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, by Ferdinand Kramer, Re-edition for e15

Following a string of limited edition collaborations, Leica is back with a third in a line of special M-System cameras built with the help of renowned Parisian fashion house, Hermès. The partnership results in two special editions, with a total of 300 Edition Hermès digital rangefinders set to ship beginning in June for $25,000, while 100 “very special” Edition Hermès — Sèrire Limitèe Jean-Louis Dumas models will release in July for — $50,000. Both editions will be offered as complete kits, with the “cheaper” of the two built with soft calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish for its redesigned control points, complete with a Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. optic. The “other” arrives with three lenses, the Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH — all with an anodized silver finish.

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.

This rural home sits on an 80-acre agricultural site in California’s Central Coast wine region. The design directly responds to the wide diurnal temperature fluctuations of its arid climate. Masonry walls anchor the building to the earth and structure the primary living spaces, centering activity around a covered outdoor living room. The design integrates deep overhangs, passive ventilation, photovoltaic electricity, solar hot water and radiant heat.

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.

A glissade is a manoeuvre deployed in skiing and mountaineering to control a breakneck plunge down a steep, snowy alpine slope. It’s an apt name to give a house like Maison Glissade, a rigorously elegant chalet in Collingwood, one of Ontario’s most popular ski areas, just an hour’s drive north of Toronto. Designed by Robert Kastelic and Kelly Buffey of Atelier Kastelic Buffey, the chalet is set almost at the base of a ski run. Standing in the spacious second floor, which combines a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and an office nook, all within a single sweep, one can see through the pitched windows to the blurred figures of skiers bounding down the hill, then drifting back up on the lift.

Located in a Whistler neighborhood halfway up the mountainside, this house was designed for clients who appreciate the timber structure characteristic of a Whistler Chalet, but desired a unique family home for seven that would capture this ambience without its typical organization and aesthetic. Situated in a prominent site, the visual mass of the structure was diminished by making a substantial portion of the house appear to be below grade through the strategic removal of bedrock, and by the extension of the living room terrace over the garage. An upper courtyard deck area was also carved in to the massing to gather light centrally into the house. The result is a home that looks deceptively modest in relation to the neighboring properties.

“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.

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.