Archive for September, 2008
When Aimee Less says her Flatfold chairs were inspired by origami, she’s not kidding. The vivid colors and carefully arranged folds of wool bring to mind delicate swans, deftly folded paper boats, a myriad of childhood dreams come to life.
And now you can sit in them! Aimee’s take on floor-seating is the height of comfort and ease without the awkwardness of everyone’s favorite the saucer the chair. The Flatfold chair literally cradles you. Banish your old folding chairs, and stock up on Less’s latest – they stack and fold up, leaving the party floor clear for dancing the night away.
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Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 17 September, 2008
Droog has a hard act to follow: its own. Since opening shop in 1993, the Dutch furniture and product design collective has been the recipient of numerous international awards, launched the careers of class-A designers like Marcel Wanders and Richard Hutten, and been honored with an exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in New York (in 1999).
Since most of us can’t get to Amsterdam any time soon, we’ll have to settle for browsing the website — Droog.com – to see how the group continues to raise the creativity bar. Marcel Duchamp would be proud, as these designers regularly apply the “readymade” art concept to their productions, that is to say many of their designs take everyday objects and re-contextualize them so that they take on new exciting meanings and purposes.
Three of our favorite Droog products:
• “Milk Bottle Lamp” — Chances are you friends won’t have this light fixture, made of 12 stainless steel bars that hang down and are affixed to 12 old-fashioned milk bottles with 15W bulbs inside. This is not your typical chandelier, as it couldn’t hang above a dining room table – the bottles hangs just inches from the ground. But that’s precisely the point. This is art. (cost: 975,00 euro)
• “Strap” by NL Architects — Ordinary stretchy bike straps have been reconceived as wall fixtures-meet-storage mechanisms. They can be affixed to the wall to hold shoes, magazines, vinyl records, anything really. This is as minimal as it gets, as these straps are less about “design,” and more about you showing off your own objets d’art, your own organization of your things … let your imagination be your guide! (cost: 8,75 euro)
• “Do Frame Tape” — This 5-cm wide self-adhesive vinyl tape with the appearance of an ornate, gold Baroque-style heavy frame costs less than a 10-spot and is both light on your wallet and on the wall. (cost: 8,50 euro)
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Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 16 September, 2008
It’s easy to find new places to shop for furniture – what’s not so easy? To find a place where their passion for design is met with a passion for art.
With a wink to old traditions, UM is everything from consultants to designers, using new technology in a way that’s truly unique. You’ve heard of Russian nesting dolls? How about a nesting coffee table? Fully functional and totally unlike anything else.
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Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 15 September, 2008
As summer fades away into autumn we are left clinging to our summer threads as autumn brings on the first chilling promise of winter. However, autumn offers some consolations of its own, and I don’t just mean the stunning foliage. One of our September favorites is the 100% Design Show. To save you the time of wading through the hundreds of options, we’ve picked out our favorites for you.
In the lighting arena, designer Scabetti caught our eyes. Their sculptural approach to décor plays with negative space in a truly appealing way.
When we saw the Blomster light by Ulrika Jarl we were blown away. The light, comprised of polypropylene flowers on fibre optic stalks, is made on commission, and like a snow flake, no two are exactly alike. It’s the disco ball’s classier earthier cousin, as sure to mellow a mood as it is to entice onlookers to the dance floor.
With winter weather sure to be soon upon us, Planika Fires provides aesthetic and practical measures against the cold. An excellent use of technology, Planika has created a mobile fire solution without smoke or smell that uses Fanola®, a special liquid based on ethanol, which can be arranged within different indoor as well as outdoor environments. The fire is leaping out of the fireplace and into the the coffee table, with style, and safely.
Texture is the name of the game when it comes to this years pattern presented by Mobilia. The emphasis on the surprisingly soothing nature of patterns in veritable 3-Dimensions.
With Fototapeten by Komar, using wallpaper can send you back in time to childhood, where the colors were vivid, and the dreams big, bold and brash. Patterns such as Gloriosa transform even a basic loft space into something out of Georgia O’Keefe.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 11 September, 2008
Since it’s that time of year for so many of us, kids and adults alike, to head back to school, we’ve got some suggestions for your study area.
The cliché goes that the bookish type is the boring type. We completely disagree. We here at ChicTip.com think intellectual curiosity is a bookmark of how interesting a person is. So why not select an innovatively designed shelving system to highlight the books that have helped mold our minds?
For the tot : Ladrillo Bookshelves by Magis
Proving that learning can be fun, this adorable shelving unit will get the little ones to start thinking, as it’s such a curiously imaginative design. Four shelves are stacked and supported by little statuette-meet-bookends that look part Aztecan mythical creature and part critter from Yo Gabba Gabba (the kids’ TV show). These animalistic shelf supports are made of rotational-moulded polyethylene with butterfly screw and fasteners in zinc plated steel. Shelves are made of white laminate and feature black edges.
For the cool kid: Oeuf mini library
Designers Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan had a bright idea for Oeuf: to make a bookcase for a little one that’s as well suited for book storage as it is for toy storage. Little eggheads will delight in all the ample book space in this sizeable piece: the dimensions are 42″ (h) x 59″ (w) x 14” (d). Available in birch or walnut stain, the unit has four lateral shelves with vertical dividers staggered; two sections covered by sliding doors; and the piece is supported by two stick legs, giving mini library a decidedly playful, mod-retro look.
For the teen: Simply T Shelf by Furio Minuti
Since it’s not always easy to get high school kids psyched for studying, we have a positively cool choice for their bookshelves. The “Simply T” design allows the parent or the teen to design the configuration of T-shaped shelf units. They can be arranged in various ways — upside-down, sideways, at an angle, sporadically or in series… their arrangements can be as unpredictable as the book collections, or behaviors, of a teenager. The pieces are minimalist, arty if you will; the simple T shapes are constructed of moulded polyethylene and with an embossed surface. Available in white, black, red or orange.
For the romantic reader: Lovely Rita by Ron Arad
Like a ribbon that billows across the wall and then folds in on itself, this inventive bookshelf is a celebration of process, of thought … and of really cool design. The unit can be affixed to the wall as a stand-alone or arranged in series for more of a bookcase look; though there’s nothing traditional to be had here, as your books will look like they are undulating on a wave of thought. Designed by Kartell, the piece is also appropriately available in a choice of expressive colors: yellow, blue, red, and opaline. The size: 39″ (w) x 7.5″ (h) x 7.9″ (d).
For the hip, yet sensible, urban reader: Wings by Contraforma
Without decorations, magazines or books set up on them, these innovate shelf units look like seagulls in flight; that is to say as pairs of wings. These kinds of freestanding shelves, which can be affixed directly to the wall, have been a godsend for small, urban apartments with no spaces for a bookcase. The sleek, minimalist, and angular design is inherently a bit masculine, so it’s fitting that the units are available in white, black, or gray. It’s also worth mentioning these
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 11 September, 2008
Self-taught artist Michel Kech will take your breath away. For the collector, Kech offers original abstracts with vivid color palettes, reminiscent of Matisse. Our own Keren owns two pieces already.
For the objet d’art-collector on a budget, Kech offers Museum quality giclees that range from $250 to $800, saving you money without losing Kech’s unique look. Be sure to check out Kech’s official online gallery to see for yourself !
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 9 September, 2008
Little hands like to play in the kitchen. They like to help mom and dad; they find pots and pans to bang together; and they can get perilously close to dangerous elements … like burning-hot stovetops.
This is why we’re not flippant about our feelings for Alpes’s flip-up cooktop. We flat-out love the product. It’s beautifully designed in 19/10 chrome-nickel alloy for the sophisticated kitchen, yet perfect for child’s play: the movable burners can be propped up and out of the way.
Since 1954 — long before stainless steel became a standard in chic kitchen décor — Alpes’s head designer, Nico Moretto, has been creating built-in kitchen appliances in the material. With a long-standing commitment to “functionality, safety, durability, and environmental safety,” it makes sense that Alpes would construct this cooktop and with such flexibility. It comes in a variety of burner configurations and can accommodate gas or electric power.
This is no Bunsen burner, people. The countertop folding hub design won an ADI Golden Compass in 1998, a Good Design in 2002, and was included in the exhibit “Award: Italian Design from 1954 to 1998” organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of L.A. and is on permanent display at the Chicago Athenaeum Museum.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 7 September, 2008
British designer Emma Jeffs is a smooth operator when it comes to windows.
Her two-dimensional adhesive window films are a flat, no-fuss option for the kitchen, bathroom, mud room, or any windowed area where curtains would look and feel too cumbersome. Come to think of it, we actually have a lot of hang-ups with curtains and blinds: not only are they costly and time-consuming to install, but they require constant opening and closing. Not decorative window films. They require no maintenance, yet they still supply all the indoor shading, energy efficiency, and privacy that you need from a window covering. Simply spray water on the window and affix the film horizontally or vertically, however you choose. This surface material also dresses up glass cabinet doors, table tops … Go ahead: you can afford to be creative here; the films only cost $76 per roll (which measures 37″ x 52”).
We recommend picking up the $5 sample pack that features smaller (4 x 8”) pieces of Jeffs’s 6 bestselling wall film designs — Moroccan Tile, Flowers & Lace, Pixels, Orba, Adelphi, and Clover – available at www.2Jane.com
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Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 5 September, 2008
The great outdoors never looked so good! The Luau portable light available for purchase at www.vessel.com distinguishes itself with its sleek design, easy to carry handle, and utterly chic look. Like other portable lamps it can be carried either inside or outside, and it is totally rechargeable.
Unlike other lamps, it can be dimmed to save energy – or set a mood – and it lights up as soon as you lift it! The Luau would be a choice addition to any early autumn picnic, or a nice addition to any apartment.
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Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 4 September, 2008
