My favorite pieces from her portfolio are her porcelainware. These are often meditative experiments with natural forms in which Dubinsky tests the boundaries of her craft. Her most sophisticated of these is her Measuring Tools collection, the design of which stems from what were once purely functional measuring instruments, but which Dubinsky has refined down to pure form.

“Standards for measuring length and width in ancient times relied on the measurements and movements of the limbs of the human body, and evidence of these techniques are still to be found in use around the world. I wished to investigate and apply this law-like regularity by designing measuring tools which are based on the dimensions of the human body. I am not concerned with historical elements but rather with a set of archetypes which establish new relationships or which reconstruct primal relationships between man and his environment. The project consists of four measuring tools, each one tailored to standardized terminology and related to the measurements of the human body: cubit, hand-breadth, finger and foot.”

Even though no one is going to use these to actually measure something (and that’s definitely not Dubinksy’ point, either), the shapes of the tools are just so pleasing, perhaps because they’re derived from the natural form of the human body. Measuring Tools was awarded in the 2011 London International Creative Competition.

Dubinsky has continued her study of the human body with Body Signs, a collection of jewelry made from porcelain, silver and gold. You can contact her to place an order.

about perrin drumm

The gesture of the designer, their hand, a sketch, an idea. The authenticity of a project is an ever innovative process of thought, insight and research, which Cassina identifies and values starting from the original creative heart, combining its qualitative excellence with its consolidated workmanship experience.

Cassina deliberately seeks authenticity in every project. This perspective is the starting point for the 2012 collection: a series of projects that express a way of thinking and living authentic design, where each element is always substantive and consistent.

crated icons were in the windows and and key locations on the floor.





close to the showroom entrance the icons are displayed on a planked area.





each inspiring icon holds an inspiring story. if you’re wondering, i didn’t know three of the 11 icons. see how you do, the answers are below.





[ the authentic icons ] [ cassina ]
1) red and blue | gerrit thomas rietveld | 1973
2) maralunga | vico magistrati | 1973
3) LC4 | le corbusier & jeanneret perriand | 1965
4) hillhouse | charles rennie mackintosh | 1973
5) luisa | franco albini | 2008
6) petalo | charlotte periand | 2009
7) barrel | frank lloyd wright | 1986
8] LC2 | le corbusier & jeanneret perriand | 1965/2006
9) feltri | gaetano pesce | 1987
10) superleggera | gio ponti | 1957
11) wink – toshiyuki kita | 1980

“The National Design Awards program is Cooper-Hewitt’s largest and most widespread educational initiative and celebrates the full spectrum of American design practice,” said Moggridge. “The provocative work of this year’s winners truly shapes the way we experience the world.”

click > enlarge


[ lifetime achievement ]
winner: richard saul wurman
The Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing an individual who has made a long-term contribution to the practice of design, is presented to Richard Saul Wurman, FAIA. He created and chaired the conferences TED (1984-2002), TEDMED (1995-2010) and eg (2006) and is currently developing the WWW conferences, celebrating improvised conversations. Under his direction of TED, innovations that were premiered include the first Mac in 1984, Illustrator and Photoshop by Adobe, the Segway and iBot by DEKA, OnStar by GM, Frank Gehry’s earliest sketches of Bilbao and even the first announcement of Google.

[ design mind ]
winner: janine benyus
The Design Mind Award recognizes visionary individuals or firms that have affected a shift in design thinking or practice through writing, research and scholarship. The 2012 recipient is Janine Benyus, a biologist, innovation consultant and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In 1998, Benyus cofounded Biomimicry Guild, the world’s first bio‐inspired consultancy, bringing nature’s sustainable designs to more than 250 clients, including Boeing, Nike, General Electric, Herman Miller, HOK, IDEO, Interface and Procter and Gamble.





[ corporate and institutional achievement ]
winner: design that matters
The Corporate and Institutional Achievement Award recognizes a corporation or institution that uses design as a strategic tool of its mission and helps to advance the relationship between design and quality of life. The 2012 award is presented to Design That Matters. Conceived by graduate students at the MIT Media Lab in 2001, Design that Matters is a nonprofit design company that partners with social entrepreneurs to design products that address basic needs in developing countries.





[ architecture design ]
winner: mack scogin and merrill elam architects
The Architecture Design Award, which recognizes work in commercial, public or residential architecture, is given to Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam Architects. The 40 year-old firm has won international acclaim for work that ranges from a sleek factory for Herman Miller to the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center for Wellesley College and commercial office space for Tishman Speyer Properties. Their work has been shown at museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Walker Art Center.





[ communication design ]
winner: rebeca méndez
The Communication Design Award, which honors work in graphic or multimedia design, goes to Rebeca Méndez. A designer, creative director, artist and educator, she has focused on critical reflection of visual communication practices around issues of organization, culture and identity. Since 1996, she has run a multidisciplinary studio based in Los Angeles, focused on design for art and architecture clients, including Frank Gehry, Thom Mayne and Bill Viola.

[ fashion design ]
winner: thom browne
Recognizing work in clothing, accessory or footwear design, the Fashion Design Award is presented to Thom Browne. The designer’s meticulous aesthetic is rooted in an American sensibility evocative of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was named Menswear Designer of the Year in 2006 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Designer of the Year in 2008 by GQ magazine, and Most Influential Designer by WGSN.





[ interactive design ]
winner: evan roth
The Interaction Design Award, given for exceptional work using digital technology, is awarded to Evan Roth, an interaction designer who visualizes, records and subverts transient, often unseen moments in public spaces, in popular culture and on the Internet. His approach takes inspiration from the free software movement and hacker ethos, leading to such notable pieces as Laser Tag, White Glove Tracking, a collaboration with Jay-Z on the first open-source rap video, and the Eye Writer a low-cost eye-tracking system originally designed for paralyzed graffiti artist Tempt1.

[interior design ]
winner: clive wilkinson architects
The Interior Design Award, recognizing an individual or firm for exceptional and exemplary work in domestic, corporate or cultural interior design, is awarded to Clive Wilkinson Architects. The practice has completed creative projects across the globe for clients such as Google, Nokia, 20th Century Fox and Disney, winning more than 75 awards in the process. Wilkinson has been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, named a Master of Design by Fast Company magazine and a Pioneer of Design by the IIDA.





[ landscape architecture ]
winner: stoss landscape urbanism
The recipient of the Landscape Design Award, which is presented for work in urban planning or park and garden design, is Stoss Landscape Urbanism is a Boston-based collaborative design and planning studio that operates at the juncture of landscape architecture, urban design and planning. The firm’s projects include The CityDeck in Green Bay, Wis.; Erie Street Plaza in Milwaukee; The Plaza at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.; and Bass River Park on Cape Cod, Mass. In 2010, Stoss became the first North American firm to win the Topos Landscape Award.





[ product design ]
winner: scott wilson
Given for work in the design of consumer goods, technology or home and office furnishings, the 2011 Product Design Award is presented to Scott Wilson. A former design leader at Nike, Thomson Consumer Electronics, IDEO, Fortune Brands and Motorola, he has created some of the world’s most recognized consumer design icons, including the Kinect for Xbox 360 and TikTok and LunaTik watches for the iPod Nano. Equal parts visionary and entrepreneur, his work has been exhibited at Cooper-Hewitt, the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

First launched at the White House in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards were established to promote excellence and innovation in design. The awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops. First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the Honorary Patron for this year’s National Design Awards.

National Design Awards Jury
John C. Jay/Jury Chair, global executive creative director and partner, Wieden+Kennedy
Michelle Berryman, principal and CEO, Echo Visualization
Jeanne Gang, principal and founder, Studio Gang Architects
Lee F. Mindel, FAIA, founding partner, Shelton, Mindel & Associates
Melody Roberts, senior director, concept & design, McDonald’s Corp.
Eric Rodenbeck, founder, CEO and creative director, Stamen Design
Behnaz Sarafpour, president and designer, Behnaz Sarafpour
Alice Twemlow, chair, MFA Design Criticism, School of Visual Arts
Charles Waldheim, John E. Irving Professor and Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Cooper-Hewitt’s sixth annual National Design Week will be held 13 > 21 October. [ cooper-hewitt awards ]

the flos 50 app design team. details at the bottom of this post.





there are two limited edition anniversary lamps for the occasion: above> “the light photon” limited edition
o-led table lamp designed by philippe starck; also the new “arco led” floor lamp, its best-known lamp by achille castiglioni.





within the press kit are images of 150 products. above> ‘luminator” by achille and pier giacomo castiglioni.





within the press kit are “love letters” from designers. above> achille castiglioni.

[ flos 50 app credits ]
project and art direction: ramak fazel
graphic design: neil donnely
flos 50 history: stefano casciani
product photography: piero fasanotto
illustrations: nico k. tucci
chief archivist: cicci pezzolo
development: mobile dream studio
additional support: flos historical archives
special thanks: piera pezzolo gandini

[ flos timeline ]
1962 – Flos is founded in Merano, 28 September. First board meeting appoints advisors Achille Castiglioni, Arturo Eisenkeil, Sergio Biliotti, Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina
1964 – Sergio Gandini joins board of directors and is elected Chairman
1964 – company moves offices and factory to Nave (near Brescia)
1968 – Milan Corso Monforte 9 store opens. Design by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
1970 – first Flos catalogue published. Graphic design by Max Huber
1971 – Rome Via del Babuino 85 showroom opens
1971 – first European subsidiary starts operations in Germany
1972 – Turin Galleria Subalpina store opens. Design by Achille Castiglioni
1974 – acquisition of Arteluce, a lighting company established in 1939 by Gino Sarfatti
1975 – Flos is a first time exhibitor in the lighting section at Milan’s Salone del Mobile. Stand designed by Achille Castiglioni
1976 – factory moves from Nave to Bovezzo (Brescia)
1979 – Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù awarded Compasso d’Oro
1980 – new Milan Corso Monforte 7 offices open. Design by Achille Castiglioni, floor design by Max Huber
1988 – collaboration with Philippe Starck begins
1994 – Drop lamp by Marc Sadler awarded Compasso d’Oro
1995 – Flos receives Compasso d’Oro lifetime achievement award
1996 – Piero Gandini, Sergio’s son, becomes Managing Director of Flos SpA
1996 – Light Contract division set up, to develop turnkey projects

[ edited official press release ]
Milan, 18 April 2012 – On the occasion of Salone del Mobile 2012, Piero Gandini, Chairman and Managing Director of international lighting leader FLOS SpA, gets the celebrations under way to mark the company’s fiftieth anniversary, with a special event in Milan and the launch of a remarkable iPad application. Looking ahead to its next fifty years, Flos also announces some important novelties on the technology front with an exclusive agreement to use revolutionary bio-polymers, and the production of a special Limited Edition O-LED lamp.

Established in Merano on 28 September 1962 by far-sighted visionaries Dino Gavina, Arturo Eiseinkeil and Cesare Cassina, in 1964 Flos – which in Latin means ‘flower’ – moved to the Brescia area under the guidance of Sergio Gandini, the ‘illuminated’ entrepreneur who drew on the creative skills of an image committee formed of legendary talents such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, and Tobia Scarpa. So began a remarkable story of passion and devotion to hard work, research and innovation. But first and foremost there has always been, at the centre of the Flos story, deep respect for values like talent, art and culture, all of which can now been looked at in more detail with the help of the Flos Historical Archive, curated by Piera Pezzolo Gandini, Sergio’s wife, Piero’s mother and the worthy winner of a Compasso d’Oro in 2011 for her remarkable career. With the help of a team of professionals and friends, for the last six years Piera Pezzolo has undertaken meticulous research, restoration and classification work to bring together prototypes, designs, original drawings, packaging, graphics, advertising, photographs, film clips, books, catalogues, awards and appearances at trade fairs, exhibitions and museums. The archive takes various forms: multimedia, paper and collections of products and objects.

[ the flos 50 app ]
Driven by the desire to grant the public access to this treasure trove of information assembled by his mother, Piero Gandini engaged Ramak Fazel, a photographer and artist of Persian origin, for the creative direction of a tool that could convey not only the sensory appeal of these historical objects, but also the emotions and passions they recalled.

The various “chapters” about the history of the company – more than 40 in all – are represented graphically in the app as archive binders. The first one users encounter is an in-depth social and cultural analysis edited by writer, journalist and historian Stefano Casciani, which covers the period from the years immediately preceding the foundation of the company to the present day. Nineteen binders are devoted to the designers who have worked with the company: Barber & Osgerby, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Antonio Citterio, Paul Cocksedge, Tim Derhaag, Rodolfo Dordoni, Thierry Dreyfus, Ron Gilad, Konstantin Grcic, Johanna Grawunder, Joris Laarman, Piero Lissoni, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Tobia Scarpa, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola and Marcel Wanders. They each sent Flos a very personal ‘love letter’, which is presented to users in the form of the original document, expressing emotions, memories, gratitude and best wishes for the past fifty years and those to come.

Developed by Mobile Dream Studio in Paris, the application has an innovative interface featuring dynamic images, animations, original video content and surprising interactions. From a 360 degree panoramic view of the archive room – the actual historical archive located in Piera Pezzolo Gandini’s family home in Brescia – users can open two doors to enter the secret, intimate worlds of two key figures in the company’s formation and development: Achille Castiglioni, the designer of more iconic lamps in the Flos catalogue than anyone else and a beacon for the company until his death in 2002, and Philippe Starck, who began working with Flos in 1988, introducing revolutionary concepts to the Italian industrial design. These two legendary figures are celebrated by two specially made videos. The first, by Andrea Caccia, documents a very intimate visit to Achille Castiglioni’s studio in Piazza Castello, Milan. It’s a poetic and nostalgic film, but one which also conjures up the joy and vitality that Castiglioni conveyed naturally by the way he lived. In the second, produced by Urubu Film, Starck and Piero Gandini tour Paris at dawn on a motorcycle, revealing the depth of their mutual esteem and friendship, and talking about light, which for both of them, at an unconscious level, symbolises life.

Other sections in the app include a touching tribute by Piero Gandini to his father Sergio, who continues to be the company’s spiritual guide even after his death in 1999; the graphical history of the Flos logo, from the original design by Heinz Waibl to subsequent versions by Max Huber, Pino Tovaglia and Bruno Le Moult; the Corso Monforte store window in Milan, an impactful brand’s communication machine, with past displays designed by Achille Castiglioni and subsequently by other great collaborators, including Italo Lupi and Bruno Le Moult. Here can be also seen the covers of all the company’s catalogues over the years; financial information and interesting facts and figures from the company’s fifty-year history; and Flos showrooms and single-brand stores throughout the world – represented by a Glo-ball lamp. Also documented here is the lucky encounter with Federico Martinez and Spanish company Antares, leading to the creation of Flos Architectural Lighting.

[ three themes for the future ]
New Tasks – The first task that Flos intends to accomplish is to introduce increasingly environment-friendly industrial production techniques. An important agreement with bio-on to reissue lamps manufactured until now in plastic material, like Miss Sissi by Philippe Starck or Piani by brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, using the new PHAs bio-polymer, which is 100% naturally biodegradable in water, makes Flos very proud to bring a total revolution in the relationship between mass production and environment.
New Technologies – The perfection of O-LED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology, a carbon and hydrogen source formed of ultra-thin sheets which are 100% recyclable like glass, opens up amazing possibilities for transforming light in new ways. Flos sets an example with the Light Photon lamp by Philippe Starck, which is being produced for the company’s anniversary celebrations in a limited edition of 500.
New Talents – Our real future is vested in the next generation, which will produce the new talents of tomorrow. Now more than ever, learning the lessons taught by its past, Flos undertakes to support and encourage the most promising young designers.

Available for download free of charge from the App Store starting late in April, FLOS 50 will establish an ongoing conversation with its public through frequent, original updates, news items, materials, games and entertainment ideas. [ flos ] [ o-led ] [ bio-on ]

From their studio, OOO My Design:

GVAL is a product that brings surprising and playful use to an object as ordinary as everyday’s chair. In doing so, it  pays homage to the most archetypical of all production materials, wood, in its most natural form: a tree. The shape of the chair and the texture of alternating sheets of plywood is inspired by pattern of tree rings, which in a way represent tree’s memory: each ring usually marks the  of one year in the life of the tree.

about perrin drumm

Your brain may say more form than function but not as much as you might imagine. And the weight and material feel quite appropriate. The mismatch may be the highly philosophical Fionacci sequence with it’s base of the average hand width that determines the knives proportions and the name of these knives: the Meeting Knives. Suggested retail is $1,250 for the set of four though $750 online. You are paying for precision as the knives fit perfectly together. Not surprising that Yves Béhar, designer of the Herman Miller Sayl, a least materials design solution, put a set of these knives on his holiday gift list. The design won the European Design Award for Cutlery Creation. [ designapplause objects ]

designer: mia schamallenbach
producer: deglon
material: stainless steel, teflon

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Here are several examples from this show. Most are from the exhibitors who were showcased in this year’s Discover Design competition. Most are small companies with few products and presentation is an easier task.

The criteria:
* how visible is the booth from afar
* how visible is the brand itself
* how special are the goods presented
* how well does the booth shield the viewer from visual distractions
* how creative is the booth concept

medium-sized booth. we liked this booth last year too

large totally contained oxo booth


We do like white in most product presentations but Built makes it work with wood.

wins iron-pansy award


Room Copenhagen has visual knockouts Lego and Pantone, among others, and present these objects on boxes covered with brown carpeting. Shown here on the Discover Design display, not the booth. They do much better next year.


rare example of objects presented with and without the packaging


JosephJoseph a bit over zealous with quantity in this mid-size booth. But it’s well-organized and they present the object with and without the merchandising packaging. They also get best product award so there you go.


guessing most minimal booth in mccormick place.


Monbento plays it cool. The glass vase on right is a best of show award. That’s our trolley in foreground junking up the image.

note: We intended to make mention of those booths that were not photographed but presented exceptionally well. But a photo is worth a thousand…next time. What’s it all mean? Well, a great product might not even come to this show and still be successful. The fact that the great presentations went hand-in-hand with the awards means little in this post. We were not being objective in this matter. And careful with the brown carpet.

exhibition: Pacific standard time. 
Art in los angeles 1950–1980.
venue: martin gropius bau | berlin
date: 15 march > 10 june 2012

about phil patton

1. Heracleum by Bertjan Pot (above)

A stunning and delicate chandelier powered by ELECTROSANDWICH by Marcel Wanders for Moooi. From the designer:

“Heracleum’ arrived at Moooi as a fantasy. I had the wish to light many LED-lights at the same time. I experimented with bundles of electricity wires that I shaped into a branch structure. During the development of the design it just seemed that too much soldering was required. Then Marcel Wanders had the ‘luminous’ idea to use his ELECTROSANDWICH® to make the design possible. The structure was coated with a plastic layer for isolation and on top of that a conductive layer to supply the LEDs with power. Using this technique it was possible to create a structure more slender than I had hoped for when I started the project. The technique and design are perfect for each other.”

2. Invisible Cycle Helmet by Hovding

Worn like a collar, the helmet automatically inflates like an airbag around your head upon impact. “The airbag is deployed by sensors – accelerometers and gyros – that pick up a bicyclist’s abnormal movements in the event of an accident. The sensors then send a signal to the gas inflator to inflate the airbag.” Watch a video of it in action.





3. The Learning Thermostat by Nest

A touch screen thermostat that remembers every time you adjust it until it learns your habits. It can also be controlled via your iPhone when you’re away from home.





4. Totem, by Bethan Laura Wood and Pietro Viero

A hand-blown Pyrex glass light tower made by stacking various glass shapes.

about perrin drumm