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Yamaha: The Key For You



At this past Milan design week, designer Yves Plattard and Yamaha displayed a unique concept called “key between you” that aimed to create a more intimate environment for performances by bringing the musician and the audience together.



They created a series of seven instrument prototypes designed to do just that and they are really spectacular looking and conceptually unique. Below are each of the instruments preceded by the designer and the designer's message taken from the catalog from the exhibit.














































www.yamaha.com

Cool Designs To Keep You Warm: 50 Heated Towel Racks & Modern Radiators


Above: The fantasy radiator by Brandoni

I've written about the plethora of unusual looking radiators and heated towel racks before..... however a bunch of new ones have emerged on the market, several introduced at recent design shows. It amazes me how the designs continue to get even more unusual and yet still remain functional.

Scandinavian Luxe: LYX Furniture Designer Michael Malmborg

If you know any of Michael Malmborg's work, chances are you know the Wing Lounge Chair, shown below, given it's extensive coverage on design blogs and furniture design sites (as well as being featured in a Nikon Coolpix commercial starring Ashton Kutcher):

WING Lounge Chair:

A reincarnation of the classic wing chair, created for the future. This recliner is made for serious cocooning and is the closest you can get to weightlessness. The upholstery in the Wing Chair is made by open cell visco elastic memory foam, developed by NASA and used in all spacecrafts.

The foam adapts to our body shape and temperature leaving you in cosmic comfort. WING Lounge Chair is the first and only chair ever to be certified by The Space Foundation – tested and recognized by NASA. WING is also the biggest single piece of bendwood ever used to create a chair.



But what you may not know is that Michael is the founder of LYX, a luxury Scandinavian furniture and lighting store, and has several other unusual pieces of furniture worth noting.

Moduluxe Sofa:


A fully flexible design that allows you to design the perfect sofa, using a number of modules. And not only can you combine different types of upholstery like soft Swedish leather and fine Danish fabric. You can also select a base for the sofa that matches your style

Tripps coffee table:


The thick wooden or hi-gloss painted top engraved and supported by mirror polished aluminum.

Zig zag chair:


This serpent inspired lounge chair almost forces the spectator to examine it closely. And despite it’s abstract look, it’s quite comfortable. The strong aluminum alloy frame and a thick layer of supporting foam, it perfectly balances the weight of anyone who dares.

Roy Maccassar Dining Table:


The solid Roy table is extendable from 6 to 10 seats with ample of space for animated get together’s (390 cm / 12.5 ft). The unique extension mechanism is seamless using the latest magnet technology.

The Pris Chair:

The Pris chairs are made with thick mirror polished aluminum frame and very generous upholstery. They are also available with or without armrests and with a low or high back.

Bongo lounge table:


The thick acrylic board, with naturally frosted edges from the water cutting, creates a magic effect. Especially at night or in a dark room when the table acts like a luminary as the edges catches light and reflections in the dark.

The Cell coffee table:

A combination of soft, rounded lines and hard, mirror polished stainless steel gives Cell a techno-organic look. The fine wood, together with its solid form and handmade quality, creates quiet elegance and luxury.

Lightspeaker Lamp:

It is shaped like a loudspeaker, but instead of emitting sound it emits light. The "bass & treble reflectors" in the polished white acrylic box are really light reflectors with mirror topped bulbs. And the volume control is really a dimmer.

The LightAir ion purifier:

The LightAir is probably the world’s most efficient air purifier without even looking like one! It pleases the eye and restores the body - the unique technology combined with award winning design delivers 99.94% clean air. The simple transparent form feels at home in any environment. No expensive filters need to be replaced – just clean the collector when necessary.


Above: LYX founder Michael Malmborg

About LYX:
LYX is the Swedish word for luxury. Rooted in the Scandinavian designs of the 60s and 70s – their furniture and lighting embody pure, simple and clean lines. LYX exists for customers that are special, both in taste and in their willingness to spend a little bit more on a unique piece of furniture.

Their pieces are handmade, of high quality and not in high volume, which adds a bit more to their worth and cost. The pieces are inspired by the traditional Scandinavian design, but makes a stronger and more luxurious statement.
LYX has been published in +100 international media since the premiere in November 2003.

Visit LYX here.

Julian Wolkenstein's Unusual Photography





Photographer Julian Wolkenstein has shot a lot of images you are probably familiar with. Having photographed large ad campaigns for food, cars, airlines and more, you've come across his commercial photography for everything from Sony and Vodaphone to Snickers in many international publications.

While he's an adept portraitist, landscape and commercial photographer (his work is really beautiful), it's his non-commissioned work that I find so interesting because it is both simultaneously beautiful and bizarre.

Take a look.

People as pets:




Horses with hair extensions:


Harmony gets her hair braided for the shot shown at the beginning of this post:

above image courtesy of MSNBC

Yawning people portraits:




See all his work here.

Be sure to my post on Wolkenstein's Echoism Project in which he marries left and right sides of people's faces through digital composition

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