Doll Table Lamp by Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini

The result of a combination of the creative sensitivity of Ionna Vautrin and Foscarini’s design experience, Doll is a friendly little table lamp. Accessible and versatile, available in four colours, Doll is a warm presence with an essential, evocative charm, inspired by traditional wooden Japanese Kokeshi Dolls.

Doll Table Lamp, by Ionna Vautrin, for Foscarini

Icon: Karuselli Lounge Chair by Yrjö Kukkapuro for Avarte

“Without question my favourite piece of interior design, and undoubtedly the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in. I like to retire to one with a cigar and a stiff drink as frequently as possible. I own four of them: an original from the Sixties at my London pied-à-terre and three in my house in the country. It’s composed of a fibreglass shell, a thin layer of foam and very high-quality leather, and not only does it swivel, but it also rocks.”
- Sir Terence Conran

Karuselli Lounge Chair, by Yrjö Kukkapuro, 1964, for Avarte

Photography: Aeronautical by Benedict Redgrove

Benedict Redgrove’s background as graphic designer has heavily influenced his imagery. His carefully composed images are clean and strong. He see beauty in utilitarian spaces and structures, loves good design and functionality. His meticulously crafted photographs range in scope from vast landscapes to intimate technical interiors.

Aeronautical, by Benedict Redgrove

Booleanos by Joel Escalona

Inspired by construction and de-construction, which are based on the materials finishes. Comission work by Glocal Design Magazine and Masisa manufacturer of mdf, mdp and particle boards, for the oppening of the Design Week México 2012 with the exhibition “Hecho en México” (Made in Mexico).

Booleanos, by Joel Escalona, for Glocal Design Magazine and Masisa

The Good House by Crone Partners

Embracing the challenge of a relatively tight inner suburban location, and restrictive building envelope, the designers worked closely with the client to rationalise their “wish list” into a concise and deliverable brief. The outcome is a dramatic architectural statement, which has already demonstrated the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing lives of the family it was designed for.

The project is realised through a series of simple intersecting and overlapping rectangular forms. Each “box” represents a distinct portion of the overall program. The forms of the building have been carefully articulated as both screening devices for privacy, and elements that frame and define views. The robust external cladding that changes appearance significantly in different weather and lighting conditions, gives way to a sophisticated, warm and welcoming interior, filled with natural light, tall ceilings, double height voids and sensuous materials. Extensive use and clever placement of high performance double glazing draws light into every room. The definition of interior and exterior is distorted, with banks of operable louvres and huge sliding glass panels presenting the family with the ability to engage directly with the outside environment, or to close the place down completely, dependant on the variable Melbourne climate.

The Good House, Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, by Designer, for Crone Partners, Photography © Derek Swalwell & Peter Clarke

Books: Kartell: The Culture of Plastics

The Italian company Kartell is famous aroud the world for having invented the culture of plastic furniture and interior fittings. Kartell was founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer with a vision to create something good from plastics, a material whose applications were still relatively unexplored. A fruitful collaboration with the great designer Gino Colombini started, who won the firm its first Compasso d’Oro award in 1955. Particularly since the plastic-loving era of the 1960s and 70s, Kartell has become an enduring household name; from the famous designs of Anna Castelli Ferrieri and Joe Colombo in the 1960s to more recent hits such as Philippe Starck’s Ghost Chairs or Ron Arad’s Bookworm shelves, Kartell has consistently chosen to work with the world’s most talented designers while reinventing plastic as a quality material for the new age.

This survey covers the entire history of the company, decade by decade, exploring all aspects of its evolution as well as the social and technological qualities of Kartell products. Also included is an interview with “Mr Plastic” Claudio Luti, owner and director of Kartell for more than 20 years and architect of the new boom. But most of all the objects themselves–in historical shots, ads, displays, and many photos especially made for this publication, with detailed captions on the technological innovations behind the design–tell the story of a company that brought us the culture of plastics.

Kartell: The Culture of Plastics, Hans Werner Holzwarth, Hardcover, 25 x 31.5 cm, 400 pages, ISBN 9783836530859, Multilingual Edition: English, French, German, Published by Taschen

Buy it here: Amazon

Showtime Vase Limited Edition by Jaime Hayon for BD Barcelona Design

To celebrate its 40th birthday, BD Barcelona Design launches a limited-edition collection of 40 vases hand painted by Jaime Hayon.

In terms of design history of the past 40 years, BD Barcelona Design has been a pioneer in many ways. Well before ‘design-art’ was talked about, this Spanish company had already produced pieces by artists of the calibre of Juan Gris and Salvador Dalí. The very concept has been part of its DNA since day one, continues to be a key element of its identity, and logically forms part of the company’s 40th birthday celebrations. The occasion will be commemorated with an exclusive, numbered collection of 40 vases from the Showtime collection, hand-painted by Jaime Hayon, an internationally acclaimed creator who has triumphantly bridged the worlds of art and design.

Showtime Vase Limited Edition, (limited-edition collection of 40 vases), by Jaime Hayon, for BD Barcelona Design

Midi Colors by lagranja for Sistema Midi

First collection of the Sistema Midi which has a vital, colourful personality where the warmth of the textures and the new materials are felt right down to the finest details. Made from extruded aluminum the new collection consists of tables, cabinets and shelves.

Midi Colors, by lagranja, for Sistema Midi, Photography by Foto-Disseny J.E

Case Inlet Retreat by mw|works architecture+design

Nestled into a forested slope along the eastern edge of the Case Inlet, this small retreat opens to a western view of the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound. Anchored by a weathered cedar clad bedroom wing, a bold concrete cantilever projects the living and dining into the dense forest and toward the view. An ipe deck slips from inside the kitchen into an open meadow to the south, separated only by large sliding glass doors extending the sense of interior directly to the outdoors. A broad flat roof hovers high above the living spaces creating the feeling that one is sitting outdoors amidst the trees. Smaller, thoughtfully placed apertures define the exterior of the bedroom volume, along with a single large opening belonging to the master bath to give the users a ritual of bathing within the forest. A balance of clean lines and natural materials, this modest retreat is a welcome sanctuary for just two or the full family.

Case Inlet Retreat, Case Inlet, Washington, USA, by mw|works architecture+design, Photography by Jeremy Bittermann

Lounge Collection by Architecture & Associés for Knoll International

Lounge Collection, by Pierre Beucler and Jean-Christophe Poggioli, Architecture & Associés