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Even after Salone Del Mobile is over, I’m still thinking about The Front Room’s presentation at Ca’Laghetto, Via Laghetto, which featured a number of remarkable designers, including the Rotterdam-based Earnest Studio headed by Rachel Griffin. For Milan this year she presented Swell, a series of stools and benches that put an emphasis on the production process by cutting costs at every stage.
“Upholstered furniture typically uses foam created in massive block molds and cuts it into smaller pieces that are added to a separate frame. Swell integrates these production elements by using the frame and fabric as the mold for the foam. This also allows the foam to acts as a binding agent, eliminating costly handwork.”
Griffin goes on to explain that Swell simplifies the production process. Instead of molding massive blocks of foam, cutting them down to size, gluing them to a wooden frame and then sewing the fabric on top, “Swell uses the fabric and frame as the original mold for the foam.” The result cuts down on production time and materials and, because the foam fills the fabric, “no material is wasted as cut-offs.” Furthermore, the foam acts as a binding agent between the fabric and frame so there’s no glue, extra adhesive or sewing necessary. And since the foam expands in the fabric in a slightly different way each time, every piece is unique.
Swell Stool and Bench are available from The Front Room’s online shop for $393 and $542, respectively.
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After conducting an ergonomic study of office seating, designers Agata Karolina and Dana Cannam collaborated on the Hummingbird rocking chair, which was included in The Front Room‘s stellar presentation at Ca’Laghetto, Via Laghetto, Milan, during the Salone Del Mobile 2012. We usually associate a rocking chair with slow evenings on the porch, but Karolina and Cannam designed the Hummingbird to act as a meeting place between work and relaxation. When you’re seated upright at your desk it acts as a normal desk chair, but with just a slight tilt and shifting of weight “the chair creates an embracing sensation, producing the feeling of calm.” It’s perfect for an afternoon work break, just tilt back and away from your desk, relax, and then shift your weight forward when you’re ready to get back to your busy day.
I love the use of color and materials (I’m a sucker for anything with felt) and how it comes with a blanket that rolls up like a rucksack during the work day and unrolls when you want to take a break – and maybe a nap, too. From Karolina and Cannam:
“The hummingbird is a contemporary take on a classic rocking chair. The name reflects the calm state of suspension between being engaged and deep relaxation…The objects that surround us must adapt to a richer mix of uses, housing types, living and work situations. The Hummingbird accentuates this dynamic lifestyle without sacrificing the value of history and simplicity.”
Hummingbird is available from The Front Room’s online shop for $4,204.
about perrin drumm
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