Students. They're a bit like the monsoon rains in Bangladesh. Cause havoc and distress, yet without them out them human life would eventually cease to be. And so we put up with them, because they are the future. Weirdly. Consequently the Cologne exhibition centre cellar, as are all cellars at such trade fairs, is currently rammed full of design students. Under the combined title: [D³] Design Talents the IMM organisers have combined three streams: [D³] Contest- a contest [D³] Professionals
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On Wednesday a tweet fluttered into our (smow)twitter from @imm_cologne with the information that the Munich based producer ClassiCon had decided to return to IMM Cologne. Which in the wake of the shock we received on our first day here in Köln didn't go unnoticed among the thousands of invites to cocktail parties and sumptuous buffets at some of Cologne's finer addresses we're forced to deal with. Established in 1990 from the dying embers of the 1898 established "Vereinigte Werkstätten für
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According to the advertising information "The leaning lamp stresses the relationship between light and architecture by its generous gesture" That as may be, for us luca lean by maigrau is one of those genially executed design concepts that separate the chaff from the rye. Items leaning against walls is no new concept. Alone Moormann could create a category dedicated to furniture items that are supported by architectural supporting structures. But wheels aint new either...what is new is new
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Richard Lampert promised a celebration of Herbert Hirche's 100th birthday here in Cologne; and in the end could "present" the late Prof. Hirche with an award for "Classic Innovation" in the 2010 Interior Innovation Awards. The jury, featuring amongst others the Milan based British designer James Irvine and the London based Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi, selected Hirche's 1957 "GFK Schalensessel für die Interbau Berlin" ( a fibre glass armchair Hirche created for the 1957 "Interbau"
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We travelled on a tram for the first time this morning. Now we know that Cologne is the universal centre of oh-so insane fun, practical jokes and dressing up ; and certainly wherever you go in the city you find old women dressed as clowns, young women dressed as cats and men all ages dressed as policemen... However. One can take organised daftness too far. According to the poster we saw in our tram this morning the local transport company here in Cologne are looking for students to drive
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As with all major furniture trade fairs, Cologne also has it's fringe events; indeed throughout they city museums, shops and other businesses have taken the opportunity to present some aspect of modern furniture. Not as much as one finds in Milan during the Saloni week; but an awful lot more than Leipzig manages during Designers Open. Sadly. The main "off-messe" focus is Designers Fair in .... well were not entirely sure what. That the building housing Designers Fair was previously some
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Here's something that doesn't happen to us everyday... finding a product good, without even knowing what it's called. Or indeed who makes it. We discovered these delights in Hall 7. And there great. Just Great. You can sit on them. You can lie on them. You can hide in them. You can relax on them. You can work on them. You can sleep on them. Theoretically you could use them as a form of summer house; assuming you lived in a warm climate. It's not that unusual that a product causes
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Truth be told we'd expected a bit more bravery from our favourite Amsterdam anarcho-artisans. But no, no tree-trunk bench on the droog presence in Cologne. At least there was people - in comparison to their stand at ICFF 2009 in New York where they made do with a shadylace. High-point for us, however, was without doubt the Rag Chair. And especially the woman who sat on it, looked at her companion and said "Hard as stone!!" And Rag Chair is; which is of also why it is comfortable. The
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Designed in 2005 for the French producer Ligne Roset, Facett by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec will be familiar, at least tactility, to all who know the Bretonnian Brothers Alcove Sofa for Vitra. A winner of a RED DOT award in 2005 the Facett armchair is part of a small range of living and dining room furniture that also features a sofa and dining chair. While garish orange/yellow isn't always our favourite colour, Facett simply wouldn't work in any other colour scheme. And exactly because the
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Shortly before the IMM opened the German Furniture Association announced that the production of furniture in Germany fell by 10% last year. And if what is on show in Cologne is the very best the German furniture consumer can look forward to in the coming 12 months - expect a further reduction. And by a lot more than 10% Truly, truly ugly. Imagine hell decorated by the devil with a really, really bad hangover - and your getting near to what we endured in some halls this afternoon. Indeed
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We're not going to pretend we're fans of Carnival. Truth be told, for us Carnival and Oktoberfest belong to a class of cultural events that indicate a nation still struggling to come to terms with the fact that woolly mammoths no longer roam the land. Or that women are allowed to vote. However, we're in Cologne and so we can at least pretend that we find alcohol fuelled violence oh-so amusing. Especially when presented in conjunction with a Papier-mâché model of Angela Merkel with an
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We're indebted to Dave Report for drawing our attention to the forthcoming Jasper Morrison exhibition in Stockholm. Organised by the Hallwyl Museum in conjunction with Forum, (the magazine for Scandinavian Architecture, Interiors and Design), the exhibition features jugs, jars and pitchers selected by Morrison. Which might not sound like the most fascinating of exhibitions; but just as with "Take a seat!" exhibition at Museum Les Arts décoratifs in Paris the exhibition offers visitors a
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Our preparations for the 2010 IMM in Cologne are advancing apace and one particular highlight looks like being the Richard Lampert stand which will be celebrating the 100th birthday of Herbert Hirche. Born in Görlitz Hirche is in many ways the "forgotten" Bauhaus student; and that despite his considerable contribution to post-war architecture and design in Germany. After completing his carpentry apprenticeship Hirche enrolled in Bauhaus Dessau in 1930 and moved with the school to Berlin
read moreChemnitz is without doubt the ugliest city in Sachsen. If not Europe. And so it is all the more surprising that the town produced one of the most gifted aestheticians of the Bauhaus generation: Marianne Brandt. A student of, amongst others, László Moholy-Nagy, Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky, Brandt is best known for her home accessories including ashtrays, coffee/tee services and lamps. Many of her works are part of the permanent collection at leading museums including the Museum of
read moreAbout five years ago we summed up all the courage we could find and took ourselves off to Haiti. No land signifies for us more the unfairness and discrimination that politics and political processes can inflict on innocent human beings than Haiti. A land held in poverty because that suits those who posses the power. But we didn't go there on a crusade, we went to learn more about Haitians and their culture/history And an important figure was Patrick. Patrick sort of hung around our guest
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We don't know how it is with you, but with us there is always- but always - someone who does things effortlessly more successfully than us. Whether its passing exams or negotiating an escalator: they turn up everywhere. And so it came us no real surprise when checking our (smow)flickr account we discovered that the most viewed picture is not one of the many excellent photographic essays lovingly formed by the (smow)blog collective, but a quick snapshot taken by the (smow)boss while on a visit
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Italian design is, if we all close our eyes for a minute or two and be brutally honest, a lot like English football or French cooking - it's continued association with a particular quality and geniality is largely due to the number of non-Italians(English/French) who have continually contributed to the tradition and so kept it modern, kept it fresh and kept it exciting. Danish design is Danish because only Danes are allowed to do it - Italian design is universal because any one can do it:
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With the Christmas pounds still causing us to sink deeper into the January snow than we find attractive, it is with relief that we look forward to next weeks trip to the IMM in Cologne. Because what with all that running about we wont have time to eat :) In addition to its role as diet-helper,a s the first international furniture trade fair of the year IMM always offers a wonderful opportunity to both reflect on the good and the bad from 2009 as well as to try to size up the coming year. And
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The end of January sees the inauguration of the new Design Museum in Holon, Israel. We were planning heading on over, until we read that the "Design Museum Holon's permanent collection ... will be unveiled in five to seven years" So we'll probably wait until the collection is in before booking our flights. But given that the permanent collection is still half a decade away, and that no temporary or travelling exhibitions have been announced.... why the official inauguration? The answer is
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W've all been there. We've all suffered. And so we can all wonderfully identify with Michael #57's winning entry in the designtagebuch.de Christmas designklassiker Medapal competition. The judges were praised not only Michael's concept but also the excellent photo re-working and the wonderful little story that rounded the entry. Congratulations Michael and hopefully in January you can donate your torture chair to some museum or chamber of horrors and enjoy the ergonomic and
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With our recent design hotels post still simmering on the back-burner of critical acclaim the first photos reach of us perennial (smow)blog favourites Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec's design for the new restaurant at the Casa Camper Hotel in Berlin. The Boys from the Bretagne took their inspiration from the desire to celebrate the work of Head Chef Albert Rauric, the former Chef du Cuisine at elBulli and founding Head Chef at Dos Palillos, Barcelona To this end the restaurant features one table,
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Bosses are without doubt the best reason to set up your own business. Bosses, however, buy your office chair when you work for them. Set up on your own and you are forced to buy your own seat. And for far too many of us the first steps in an independent working life lead us to a supplier of cheap mass-produced furniture. The normal reason given is cost: well made and intelligently designed furniture costs more than a generic piece loosely based on the form of the well made and
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We know. We know. It looks like our MAXintheBOX designersopen post was simply advertising for (smow) Yet ironically it wasn't. We were at the designersopen press launch on the Friday- and the (smow)boss was there on the Saturday. And by the time we saw the (smow)boss on the Tuesday, the deal was in the sack and MAXintheBOX was in the (smow)catalogue. And that genuinely should be a lesson to all young designers out there - such design shows can bring success, if your project is immediately
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Twas the month before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Save for a company from South Tirol, In hopes that unwary Christmas shoppers would buy their illegal unlicensed copies of Bauhaus classics In a lesser known version of his 1822 classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas", Clement Clarke Moore eerily predicted events some 180 years later whereby, as part of a Christmas sales promotion, a "known" producer of unlicensed copies of Bauhaus classics
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