Temporary Monograms: IMPRINT Letter-Pressed Textiles.

IMPRINT is a collaborative concept by Sebastian Herkner and Zur Schwäbischen Jungfrau. As part of Passionswege 2013 during Vienna Design Week, German designer Sebastian Herkner found a more contemporary method of individualizing textiles and presented it in an installation: instead of needle and cotton, steam is used to stamp the initials on the fabric – which keep until the next wash.










project assistants: Robin Benito Schmid & Martin Hirth

photo at top of the post by Sam Dunne, courtesy of Core77.
all other images courtesy of Sebastian Herkner

Fabric Covered Padded Pixel Portraits Made With The Help Of Prison Inmates.

As part of textile brand Kvadrat's Hallingdal 65, a project in which 32 talented designers were asked to to create entirely new works using the textile originally designed by Nanna Ditzel, Dutch designer Hjortefar designed two giant portraits (BUM and NANNA) made up of fabric covered padded pixels in 29 colors. In total each piece contains 7200 pixels and measures 3 x 6 meters.



Each portrait is created using 60 × 60 pixels, each pixel being a 5 × 5 cm small padded foam piece on a base of MDF. The pieces have been padded by inmates of Denmark's Vridsløselille State Prison.



BUM:




The project asked the designers to explore new applications for the fabric. In his own words, Hjortfar describes the thinking behind his portraits:

‘When I told my dad about my participation in this project he just replied “BUM!”’, remembers Mads Hjort aka Hjortefar. ‘First I was puzzled but later he told me about a book published by Kvadrat 25 years ago. It was a story about an unusual man, answering to the name Bum (Boom), because he was born the same year World 
War I began’.

Hjortefar had to know more.‘I found the book on my grandmother´s bookshelf and got hold of a short documentary about Bum from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s archives. This proved to be a thrilling encounter with an exuberant, vivacious and tireless entrepreneur who among other things collaborated with Nanna Ditzel when creating Hallingdal.’ After getting to know Bum and Nanna better, it became obvious to Hjortefar that he wanted to create portraits of these two masterminds.

NANNA:



Exhibit images:




Hjortefar.com
See the other designs for Kvadrat's Hallingdal 65 project here.

Stay On Coasters for Wine Glasses. Now That's An Idea That Holds Water.

This falls under the "Now, why didn't I think of that?" category. Mother and daughter fashion and design team from Iceland, Dimmalimm, did and call them "Stay On Coasters." Cute felt coasters that attach to the bottom of your wine glass, attractively absorbing any condensation the glass may leave on a surface.




The coasters, which slip onto the base of your glass in two sizes, perform double duty - protecting surfaces and helping to distinguish ownership of the beverage.


above: Hibiscus, Fest and Citrus are the three designs available.

The wool/ rayon blend of coasters absorb condensation and can be hand washed and simply laid flat to dry. Three different designs and several different colors are available and sets can be mixed and matched.






See their site for details regarding sizes and prices.

Note: these are on sale for 30% off at Fab.com right now and for the week. If you aren't already a member, use the invite link below:
http://fab.com/y06r4g

Vintage Eames Lounge Chairs and Ottomans Get Maharam Makeovers for Moss.

Three unique vintage Eames lounge chairs and ottomans are being offered as one-offs by New York's Moss Gallery. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius and Moss take the 20th century icon and re-interpret these now 'classic' and ubiquitous symbols of Modernism as part of a one-off collection of special upholstered pieces they are collaborating on with Maharam. Over time, Moss hope to create an expanding dialogue between Maharam's contemporary textiles and strong iconic works from Moss' collective object-history.


above: The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

These rare, vintage Eames lounge chairs and ottomans are produced in Brazilian rosewood veneers, the original wood chosen by Charles and Ray Eames for the iconic chair when it was put into production in 1956. In 1992, Herman Miller ceased producing the chair in Brazilian rosewood due to a worldwide embargo on the endangered species.



above:
designers - Charles Eames and Ray Eames
design year - 1956
manufacturer - Herman Miller, USA
materials - Brazilian rosewood; aluminium; upholstered with Maharam Repeat Dot fabric (55% Cotton; 24% Polyester, 21% Rayon)

The third is another vintage Eames lounge chair and ottoman made with Brazilian rosewood and aluminium. Moss has upholstered this special chair and ottoman in 'Voyage' fabric, a rich blue wool produced by the renowned textile house Maharam. As with many of their textiles, the fabric is produced with reduced environmental impact and is 'Greenguard' certified for reduced indoor air emission.:


above:
designers -Charles Eames and Ray Eames
design year - 1956
manufacturer - Herman Miller, USA
materials - Brazilian rosewood; aluminium; upholstered with Maharam 'Voyage' (100% wool)

dimensions:
chair: 32.75" x 32.75", height: 32"
ottoman: 26" x 21.5", height: 17.25"

price for each:
$12,000.00
buy any of the three here


Maharam
Maharam, a fourth generation family-run business, celebrated its centennial in 2002. First renowned as a supplier of theatrical textiles, in the 1960s Maharam pioneered the contract textile concept, developing engineered textiles for commercial application. Though performance is an essential element of every product, Maharam continues to create innovative textiles through the exploration of pattern, material and technique.

Maharam pursues a holistic approach to design, embracing a range of disciplines as fundamental to its business philosophy; showrooms, graphics and accessories receive the same attention to detail as product design.

The Maharam Design Studio is responsible for the development of Maharam’s extensive textile collection, ranging from re-editions of enduring designs of the twentieth century’s most noted visionaries to fashion-forward concepts and materials. The Maharam Design Studio maintains a strong focus on new technologies and cultural markers, often finding inspiration beyond the textile industry, including collaborations with avant-garde industry outsiders. Conceived to foster an open dialogue across varied design disciplines, these collaborative projects also serve to introduce a fresh perspective and unexpected media into the world of textiles.

Maharam has textile designs in their collection designed by both Charles Eames (Dot Pattern) and Hella Jongerius (Repeat and Layers).




In the above book, Maharam Agenda, Maharam takes a holistic view of design, embracing a range of disciplines including architecture and interiors, furniture, fashion, accessories, graphic and digital media. The Maharam Design Studio oversees the cultivation of an extensive textile collection, ranging from re-editions of enduring designs by the twentieth century's most noted visionaries to textile-based collaborations with industry outsiders including Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Maira Kalman, Bruce Mau, Jasper Morrison, Nike and Paul Smith, among others. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the company's history, cultural markers and design projects. Abstracted product applications are featured through "Useless Objects," a collaboration with Jasper Morrison.

You can buy this first edition 2011 hardcover book here

Quiltsrÿche. Edgy Quilts By Boo Davis.

above: Cock Rock quilt from Quiltsrÿche

You gotta love a crafter who labels her textile designs with the sign-off "Made With Hate." At least I do. On her own site she describes herself as follows: "Boo Davis is a designer, illustrator and quiltmaker living in Seattle. She spent much of her youth cozied up under her grandmother's quilt listening to Ozzy. As a grown-up metalhead and design geek, the intersection of cute and evil is what she finds most compelling."





This is apparent in her hip quilts. No grandma patchwork for this gal, instead Quiltsrÿche blends rock n' roll imagery, attitude and a smart sense of color and design. Her graphic and edgy quilts are reminiscent of another modern quilter, Denyse Schmidt, only on acid.

Skullfucked1:

Skullfucked3:

Basketcase:

Does Not Compute:

Bangover:

Beastie:

Beastie Prototype:

Love It or Leaf it:

Quilt In the Headlights:

I'm A Wiener:

Damaged:

Primer:


Quiltsrÿche uses 100% cotton fabrics, though some of the vintage fabrics are blends. All fabrics are pre-washed. A Quiltsrÿche quilt is made with straightforward linear quilting that is durable and adds, in Boo's words, "that totally killer juxtaposition of handmade and industrial."

Your Quiltsrÿche quilt can live on your bed or on your wall. Request a rod pocket to be sewn on the back if you'd like it to hang. Quilt backs feature three stripes in coordinating or complementary colors. Let Boo know your color preferences for the binding and back of your quilt.

Order your Quiltsrÿche quilt directly from Boo here.

She also has a book available for purchase, Dare to Be Square Quilting: A Block-by-Block Guide to Making Patchwork and Quilts



•Check out her illustration and graphic design here.

•Here's a nice New York Times Q & A with the edgy quilter.

special thanks to Boo Davis and Stuart Isett for The New York Times for the above images.