Category — Design Surveillance

We spotted the prototype several years ago as part of the textile collection at the Victoria and Albert museum. It’s resurfacing again- maybe just in time

Digital Dawn is an interesting reactive window blind that is responsive to external stimuli. Designed by Rachel Wingfield. Rachel belongs to an emerging generation of designers redefining conventions of how, why and with what things are made.  Digital Dawn digitally emulates photosynthesis using printed electroluminescent technology; as seen in the image below, a light-based botanical environment seems to grow on the window lamp as a room gets darker.

Wingfield intended Digital Dawn to emulate the process of photosynthesis using electroluminescent printing technology. Light-dependent sensors monitor the changing light levels within a space, triggering the growth of the organic foliage on the blind. A natural environment will appear to grow on the window surface, exploring how changing light levels within a space can have profound and physiological impact on our sense of well-being. It’s essentially a solar powered textile storing sun’s energy during the day and using it at night to illuminate the blind.

Wonder if the energy could be used to operate the blind?

NeoCon will furnish your mind with the power of design – three days of pure energy, new thinking, new resources, and bursting with new products. I am off to discover thousands of innovative products and resources for corporate, hospitality, healthcare,and residential interiors from more than 700 showrooms and exhibitors. NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiorsbut I ALWAYS find something that works in my business from wallcoverings to the new paint forecasts to seating and textiles. Here’s a preview.

Dream Home at the Merchandise Mart

A must-see for all attendees. I never miss to see what new inspiration I can gain.

Julia Edelman for Buckingham ID

Julia believes in mixing aged objects with modern elements and it shows through in this welcoming space.

Michael Abrams for Michael Abrams Limited

Wanting simplicity and elegance enveloped in  luxury was Michae’ls goal in this bedroom.

Wallcovering by LG

LG Hausys debuts its new line of vinyl wallcoverings designed by Anya Larkin. Seventy four new patterns from animal prints to damasks and crinkle looks will be shown. Booth 8- 4116.

NUB by Patricia Uriquola for Andreu World.

Love everything this prolific designer does. Love the fact that a childhood memory inspired the chair… ”I used to play with my grandmother’s bobbins for making lace,” she recalls. “These small wooden bars were playmates that I have now reimagined.” Traditional woodworking techniques, gently updated, produce the wing chair and side chair’s notable beech backrest: Its bars widen at the height of the lumbar region, alternating to add dimensionality. The frame comes in red, white, or black lacquer and 21 wood finishes. Multiple solids and patterns are available for the seat upholstery. Merchandise Mart 10-132

Hear Patricia Uriquola  Tuesday at MCA for a lecture sponsored by Luminaire and featuring her groundbreaking work for B&B Italia.  See you there.

Haworth Collection

Employers shrinking the size of their offices and staff have translated to tough times for office furniture manufacturers. One example of a company looking for revenue beyond cubicle and desk chair sales is Haworth. The Haworth Collection is the company’s foray into offering crossover products for the home based on their experience as a commercial furniture manufacturer. The aim is to offer high quality products which are designed to compliment a residential environment but contain functionality and durability derived from their commercial office furniture heritage. Merchandise Mart 312.

So after posting the preview of the Haworth Collection this bit of news came across my desk. =Looks like they are really serious about moving into new markets….

Retailer Crate & Barrel announced today that it will carry three products from contract furniture giant Haworth.

“With two great brands coming together, our customers can get beautiful, high quality products previously only available on the commercial market,” says Raymond Arenson, executive vice president for merchandising and design for Crate & Barrel. “Haworth’s products make a great addition to our portfolio of products.”

The three products sold will be the new Eddy table, available in July, followed by the Very Task and Very Conference chairs, available in August.

“With this Crate and Barrel relationship, Haworth can take another measured step into the retail world,” says Tom DeBoer, Haworth product manager. “We find ourselves pulled in the retail direction due to beauty and quality of our products and with the trend of office and residential coming together. We are excited to work with a great retail brand like Crate & Barrel.”

The products will be in Crate and Barrel catalogs, on crateandbarrel.com, and at more than 100 of Crate & Barrel’s retail stores across the country.

The Very chair to be carried by Crate and Barrel

Next up in our Preview:  Textiles.

The fashion world’s loss is the interior design world’s gain. In Janaury, we saw Christain LaCroix’s brillant collection for Designers Guild and now he recently launched his furniture collection for Sicis’ Next Art Mosaic Factory. With designs inspired from the famous mosaics of the Byzantine empress Theodora, who LaCroix describes as “an archetype of femininity”, the furniture  reflects  a heady mix of styles with a touch of flamboyance and extravagance .

Christian Lacroix has been a recognized force in interior decoration for some time as he dreamt up several illustrious hotels, cinemas and theatres. The new furniture collection made up of 12 chairs, light fixtures, tables  and ottomans combining fabric and leather, accented with lace, passementerie, and embroidery is set for worldwide distribution from June 2011 in all of SICIS’s showrooms.

Mr. LaCroix on his inspiration for the collection…..

“Having the privilege of being brought up between monuments, museums and 17th century houses – all well-steeped in the history of art – gave me the confidence that everything could be mixed up, particularly the most extreme styles such as baroque, neo-classical, post- modern, kitsch and pop.”

With regard to the furniture’s enviably sensual shapes, Mr Lacroix demonstrates his practical and grounded side, stressing that amongst the curves and contours, comfort was a key consideration. Meanwhile, to enhance the magnificence of the mosaics – exuberantly colorful and jewel-like in appeal – he used them sparingly, opting for a light, subtle hand. Elegant as ever, Mr Lacroix’s main goal was to create furniture conjuring up “refinement and individuality.”

I am so hoping we’ll get a up close and personal look at Maison et Objet in September. (BTW- LOVE! the lace applique on the ottoman.) This is a ceramic tour de force about the art of living.

Here are some highlights from day 3 at Heimtextil, the world’s largest textile fair including wallpapers and a discussion on sustainabilityfrom a European designer’s point of view.

“This distinction is incongruous as we always believe that we could have done things better… prizes are quite a healthy form of pressure; they force us to do better each time and always”.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, 2011 now! design à vivre designers, show how this pressure can encourage even more precision. Designed to meet present-day needs but to resist the assault of time and fashion, their objects are sustainable by definition and consequently need to be precise. Their designs themselves are part of a long-term industrial process where design, in their opinion, owns the top spot. The importance of draftsmanship seems incongruous in these days of 3D technology. Yet it is natural for Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Slow Chair for Vitra

Ronan born in 1971 and Erwan born in 1976, have worked together for over 10 years. Their partnership is a permanent dialogue, nourished by their differences and guided by their need for precision and delicacy.

At the Salon du Meuble in 1997, they were noticed by Giulio Cappellini who assigned them with their first industrial design projects. In 2000, Issey Miyake asked them to design a space presenting his new Apoc clothes collection in Paris. Then came the decisive meeting with Rolf Fehlbaum, president of Vitra, which led to the design of a new typology of office systems called Joyn in 2002. They have worked with Magis to design two complete furniture collections: Striped and Steelwood.

Steelwood Chair for Magis

Finally, the textile walls  North Times and  Clouds designed through a  partnership with Kvadrat.

 In 2010 they presented two separate collections for two new editors: a tableware collection, called Ovale, for Alessi and a bathroom collection for Axor.

Alessi Oval Collection 2010

UPDATE: Being introduced at M&O  next week in the  Nanimarquina booth is ‘losanges’ , a new rug collection designed by the  Bouroullec brothers.

Intrigued by traditional persian rugs and the ‘kilim savoir-fair’ which the designers consider to be a delicate mix of rusticity and fineness, the ‘losanges’ project is carried out by craftsmen in northern Pakistan who weave the rug’s thirteen colors into a geometrical rhombus shape. ‘losanges’ is crafted by hand, and the afghan wool used to craft it is hand spun, allowing for particular color tones to be highlighted,making each one a unique piece. Can’t wait to see it in person.

 For those of you interested in the process; see below.

Full scale sketch by Bouroullec brothers

Traditional weaving process by Pakistani craftsmen

Photos Courtesy of Maison et Objet.