Bistro Chair by Robert Stadler for Thonet

“To design a new bistro chair for Thonet is a touchy task. Initially I was proposed to customize a typical Thonet chair for the Corso restaurants of which’s design I am in charge of. But I preferred to elaborate a new chair instead of producing one more Designer comment on this essential piece of furniture. My starting point was the fact that today chair 214 (historically baptized Nr. 14) is rather expensive, which represents a certain break in regards to Thonet’s history. Indeed the company is renewed for being the first having achieved a world wide distribution of their furniture thanks to it’s ingenious conception based on dismantling. Yet, after more than 40 millions sold chairs the manufacturing of the backpart is still rather traditional. With chair 107 I focussed on a new design of that element which is now being produced in an almost totally automated process.”

Bistro Chair, by Robert Stadler for Thonet

Mobidec by Pierre Charpin for Ligne Roset

Mobidec, by Pierre Charpin, for Ligne Roset

TOR by Lambie & Van Hengel for Montis

TOR is a side table that does not need a fixed location, it is designed to be moved around. The legs extend through the tabletop creating the grip and giving the table its playful and charming character. The raised rim of the surface prevents objects from falling off.

TOR, by Lambie & Van Hengel, for Montis

Kaj Franck Table Remade by Matti Klenell

After a visit at the glass factory in the Nuutajärvi village in the middle of Finland, Swedish designer Matti Klenell found a very special design by Kaj Franck. It ended up with a personal interpretation of the table as a homage to the great Finnish designer.

“The Nuutajärvi village in the middle of Finland has one major industry and that is their famous glass factory. Over the years masters such as Tapio Wirkkala and Kaj Franck worked here as artistic leaders and much of their designs are still in production by Iittala who the factory now belongs to. In the 1970s Kaj Franck designed a small museum dedicated to glass in an old building that used to serve as a brewery. It’s a beautiful space with an almost mysterious aura. One of the items on display stayed in my mind long after paying my first visit. It was a low table with strange legs. On the table top there was a map showing the Nuutajärvi surroundings displayed under a glass surface and on top of that laid a thick piece of solid glass to use as a magnifying glass enabeling you to properly read all the details of the layout. I decided to design a remake of it. Something different but with an echo of what I remembered from the museum. My table is made of solid ash wood and the top is an engraved glass sheet. The detailed drawing is based on various sketches I made during the project and took me four days to engrave.”
- Matti Klenell

Exhibition: Kokeshi, at Galleri IngerMolin, Stockholm, Sweden, September 24 – October 10
Photos 1-3 © Jason Strong Photography, via: David Report

Jamirang Sofa by Bora Kim

Ja-mi-rang refers to falling into sleep, with sleep in Korean language. Glamorous solid characteristic shows comfort that ease the tension, straightly stretched legs from round cushion express its abstained force on soft lines.

Jamirang sofa No.1, Jamirang sofa No.2, by Bora Kim

Aluminum Stool #1 by Monstrans

The idea for the aluminum stool came from a fascination with airplane, bridge and ship building parts that plainly display the way the industrial machine body is assembled. Made from five 18 gauge bent and riveted aluminum pieces, the stool is naturally strong and light and weighs less than 2 lbs., which makes it inexpensive to ship to you and easy for you to carry around. Once assembled, the metal parts are power coated, then the seat is cut from 1/4” thick natural wool felt, and adhered to the stool to serve as a soft resilient pad for the body.

Aluminum Stool #1, by Monstrans

Exhibition: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Bivouac

The Centre Pompidou-Metz presents the first major exhibition in France dedicated to the work of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

A fabulous Bivouac, staged across 1,000 square metres in Galerie 3 of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, this exhibition of works by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec sets out the result of almost fifteen years of mutual collaboration. Their first major solo show in France, Bivouac highlights an exceptional international career, during which the two brothers have worked with some of the greatest names in design, been crowned by numerous awards and the presence of their work in public collections.

Imagined as a temporary encampment – hence its name – Bivouac is deliberately divested of scenographic elements other than the Bouroullecs’ work. Movement is imparted by contrasting scales, transparency and superpositions. Visitors are invited to wander around the gallery, moving between prototypes and finished objects, mass-produced and hand-crafted works. Bivouac highlights the immense diversity of these creations and economies achieved in production. It also addresses key concepts in the Bouroullecs’ research: objects which are nomadic, ephemeral, modular, organic, flexible.

The exhibition is neither an inventory nor a retrospective of their work. Rather, it illustrates the current state of their designs and research, in constant evolution.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Bivouac, 7 October - 30 July, at Centre Pompidou-Metz

Fred and Ginger by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltrona Frau

A soft leather shell, comfortable and protective. A refined and simple easy chair. Neat, essential, and comfortable. Roberto Lazzeroni designed the Ginger chair both as a natural accompaniment to the Fred desk, and as a separate seat.

The swivel version is perfect for a study area, while the fixed model is ideal for a dining table. There is a continual play of references between Ginger and Fred in the design, materials and workmanship. Ginger’s frame is in special rigid, high density, low thickness, moulded polyurethane. It is completely covered by a single layer of 5 mm thick Saddle Leather Extra, in two variants: Dark Brown or Camel.

Fred Desk, Ginger Chair, by Roberto Lazzeroni, for Poltrona Frau

2450 white / clear Chair by Junpei Tamaki

Japanese designer Junpei Tamaki, has completed a chair composed of exactly 2450 polycarbonate pieces, one clear and one in white.

2450 white / clear Chair, by Junpei Tamaki

Companions & Sidekicks by Studioilse for De La Espada

Studioilse presents the Companions family of furniture, designed to support daily life. The family includes a bed and bedside table available in white oiled chestnut with cork bowls as storage for private bits. Also in natural oiled chestnut or painted – pure white RAL 9010 or black brown RAL 8022. In addition is a slim writing desk, proportioned to fit in the spaces in between. This also has a cork bowl for wires and plugs, and a top that can close to hide away papers and laptops.

Also launching are the Sidekicks, a series of small occasional tables that live throughout the home to accommodate our different activities. They are the right height and dimension to sit next to sofas and chairs, for drinks and snacks, papers and magazines, or a short time on the laptop. They come in 60cm dia / 30cm h, 41cm dia / 50cm h, 60cm dia / 71cm h (polished aluminium, copper, brass) and 100cm / 71cm h in polished aluminium. There is also a height adjustable table available in polished aluminium, copper and brass.

Companions, Sidekicks, by Studioilse, for De La Espada