Recently in “Product Design”


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Italian designer Antonello Fusé created this collection, Abitudini, a series of hangers made from secondhand chairs. Cutting off the backs at various points, he then inserts a simple metal curve ....... resulting in fabulous hangers that are available from Italian design company Resign!!!!!

Remember "hanging your coat on the back of your chair" ......
these hangers take that thought to a new level!!!!!!


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R.F. Yamakawa makes these crazy colored molded plastic umbrella stands!!!!

I adore the colors and think they are seriously silly!!!!

Again, I hate choices ...... but, even I don't need 7 umbrella stands!!!!


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Color, color, color ..... served up in style by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio in Seattle!!! 
Vintage inspired 3 pc. serving set, available in orange, yellow & antique white .....

My biggest decision is ..... which piece should be in which color!!!!


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JOIN DESIGN, Seattle

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OBJECT DESIGN LEAGUE, Chicago

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AMERICAN DESIGN CLUB, New York 

I am obsessed with new, innovative young designers and 
am thrilled when they have the opportunity for exposure !!!!!

These three collectives, from three different cities, 
bringing an eclectic collection of independent young designers to the Gift Show ..... 
are informative, energizing, and exciting !!!!!!!  

WELCOME .... and please come back!!!!!!


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I found these yummy colored yoga mats from Dreamers at one of Aspen's most divine women's clothing & accessory stores, Distractions. These brightly colored mats, made locally in Aspen, are embroidered with skulls, peace signs, dragonflies, yoga symbols, etc ...... or they can be personalized with any embroidery you can think of ...... including your initials or name, or the name of your favorite yogi or yoga pose!!!! 

A chic "accessoration" for any yoga studio or .............
a multi-colored stack of them would look fabulous poolside at my house .......
as much as I hate exercise, I love a good "accessoration"!!!


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In June, I was fortunate enough to see Jasleen Kaur's Royal College of Art graduate show.
It was found it intelligent, innovative, smart ...... and extremely thought provoking!!!!

I was particularly intrigued with her installation "Tools for Living.Branded "britesh made" with a well-designed logo, the project "explores how cultures continually evolve and adapt to new environments wilst keeping their traditions and subtle habits." This series of re-configured objects represent the melding of two cultures ...... blending them, rather than obliterating one or the other. They are displayed on brackets attached to pegboards, giving the illusion of being for sale in a hardware shop ....... a reference to her great granddad's peddling from door to door, and her family's current business.

Jasleen's project relates to her great granddad's move to Britan in 1950, referring to how he acclimated to living in the U.K., while continuing to honor his Indian culture. Her relationship and connection with him are also part of the project. Her "utensils," re-formulated from two distinct objects, are symbols of binding the two traditions and cultures. A prime example is the everyday stainless steel curry tray's (thaali) that are subtly changed with the addition of silver handles ........ Indian functionality joins traditional English formality. 

"He made a living from pushing a homemade cart from door to door selling goods or spotting construction sites from afar and turning up to see if there were any jobs going. He dressed like a real gentleman, like one of those proud to be British types, with a well kept moustache and tweed hat (a modern replacement for his once traditional turban). He was an in-betweener, a hybrid of both Indian and British and in his undecided state, functioned beautifully in his new surroundings."

"The thing I observe and make are how I see my great granddad and myself Although constructed from many things, they just work. Because cutlery is not really used in Indian cusine I am making a series of "tools for living" that reference everyday habits rather than etiquette. They are built for how we do things, not for how we should do thing."

Jasleen's graduate project, "design as a cultural unifier," teaches us how generations adapt and evolve in new surroundings, while maintaining their cultural roots. Her great granddad's door-to-door business evolved into a chain of family-run hardware shops in Glasglow.



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Pablo Reinoso  HUGE SUDELEY BENCH  Painted Steel
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 8 + 4 AP's

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Atelier Van Lieshout   WELLNESS SKULL  Fiberglass, Polystyrene & Plywood 
Conceived 2007,  Edition of 3

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Sebastian Brajkovic  LATHE X  Aluminium
Conceived in 2010,  Edition 8 + 4 AP's

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Lionel Scoccimaro  GIANT JAR  Painted Aluminium
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 8 + 4 AP's

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Studio Job  POURING JUG  Polished & Painted Bronze
Conceived in 2008 & Cast in 2010,  Unique

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Marcel Wanders BON BON GOLD  Resin, Rope, & Precious Metal
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 20 + 2 AP's

This exciting "selling exhibition," a joint venture between Sotheby's UK, Studley Castle, and Carpenters Workshop Gallery showcases a series of one-off and limited edition pieces by leading international contemporary designers and artists. The works are utilitarian pieces that can work as functional objects or pieces that can be appreciated as works of art with "profound aesthetic appeal.

According to Alexander Planton & Simon Stock, Sotheby's curators of the Sudeley exhibition "Contemporary design is an area of the international art market that ha been making waves in recent years and the Sudeley show will present works by some of the boldest and most visionary talents in the field of design today."

Carpenters Workshop in London, one of the premier galleries featuring contemporary design, is know for encouraging up-and-coming young artists, as well as presenting extraordinary works from established artists such as Ron Arad, Marteen bas, Wendell Castle. This joint venture is the latest project that the gallery is involved in "to promote the careers and foster the careers of contemporary designers through exhibiting unique and limited-edition works in solo and group exhibitions and at international art and design fairs. It also aims to expose the public to the latest design aesthetic, enriching and enlightening the contemporary design landscape and discourse."

Sudeley Castle is located in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire. It was the royal household of Queen Katherine Parr during Tudor times. It is currently the home of Lady Ashcombe and the Dent-Brocklehurst family, who are dedicated to the restoration of the castle and it's gardens, with a particular emphasis on environmental sustainability. Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst has presented several exhibitions at the castle and says of this installation ..... "A thousand years of history at Sudeley represents a thousand years of design and creation and it is wonderful to be presenting such a current and visually exciting exhibition that is in such striking contrast to the historic castle itself."

I think this unique exhibition .....  the scope of the work is brilliant, 
and the stunning surroundings add an extraordinary dimension to the collection!!!!



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Low-tech materials meet traditional craft skills, in Dutch designer Tord Boontje's innovative "tatted" raffia lighting pieces exhibited at Marsden Woo Gallery, London. "The Lacemaker," this installation of Boontje's latest works, rethinks our traditional concept of what lace is. According to this world renowned designer, also the Head of Design products at the Royal College of Art, "With lace, all the value is invested in the labour and so it seemed a good idea to start working with cheap materials ... but also, by changing the material you can change the references." In addition to the lighting pieces, the exhibition has a collection of other "lace" works ...... a black webbed sofa, lace screens, a raffia trimmed mirror, a raffia dress, and a selection of jewlery.

This collection is inspired by Boontje's participation in an exhibition at the University of Philadelphia's Design Center, "Lace in Transition." He spent three days immersed in the Center's archives, studying the collection of the Quaker Lace Company, resulting in a unique collection of his own designs.

I love Boontje's simplicity of materials & innovative designs ......
used to create these fabulous "accessorations." 

They pieces are modern in visual and vintage in inspiration!!!


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The "accessorator" loves to constantly change and rearrange .... and this chair fits the bill!!!
Reminding me of the flip-books of my childhood ..... it's always in motion!!!!
And I love the idea of changing the patterns endlessly!!!!

Last month at Design Miami/Basel 2010 Dutch design company Droog (see blog 12/1/09 & 12/3/09) presented New York-based designer Stefan Sagmeister's "Darwin Chair." The chair is a free swinging structure that is made up of over 200 sheets of printed Tyvek paper. Functionality is a major attribute of this chair ..... as a page gets dirty, or the owner gets tired of the pattern, it can be changed easily by flipping the pattern to the back or by tearing the page off at the perforation. The concept is similar to a large note pad, where you tear off a page and a new sheet appears with a different pattern. In addition, after tearing the pages off, the remaining perforation builds up to form a comfortable headrest!!!


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In addition to the fabulous "finds" at Lina Kanafani's London design store Mint, which recently moved to 2 North Terrace, Italian designer Paola Navone has created the most divine kitchen downstairs ....... and "accessorated" it with her trade-mark white ceramics!!!!! Steel grey, black, and accented with red, this streamline store kitchen, with it's geometric cement block wall, is stunning!!! I love the shots of red on the hardware accenting the shallow oval marble sink ...... and the strips of red metal securing the glasses, dishes, etc. on the kitchen shelves are sensational!!! The chic simplicity of this mini-kitchen is incredible ...... so much detail & style..... so little space!!!!!

I adore the variety of Paola Navone's design work (see blog 4/21/10, 4/23/10, 5/17/10) ......... 
she is one of the design world's fantastically fabulous "accessorator's!!!" 


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I love a good "accessoration," especially one that I can "design" to my specifications ......
and this absolutely fits the bill completely!!!

Available at contemporary general store Sylvester & Co., Sag Harbor this "stool/bench/table" can be purchased in any multiple or color combination of your choice!!!!  Sold individually, each jigsaw puzzle piece is made of mango wood or mango wood that is covered with "silver foil." Individually sized, 22.5" x 14" x 17" ........ and priced $149 (all wood) & $295 (covered with foil), they are in stock right now!!!! 

Hurry over ...... they are fabulous!!!!


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I adore creative ways of "giving back" ....... and this is a fantastic example 
of an iconic brand's concern for the arts!!!

Keds has commissioned conceptual artist Jenny Holzer to design a collection of Keds based on her signature word-based art. The collection features classic canvas sneakers ..... black, grey, or white colors ..... low and hi-top silhouettes ...... with the text "PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT." The sale of these sneakers is part of Keds sponsorship of the Whitney Museum of Art's summer program.

I must have these immediately ....... you too??????

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I paid another visit to Merci (blog 11/11/09) and again was very take with 
Marie-France & Bernard Cohen's creative concept of "giving back."  

My favorite thing on this visit was this divinely designed dinnerware by French product designer Jean Marc Gady. Attaching a series of different size white porcelain plates creates a wonderful venue for a meal of "small plates" or tapas, a trend that is very au courant and exactly how I love to eat!!!! 

I love the idea that Merci features a collection of different products 
on every  visit ............  from fashion to home & more!!!!


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IMG_4890.jpgSummer 2010 ....... nothing reflects it's arrival more than this divine be-spoke sailcloth sofa designed by Lebanese architect/designer Rahib Hage!!!! Made from genuine sails, it is available at his eponymous Sloan Avenue gallery and design studio. 

In addition to designing furniture, Hage, known for his dedication to great design and his discovery of unique design talents, has created London's Rough Luxe Hotel. It is staggeringly exciting and worth visit!!!!!

Hage's most recent project is an innovative online design think tank www.detink.com   

This website is one my greatest secret weapons in the world of 
design and I am sharing it with you!!!!


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At the ICFF, Brooklyn-based artist/designer Amy Helfand's presented her newest collection of rugs made in Nepal. Titled "Devotion," they are the result of a collection of by images she photographed while traveling in Nepal, overseeing production of her rugs. Amy was moved by the shrines and temples around her, and inspired by the great faith of the Tibetans. The images of the prayer flags resonated strongly with her and she used them as the basis for this collection of hand-knotted rugs, made of Tibetan wools and Chinese silks. These stunning rugs are available in custom sizes and colors.

I adored these rugs, the colors are exception and the movement & flow 
of the designs are stunning!!!!

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