The Parisian studio Pool which is headed by Léa Padovani & Sébastien Kieffer is responsible for the extremely simple yet wonderfully smart chair above. I don’t think they are for sale yet or have been mass produced but if they are, I must have one immediately.
Louie Rigano is an industrial design graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design with an unusual mind capable of thinking through some truly unusual applications in the realm of furniture and a clock that someone needs to pick up and start marketing immediately because we want one.
Bakery Design was founded in 2009 by Gil Sheffi, Ran Amitai and Gilli Kuchik who became friends while studying at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. They take a thinking man’s approach to their industrial design work experimenting with different materials and technology to achieve innovative solutions.
The process that went into accomplishing the ‘Industrial Upholstery ‘ chair above was created using upholstery fabric as the mold for the construction whereby two kinds of polyurethane were injected into the fabric for both form and comfort. The chairs themselves are beautiful works of art in their own right and it would be nice to see them picked up for mass production.
“Jaime Hayon Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974. As a teenager, he submerged himself in skateboard culture and graffiti art, the foundation of the detailed, bold-yet-whimsical imagery so imminent in his work today. After studying industrial design in Madrid and Paris he joined Fabrica in 1997, the Benetton-funded design and communication academy, working closely with the legendary image-maker and agitator Oliverio Toscani. In a short time he was promoted from student to head of their Design Department, where he oversaw projects ranging from shop, restaurant and exhibition conception and design to graphics. Eight years later, Jaime broke out on his own, first with collections of designer toys, ceramics and furniture, followed by interior design and installation. His singular vision was first fully exposed in Mediterranean Digital Baroque at London’s David Gill Gallery, an exciting mise en sc’ne, largely executed in ceramic, followed by Mon Cirque, which traveled to Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. These collections put Jaime at the forefront a new wave of creators that blurred the lines between art, decoration and design and a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture.”
Apologies for the copy and pasting, but had I tried I don’t think I could have written a better succinct biography for the brilliant new mind in furniture that is Jaime Hayon. His work is downright stunning and his recent series for BD Barcelona including the lounger pictured above is spectacular. I would give my right arm to own his lounger that perfectly blends classicism and modernism. He is definitely a rising star in the furniture game and if you are a fan of the art form, he is definitely someone to pay close attention to.
The exceptionally brilliant British industrial designer Tom Dixon has launched a new website featuring an extensive gallery and archive of his remarkable work. I would kill to get my hands on any piece in his furniture collection.
I am really loving this cardboard sideboard designed by Reinhard Dienes. There is also a bookcase available. They are a little pricey but if you are looking to dress up your studio with a signature talking piece this would be a great place to start. They are available at Fashion 4 Home where there are several great furniture pieces available and fairly reasonable prices.
If you haven’t kept up, I am a big big big chair freak. I love chairs. Now that I have a house and studio, I am constantly looking for an opportunity to find a little corner to put another strange chair in. I’d love to just have my own little chair museum someday. I have a pair of yellow Vitra Verner Panton Chairs in our upstairs office and bedroom that my wife still isn’t sure about. But man was I excited to finally have a space to put some Panton chairs in (and yellow makes me smile). Anyway, the Robo Chair designed by Luca Nichetto for Offecct is a modern classic and another I would definitely add to the collection if I find a way to get one from Sweden all the way over here to my little studio in middle America. It’s a sleek and beautiful little piece of functional art. I want one in a bad way.
Chair Whore is an aptly named blog dedicated entirely to my most favorite object in the entire world. I’ll let you guess what it is. The above beauty was designed by Julian Mayor.
I was happy to find this just in time for the consideration of furniture options for the remodeling of my studio.
Pirwi is a green manufacturing furniture company that was established in 2007 and is based out of Mexico City. They currently have 12 designers and over 70 pieces in their cache and all of their inventory is absolutely stunning. I would kill to own any of it.
Ali Sandifer Studio is a modern furniture maker based out of Chicago, Illinois. Sandifer uses domestic wood harvested from sustainable forests. To further their environmentally sustainable ethos, whenever possible they use water-based sealants and natural oils. Storage is a key feature for several of their undeniably beautiful pieces.
Sebastian Jansson’s people sent a note alerting me to his beautiful geometric furniture design. I would kill to have a couple of those stools pulled up next to my bar at home.
Thomas Feichtner lives and works in Linz, Austria. After his school years in Düsseldorf he graduated at the University of Arts and Industrial Design in Linz. He has since established his own industrial design practice and has also established an office for visual communication. His furniture design is stunning. I am a self-professed chairoholic and Feichtner’s chair designs are absolutely fantastic.
Mid-Century Modernist is a blog that is about an era of design that is very near and dear to my heart. I am completely obsessed with chairs and am constantly trolling Craigslist to find a deal. Unfortunately, our home itself is not mid-century. It was built in 1940 and is a ‘Cape Cod’ style home. Fortunately, it was previously owned by an interior decorator and was completely remodled in a mid-century style. It’s a big house too, so I have been able to slowly begin filling it with the furniture that I love. The Mid-Century Modernist blog definitely gave me lots of new ideas. More than enough to drive my wife crazy.
T. M. Schmid’s Swiss furniture studio Strala has created some stunningly beautiful sculptural pieces. The chair above is a true example of furniture as art.
Isotrope Design was established in 2008 by sisters Micol and Sael Bartolucci. Their furniture is almost less furniture and more art. The furniture pieces bear a strong influence from topography and utilize materials that come together to create something genuinely unique and unarguably beautiful. I would kill to own one of their pieces, but highly doubt I could ever afford to.
David Sears is a furniture designer who utilizes sustainable materials to create his work. That alone is notable, but the added bonus is that his modular designs are also beautiful and contemporary.
More on Sears:
“David Sears Design, founded in 2006, is committed to modern furniture designs that are beautiful, intelligent and environmentally responsible. Principal David Sears brings superb design into homes and offices through furniture that connects people with their environments.
Sears is constantly exploring new materials and ideas, most recently – notions of modularity. He often takes his design cues from his wood – eco-friendly and high quality, harvested from sustainably managed forests. His designs are marked by clear modern forms and striking connective joints.”
Via Design Milk.
There is a great talk that was recently posted at TED given by Eames Demetrios, their grandson, that commemorates the genius of Charles and Ray Eames. Over the course of the talk, some rare footage is shown from the couples amazing foray into the design world.
More on the talk from the TED website:
“The legendary design team Charles and Ray Eames made films, houses, books and classic midcentury modern furniture. Eames Demetrios, their grandson, shows rarely seen films and archival footage in a lively, loving tribute to their creative process.”
Ahh, if only Herman Miller hadn’t made their furniture totally unafordable for the average middle-class furniture design lover.
I am a big fan of Blu Dot furniture design and have been searching lately for deals on some of their chairs. Consequently, I ran across their ‘Real Good Chair’ for sale at Target’s website. I was a little shocked to find Blu Dot furniture for sale at Target and even more shocked by the price tag. The chair usually goes for around $130, which is still a pretty good deal. But the light blue and red version of the chair is currently for sale at Target for only $90 plus shipping. It’s a real steal on a really well designed piece of furniture. Get it while the getting is good.
