Artemide "Best design brand Home and Living 2009"

Dioscuri Tavolo by Huub Ubbens und Michele De Lucchi for Artemide Although we'll probably always have problems with design and branding Awards, we do appreciate the value and importance that many of them represent. And so congratulations from us to Italian lighting designer and (smow)partner Artemide for first place in the category "Design Brand Home and Living" at the 2009 German "best brand" awards. The "best brand" awards assess not only the market position of a brand but much more the

Montana Design Challenge

In the world of designer furniture the word "individual" is regularly used; with everyone conveniently forgetting that if we all buy the same furniture, nothing is individual. Unless that is we all furnish our homes and offices with products from Danish producer, and smow partner, Montana. According to the good folks over there at Montana there are 5 billion possible combinations of their products - we've not counted, and we're not going to count, but you can check for yourself in the

New York Ta(b)les: Crescendo C2 maximus by stilvoll

When not jetting off around the world, sharpening our sarcasm at international designer furniture trade fairs, the (smow)blog team undertake other, non(smow), contracts. To help us relax and unwind. Some of us design graffiti templates, some translate classic music manuscripts and others undertake copy-editing and proofreading jobs. Varied as they are, all these tasks are related in that sometimes you want to sit, sometimes you want to stand and regardless of whether sitting or standing

(smow)offline: Bouroullec's design new Kvadrat showroom

Good news for all of you in Copenhagen, or who are planning visiting the Danish capital. Perpetual smow favourites Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec were recently commissioned to design the new Kvadrat showroom in Copenhagen, and the result of the work has now been unveiled. It may not look like they have done very much for their opulent fee; but ain't that the secret in good design ;) But what they undoubtedly have created, is a space that allows the wonderful Kvadrat fabrics to shine and take

(smow)offline: Eames Aluminium Chair

youtube contains a lot more than trampolining bears, illegal music videos and "ooh so clever" advertising virals. It can also be useful and informative. Honest. Among the youtube channels we like - and one of the few we actively follow - is that from Vitra. Recently a new film appeared on the Vitra youtube channel; a short review and history of the Aluminium Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames. Not only is the film a wonderful introduction to the Aluminium Chairs, but also allows a rare

New York Tales: See ya!

Americans, no sense of humour (or humor as they would have it...... )

New York Tales: Jason Miller

For us one of the discoveries of the ICFF was Brooklyn based designer Jason Miller. Miller's design contains undeniable elements of contemporary European design, albeit effortlessly combined with, for our opinion, classic European stereotypes of retro-NYC style. We promised a text on post-colonialism in US design ... and like all at smow we always keep our promises. Miller's Duct Tape Chair, for example, is more than a wonderfully comfortable armchair. Reminiscent in many ways of Easy

New York Ta(b)les: Part 2

We came, we saw, we sat on the floor... But it needn't have been so..... Once again the Europeans show the Americans how it should be done. One of the largest stands in New York was that from the Saloni Milano -a mix of the finest Italian designers: And they brought their own press room. No electricity, no Internet...but tables. And coffee. How fondly we look back on April.... Although greatly impressed by the typewriter, we also liked Desk 51 by American producer bludot as a desk.

New York Tales: How ya doin’

Not good As everyone know everything in America is bigger. Everything. From bagels the size of Jupiter to the level of manipulation undertaken to justify invading Iraq. Everything in America exists on a larger scale than you thought possible. Except furniture trade shows. In Milan, Artemide's stand, for example, was so big it was not only dissected by a time zone, but in the north east corner biologists found two previously unknown primate species. Meanwhile Kartell, following the

New York Tales: Table Fights

...lets fight some tables... You couldn't make up. Before we departed for NYC one of those events that was already written in heavy ink in our diaries was the second annual Table Fights at Magnan Galleries. Honest. Even as we sat in Leipzig blithly assuming tables would be freely available in NYC, we were planning watching tables fight. In many ways the inevitable consequence of too many childish "my table is better than yours" arguments between drunken first year design students, Table

New York Tales: Sought after art

One of the advantages of the time delay is that by mid-afternoon New York time the (smow)boss is at home and so we can go out and enjoy New York City. On Friday we took the opportunity for a stroll through Manhattan ... and like every other tourist spent most of the time taking photos of skyscrapers. Regardless how often you take such a photo, the next view seems even better. And don't even get us started on the next..... However, to truly capture the majesty you need much better equipment

The saintly Vernon Panton

It's an oldie, but still a goodie and a story we want to quickly share with all who don't know it. Before we head off to New York. Back in 2006 Czech designers Jakub Berdych and Maxim Velcovsky from Qubus Design Studio, Prague redesigned the St. Bartholomew’s Church in Chodovice. Now, while re-designing a small church in a remote Czech village may not sound like the stuff designers dreams are made off; such contracts do offer up rare opportunities. Godsends one could say. Carving

New York Ta(b)les. Part 1

There may be no tables in the press room, but there are plenty to be found at ICFF... Eiermann 1 by Egon Eiermann from Lampert....ahhhhh, if only, if only if only. Polished chrome AND a place to rest your feet at hip level. Hhhhmmmmmm, perfection at work Oh my God, a table with its own integrated book holder. Every proofreaders dream. And height adjustable so you can stand or sit to work ... Crescendo C2 maximus from stilvoll where have you been since Saturday at 10... Particularly

New York Tales: Greene Street Tales

In local parlance Greene Street, NYC is known as "West smow", on account of the prevalence of high-quality designer furniture producers who have their flagship stores there. The Artemide store, for example, is a couple of doors down from USM Haller, across the road from USM Haller is Kartell - it really is uncannily like the navigation bar at smow.com Indeed as we strolled down West smow on Friday morning we couldn't help thinking that only Moormann failed. Then we spotted number 75.

New York Tales: How ya doin'

Not good. For some reason which escapes us there are no tables in the press room. That's NO TABLES IN THE PRESS ROOM AT A FURNITURE TRADE SHOW. And to think we complained in Milan once when the beer in the press room fridge was too warm!!! Is there not a producer out there who could sponsor a few for next year. Vitra? Kartell? Lampert? The conditions here are worse than at the Magdeburger Volksstimme or any other village rag. Oh, how we yearn for our asymmetric Eiermann II table.....

New York Tales: Museum Tales

A Thursday evening in New York and the finer elements of Manhattan society meet to celebrate the opening of the Smithsonian Institute's Cooper - Hewitt National Design Museum "Design for a Living World" exhibition. Your (smow)blog team are of course also in attendance. For the exhibition The Nature Conservancy sent 10 designers into rural environments and asked them develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials. The aim being to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of

We've Arrived!!!!

smow in Milan: Philippe Starck on Kartell and democtratic design

One of the principle advantages of trade fairs such as Salone or ICFF is the unrivalled access to producers, products and for all designers. Whereas furniture producers like to strut around, boldly announcing news of their latest coups; designers are generally typified by a preference for quiet isolated studios, and a reluctance to leave their natural habitat. At trade fairs, however, the designers appear, blinking and staring into the spotlight. And are generally remarkably friendly and

"New York Tales" : smow at the ICFF

Sometimes we get the feeling no one really wants us here in Leipzig. Not that we are complaining - or at least not when avoiding our company means sending us to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair and New York City. From May 14th until May 19th your (smow)blog team will bring you all the important stories, new products and general lunacy from Vitra, Kartell, Magis, Tom Dixon and all the other exhibitors at North America's premier designer furniture trade fair. And not just from

(smow)offline: Vitra HQ Basel

Following the successful visit to USM Haller the (smow)team headed on to Basel and Vitra HQ. The contrast in the external appearances of the buildings could hardly be greater. As a company Vitra don't just engage designers to create furniture for them, they also encourage them to design buildings. The finest example being the Vitra Design Museum complex at Weil am Rhein; but in interests of chronological correctness more on that later. The original Vitra building in Basel building was

red dot Awards 2009: Best of the Best Awards for Vitra and Artemide

We've previously stated our quiet dissatisfaction with awards ceremonies and for all there omnipresence. But love 'em or loath 'em when they are good they are one of the best ways to help consumers separate the chaff from the rye - or at least from amongst those producers who pay the entrance fees.... One of the most renowned awards in Europe is the red dot Awards organised annually by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. And while the red dot Awards fulfill almost all the criteria that we

smow in Milan: A stolen moment

We sadly didn't meet the colleagues from Stylepark, but had we - a day ticket for Milan costs €3 and a return ticket to the exhibition centre costs €4. There's meant to be a global recession

(smow)offline: USM Haller

Shortly before travelling to Salone in Milan the (smow)team headed off to Switzerland to spend a couple of days with first USM Haller and then Vitra. The (smow)team make such trips regularly, on the one hand to keep abreast of developments in and the mood of the producers, secondly to learn a little more about the production process and thirdly quite simply to maintain and develop the personal contact with our suppliers: The better smow work with companies such as Vitra or USM Haller the

smow(offline): Audi Cup 2009

This picture shows the moment "Not allowed" pulled away from Neptun to win the Preis der Leipziger Messe at Scheibenholz racetrack on Saturday. Needless to say your smow(blog) team were aboard the 20-1shot and after the race had to explain how we came to back such a horse; simple we replied, a youthful british talent, trained in Leipzig who ignores the rules. How could we not back him.... Sadly we had a less luck in the feature Audi Cup, but despite that many thanks to the Audi Zentrum