When he presented his work at this year’s Art Basel, he was known as an artist, but Sehwa himself prefers the term ‘furniture artist.’ He first made a name for himself with his series of Lighting Tables that look like plain birch wood until you plug them in to reveal the pattern underneath.

His recent work, however, leans towards more craft-based, one-of-kind furniture, made entirely out of wood. The work that blew away the crowds at Art Basel are from his Steam series that includes lighting and “sittable” pieces made from bent wood.




designer: bae sehwa



about perrin drumm

It can simply be dismantled and rebuilt on a new site. Requiring only two square meters of foundation, the impact is minimal after the Fincube is moved to another location.





Horizontal ledges provide privacy and assimilate the home into forests, meadows, and let’s also include mountainsides.





The original home was created 1200m above sea level near Bozen in Northern Italy. Made entirely of local wood, the building provides 47 m≤ of living space with a minimal CO2 footprint: local suppliers and local crafts using local long-lasting and recyclable materials manufactured with the precision and care of tyrolese handwork. A prototype of this nomadic housing concept is exhibited in Ritten, above Bozen.

The combination of long-lasting design and portability make for a flexible house or hideaway and a lifetime companion.

Per the designer:

Long-lasting Design: The design is minimal, material-orientated, and in close touch with nature – the wooden space with a 360-degree triple glazing is furnished with a second facade layer, producing shade and giving the building a unique overall mushroom-like mono-shape.

Hospitality Vision: Together with South Tyrolean hotelier Josef Innherhofer, the Fincube was also conceptualized as a vision for future hospitality: a temporary FINCUBE village with minimum soil sealing can be placed in the middle of the most beautiful landscapes without permanently altering them. In contrast to all permanent buildings it could be easily changed, extended, scaled down or removed and the area would soon be re-naturalized back to normal. These qualities turn the unit into an answer to future needs of flexible and smart tourism.

Technology & Space: Technology wise the FINCUBE is a smart house – all vital house-functions are controlled by a central touch panel. The supporting structure is made of local larch and the interior is a combination of larch & stone-pine. The 3m-high space is organized in a helical structure: the entrance area blends into a generous open kitchen with an adjacent sofa living space, around the corner one enters the bedroom and further down is the spacious bathroom.






[fincube]


Designer: Werner Aisslinger – Berlin .
Interior design: Tina Bunyaprasit, Studio Aisslinger .
Wood structure: Markus Lobis – Ritten, Italy
Interior finish: Matthias Prast – Ritten, Italy

Designer: millergoodman



about perrin drumm

Who’s playing chauffeur, you ask? Why, a brand new MINI Cooper S Clubman, of course! The trailer, which showcases an über-chic custom-made interior by Copenhagen’s Republic of Fritz Hansen, will be making cameos at events, exhibitions, and design fairs around the world. The first spotting will be at the Salone del Mobile show and the INTERNI DESIGN ENERGIES exhibition in Milan, Italy (April 21-30 2009).

A bit of an odd market ? Well, image is everything and this hasn’t been tried before. Upon reading the copy before seeing the images one expected the Clubman “woodie” with “bullet” in tow.

Designer, Marcus Wallenberg Meyer, 32, built his award winning prototype in 2006. Now in production, the striking limited edition bikes aren’t cheap. 11,000 – 15,000 euros ( $14,000 – $19,000 USD ), depending on the equipment. There are not many wooden bikes in production. Jano is a concept that we hope gets produced.

Designer: fudder.de
Producer: waldmeister

Designer: Barber Osgerby
Producer: Isokon Plus

Specifications:
LOA: 17.5 feet
Beam: 41 inches
Draft: 6 inches w/dagger board up
Weight: 100 pounds standard
Sail area: 27 square feet
Seats: 2

Producer: Caillou
Retailer: Clearly First — Louis Boston — 20ltd

The design retains a 4×4 mounting system so it can be used with most conventional bindings but a stiff binding with minimal padding is recommended. While the The Whip will perform well in regular powdery conditions, it’s not built for deep, off-trail powder.

The Whip represents a total rethink of several elements of snowboard design, but at first glance, there are two glaringly obvious features that stand out – the elongated cutout that runs through the center of the board and the raised, carbon-composite mounts dubbed “Spider back suspension”.

The purpose of the Open V Hull shape is to reduce the amount of surface area in contact with the snow and in turn reduce drag for greater gliding speed. The straight inner edges boost directional stability and are positioned lower than the outer edge resulting in a slight V-shape that is designed to improve edge to edge transition.

The second – and most striking – design element is the Spider back suspension, a system which was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man sketch. Lin explains that the SBS fulfills several key roles – it acts as a suspension system to reduce chatter and because it’s edge mounted, allows for easier transfer of weight directly to the outside of the board, which is curved like a conventional snowboard for turns. The SBS mounts are tilted slightly toward the center of the board for a more natural stance and further assist turning by raising the center of gravity. The inner arms also act like leaf springs to give the board more “pop”.

The board is hand-built from wood, plastic, steel edges and carbon composite while the SBS is constructed with carbon composite. The suspension role played by the SBS also means that there’s no need for a dampening rubber sheet to be added to the board.

Only one model of will be released this year with the company expecting to produce a few hundred this season. The first, 158cm model is known as “The Whip F-117″ (see below for specs) and there are plans to introduce more boards by next season.

The Whip is patent pending in the U.S., EU and most of Asia and the “F-117″ model is now available for pre-order at the Cheetah Ultra Sports website at a price of USD$1899. Shipping is slated to begin this month. via cheetah ultra sports

The Whip F-117 Specs:
* LENGTH: 158cm
* WAIST WIDTH: 23.5cm
* EFFECTIVE EDGE: Outer 127cm, Inner 86×2cm
* NOSE WIDTH: 29cm
* TAIL WIDTH: 28cm
* OPENING WIDTH: 7cm
* STANCE LOCATION: 10.5 Back
* SPIDER HEIGHT: 3.8cm
* RIDER WEIGHT LIMITS: 135-195 lbs.

Designer: Adams Lin

For the pencil sharpener crowd a set of 12 multi-stripe pencils with rubber tops in a matching presentation box.

100% wood, 100% graphite, 100% rigid cardboard box. $12.00US

Designer: Paul Smith (UK)

marvin gaye sings american national anthem observed via designobserver

overheard: time to recycle campaign signs