They did it!

In December 2010 I sent this fake ad for IKEA to Marianne Barner, IKEA's senior advisor for sustainability.

My IKEA ad for sustainable shelters designed by IKEA for displaced communities. December 2010

No response from Mrs. Barner. However today, I just came across this remarkably similar ad in the latest 2014 IKEA catalogue.

IKEA's UNHCR emergency shelter project ad in the 2014 IKEA catalogue

Amazingly, they have done it! They even have a prototype ready to go. They have put some swedish designers to the monumental task of creating the perfect shelter. Also equally amazing, they have realized that these temporary shelters are actually not so temporary any more, and that people end up living in refugee camps for an average of 12 years.

What a perfect match. This is IKEA's market stretched to the extreme. DYI constructed design for small spaces on a tight budget. They claim that they can make "any space beautiful," well this is the ultimate challenge for that theory.

The video discussing IKEAs UNHCR is actually quite engaging. They demonstrate the lack of innovation in the emergency shelter market. I could not agree more. Seriously, this is 2013. Such a large portion of the world's population should not be living in tents. It's crazy to me. In fact, I believe this could actually be a profitable endeavour for IKEA. Highly efficient, and highly populated refugee camps could turn into wonderful and active communities, prototypes for communities of the future. Shelters, housing and urban development could turn out to be more profitable for IKEA than furniture ever was.

Visual Basic

Artist Michal Maciej Bartosik created the following light sculpture using simple fluorescent tubs. He brilliantly uses the wiring to create the form of the light structure. Lighting designers...take note!

Take That

Cabinet for Fratelli Boffi by Peitro Ferruccio Laviani

This brilliant creation by designer and architect Pietro Ferruccio Laviani looks like Karim Rashid shot a torpedo through it! 

I have just discovered Laviani, and feel like he has the answers to all great design. After reading about his distinguished career on his website, it seems as though he does. Having worked with the likes of Memphis and Kartell, Lavini has done it all, however, by the looks of his recent work, it seems as though he is only now entering the "prime time of his life".

shelving for Emmemboli

Table for Emmemboli

Desk for Emmemboli

??? for Emmemboli

All in the details

One of the latest creations of interior design firm Blacksheep, the detail oriented, colour filled Nando's is a casual restaurant in the area of Kent in England.

I want one!

These are simply too amazing for for words. Here are some of the most wonderful sinks ever designed. Made out of concrete and mostly for private residences and restaurants, these sinks were designed by the very small design company from Arizona in the United States: Gore design.

Someone's Thinking

The beautiful and unique M3 chair was designed by Thomas Feichtner for the Austrian company Neue Wiener Werstätte for the 2011 Vienna Design Week.

M3 chair designed by Thomas Feichtner 2011

Some of Mr. Feichtner 's unrealized chair designs were presented at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. These are 1:5 scale models produced by Harry Schmidt. Hopefully some of these will get made soon!

Part of the "One to Five" exhibition at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan 2011. 

Diagonal dissection of a cube

Nendo's wonderful and imaginative 21400 MM chair evokes a feeling of "why didn't I think of that" or "how did they come up with that?".  A good friend lent me Wucius Wong's wonderful 1976 book Principles of Three-Dimensional Design. In it, I came upon a section titled "Dissection of a cube". The graphic and description of diagonal dissection of a cube made me think of Nendo's wonderful chair, and how it demonstrated this principal so well.

21400 MM chair by Nendo, 2010

MM chair by Nendo, 2010

Principals of Three-Dimensional Design, Wucius Wong, pg.16, 1976



This amazing book is full of great examples of repetitive 3D geometric forms.

Principals of Three-Dimensional Design, Wucius Wong, cover, 1976

Principals of Three-Dimensional Design, Wucius Wong, 1976

Principals of Three-Dimensional Design, Wucius Wong, 1976

Principals of Three-Dimensional Design, Wucius Wong, 1976

What a circus

Launched at the 2010 ICFF, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, the Circus shelves were design by Stephan Burks for Matter.

Colour Blocking

Designer Harry Allen created the Blockade table in 2008 for Umbra. Originally I thought this was a Lego sculpture. Apparently the item, being made of solid wood, was cumbersome and heavy. It's still pretty amazing.

Harry Allen is also responsible for the packaging design of the Marc Jacobs fragrence "Bang".

Newson DSLR

Famed designer Marc Newson has just designed a wonderfully compact Digital SLR camera for Japanese camera maker Pentax. The camera comes with an ultra thin 40mm lens and is available in yellow, black,or silver.

Cocooning

French designer Gael Wuithier created these beautiful wooden pendant lights for her company Woodlabo. These fragile sculptures dangle from above and create wonderful shadows.

Perfeição

It doesn't get much better than this. Portuguese designer Marco Sousa Santos has recently completed a line of furninture for Braca Lisboa. What a wonderful balance of form, raw materials, function, and precision. 

Brutal Design

Île-de-Jésus (aka Laval,Québec, Canada) native Philippe Malouin has created a wonderful suspended light structure "svetko lamp" for his most recent showing of new works at the NextLevel Galerie in Paris. Out of all his past works, I beleive that this pendant is truly Malouin's pièce de resistance.


NOTE: It's now officially official in this era of increased monetary divide that gold is here to stay. 

Diamond Light

I love these! Not much else to say really. Diamond Lights from designer Eric Therner.

Good Memory

Designers Hanhsi Chen and Yookyung Shin of  Logical Art  have created an a line of amazing 4GB usb keys. Watch out for their upcoming jewellery line.