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Showing posts with label bench. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bench. Show all posts

The Balloon Bench and other Wild but Thoughtful Designs from H220430.




Satoshi Itasaka and Takuto Usami collaborated to establish "h220430" on April 30th, Heisei 22 (Heisei is the current era name in japan). Their design activities focus on lighting and furniture and other unusual items. But their objects and furniture are not just weird for the sake of being different. They are inspired by things that affect mankind and the state of the planet, such as nuclear war, melting glaciers, other designers, films and art and the juxtapotision of real and artificial.

The descriptions of the following products are taken directly from their site and therefore are written in the first person and may have some translation problems.

The Balloon Bench:






description: This bench was visually inspired by the feeling of floating that the main character felt in the French movie, “Le Ballon Rouge”(1953).

In reality the bench is suspended from the ceiling by 4 anchors concealed by the balloon shapes. This creates the illusion of the bench being lifted by balloons.

Available in red or white, the Balloon bench is sold by Somewhere of Tokyo

The LED Mushroom Lamp:


description: After the end of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, the crisis of nuclear wars was believed to have disappeared. However, even after the Cold War, India, Pakistan, China, and France have continued the development of nuclear weapons. The number of nuclear powers is still increasing and the crisis of nuclear wars has not yet ended. At present, there exist (sic) the incredible total of 23,000 nuclear weapons, which are said to be capable of annihilating the whole earth several times over. Under these hopeless circumstances, what we can do to aim for a nuclear-free world is to have concern about this issue, to deepen our understanding, to have discussions and to continue to advocate the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The Edoma Lamp:




description: In recent years, the permafrost covering Siberia has started to melt very rapidly. It encapsulates the potent greenhouse gas, methane, which was produced over millions of years by bacteria that existed before the ice ages. Furthermore, there is a massive ice layer called Edoma in the permafrost that is no less than 40 meters thick. It has been discovered that Edoma contains an amount of high-concentration methane that is one thousand times that in the earth’s atmosphere. Once the permafrost on the surface, and then Edoma, start to melt, the issue of global warming will become even more serious.

We represented the melting Edoma, which might eventually disappear, with an incandescent lamp that is also disappearing, evoking the image of a faint light that glimmers while consuming methane in the deep ice.

It might be difficult to become conscious of what is happening far away from your daily life. However, this lamp must help broaden your perspective toward the global environment. You might be able to find a different point of view if you think about the future global environment under the melancholic yet mellow light of this lamp.

The Larson C Vase/Holder:




description: In the Antarctic Peninsula, there is one of the largest ice shelves called Larsen. It consisted of a series of three shelves, namely Larsen A, B and C, from the north. Ice shelf Larsen A was regarded to have existed for more than two thousand years before its disintegration in 1995. Then, in 2002, huge ice shelf Larsen B broke up after an existence extending back 12 millennia. Those disintegrations in recent years caused a tremendous amount of ice loss, which corresponds to an area more than six times as large as Tokyo. Only ice shelf Larsen C remains, but unfortunately, its disintegration, too, is just a matter of time.

We created an acrylic object and named it Larsen C, which will remind you of an iceberg split from a disintegrating ice shelf floating in the sea. It has two holes in the top, and you can use it as a toothbrush holder or, by putting it into another vessel with water, as a bud vase. When it is wet, Larsen C looks even more like a real iceberg melting off the shelf, which will make you speculate more realistically about the serious condition of the Antarctic area, even though it is far away.

We would be glad if the users come to think about global warming and consequently take some actions to prevent it by using Larsen C in their daily lives.

Powers Of Table:




description: This table is homage to “Powers of Ten”, which is the short film created by Charles Eames in 1968.

Our narrow-mind is one of the reasons for causing a conflict or environmental problems. The issues, we are currently facing in this world, would be better if we have a broad mind with large scale vision when we think the issues at the table as it described in “Powers of Ten."

Ivy Chair:




description: Living in the city where nature is excluded to the utmost limit, we tend to forget that we depend on the power of nature and only remember it when natural disaster strikes. However, I believe that it is essential that we should appreciate nature and always respect it.

The white but otherwise realistic leaves of “ivy chair” act as a metaphor for the exclusion of nature from the city.

The artificial white color of “ivy chair” merges it into daily life without a sense of incompatibility. The intention of “ivy chair” is to make you feel comfortable as if you were surrounded by trees and flowers. Whenever you sit down in the chair it will prompt you to think about nature over its function as a chair.

The Mimic Bench




description: In addition to ideas such as comfort and endurance which have traditionally been associated with benches, I should like to add the concept of mental well being. (I believe this topic is common to all product designs.) To address this issue, I produced the MIMIC BENCH.

At a first glance, the bench appears to be floating on it's own. In reality three manikins have been integrated with the bench to support it. I hope that by placing the bench in an area where the public gather the MIMIC BENCH will improve the condition of it’s surrounding and it’s users.

all images and info copyright (C) 2011 h220430.

The Dekka Daybed By FurnID; A Synthesis of Danish & Arabic Design.




The Dekka is a beautiful and innovative design created by Bo Strange, Morten Kjær Stivegaard and Sara Vinter Martinsen of FurnID , a Copenhagen based design studio.



FurnID originally created Dekka for entry in a competition announced by Danish Furniture in 2007. The assignment was to create an item of furniture that conveyed the idea of integration, and Dekka symbolises the encounter of two worlds – the Danish and the Arabic. The one world does not dominate the other, but the interplay between the two cultures and traditions gives rise to a fascinating, unique and highly functional work of design.



Danish design and Arabic cultural heritage form a beautiful union with Dekka, a new daybed that has already become a design icon and has been nominated for numerous design awards. Dekka, which means "a seat for more than one person", arose through an encounter of contrasts: Soft and hard, light and dark, ornamentation and minimalism, and of course beauty and function.


above left: Sara Vinter Martinsen and Bo Strange with the Dekka. right: Dekka, detail

“The asymmetrical hexagon can be repeated infinitely, creating a dynamic pattern. The Arab world has always viewed symmetry as divine: the more stringent the symmetry, the closer to God. But Dekka was made for people, not gods, and when it comes to people, nothing is predictable or symmetrical. The asymmetry represents imperfection and human nature,” explains FurnID’s Bo Strange.




The frame is made from 150 kg solid aluminum and the upholstery is handcrafted.



The daybed is available in wool and/or leather in a selection of colors.Below are a few examples.

Dekka, polished aluminum and ivory wool:

Dekka in polished aluminum with black leather:

and in all black:


photos courtesy of FurnID and Fredericia

Additional credits:
Padding work: Heidi Lauritzen,
Photos: Mikkel Mortensen
Model: Anja Beyer
Stylist: Ingeborg Wolf.



The Dekka can be purchased from the manufacturer, Fredericia Furniture of Denmark. They will sell wholesale or retail and have representatives worldwide.

Fredericia
Treldevej 183
7000 Fredericia
Denmark
Phone +45 7592 3344
Fax +45 7592 3876
sales@fredericia.com

about FurnID:

above: designers Bo Strange, Sara Vinter Martinsen and Morten Kjær Stivegaard

FurnID is a design studio consisting of Morten Kjær Stovegaard, Sara Vinther Martinsen and Bo Strange. The three Danish designers work within the fields of furniture and industrial design.

On FurnID's facebook page their credo is as follows :
"FurnID Essntials: We commit ourselves to inviting design. Working with every day objects we find it essential to develop products that are inviting in both shape and function. We believe in cooperation, quality and passion."

It is of great importance to the designers that all their products are friendly in either the form or function and therefore a FurnID product can be described with one word; inviting.

FurnID
Vesterbrogade 63, 4. tv
Copenhagen, Denmark, 1620
Phone: +45 61700321
Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Classic Nelson Platform Bench Gets A Modern Makeover



above: The Classic George Nelson Platform Bench manufactured by Herman Miller and originally designed in 1946

Forgive me George, because I will forever be a fan of your slat bench, the Nelson Platform Bench, as it's formally known.

However, Simply Italian's maple and stainless steel legged slat bench is clearly an hommage to yours with a few proportion and material differences. (manufactured by Cumin).

And they did a pretty darn nice job.


Below: Simply Italian's Modern Bench



Buy Simply Italian's bench here.


Buy the classic Nelson Platform Bench Here.


Product Pick Of The Week

The Symphony Bench






The Symphony Bench


As the rhythmic rise and fall of a string of delicate notes on a tranquil overture, Symphony graces waiting and common areas with the fluidity of modern design. Set on cast aluminum legs, the formed plywood seat structure creates a visually stunning feat, spawning seating area for two to eight persons.

Symphony can also be placed against a wall for single sided seating or as an island in a larger area for dual sided seating.

For more info, click here.

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