Sving Bench
Sving is a new bench from Nils Finne of Finne Architects. It is small and curvaceous, made of Sapele wood and suspended over a thin black steel base.
Mafi USA Tiger Oak
Mafi is a company based in Upper Austria that recently made its LA debut with its quality natural and engineered wood products that have a touch of art and individuality. To make their unique Tiger Oak wood, Mafi uses an exclusive baking process to create natural cracks that can be filled. This doesn’t harm the wood, but creates natural grooves in which colors or translucent epoxy can be injected. I think this has a lot of potential uses both residentially and commercially — I’d love to see a door made from this with translucent epoxy.
Devoto House in Argentina by Andrés Remy Arquitectos
Located in Argentina, this 500m2 home by Andrés Remy Arquitectos was created for a young family who wanted to feel close to nature in an urban environment. The architects decided to bring in lush grass and lots of water to make the backyard an escape from city life.
The pool was a key element in the design and has an interesting story behind it. Apparently it used to be closer to the living room but there was too much shade from the home, so the designers moved it to the far corner where there was ample sunlight. However, it was again shaded by the tall security fence. The only way to keep it in direct sunlight all the time was to raise it. Unfortunately, this meant that it wouldn’t be able to be viewed from the first floor rooms. But, the architects didn’t accept that and created a partial glass wall so that you could see the water from just about everywhere in the home.
This is the coolest above-ground pool I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure.
Cube and Dot Collection
The Cube & Dot collection by designer Tamer Nakisci for KALE is a series of wall treatments and matching cabinetry that is completely customizable. The Cube & Dot wall tiles are oversized diamond-shaped or circular (respectively) and come in a glossy finish and a number of different neutral colors. To customize your design, colorful and metallic decals have been created so that you can experiment with different patterns on your walls.
M3 and M4 Rings
The M3 and M4 rings appeal to the inner child in all of us that has taken something apart and may or may not have put it back together again. For those whose interests never increased with carat size, the basic screw is elevated to the status of diamond. The rings feature a small cut-out that exposes the screw thread. Cast, finished and tapped in Toronto out of sterling silver, the custom stainless steel screw is removable from the ring for emergency use.
Caterpillar Trestle
The Caterpillar Trestle by Kawamura-Ganjavian is a table trestle consisting of a bundle of legs that seem to be set in perpetual motion. It can also be used as an informal stool. The Caterpillar series of benches and tables elaborates on the notion of lightness and redundancy.
Get Out! Fabulous Fiberglass
This post could also be called the incomparable value of niche designs!
We all know that globalization is leading to standardized outdoor spaces as it has indoors. Fortunately pockets of resistance are still going strong (including Design Milk!) A few days ago, I spent a reassuring and amusing afternoon chatting the French über-chic garden designer Xavier Loup. He trained in the US and is as passionate about plants as he is about outdoor decor. Underlying everything, he says, one senses a true passion for craftsmen and certainly a complete lack of interest for cheap or shoddy designs.
He just opened a superb show room in Belgium. There one can find cherry-picked designs with high production value. He was kind enough to share some of his finds and I fell in love with these fiberglass designs. Not only are they superb but they also double up as occasional seats. Brilliant unexpected outdoor additions, they are also stunning indoor features.
Atelier Collection by Capo d’Opera
Capo d’Opera’s newest project are ironic hanging storage units that resemble men’s clothing — a tribute to tailoring. The cabinets showcase five different fabrics from Oxford and Madras to Argyle, which represent shirts hand-knit sweaters. The bond that holds the cabinet together is either a zipper or buttons.
Scoop Chip and Dip Server
New York-based design studio MyDesign Group has recently completed a metal collection for Nambé. The main design in the collection is the Scoop Server, a really fun “chip & dip” bowl where the dip bowl seems to hover effortlessly over the larger serving bowl.
Wei Young, head of MyDesign, explains the inspiration for this piece:
The inspiration for the Scoop Chip and Dip came from the sweeping, fluid motion one performs when scooping an actual chip into dip. The captured movement lead way to the curvaceous lines and spherical silhouettes of the piece. The Scoop was designed to immediately convey it’s function while being inviting and alluring to the user. The two bowls seamlessly blended together creating the distinctive profile. Simple yet complex in form, the shape of this object would be highly difficult to produced in one solid piece using typical molding processes and techniques. The Scoop lends itself perfectly to Nambé’s signature hand crafted alloy and intelligent manufacturing processes. I wanted to created an object that reflects the energy of our modern era, and be classic in form to last into generations to come. Aesthetically original in form and function, the Scoop is for entertaining as much as it is for conversation.
Nambé let us know that the Scoop Server will be available at the end of August.
Aly Custom Light Switches
Aly is a company that lets you customize your light switches with your own images, or you can choose a design from their extensive library. They even have a graffiti category. They even offer light switches embellished with Swarovski crystals.
