interior design

Designer Mauro Canfori is probably best known for his work with colleague Emanuela Destro and the collaboration they call Teracrea. The objective was to create new paradigms for interior landscaping, or “to introduce greenery into internal architecture and offer new solutions to traditional pots for outdoor plants.” In their efforts to work with containers of materials besides terracotta, they enlisted the services of none other than The Bouroullecs, the Campanas, and Konstantin Grcic, among others. Canfori’s latest endeavor is a different kind of indoor adornment, but no less auspicious, and one nearer and dearer to my heart, in fact: TEEbooks is a simple shelving system that lets you line your walls with books in all sorts of unconventional arrangements. Any shelves facilitating library configurations like “Symétrique,” “Grande Mixte,” and “Linéaire” are sure to be on any bibliophiles watch list.
Buren. Designed by Mauro Canfori.
The genius of TEEbooks is that the shelves allow horizontal and vertical expansion via an interlocking modular system of asymmetrical units. Horizontal shelves connect with “L” or “T” shapes (they’re actually closer to an “F” without the top line), which enables the deceptively precarious look of a tower of books—ascending the wall like the sight line on a skyscraper. The structure of the shelves remains hidden behind the displayed books, creating the logorrheic illusion of books and nothing but books upon your walls: criss-crossing like intersecting streets with “Chicane,” arranged in a perfectly symmetrical suspension of disbelief with “Judd,” or inscribed on the wall as an arcane spiritual symbology with “Double Croix.”

Linéare. Designed by Mauro Canfori.

Chicane. Designed by Mauro Canfori.

Domino. Designed by Mauro Canfori.

Double Croix. Designed by Mauro Canfori.

Grande Mixte. Designed by Mauro Canfori.
Another option with TEEbooks is to forge a perfectly conventional pattern—minimalist and spare as in “Buren,” or shabbily chic as shown by “Linéaire.” Canfori designed the concept with versatility in mind. So whether you prefer to eschew art in favor of a mural-sized picture in books, or use the birch plywood and metal shelving to complement your reading tastes as well as your assorted knick-knackery, Teebooks has the look you’re after.

You’ll remember that last week we examined how a burgeoning Australian technology to process a sustainable crop resulted in a House Made of Hemp stateside in Asheville, NC. Today we’re going back down under to profile Yamba, Australia’s Zaishu. The company was launched by designers Matthew Butler and Helen Punton back in 2004 at Melbourne’s Center for Contemporary Art. They focus on producing functional, ecologically-sound, sustainable, and aesthetically engaging furniture. And just like the literary Oulipians before them, the ostensible constraint is actually an inspiration: “We believe the things with which we surround ourselves can be made sustainably without compromising their design or quality.” A case in point is Zaishu’s series of flat-pack stools/chairs/tables. As the word “Zaishu” originated as a Japanese term for a seat without legs, these versatile, five-piece, easy-to-assemble, easy-to-transport works of art derive from the iconography of the traditional Kimono. The Zaishu Stool. Designed by Matthew Butler and Helen Punton.
Like a deconstructed Rorschach image, Zaishu appears in Kimono form only in its unassembled incarnation. Laid flat, the five components of the slot-together piece outline the Kimono’s basic shape, but when fully assembled, the Zaishu Stool is solid, versatile, easy-to-move, rife for creative use, and beautifully adorned. The decorative aspect of Zaishu is owed to design commissions with “traditional Indian sign-writers, graffiti artists, school kids, tribal artists and many more.” The look of the four pieces is somewhere along the continuum between Chris Rucker and Basquiat; they have a street-savvy that’s nicely counterbalanced by an elegant touch and an imagistic simplicity.

As to the environmental aspect, each stool is made of Native Australian Hoop Pine from sustainable forests. Zaishu sources all materials locally and assembles every stool at their own studio following comprehensive guidelines for ethical manufacture. Paints and varnishes are water based, and the five pieces are packaged for shipping in a re-usable and sustainably harvested cotton bag. And their screw-less, nail-less, glue-less, and tool-less assembly saves further resources—all of which translates to an effective and beautiful blueprint for how to go green.

Multi-functional sleepers that don’t require a set a swimmer’s lungs to inflate or a posh extra bedroom are often the most gratifying choice for both houseguest and resident alike. So in honor of the 2010 Habitare fair in Helsinki that recently came to a close, I am reminded of the 2009 standout Sofabed design - literally, that is its name - by Harri Koskinen that boomed after it’s debut at the 2009 Habitare fair and 2009 Salone in Milan.
Sofabed. Designed by Harri Koskinen.
Featured in top design blogs Apartment Therapy and Dezeen following its presence in the trade show circuit, Sofabed’s ability to stretch out or contract was an attractive feature to modern design enthusiasts. The clean lines and intuitive folding system comfortably seats three. For sleeping however, the Sofabed can handle up to four guests. The large backrest unfolds into a double-thick bed that looks like a thick bench on four wooden legs, or can be removed completely and made into an extra floor mattress for those more-the-merrier nights. Any way you swing it, the sleeper never looks like a bed pulled out from underneath its sofa haunches. In fact, the pieces come apart and fit together in a dignified manner, with not springs or lumpy mattresses to speak of.

Besides the 2009 fervor it created as the featured piece in the front room of the Harri Koskinen and Friends of Industry Studio booth in Helsinki, Wallpaper magazine awarded Koskinen’s Sofabed the 2010 Best in Domestic Design Award. It comes as a sequel to the Finnish designer’s previous sleeper sofa that he designed in 2000. The dimensions of the upholstered sleeper sofa are 240 x 110 cm (94.5”W x 43.4”D).
Whether you keep it as a sofa or pull it out into its multiple resting possibilities, the Scandinavian-designed Sofabed by Harri Koskinen is a stress-free sight for your living area’s sore eyes - and those of weary, traveling friends.

There’s something really satisfying about watching this man start a fire using exclusively Ikea products. It does feel a little Rube Goldbergian, knowing that you could just start a fire with matches, but it’s nice to see ingenuity at work.

FLAMMA from Helmut on Vimeo.

Hello Friends! It’s before and after basics time and wallpaper is the subject of choice today! Wallpaper is a huge part of what I do and I am very passionate about its application and transformation powers. The most important thing to remember as we start this process is to make sure you have your patience hat on and be ready to work out some air bubbles! Now that you’re hat is on- let’s get started! -barb

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
(more…)

I love it when a design company concerns itself with story. Two of the most creative narratives have come from wallpaper makers Grow House Grow and Jill Malek, who gather inspiration from literature, history, and philosophy. Now Austrian trio Pudelskern is joining fishing from the primordial soup of fiction, admitting, “We like to tell stories with our objects.” Composed of Horst Philipp, Nina Mair, and Georg Öhler, Pudelskern (pudel means poodle in German, in case you were wondering; see their logo, in which a show poodle makes up the nucleus of an atom) brings together members that specialize in architecture, design, and cabinet-making. Two of their products will be exhibiting at Mint during London Design Festival: Saddler and Mrs. Robinson.
Saddler. Designed by Pudelskern.
Saddler is a two-toned wooden chair with a molded leather seat and back that features ovals of varying sizes “to soothe the curves of the rider.” The easy chair uses ash and nut wood beneath its sheath of textured leather that forms “a smooth landscape of valleys and hills.” While the leather is doubtless sexy (Pudelskern points out that the material itself is made of skin, making sitting on Saddler a meeting of skin on skin), it does not detract from the “artful details of joinery being assembled by mortise and tenon.” Wood and leather, smooth and rough, curved and edgy, beast and man, horse and rider—Saddler revels in the tension of opposites.

Saddler. Designed by Pudelskern.

Saddler. Designed by Pudelskern.
Another piece to be exhibited at the Mint interior design showroom is the enigmatic Mrs Robinson, named after that heavenly vixen from The Graduate, so well-played by Anne Bancroft. This alluring chest of drawers, made of maple and MDF, “knows how to dress—and she very much knows how to keep secrets.” On the surface, Mrs Robinson is smooth and hard to read, but inside she has a lot to hide: the drawers reveal “colourful patterns” on the sides that are only visible when the rectangles get opened via a push mechanism (no handles, since Mrs Robinson is the only one doing the manhandling). Tapered legs intensify the cabinet’s feminine profile, as do the fine outlines of the drawer fronts. Both Saddler and Mrs Robinson illustrate Pudelskern’s process of creating a life behind an object—and the backstory makes the final product that much more intriguing.

Mrs Robinson. Designed by Pudelskern.
Via Arbitare.

The Norfolk benches of Wales & Wales have been assigned to the new seafront regeneration project called “Next Wave” of the Bexhill-on-Sea on the southeast coast of East Sussex. Skillfully designed for the contract furniture industry - and manufactured right in the UK by CS Contract Furniture - the benches are modern in appearance and completely functional.
The Norfolk Bench. Designed by Wales & Wales for CS Contract Furniture.
The modular benches will be used jointly with two or three in groups together, as well as in their original state as a solid singular bench with an arm rest. According to the CS Furniture website, “the project seeks to reconnect the town center with its seafront promenade, incorporating an improvement to the public realm quality of the promenade and the landscape setting of the iconic De La Warr Pavilion.”

Although the Next Wave project is going to be made with luscious strips of Iroko wood, other timber options are also available. Aluminum or powder-coated stainless steel componentry with a textured silver finish compliments the warm wood and keeps it looking new as they survive the great outdoors. You can opt for a full bench with or without arms, backless, or a wall top bench. Additionally, the table arms can come straight or curved with or without wooden capping.
Wales & Wales is a company with thirty years of experience designing exclusively in wood. Their work has been featured in national collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Crafts Council, among others. Meanwhile, the Norfolk bench manufacturer, CS Contract Furniture, creates their products from start to finish on-site. This includes their timber cutting, machinery, assembly and finishing with the highest level of quality.

I keep seeing Rifle Paper Co. popping up here and there and I’m loving what I see.  Their product styling and photography is just divine — so fresh and clean. And I really like how lovely their products are — the colors are so vibrant against crisp white! From cards to posters and recipe boxes (my favorite), it’s hard to not fall in love with something on their website.

Once I move and come out from under this packing cloud (ha!), I can finally think about things like buying pretty paper again. I really look forward to that because my stationery supply box is looking soooo lame. I opened it the other day looking for a suitable card and nothing worked so I had to make one — I had about 5 minutes — and then I raced out to give it to my friend. I still wonder if she opened my card once she got home to view my cut and paste Holly version and thought, “I thought this girl had taste!”. Moments like that one, scrambling to find a card, reminded me of the importance of keeping stock as I did in my more organized days, which I really want to get back to once I have a dedicated office space again. Chaotic work spaces are such downers, man!
(images: rifle paper co.)
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today’s final before & after comes from barb mcmahon of happy simple and stratford daily photo. when barb and her husband moved into their current apartment they found some seriously nasty built-in cupboards in what would become their dining room. the cupboards were blocking too much light in the room, so barb and her husband had them removed. while most of the scrap wood from the cupboards was far from reusable, the doors were in decent shape. so barb decided to put two of the doors together and use it as a wooden canvas for a painting! with her artwork complete, barb hung her upcycled artwork above the sofa and now her once-grungy cabinets are cool modern artwork. great work, barb! this definitely makes me think twice about the scrap wood i see on curbs every weekend….
[have a before & after you'd like to share? just shoot me an email with your images right here! (low res, under 500k per image, please)]

some cynics may argue that, like mounted antlers or felt pebbles, chalkboard paint is overexposed in home decor right now. however, i would argue that its beauty completely negates the issue. have i seen a bad example of chalkboard paint? no, i have not. it always looks dramatic and lovely. i appreciate sarah’s clever use of the paint on the unlikely surface of a mini fridge; actually, it’s quite a useful place for it! the sharp contrast of black and white and the crisp stripes of the rug make the room feel so fresh and clean, perfect for sarah’s modern beach cottage. i also appreciate that the menu and shopping list in the “after” shot (albeit unrealistic) send a fun carefree message about enjoying life. i should try to keep them in mind, as i tend to be a bit cynical myself :) great work, sarah!

telephone benches are an awesome byproduct of the corded phone days. my parents had a fifties era telephone bench that was upholstered in hunter’s green vinyl. it had a large, curved armrest and bronze upholstery tacks running in tight succession along the edges. since we have no pictures of it, i can only use what i remember, which is that it was an ugly sea monster that i could ride on to reach imaginary exotic locales. in actuality i’m pretty sure it was mega stylish– i imagine it fitting perfectly in don draper’s home office. anyway, if i saw a telephone bench of any style at a yard sale today i would grab it; they are like school desks for grownups, and while they serve no real purpose in the age of the cell phone, they always have interesting shapes. i absolutely love the way caitlin has updated this version: the wood against the white base is very modern, but the fun retro fabric gives a stylish nod to the furniture’s heyday. she had the piece powder coated by professionals and added an oiled piece of walnut for the top. it’s now a staple in her home, as it would surely be in mine as well. beautiful work, caitlin! -kate

I just heard about Australian furniture and landscape designer Greg Hatton because one of his photos popped up on the main page over at Pinterest.

Side note: I love seeing birch logs in fireplaces stacked, standing… it’s gorgeous. I keep thinking that I need to buy a “faux” fireplace so I have an excuse to display birch logs. :) But it needs to be vintage or something like this (though I’d need to tile it or paint it inside to give it a more authentic vibe). I digress…
Now back to the wonderful world of Greg Hatton. Once you start browsing his website, you may recognize his willow bench and birch headboard from Sibella Court’s recent book, Etcetera Etc. Greg also goes by Twiggy, a name that is not only very sweet I think but best describes his rustic furniture and lighting.

I know it’s just a close up of wood, but I had to include this picture – to me it’s just gorgeous. I’d love to tack this on my inspiration board. The texture is lovely – so simple and pure.
His work is very casual and free-spirited which, I think, best highlights the natural materials that he uses. I’ve shown just a tiny glimpse of his work, you can see more on his website or in his Flickr album maintained by his studio assistant, Leila. So inspiring!
(images: greg hatton)
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Check out this stoneware planter from Paige Russell. Fossil asked four artists to create an original piece of artwork that illustrates the Fossil motto/slogan ‘Long Live Vintage’. Inspired by the Eames Lounge Chair, this planter by Paige is my absolute favorite.

There’s also a short video of Paige talking about her design process on Fossil’s website.