FK04 CALVERT by Ferdinand Kramer for e15

FK04 CALVERT is from a series of coffee tables, desi­gned in 1951 by renowned modernist German architect and designer Ferdinand Kramer during his time in America. Part of his successful “Knock-Down” furniture series, the square FK04 CALVERT is an enduring and modern piece. The easily invertible and collapsible coffee table consists of a tabletop and two crossing invertib­le sheets serving as a base for the table. Similar to a clothing pattern, the components of the table are cut out of a single plywood sheet. The intrinsically simple cut out base of FK04 CALVERT reveals a sculptural quality to the table. E15 offers the re-edition or in oak or walnut veneer, clear lacquered and a variety of coloured lacquer.

FK04 CALVERT & FK05 CHARLOTTE, by Ferdinand Kramer, Re-edition for e15

Traverso Table by Francesco Faccin for Valsecchi1918

The Traverso Table is a tribute to the Frate table made by Enzo Mari.

“I exaggerated the idea of the beam as a key element. I tried to turn the beam in the central “spine” of the project. Without the beam the table doesn’t exist. On the front of the table you can clearly read the section that is both decorative but absolutely structural. I like to think about objects in which the structural and mechanical element, that is for this necessary, is also the focal point, the “decorative” point.”
- Francesco Faccin

The upper part of table is divided into two parts (made in wood or glass) to occupy very little space when it is dismantled. The structure is made of ash wood.

Traverso Table, by Francesco Faccin, for Valsecchi1918

Variations Collection by Patricia Urquiola for Baccarat

The Variations collection, hovering between sophisticated objet and sculpture, to be interpreted together or individually, comprises a series of highly colourful pieces where glass-cutting principles and Baccarat savoir faire have been reinvented.

Variations rings the changes on an art de vivre as imagined by Patricia Urquiola. The collection transforms everyday ritual into the art of living, where objects from past and present coexist and combine for mutual magnification. Accented by acid colour hues, the glasses exude a relaxed, neo-pop vibe.

Variations Collection, by Patricia Urquiola, for Baccarat

Medici Chair by Konstantin Grcic

“Right from the beginning, I was looking for a distinct grammar for my design, a language that would express the characteristics of wood. I liked the idea of working with planks. They signify the very beginning of the production process — a tree trunk that is cut into slices. I like the way in which a carpenter joins wood. It is immediate and direct. The construction remains visible and easy to read. Structure turns into form.”
– Konstantin Grcic

Mattiazzi make furniture in wood, using both traditional means of production and the newest digital production technologies. Medici was born on Mattiazzi’s factory floor. The chair was inspired by the material, the machinery and, of course, the skill and craftsmanship of the people we worked with.

Medici is a low chair with a comfortably reclined posture. Its generous dimensions give it an embracing confidence. The chair can be used as a solitary piece of furniture or in small groups, in private or public, both indoors and out. It is produced in three different woods: American walnut, Douglas fir, and thermo-treated ash, a wood that is suitable for outdoors. The Douglas fir version is available in natural as well as in yellow and grey stain.

Medici Chair, by Konstantin Grcic, for Mattiazzi

Exhibition: Japan Creative: Peter Marigold & Hinoki Kogei

Hinoki Kogei is Japan’s leading woodwork factory, founded in 1977 by Chuzo Tozawa. British designer Peter Marigold collaborated with the Company to create a design which incorporates a woodworking technique that has been used for centuries.

Japan Creative is a non-profit organization founded to respond to the destructive earthquake of March 2011, an event that led to some rethinking of the aesthetics and value of design. The exhibit, curated by Hiroshi Naito, seeks to interpret this tremendous hardship, returning to the roots of traditional Japanes objects and crafts. The exhibition theme “Simple Vision” encompasses the idea of redefining established design rules to interpret them with a new spirit that is open to different cultures.

Japan Creative: Peter Marigold & Hinoki Kogei, April 17 – 22, at Museo Minguzzi, Via Palermo, 11, Milan, Photography © Daily Icon

Concorde Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort

Originally designed for the French Concorde airport waiting room in 1960, the Concorde Chair has been reintroduced in 2012 by Artifort.

Artifort Concorde Armchair without armrests, by Pierre Paulin
read more: Terence Conran: Flights of Fancy

bloated_objects by Damien Gernay

The Bloated collection is made out of sheets of leather, filled with expanded foam. No complicated moulds, and no seams are used in the production, the leather inflate in a natural way, making each piece unique.

bloated_objects, Desk, Shelf, Coat Hanger, by Damien Gernay, Photography by Bruno Timmermans

Still & Sparkling by Nendo for Lasvit

Each of the five concepts presented at Superstudio in Milan explores a different, distinctive approach to glass achieved by the accomplished artisans in the Lasvit workshop in Nový Bor. For Lasvit’s Inhale Lamp, glass blowers form big air bubbles then inhale to produce an unusual shape with negative air pressure. X-Ray vases capitalize on transparency and reflection, two key characteristics of glass, to transform a series of domes within a larger mirrored dome, into a subtle, ever-changing optical effect. Press lamps in pendant and floor styles rely on light sources tucked into compressed glass tubes to produce soft, organic forms. Innerblow and Overflow tables deploy two techniques using metal forms and the flowing quality of molten glass to create smooth and water-like surfaces. Growing Vases are whimsical objects in which glass pipes give the illusion of vases blooming out of flowers.

Innerflow, Overflow, Inhale, Press (Smoke), X-Ray Vase, by Nendo, for Lasvit

Mountain View Lamp by Dima Loginoff

Mountain View Lamp, by Dima Loginoff

Curiosity Object by Gaëlle Gabillet & Stéphane Villard

Both pieces of furniture and display windows, these lights act as small curiosity cabinets highlighting the beauty and strangeness of their subjects. When turned off, the bulb and socket disappear beneath an opaque black tinted glass. When lit, the bulb gradually reveals itself behind a soft veil, never dazzling. The base is made of blackened oak and the bell of blown glass.

This series sets different scenes of an exhibition, inciting one to observe and reflect. These lights question what is to be looked at: the object or its content? Where are we supposed to be focusing our attention in this day and age? The designers have chosen to present construction debris. Under these luminous bells, they become specimens of a strange preciousness. From the displayed object, the glance shifts to the exhibiting object.

Curiosity Object, by Gaëlle Gabillet & Stéphane Villard, Studio GGSV
Photography © Félipe Ribon