design folio

Hug Chair by Gabriella Asztalos

Anna Kidman - Monday, August 15, 2011

 

Budapest born designer and winner of this year's ICFF award, Gabriella Asztalos has designed the Hug chair. It's circular form provides a perfect hideaway designed for intimacy, with its two seats, which sit side by side, conducive to conversation. With a walnut-wood outer layer, and leather padded seats, it's the perfect balance between form and function.

Asztalos explains her design and choice of name for the chair:

A unique uni-body circular structure connects both seats together allowing two people to sit face-to-face and thus creating an immediate intimate interaction.Through this physical connection, you feel socially and emotionally connected with the person sitting on the opposite side. The upper “half-pipe” which bends above the heads creates a highway of thoughts and a chain of emotions. In this way you are interconnected within the same circle and the focus is always on the other person, exactly what a hug is about.



As Little Design as Possible: Dieter Rams book

Claire Sullivan - Friday, August 12, 2011

  

 

 

 

 

Not many designers can lay claim to a body of work that is so far reaching that it has touched the lives of even those who have absolutely no idea who they are, let alone influenced virtually every contemporary designer in practice today.

Our latest must-have read, ‘As little design as possible’ highlights the efforts of industrial designer Dieter Rams. The Phaidon-published book takes a look into the life and work of Rams. The designer, most famous for his work for German company Braun, effectively paved the way for minimalist design. Products he designed in the 1960s are still being produced and sold by the company today – just one example of the strength of his work. The recently published book is a comprehensive monograph that covers both Rams’ life and his work, as well as his ideas on what constitues good design. His ‘ten commandments’ of good design – which are really ideas about how we can all live better and more sustainable lives - continue to inspire designers and consumers alike today.

Dieter Rams’ life and work was indelibly linked to his thoughts about how people live, and how they can live better. Reflective of the designer himself, the book called for a functional and effortless-looking layout. This beautifully designed book includes a wide variety of visual material, including sketches and technical drawings, photographs of Rams’ work as well as his life, archival material from both Braun and Vitsoe, Ingeborg Rams’ subtle photographs and Vitsoe’s playful graphic design and advertising. A coffee table essential.

'Indifference towards people and the reality in which they live is actually the one and only cardinal sin in design’ – Dieter Rams.  

Story by Louisa Penney
 



PX 12 chair by Poul Kjærholm

Claire Sullivan - Thursday, August 11, 2011

  

 

Stepping back into the archives, we are currently finding ourselves re-inspired by the 20th century works that have encouraged our present. Danish designer Poul Kjærholm's modern functionalist piece of furniture proves that modesty can too, indeed be visionary. His subtle attention to detail matched with clean lines and a harmonious balance of materials gives his work an understated demeanor of elegance.

Kjærholm’s 1964 PX 12 chair is effortless and sophisticated with no compromise in its functionality – an industrial approach incorporated with the designer’s unique innovation. The unique minimalism and fine finishes is why Kjærholm is regarded as truly a master of his craft, forming a legacy of work that we are still inspired by today.

Story by Isabella Lau



Win: An evening with Design Folio and Simon James

Anna Kidman - Thursday, August 11, 2011



Join Design Folio's Editor-in-chief Claire Sullivan for an evening exploring the history of modern design and its relevance today. If you ever wanted to learn about the hows and whys of investing in authentic quality design, this is the evening for you.

To join us at The Department Store in Takapuna, Auckland email us for your ticket.

Wednesday 17th of August 2011
Simon James Concept Store
The Department Store
Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland.

Everyone who attends on the evening will have the chance to win some stunning design pieces courtesy of the Simon James Concept Store from Established & Sons.



Burst Light by Lindsey Adelman

Anna Kidman - Tuesday, August 09, 2011

 

Out of New York comes another very impressive light from esteemed designer Lindsey Adelman. The Burst light, dynamic in form, would hang perfectly above a dining table, or would add the right amount of drama to any formal setting. Recently showcased at ICFF and equipped with blown-glass and spikes, what's not to love about this pendant and its nod to rock-n-roll glam.



Pin Sculptures by Katie Lewis

Anna Kidman - Monday, August 08, 2011

 

Katie Lewis, a US based sculptural artist, works with pin and thread compositions in order to trace the experiences of the body. She explains:

'[I trace the] experiences of the body through methodical systems of documentation, investigating chaos, control, accumulation and deterioration. The artificially rigid organization of my materials alludes to control - of the individual body as an institutional domain, and of irrational experience as a manageable, concrete set of events. My choice to use the body as a starting point aims to give visual form to physical sensations that are invisible to the eye and medical imaging, and only exist in the subjecetive realm. I collect data through daily documentation processes, and then generate numerous systems to allow the information to exist in a material form. I abstract and quantify the data in order to give authority and agency to subjective experiences.'



Santa Maria House by Bak Gordon

Claire Sullivan - Monday, August 08, 2011

 

 


 

Designed by Portuguese architects Bak Gordon, the residences replace former industrial sheds in the Santa Isabel district of Lisbon.  The design of this house draws reference to the city that exists within the city. The architects' brief called for the construction of two houses, a bigger one for the family’s daily life and another two-bedroom one to be rented -  all to be built in the area of about 400 square meters for which construction was authorised, replacing the existing sheds. The house is built solely of exposed reinforced concrete, with very regular and hierarchical spaces. Inside the house, we move among patios and gardens where trees have been planted, projecting the house’s scale over time. The peripheral limits have been covered in green climbers, while the other walls and roofs are left simultaneously powerful and delicate, to resist the pressure of the environment.
 



The Webmaster by Sean McGinnis

Claire Sullivan - Friday, August 05, 2011

 

American born sculptor Sean McGinnis has created an installation of spatial sculptures entitled 'The Webmaster' from which an array of colourful strings collectively form to create geometric shapes, altering the space around them. We are fascinated by the fact that they are constructed entirely by hand, they look like they almost defy gravity and appear to convey a sense that they are living objects which peacefully inhabit within the natural environment. McGinnis’ art continues to pay tribute to the artworks’ surrounding environment, whether outdoors or in a studio. McGinnis also experiments with lighting within these environments playing with dramatic man-made and soft natural lighting in order to maximize the visitors’ visual experience. The artist, who is  highly influenced by architecture and digital graphics is currently working on his next project, “The Cathedral of the Wind”, set to be unveiled in 2013.

 Story by Sarah McKenzie



Auto-Wed machine by Concept Shed

Claire Sullivan - Wednesday, August 03, 2011

 



Design kitch at its very best. Auto-Wed, the rather unique take on the gumball machine concept is probably most suited for the lobby of a Vegas hotel. The coin-operated wedding machine is an idea coined by British designers Concept Shed. Once you insert your money, it plays a specially composed intro version of the wedding march and asks you to select your union type from one of four options. The bespoke ‘Auto-Wed’ machine then asks asks if you take each other as lawful wedded partners and to press one for ‘I do’ or press two to ‘Escape’. It then takes you through the rest of your ceremony and vends two plastic eggs with rings in and prints out your personalised wedding receipt from a thermal printer. It finishes by offering you a 10% discount for AutoDivorce with your receipt.

The team at Concept Shed say that despite how cruel and mechanised it sounds (the machine has about the same emotional feeling as a parking meter) that somehow putting in your $1, getting a pair of plastic rings and a personalised wedding receipt still feels special when you share it with the one you love. The future of matrimonial celebrations? We certainly hope not.



The Week in Review 2.8.2011

Anna Kidman - Tuesday, August 02, 2011

 

a. Luxurious tropical island paradise superyacht enjoys a volcano-like super structure [Born Rich]
b. Power centric's doc.sofa lets you relax and unwind in total comfort [born rich]
c. Crystal bubble portable home [the coolist]
d. People-powered [t magazine]
e. NRW container architecture [yatzer]

Story by Sarah McKenzie