Back in October 2010 the design blog pixelgangster.de ran a competition with a Richard Lampert Egon Eiermann desk - supplied naturally by (smow) - as the first prize. Entrants were asked to say why they deserved the desk. In his winning entry Benjamin asked his friends why he deserved the desk - would your friends be so generous? Ours probably wouldn't. But then we already have an Eiermann Desk! Benjamin's winning video (in German with English
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Although Alexander Girard worked closely with Herman Miller and designers such as George Nelson or Charles and Ray Eames; Alexander Girard's speciality was not furniture but fabrics, folk art and colour. Born in America and raised in Italy Alexander Girard studied architecture in London before a lack of architectural openings saw him spend several years working as an exhibition and interior designer; most notably in Sweden where he worked in the design department of the Nordiska department
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As you all know for us design must not only have a function: everything must have a purpose and reason. And so it follows that cutting down a perfectly healthy tree and letting it stand in the corner of our flat for a couple of weeks before throwing it away, just isn't an option for us. Which is why the (smow) Christmas Tree is made from Algue by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Although intended as a room divider, Algue is versatile enough to perform a range of functions - including that of a
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We first saw Becherlicht by Martin Neuhaus at Designers Fair 2010 in Cologne. And are still in awe. Our interview with Martin Neuhaus from Designers' Open will be published soon; but for now a few images.
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If Christmas is a time for family, then Christmas is also surely a time to buy your gifts from a family business. Currently being run by the 5th generation, Thonet have not only been responsible for the introduction and development of bent wood and steel tube furniture - two of the most important genres in the history of furniture design - but continue to support and develop young designers and so may just also discover the next big genre..... Thonet S 333 by Holger Lange Back in February
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The Vitra stand at Orgatec 2010 was dominated by the work of two design studios: Antonio Citterio and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. In addition to presenting new variations of their Alcove Sofa and Playns workstation, Vitra also unveiled the Bouroullec's new Communal Cells modular partition/interior architecture system and their High Meeting Table Apart from discussing the brothers forthcoming yacht project, we also talked about, the new Vitra products, what the Bouroullec's own office looks
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Or indeed any side table from Moormann. Based in a remote alpine valley hard on the Germany/Austria border it is hard to imagine a designer furniture producer who better fit into our modern White Christmas romantic than Nils Holger Moormann. Especially given the elven-esque Moormänner who assist Nils Holger with the construction and distribution of his products. And so a few suggestions from Haus Moormann for those of you looking for wood based Christmas presents a la days of yore: Mini
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Although he was not showing any new products at Orgatec 2010 Alberto Meda used the show to catch up a little on what other designers were up to. And when we caught up with Alberto Meda on the Vitra stand we learned something wonderful: Alberto Meda uses the same office chair as the (smow)blog crew... (smow)blog: Unless we've missed something you aren't showing anything at Orgatec 2010? Alberto Meda: No, but I am working on a new product with Vitra, but that is not yet ready and so I am
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Although the public face of Vitra is unquestionably their "Home Collection", for decades the backbone of the company has been their office furniture division. Consequently a central feature of Vitra's daily work involves developing new approaches to office design and attempting to predict what will be important for office workers in the coming years. In 1991 Vitra commissioned the designers Michele de Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi to develop some plans for future office design.
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Just as the Man in the Corner Shop was famously satisfied with his life until the Boss from the Factory turned up to buy cigars - so too were we content with our life until 00:42 this morning. Because then we received the invitation to Frank and Oliver's next exhibition in Zürich: „Schöne neue Welt - American Mid-century Design“ On their many trips through North and Central America Oliver Müller and Frank Landau have acquired a unique collection of objects. In the exhibition „Schöne neue Welt
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In the history of (smow)blog only two designers have contacted us to comment on our comments. The first was Brooklyn based Jason Miller and the second was SintLucas student Vivienne van den Dungen. Writing about a stool she was exhibiting at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven we commented that : "Our one complaint would be that the current version doesn’t really seem to know what it is: the higher component being to short to be a back rest and to narrow to be used for holding, for example, a
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Last Saturday - 13.11.2010 for the sake of all Internet archaeologists who find this post in 120 years - Museum Boijmans in Rotterdam opened the first Hella Jongerius retrospective in her native Holland. And we weren't there. It was a regrettable, but unavoidable, situation. Fortunately our global network is almost as large as that of the American secret service and so we were able to send a few friends on our behalf. An interactive exhibition, Misfit not only features works by Hella
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Eindhoven is Philips. Eindhoven used to be much more Philips; but in course of the inevitable restructuring of the last 20 years Philips have greatly reduced the number of buildings they need. Buildings which Eindhoven city council hope to turn into a "Creative City" In addition to office blocks occupied by architects, photographers or graphic designers, just about every Eindhoven based product designer you meet works in an "old Philips factory" And the principle Dutch Design Week
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For us Designers' Open 2010 was a wonderful mixture of new discoveries and renewed meetings with old favourites. Such as Collecteur by Christian Lessing. We first saw back Collecteur in January at Designers Fair in Cologne - and are still impressed by the simple genius of the design. In essence Collecteur is a stool/side table that receives its stability from magazines. Perfect for all those of us with large magazine collection we can't bear to part with but which we can't find appropriate
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We first saw Spore Vase by Paulo Sellmayer at Made out Portugal on Dutch Design Week Sunday, and it didn't leave us in peace the whole day. And so we went back on the Monday morning and spoke to Paulo. Born in Oberhausen, Germany Paul studied Industrial Design at ESAD in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal and is currently on an internship with Julien Carretero in Eindhoven, Holland. So just the sort of cosmopolitan pedigree we like. Spore vase is - in short - a vase in which fungi grow. A hole
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Amongst the plethora of new products launched by Vitra at Orgatec 2010 in Cologne was HAL, a new shell chair series by British designer Jasper Morrison. Over a cup of tea we spoke to Jasper Morrison about HAL, Vitra - and what his own office looks like. (smow)blog: Your presenting your new shell chair series HAL here at Orgatec, how long was the development phase? Jasper Morrison: About three years, with a lot of effort going into the form of the shell and the performance of the shell.
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When we visited the "Summaery" exhibition at Bauhaus Uni Weimar one object stood out amongst all the others. Sadly, at that point we were asked not to say too much about it; for reasons all designers will understand. But now we can. R2B2 by Christoph Thetard is well on it's way to being our "Design of the Year", and having caught up with Christoph Thetard at Designers' Open in Leipzig we have to say that the industry could well use a few more designers with his approach. But more on
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The third stage on the (smow) design marathon 2010 was the Grassimesse at the Grassi Museum here in Leipzig. First hosted in 1920 the Grassimesse has established itself as one of Europe's most important sales fairs for contemporary arts and crafts. And felt. It also spawned Designers' Open and always invites a wide range of art and design schools to present a selection of their students work; consequently, and although as a matter of principle we can't get excited about jewelry, pottery or
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One of the worst things about being out on the road is that there is much news to catch up on when you get back.... The news that Rui Alves a.k.a. My Own Super Studio had won the Red Dot: Best of the Best Award reached us just before things really hotted up ..... and news that another (smow)blog favourite had also been recognised was waiting for us on our return. And so congratulations to Jason Miller who has been awarded Brooklyn Museum of Art's 2010 "Young Designer Award" We first came
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On the opening day of Orgatec we managed to grab a quick 10 minutes in an Alcove Sofa with Erwan Bouroullec. Aside from not showing us what was in his sketch book, Erwan told us about one of the brother's forthcoming projects. A sail boat. Yeah, yeah we thought, the cheeky Breton is having a bit of fun with the naive (smow)blog crew. A sail boat! However, and despite our doubts, we're professionals and so we sought independent verification. The problem with the secretive world of
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At the 2010 Marianne Brandt Contest, Halle based designer Caspar Huckfeldt won the (smow)/Vitra Special Prize for his "Damensattel" In essence a removable plastic saddle that attaches to the crossbar, Damensattel allows a bike passenger to carried sitting side saddle. Think of the scene with "I'm singing in the rain" from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and you've got the idea. In selecting Damensattel the Vitra judges praised the design as being "a real charmer" that draws people
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Not a word of a lie, we're sitting here in Eindhoven planning an interview for later on today with some Portuguese designers - and we receive news that our current favourite Portuguese designer Rui Alves a.k.a. My Own Super Studio has been awarded a Red Dot Design Award: Best of the Best 2010 for his "Welcome to the Jungle" shelving/storage series. Which is just wonderful, and deserved, news. Congratulations to Rui, and enjoy Singapore! Our (smow)introducing Interview with Rui Alves can be
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According to the ever accurate wikipedia Eindhoven has a population of some 214,000. On Sunday's the population of Eindhoven is around 214. Eindhoven on a Sunday morning is a lonely and forbidding place. Gesloten is Dutch for "Closed" The parallels - typographic as well as semantic - with Get Lost are unmistakable. Even the bakers are closed. We can't remember the last time we were in a century, sorry city, where bakers close on a Sunday. Eindhoven on a Sunday morning is not for the faint
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Every year the Vienna Design Week places a special focus on one district of Vienna. This year it was Hernals. The industry and agriculture that once dominated Hernals have long since vanished and the streets of Hernals are dominated by telephone card shops, fruit shops and those curious businesses with the red curtains that dominate what politicians call "problem areas". Hernals of course isn't a problem area. As with all similar inner-city districts it is an area with infrastructure
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