; Paperclip Money Clip; Paperclip t-shirt; Paperclip Coat Hooks; Paperclip Hanger; Paperclip Typography; Paperclip Necklace; Paperclip Note Cards; Paperclip Radiator/Towel Rack
Outside World – Real Life 2.0
via Highheels. Don’t know the original source.
Tablemoods
In addition to designing the Ringset ONE, the trio of young designers at Bloomming, in the Netherlands, design furniture and wall partitions. This Tablemoods table can be easily flipped to reveal a white or gray tabletop surface, depending on your mood, or I guess, that of the table’s. Made of stainless steel and birch plywood.
Ringset ONE
I’m really not much of a ring person (it’s a small-hands-stubby-fingers thing), in fact Daniela is the big ring-wearer of the family. But, if I were to wear rings this Ringset ONE by the Dutch design studio, Bloomming, would be my style. I like the simple, elegant lines, as well as the interlocking aspect which, for a friendship/wedding ring, is not only clever but meaningful. They come in polished or brushed; silver, gold, or white gold.
Available here.
Sny Chair
To be honest, I do like the Sny Chair designed by Stefano Pirovano (designer of numerous products from Alessi’s dental floss dispenser to watches and even the Rain Level boots!) BUT, what I really loved was the product photo.
The Sny Chair is made of 5mm aluminum and if I understand correctly from their site, is folded and held together by rope. Hmm, doesn’t really look like rope…
Clover Lamp
The Clover Lamp can be used as a floor, table, or suspension lamp, indoor or outdoor. It’s made of matte white lacquered aluminum and colored plexiglass.I think I like the blues the best.
Designed by Miriam Mirri for Bysteel.
via Lustik
Sebastien Wierinck’s Tube Formations
(Click on images for larger view)
Not since the Blue Men have I seen such great use of tubes. Sebastien Wierinck (whose Panels02 Chair we posted about previously) is a designer based in Marseille, France. He has designed everything from domestic furniture to commercial, interior design to stage and exhibit design. Above are some of his installations for public spaces, restaurants, galleries and art festivals.
From top to bottom, left to right:
Le Centquatre, Paris (top two photos); INSTANT Exhibit, Brussels (x2); Bed Supperclub, Bangkok; Light detail, Bed Supperclub; Brazil-Brazil Exhibit, Marseille (x2); Gallery Into Art & Furniture, Berlin; Tokyo Eat Restaurant, Paris; Design City, Luxembourg
Apart from being fun and amazing, these constructions are made of polyethylene plastic (plastic bottle waste) so it’s recycling at its finest. The tubes, usually used for water, gas and electrical distribution, are strong, flexible and readily available in multiple colors and sizes. It’s win-win all the way.
You can visit Sebastien Wierinck’s site for more info, and there are more photos on flickr.
WASARA Disposable Tableware
I have had my eye on these plates for a couple of years now. Since first seeing them, I have considered ordering them online every time I’ve had a party, or group get-together, then backed away when realizing that the express shipping necessary due to my last minute ordering (not very good about planning ahead) would be hard to justify. Last week, however, on a lovely stroll to Noho here in NYC, I discovered that they sell them at The Future Perfect. Very exciting news for me. The plates are a little smaller than I imagined (though the measurements are accurate on the site) but just as beautiful.
Designed in Japan by Shinichiro Ogata, WASARA tableware is compostable and made from 100% tree-free renewable materials, so not only will your table look great, but it’s all very green, too.
Available online here.
Kinekt Gear Ring
Made of matte stainless steel, the Gear Ring, designed by Kinekt, has tiny gears that spin when the outer rims are turned. Very cool. I would imagine it would be hard to resist fiddling with it all the time!
Take a look at the video to see it in action:
The Gear Ring is available through the Kinekt website.
Creative Clothespin Usage
I spotted an interesting lamp prototype made of plastic clothespins a couple of days ago in Williamsburg. Trying to find it online proved to be futile, but instead, I came across some very creative uses both for clothespins and inspired by clothespins. Here are some of the ones that stood out.
Starting at the top left corner, row by row, left to right:
Sandra Backlund creation; Bride Lamp; Claes Oldenburg sculpture in Philadelphia; Clothespin USB stick; Sandra Backlund Clothespin Dress; Peg Light by Steffi Min; Clothespin Trashcan; EZ Chopsticks; Clothespin Lamp; Clothespin Light and shown with paper as shade; Peglight; Clothespin Dress for window display
Lighter Than Air in Boston
Lighter Than Air, by Rachely Rotem Studio and Phu Hoang Office, is the winning entry for SHIFTboston’s Barge 2011 Competition and scheduled to be unveiled on Boston’s waterfront as a “pop-up” public space in September 2012.
Comprised of bright pink camouflage netting, helium balloons, and stationery bikes, the “camovapor” climate system (as the designers like to call it) will float over the barge with the interactive help of visitors who can generate power by pedaling the bikes that will inflate additional weather balloons, transforming water to vapor. As the vapor condenses on the pink nets, the 3D perforations will hold the water which then, combined with the natural harbor breeze, will create a cool area and an “interactive atmospheric phenomenon.”
Looks like a trip to Boston that fall will be in order.
Puff Buff Lamps
I had to smile when I came across these Puff Buff lamps. So fun, and something I would have loved to have in my room as a teen to go with my yellow shag rug. They remind me of those inflatable chairs which, by the way, I had always envisioned on the aforementioned rug as well.
Made of PVC and inflatable, these lamps come in hanging, floor, table, and column variations. See them all here and some are available here.
AstroTurfed Aeron Chair
Makoto Azuma, a Japanese botanic artist, has joined up with Herman Miller to create an Aeron Chair covered in AstroTurf to be displayed this summer at the new Herman Miller store in Tokyo.
I’ve never been one to enjoy sitting blanketless on the grass, but this does look pretty cool.
via colossal
Colored Vinyl Comeback
After a little googling, I discovered that colored records go back to some of the first records ever issued. In fact, the first wax records were yellow; I remember being fascinated by one that my mother owned when I was a child. Later, some 78s that were printed in multicolor swirls or splashes such as this one from 1923.
In the past ten years or so we’ve witnessed a resurgence of vinyl records, many of these seen as collectibles and possibly a good way for a small band to get visibility. Whatever the reason, I, for one, am enjoying their comeback from a design standpoint. Some of these artistically abstract colored vinyl records, from Brain Stowell’s flickr stream, are quite beautiful. More here.
via Graphic Exchange
Vivian Chiu’s Limbo Chair
Vivian Chiu of Inception Chair fame, wrote us a nice email which included a link to another one of her chairs not on her site just yet, called the Limbo Chair. Another amazing feat by this very talented young designer.
Traditional Singaporean Games
I love the packaging on these Traditional Games for the National Museum of Singapore. They almost look like little jars of candy. Each one (six total) represents a traditional game played in Singapore and comes complete with instructions tucked in a nicely designed envelope. The six games are: Saga Seeds; Goli; Zero Point; Kuti Kuti; Balloons; and Five Stones.
Available here
NRM Project: New Role Models
When Dan and I entered the ICFF satellite show, Model Citizens, in Chelsea last Saturday, we were greeted by a row of colorfully designed miniature seats. The NRM Project (New Role Models), of which these seats are a part of, is a movement by Mike Seto and David Kim of Click Boom Pow to “empower initiative”. The chairs have been distributed around Manhattan and Brooklyn without permission. The prints on them were donated by a variety of artists and designers including Milton Glaser and DALVA. The idea is to inspire good design as well as giving New Yorkers a place to sit, relax, and enjoy the art.
See more images of the chairs at their site.
CollabCubed 