Louis Pretty by Philipp Mainzer, Berlin, Germany

Louis Pretty by Philipp

Stark yet welcoming, the interior of new deli Louis Pretty takes inspiration from Palm Springs modernism and David Hockney’s iconic painting A Bigger Splash. Located in Berlin’s hip Kreuzberg neighbourhood, the deli was designed by Philipp Mainzer Office for Architecture and Design, and reworks common deli touchpoints such as bench seating, a counter bar focused […]

Kia Utzon-Frank The Idea Sculptor

Kia Utzon-Frank The Idea Sculptor

It seems as though there’s no limit to what Kia Utzon-Frank’s KUFStudio can create. One project that has gained the studio much attention is the production of small, geometric shapes that resemble desk ornaments but are in fact cakes. Utzon-Frank originally trained as a goldsmith and has now brought her eye for sleek modern design […]

Environmental Indicators & Climate Change

Environmental Indicators & Climate Change

In an attempt to raise awareness of current climate challenges and provoke change, designers are visualizing the less obvious elements of our environment through a number of innovative products and artifacts. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London and vice chairman of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, is committed to creating the cleaner, greener, better and […]

Designers Challenge Perception of Surface, Texture & Weight

Designers Challenge Perception of Surface, Texture & Weight

THE FORM – SOFT Classic Art is revisited with rounded edges and deceptively soft materials. Perceptions of surface, texture and weight are challenged by designers creating furniture and interiors that juxtapose contradictory material form and colour qualities. Monolithic geometric forms are combined in palettes of warm greys, flesh-toned nudes and beige. 1. ROLY POLY: ASSEMBLAGE […]

Industrial Luxe – Does it feel enchanting?

Industrial Luxe - Does it feel enchanting

Industrial materials are elevated to designed forms and celebrated for their inherent qualities. Stainless steel wire-framed structures in primary-coloured, powdered coatings create a sophisticated, bright utilitarian aesthetic. Furniture is constructed of juxtaposed 2D geometric shapes to create graphic layers, often with a trompe l’oeil effect on perceptions of dimension. Alternatively, structures are formed through gentle wire bending to […]

Top 6 Textured Patterns for Ceramics, Packing and Furniture

Top 6 Textured Patterns for Ceramics, Packing and Furniture

THE PATTERN – SEDIMENT Designers pay homage to the study of geology in the creation of granulated and textured patterns for ceramics, packing and furniture. Both man-made and organic patterns directly reference organic mineral processes, including salt staining, marbling and corroded surfaces. These textures are applied to a variety of materials, from stone to paper […]

Top 6 People Using Surrealist Shapes

Top 6 People Using Surrealist Shapes

THE SHAPE – SURREALIST Product and furniture designs take on surrealist shapes, channeling their inner Dalí and Magritte. Irregular 2D and 3D forms appear morphed, melted and dripping, with high-gloss and metalized finishes. 1. SALOMINKA BY VERA PANICHEWSKAJA Salonika is an exploration of color and form using the traditional Russian craft of marquetry to blur the […]

Discarded Items? Build Your Wardrobe & House

Discarded Items Build Your Wardrobe & House

Responding to overconsumption and our oversaturated consumer landscape, designer Helen Kirkum proposes a circular alternative. She has repurposed and remastered discarded sneakers, breaking the originals down into multiple components and then reconfiguring these parts into new and unique products. With the Post-Couture Collective Martijn van Strien has set out to provide an alternative to disposable […]

Ad Hoc : Democratised Design and Production

Ad Hoc Democratised Design and Production

We are witnessing a new industrial revolution; one that rejects big business and pursues democratized design and production. Consumers are demonstrating new values around consumption, and designers are shifting their focus from polished, elitist design to more ad hoc new crafts that mash together digital fabrication and reclaimed materials, creating a design direction with an […]

Reviving Local Economies by Harvesting Waste

Reviving Local Economies by Harvesting Waste

Posing the question of whether industry and nature can co-exist, designer Marlène Huissoud investigates waste material from the insect world in her sculpture collection Of Insects and Men. Combining honey bee bio-resin, a natural by-product of beekeeping, with manmade waste glass fragments, Huissoud challenges our understanding of ‘real’ and ‘fake’. The bio-resin is processed using […]