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ICFF Review
At this year’s ICFF, quirky new products and reissued classics stood out. Featured here are a few examples of products that reimagine basic types of furniture, lighting, wall coverings, and even hot tubs. - Diana Lind
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Customizable cutouts
Nondesigns is a Pasadena-based design firm that covers everything from architecture to furniture to graphic design. It is apropos then that Topo, its table made of Corian, styrene, and steel, is correspondingly multifunctional. By letting customers choose where to place CNC-milled cutouts and mounds, the possibilities for organizing the topography of the table are endless. Topo’s inserts form a miniature landscape on the table’s surface and can be used for anything from stashing away office supplies to planting herbs, or they can be removed to provide space for computer cords. Also on display from Nondesigns was the Wet lamp, comprising an unusual series of glass lamps with a water-submerged light bulb at its center. When a silver rod is slid into the water, the lamp turns on and becomes brighter as the rod is submerged. Nondesigns, Pasadena, Calif.
www.nondesigns.com [Reader
Service September 2006 # 219 ] |
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Portable hot tub
Designed by Floris Schoonderbeek, Dutchtub is a new take on the centuries-old European bathing culture. While maintaining the cultural importance of a communal soak, the signature orange-colored tub distinguishes itself by focusing on modern priorities: It is transportable, lightweight, and not dependent on electricity. The tub turns bathing into an event—a side table with a built-in ice-bucket (left) and a wok for cooking meals (right, on burner) allow for easy entertaining, while additional options include trailers for moving the tub from place to place. Once the polyester bath is filled with water and its wood-fired stainless-steel heating system is started, it takes 2 hours to heat 200 gallons of cold water to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Dutchtub, Arnhem, the Netherlands. www.dutchtub.com [ Reader
Service # September 2006 # 220 ] |
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Truss-inspired furniture collection
Truss, a 10-piece collection from Context Furniture that includes chairs, tables, benches, and casegoods, riffs on the basic architectural element of the truss. Made of Baltic birch plywood, the pieces could fit in anywhere from a residence to a library to a school. Appropriate for such a streamlined collection, the furniture comes in colors such as red, white, espresso, and moss gray with a choice of laminate or wood veneer. While the library desk and occasional table affect a retro look with their simple forms, the pieces are all CNC-milled and flat-packed, thus appearing contemporary, not nostalgic. Context Furniture, Royal Oak, Mich. www.contextfurniture.com [ Reader
Service September 2006 # 221 ] |
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Screen scene
Erwin Hauer’s renowned series of mid-20th-century screens that feature repeating abstract shapes have long been admired by the design community but were often too expensive to replicate for individual projects. Now, Hauer and his three partners, who form Erwin Hauer Studios, are using modern digital technology and production methods to reissue select designs from the Continua series of screens. Three of Hauer’s classic designs along with one new design are available in custom configurations and sizes. The company has most recently been commissioned to create a 25' indoor/outdoor bas-relief wall for a Manhattan residential high-rise. Erwin Hauer Studios, New Haven, Conn. www.erwinhauerstudios.com[ Reader
Service September 2006 # 222] |
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Embossed wall panels
Inhabit Living, founded by husband-and-wife team Jennifer and Mike Tuttle, debuted the Wall Flats wall-covering collection at this year’s ICFF. Wall Flats embossed panels are made of recyclable molded paper pulp and add texture to vertical surfaces. The prefabricated panels come in 18'' x 8'' rectangles with adhesive strips on the back. They are available in packs of 10 panels in three streamlined patterns—Shangri-La, Bud, and Seesaw (right)—that recall the forms of modern tiles. While Wall Flats are currently produced only in off-white, they can be painted other hues. Inhabit, Indianapolis.
www.inhabitliving.com [ Reader
Service September 2006 # 223 ] |
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Glass of bubbly
Bubble Glass, created by the Los Angeles design duo PadLab, takes its name from the process of controlling the placement of air bubbles in glass to embed patterns, images, and text. PadLab takes a client’s desired image—anything from a pattern to a drawing—and incises it into sheets of glass that are then kiln-fused into a uniform panel. As a result, air bubbles are trapped precisely in place. PadLab collaborates with clients and architects to form these customized sheets, which may be used for architectural installations, lighting, and fine art. PadLab, Los Angeles. www.padlab.com [ Reader
Service September 2006 # 224 ] |
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Industrial chic
Like many of the lighting options debuted by smaller companies at ICFF, Zinoo Park’s Spaghetti Chandelier combines whimsy with irony. This piece turns the prim chandelier on its head: In an intentionally sloppy assembly, the ubiquitous orange electrical cords often associated with industrial applications form the bowl of a chandelier. Hung from the cords are standard light bulbs—11 in the small version of the chandelier and 21 in the large—that can be arranged as the installer wishes. The chandelier’s small and large sizes feature diameters of roughly 311¼2'' and 40'', respectively. Zinoo Park, Seoul. www.zinoopark.com [ Reader
Service September 2006 # 225 ] |
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more new products see this month's Product
Focus |
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