Marc Newson’s Space Tourism – Designed for Comfort

The spaceplane was unveiled in Paris by its manufacturer, Astrium, part of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, as the latest challenger in the space tourism market. Like its archrival Virgin Galactic, where the designer is Philippe Starck, Astrium plans to take people into space and straight back again. It expects to charge up to , or about $265,000, for a ticket when commercial flights start in 2012. Another competitor, Space Adventures, will offer multimillion-dollar eight-day holidays at a space station.

Spaceplane, €200,000 per trip, by Marc Newson
Read more at IHT

My Beautiful Backside, Inspired by Art for Moroso

A seating collection launched by Moroso during the Milan Furniture Fair, which draws inspiration from a miniature painting from “The Garden of Life” by Naveen Patnaik. The book is beautifully illustrated and a practical guide for the use of plants in a range of applications – sacred, medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and aromatic. The found illustration provided style cues and ideas to the duo which eventually led to the new series of seating.

My Beautiful Backside, by Doshi Levien, for Moroso
via: designboom

Photography: Volkswagen Wolfsburg Plant

The German Car Giant Volkswagen, has built the largest motor vehicle factory under one roof in the world. The machine is building the machine.

Photography by Benedict Redgrove, of the Volkswagen factory, Wolfsburg, Germany for City

Rejuvenation Reborn by Lomme

Created as a result of two years research into sleep, Lomme skilfully combines natural therapies with the cutting edge technology. Using light, sound and massage therapies, Lomme offers an environment to enhance all the senses – forming a place to rejuvenate, meditate and above all sleep.

LOMME (Light Over Matter Mind Evolution), €42,000 by Günther Thöny, for Lomme

Edible Sculptures at Sketch by Erwan Frotin

Still Life Series, by Erwan Frotin for Sketch Restaurant, London, United Kingdom

Dynamic Architectural Facade by Flare

Flare turns the building facade into a penetrable kinetic membrane, breaking the convention of a buildings surface as a static skin. Computer controlled pneumatic cylinders allow for light and shadow plays across the surface.

Flare, by WHITEvoid, for Flare

A Scribble by Fernando and Humberto Campana

Looks like a bad chair day.

Corallo, by Fernando Campana, Humberto Campana, for edra

Cruise collection from Veuve Clicquot and Riva

The latest in a string of interesting design collaborations with Veuve Clicquot including Karim Rashid and Porsche design

The Cruiser Bag: Limited Edition piece (only 300 pieces available) – includes a bottle of La Grande Dame 98 and two champagne flutes. Available from July and costs $425

The Cruise collection: a “made to measure” piece and costs $80,000 – comes with 4 bottles of La Grande Dame 98, 2 magnums of La Grande Dame 88, 6 champagne flutes Riedel and 6 water tumblers, plates, table mats and cutlery.

Cruise Collection, by Riva for Veuve Clicquot
via: Yatzer

Noguchi Prototype Prismatic Table sells for $290,500

An Important and Rare Prototype Prismatic Table for the Alcoa Forecast Program
The Aluminum Corporation of America (Alcoa) program emphasized the artistic and functional possibilities of aluminum. Select commissioned designs were featured in full-page advertisements shot by noted photographers in widely-read weekly magazines. It is for this program that Isamu Noguchi developed the iconic design of the Prismatic table.

Isamu Noguchi, who was the third artist featured in the Forecast program in early 1957, developed an abstract three-dimensional form. Noguchi’s Prismatic tables were conceived in multiple to form a “kaleidoscope” with variant colors with the intention of adaptability. The advertisement photographed by Irving Penn used the table as a casual, yet romantic platform for dinner at home.

Prototype Prismatic Table, Sold at Auction for $290,500, by Isamu Noguchi, at Sotheby’s

Stick that on YouTube!

Barnaby Barford (b.1977) graduated from the Royal College of Art and has worked with prestigious companies including Nymphenburg as well as creating his one-off pieces. (shown here)

Stick that on YouTube!, (Price on request), by Barnaby Barford, at David Gill Galleries