Italian designer and architect, Mario Trimarchi at Alessi giving a presentation to the press on architecture and his designs. It took 26 years before Mario approached Alessi with the Scirocco designs.
la stanza dello scirocco | mario trimarchi | alessi | 2009
“La Stanza dello Scirocco” is a range of items born out of the abstract and motionless atmosphere of a magic place: the room in large Sicilian country homes where one is forced to seek shelter from the sultriness while waiting for the sirocco to die down. It is a room without windows in which you can do nothing but ponder the wind that is undoing all sublunary things outside. The upshot is a collection of geometrically irregular items made up of small splinters of various sizes, interlaced in an unstable balance. And so I came up with the idea that “La Stanza dello Scirocco” could be recounted through the story of drawings done by hand and through images of shadows, and that we could then ask everyone to exert themselves ever so slightly and make a small input with their own imaginations. ~Mario Trimarchi
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DesignApplause met Leo and Angie Fajardo at an after party at Housewares Show 2013. They had something to show and they didn’t have a booth. After chatting with them for 15 minutes and seeing what they were up to DA joined their team of supporters. Kickstarter has a full-blown presentation [ check it out ]
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Alessi’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection again brings out the animal(s) within us. And a great deal of art and form assert without loss of function.
Jasper Morrison presents ‘Mame’ a minimalistic press-filter coffee maker. Coffee bean icon personalizes the piece.
The super star in Spring/Summer 2013 may very well be the kitschy ‘Duck Timer’ designed by Eero Aarnio. When it’s time to turn off the heat the duck quacks.
There’s quite a bit of kitchen objects including cookware, cutlery, china, oil-vinegar cruets and the duck timer among other items.
Last year’s Fall Winter 2012 collection introduced ‘Dressed” by Marcel Wonders, an effort to reposition perceived low-end aluminum cookware: Mission accomplished. In 2013 the designer introduces 18/10 stainless steel with magnetic bases to the family of cookware. Applying an exclusive deep-cut pattern to the handles and covers provides what’s needed to transition from kitchen to table.
Yet another animal is ‘Kastor’ a shiny beaver which gnaws pencils. The sharpener also functions as a paperweight.
PZ06 and PZ07. Pepper and spice caster. Peter Zumthor designer.
3> Duck Timer. Designer Eero Aarnio
4> Mame. Jasper Morrison
5> Acquerello. Colorful decoration added to last year’s bone white china. Guido Venturini
6> Dressed. Marcel Wanders
7> PCHO5/24. A set of 18/10 stainless steel fruit holders. Pierre Charpin
8> Joy n.1. A 18/10 stainless centerpiece. Claudia Raimondo
9> Tower. 5-set measuring devices inspired by balance weights. Monica Förster
10> ecco!. Fruit holder in 18/10 stainless or colored epoxy resin. Massimo Mariani
11> MU. Cutlery set. Unique hexagonal handle section “MU in Japanese. Toyo Ito
12> youSpoon. Your own personal accessory teaspoon. Marta Sansoni and LPWK
13> Kastor. Rodrigo Torres
14> CrissCross. Anodized aluminum multi-purpose basket. Eero Aarnio
15> Pick-Up. A new Alessi typology, a side-table magazine stand. Jakob Wagner
16> Mantel clock. A new edition (1988) maple-veneered clock. Michael Graves
17> PZ04 > 08. Complete set of oil.vinegar cruets, castors. Glass and 18/10. Peter Zumthor
18> A Lotus Leaf. Centerpiece in new steel colored epoxy resin added to 2012 edition. Chang Yung Ho
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VIPP, is known for its covered pedal bins, a product marginally improved since the first one made in 1939. Today they also make kitchen and bathroom accessories. The ‘table’ is their first foray into furniture. The Vipp table features a table top made of untreated, recycled teak planks, making each table unique. Every table top thus stands out with its own distinctive character.
The table frame is constructed in powder coated aluminum and is assembled with solid corner profiles, a steel wire stabilizer and countersunk screws, giving the table an industrial feel. The table is equipped with set screws making it possible to adapt to uneven floors.
“Now that we have a whole Vipp kitchen concept, it seemed very natural to extend the collection with a table to complete the look. The table frame is the same used for the kitchen modules, ensuring stability and visual coherence. For the table top we chose natural wood that can stand daily wear and tear – it will actually develop a beautiful patina over time and create contrast to the smooth aluminum”, Morten Bo Jensen, Vipp Chief Designer. The table is available with a frame in matte black or gloss white, and is sold in the Vipp flagship store in Copenhagen. [ VIPP ]
vipp annual color 2012. copenhagen green.
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By now we’re all familiar with the array of lovely, upcycled glass wine bottles cut and repurposed as vases, carafes, decanters, etc. Japanese design powerhouse, Nendo, took the idea one step further with their recent collaboration with Coca-Cola, which they debuted a few days ago at Design Tide Tokyo.
The five-piece dishware set is handblown in northern Japan from recycled glass Coke bottles. Though the glass isn’t cut from larger bottles, the design of the dishes mimics that cut mark and also references the bottle’s shape, with the circle of dimples on the bottom. We’re not soda drinkers, but we love the glass’ greenish hue and the way it looks on a table, as well as the slight imperfections that come with handmade objects, like the air bubbles.
images courtesy designboom
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Mud Australia‘s line of handmade porcelain tableware easily caught my eye at the ever over-packed New York International Gift Fair this year. A rough wooden tabletop set off the collection’s picture perfect palette of soft greys, rich red, butter yellow and cheery robin’s egg blue. The exterior of all the plates, bowls and cups is left untreated, giving it a vitrified stone-like surface that’s balanced by the shining, glazed interiors. All the pieces are over, microwave and dishwasher safe, so they’re not only beautiful but practical, too.
Mud crafts their porcelain in their Sydney studio, where they also sell Chilewich’s place mats and table runners, Kobo soy candles and Vitsoe furniture. While their products are carried by a number of retailers in the United States, Mud has never had an American storefront of their very own until now. In just a few weeks they’ll be opening up shop in Soho on Crosby Street. Stay tuned for more news of the opening.
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It was abundantly clear that Destination Mexico’s big hot pink NYIGF booth full of bright, shiny things was meant to convey this message: We are here. We are fun. We are commercially viable. MoMA Design Store certainly agrees – their New International Design program is a partner. They currently sell a number of Mexican designers featured in the show, like Ariel Rojo, who’s Energy Saving Pig Lamp was prominently displayed. The ceramic lamp comes in black and white, with the curly-Q compact fluorescent bulb attached to the back like a tail.
My favorite Destination Mexico product is the Paper Strip Bowl by Yolanda Resendiz and Jesus Renteria. If MoMA’s goal with their Destination series is to highlight contemporary design that references regional traditions, the Paper Strip Bowl does a beautiful job of making the handcrafted tableware Mexico is known for into a durable consumer product. Discover more contemporary Mexican design at the MoMA store.
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