Arik Ben Simhon is an Israeli designer whose latest furniture collection was inspired by sports equipment and elements found in the gym. We're not talking barbell lamps, beanbag chairs covered in sports jerseys or a coffee table made of skate decks.
These are modern, high quality, sophisticated leather and upholstered pieces that take their design cues from the protective pads worn in sports like hockey and skateboarding and the metal tubular elements of work-out machinery.
above left: pro-tec hip and tailbone pads and right, Ben Simhon's leather chairs
The inspiration:
above: Protective hockey gear for the heart, kidney and spleen
above: Protective gear from pro-tec for hips, tailbone and knees
Clearly inspired by the protective pads shown above, a few chairs from the collection:
The collection includes sofas, easy chairs and occasional seats as well as more obscure items such as a rocking chair, children’s high chair, hammock and punching bag.
Materials include full-grain fashion-quality leather in monochrome and metallic hues with flashes of color introduced thorough ultra-bright occasional seats and bright velvet chairs. With a wink to chesterfield upholstery techniques many of the pieces are stitched and padded by hand, imparting a sense of humour often found behind these designs.
He premiered this unusual collection as part of Superstudio’s concept “Temporary Museum for New Design” during Milan Design Week 2009 this past April:
The Chairs:
Mickey Max:
Little Cube:
Goldy:
Shazlong Ex Mackey:
Box:
ExtraBox:
Box & Half:
Supermuscoli:
Taison:
Mamma Son:
The Sofas:
Mentallys:
Soft Cube Sofa (leather and suede):
Mr. T:
Little Mamma:
Chocolate:
Miscellaneous items:
Punching Bag:
The Bici stool:
The Tarzan hammock:
The Dondolo Rocker:
The Bambini Highchair:
Tel Aviv designer Arik Ben Simhon is known for bold design pieces which reference the fashions of contemporary culture and sport. Beginning his career in design at the age of 24 he first worked on a series of commercial projects in the capital including hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars.
Now, after a successful international launch in 2008, he is not only considered one of the most prominent and influential designers in Tel Aviv but is widely achieving recognition on a global scale.
About the new collection, Ben Simhon says “For the new collection I started by looking at 1930s movement photography and juxtaposed this with fashion. Sport has been pivotal in fashion since the 70s with functional high performance sports clothing moving from the sport hall and streets to a high fashion context. I wanted to capture this with furniture that is made to the highest quality but that maintains a cool informal edge.”
“In uncertain times I hope to evoke positive emotion and give people a piece of furniture which they will want to live with for years, an “investment piece” both from the practical aspect but also the emotional”
all information and photos courtesy of Arik Ben Simhon, ecxpet the sport equipment potos
To see the complete collection, visit Arik Ben Simhon
Arik Ben Simhon
110 NAHALAT BINYAMIN ST
TEL-AVIV 66066 ISRAEL
Tel. +972 (0)3 683 7865