Here is a reason why I should not have missed Milan’s Design week; the Y5 chair. I am smitten by its colourways and structure, which feels energetic yet soothing. The name Y5 came about due to the design of the back which is composed of 5 upside down Y’s. It is designed by Finnish Sami Kallio who is a freelance designer based in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Credit: Sami Kallio Via Design-Milk
Scandinavian design at its best or what do you say? Elisa Honkanen is a designer I had little awareness of until I visited Simone’s blog. Elisa Honkanen is a Finnish designer who worked for Pierro Lissoni in Milan. There she assisted on projects for big names like Cappellini, Cassina IXC, Glas, Knoll and Thonet.
Elisa now works for herself and focuses on producing lovely pieces where simplicity and practicality are two guiding words. This simplicity and straight to the point design is just what appealed me to her work. It feels honest in such way that you know what to expect because you are technically seeing all the components in front of you. Being a Scandinavian myself, I understand her design philosophy since we are brought up appreciating honest materials and where practicality and a “[...] practical lifestyle [...]” (-Elisa) is reminded everywhere we turn.
Credit: Elisa Honkanen
If you are interested head over to her portfolio to read more about the ‘Purist‘ – and ‘Aito‘ chair showed here. Or why not stop by and visit her during Milano Design Week.
Form us With Love collaborated with Belgian experts in hand tufting, JoV to make hand tufted rugs inspired by Stockholm. In the press release FUWL speaks about the project’s purpose being “[...] to explore natural materials and handcrafts.” They wanted to focus not only on the end result but to tell a story through the rugs process from start to finish.
This story telling of the design process is what is appealing to me. To know how something is made, adds value to the product. It also adds an understanding and connection that in a way could be a primitive thing in a well designed space. “The hand-tufters always begin with small patterns and extend to the larger areas, finally ending with the main colours. With a tuft gun in their hands they reload for every detail, covering even the larger areas in fine, line-by-line movements. Every square meter takes 4-5 man-hours to make.” (-Press release, Form Us With Love)
Credit: Form Us With Love
We are starting to see more designers sharing the design process and some who incorporate this into their marketing plan. I find the story telling behind it inspiring, and educational at the same time. What about you?
These are some inspiring press images from Nicolas Alan Cope’s book Whitewash which will be released in April by Powerhouse Book publishing company. They sent me these images a couple of weeks ago and I could not wait to add these minimalistic and graphical beauties here.
“Nicholas Alan Cope’s photographs evoke a unique vision of Los Angeles and its contrasts as seen exclusively through its everyday architecture. Searching for the sublime core of the city’s true nature, Cope strips away the extraneous, and focuses on the sheer beauty and simplicity of the cityscape.” (-powerHouse Books) Reading this makes me understand its intenseness in black and pureness of whites. As this allows the viewer to focus clearly on the lines and form of the buildings without much distraction.
Credit: Whitewash by Nicholas Alan Cope, published by powerHouse Books
The cover of the book would make it a suitable coffee table book. I was also glad to see that the layout inside the book possess a similar minimalistic feel like the photos. Now I have added yet another, wish to have book on my list.
Note design studio presented this pendant lamp a month ago, called Silo. It is produced for Zero. The inspiration behind the lamp comes from the shape of a classical grain silo. The pendant in itself they describe it as “a minimalistic pendant with a distinct industrial character.”
It comes in these colourways: white, black, yellow and green. There is therefor plenty of difference and the same pendant might be used but in a different colour within the same project. Against a plain background it would somewhat create a graphical statement.
Credit: Note Design Studio. Photo by Mathias Nero.
Not only am I a fan of Note design studio for some of their spaces, like this one I showed a while ago. But their product designs intrigue me as well.