Puma – DesignApplause

Luminaire(x) chicago design concept shop. 22feb13.

Feb 22, 2013

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If you live in the Chicago metro area and you appreciate good design and a good thing, listen up. Nasir Kassamali, founder of Luminaire has created something very special. He has converted the second floor of Luminaire to accomodate, many one-of-a-kind (very rare), objects that he has had warehoused. He did it five years ago in Miami. Now until mid-May, or as long as the items last, this temporary concept shop is waiting for you.

Superleggera Chair | Gio Ponti | Cassina | 1957
Inspired by the traditional Chiavari chairs Ponti had seen at the Italian seaside, the design was meant to be so strong and so light that a child could lift it up with one finger. A child can. It’s a remarkably simple design that gains it’s appeal from it razor thin looks, and its ability to go from modest to high fashion when dressed up in color. Very rare, one left.

Puma MY-21Mid Shoe | Yashuhiro Mihara | Puma
Fusing streetwear with surfwear, Japanese designer Yashuhiro Mihara has created a line for Puma which reflects the future of urban chic. Features mesh for breathability and vinyl for an unexpected touch.

Vision | Karel Boonzaaijer and Pierre Mazairac | Pastoe | 1985
Vision (nightstands) was designed from the philosophy that a cabinet composition should be part of the total room architecture. The basis of Vision is a single cube without handles, completely mitred, and in different depths, heights and widths. Fronts close using a push-touch system. A single form yields endless variations of volume, colour and line composition. The possibilities for compositions are unlimited; from a three-dimensional relief to a graphic grid of line and flat planes, from a series of sideboards to an architectonic landscape of volumes, from wall-mounted object to wall component. Very rare, one left.

Love Letter | Castiglioni | Molo
The lamp base is the part removed from the marble base of the Arco Lamp (1962) by Flos. The “letter” itself is a light source, consisting of a bi-directional electroluminescent film that gives off light from both sides and has a surface that you can white on with a dry erase marker (or something more permanent if you are feeling committed!). The quality of light is soft, similar to candle light – just enough to keep you company. Castiglioni utilized many readily available parts to create his designs and that is reflected in this lamp by Molo. Very rare, one left.

Chicago fashion designer Andrea Reynders.

Chicago fashion designer Anke Loh.

luminaire(x) | 301 west superior / floor 2 | chicago | 312 664 9582 | mon > sat 10 > 6

Mini by puma.

Jul 19, 2012

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Mini and Puma extend joint design and accessory program.

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Alessi's best dressed table.

Jan 25, 2012

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Photographer Carl Kleiner and his recent campaign for IKEA proves that flatware is anything but boring. If he can work that kind of magic with IKEA’s simple line of dishes, imagine what he could do with Alessi’s new flatware collection “Dressed,” designed by Marcel Wanders. If you’ve never heard of Wanders, you can think of him as “the Lady Gaga of the design world.” Wanders has worked with Puma, Droog, B&B Italia and Moooi, where he serves as co-owner and art director. His pieces have been exhibited and collected by museums like MoMA and the V&A.

Now he’s turning his attention to the formidable Italian brand Alessi. What I love about this collection is its play with embellishment and restraint. The plates and serving trays are adorned with curlicues and floral patterns that give a nod to ancient Islamic art. The design of the side plates and bowls is one-step more refined, with the pattern showing up only along the edges. There are some marvelously delicate touches, like the silverware. It’s stainless steel, of course, but the simple form of the utensils is set off by decoration that is both lavish and quiet at the same time. My favorite piece in the collection is the saucer for the Mocha Cup. The cup itself is a very simple, minimal coffee mug, yet the saucer, which is perfectly flat, is encrusted with the collection’s signature pattern. True, it’s probably not the most practical saucer – I’d use it more like a coaster – but it’s quite beautiful and hey, there’s no blood!

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