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
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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
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As a quick info for all smow customers outside Germany - Friday May 1 is a public holiday in Germany and as such the normal (smow)service will be a little disrupted. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience.
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Leipzig is famous for many things: Bach, Neo Rauch, Bach .... and Graffiti. We may not have as much as our neighbours in Halle, but ours has the superior quality and a higher degree of originality. Much like our designer furniture. And so when a delegation from smow paid a visit to Vitra this week it was natural that they shared this particular element of Leipzig's cultural identity with their hosts. Aside from defacing Vitra's walls, the (smow)team also visited the Vitra offices, and
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Its a few days old, but what with Easter, planning for Milan and the sunny weather we are little hinterher. Over the Easter weekend US based online magazine Yanko Design announced the winners of its "Relax" contest. First prize went to Nick Trincia for his/her "Fluid Rocker". Resembling the bizarre love child from an Eames plastic series A shell and a Panton Chair, "Fluid Rocker"is felt lined for both added comfort and to protect floor surfaces from the rocking action. For us a worthy
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A cult figure among designers, relatively unknown amongst the general public Joe Colombo is without doubt one of the most important designers of the 20th century. The Vitra Design Museum exhibition “Joe Colombo – Design and the invention of the future” is the first international retrospective of the man, his work and his influence. From April 3rd until the end of June the exhibition is on display at the Grassi Museum here in Leipzig and, as one would expect from an official Vitra partner,
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One of Europe's most important design institutions today celebrates the 90th anniversary of its establishment. For fans of purist design Bauhaus is the first and last word. Designs such as the B3 "Wassily Chair" by Marcel Breuer, the Nesting Tables from Josef Albers or the WA24 lamp form Wilhelm Wagenfeld defining an approach to the combination of style and form that has lost none of its modernity nor individuality over the decades. Where the furniture and buildings rarely strayed from the
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In a recent article wired magazine presented their own take on the evolution of office furnishing. From the introduction of the vast, cattle-shed like offices that characterised early office design through the cubicles and "virtual offices" of the 1980s and 90s and onwards the text makes one thing clear: Too many office workers have suffered through bad office design concepts. But one needn't work from home in order to benefit from the advantages of a convivial and stimulating office
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smow prides itself on only dealing in new, officially licensed products from internationally renowned producers such as Vitra, Kartell, USM Haller and Moormann, amongst others. As an internationally active retailer, smow, however, also has a regular supply of shop display items and exhibition articles which cannot be sold as "new": For just as a car that has travelled more than 40 kilometres can't be sold as new, so a chair that has been sat on more the twice also can't be sold as new. And
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March in Leipzig means Book Fair. One of the oldest and most important in Europe the 2009 Leipzig Book Fair ran between March 12 and 15. And attracted over 147,000 vistors. The Leipzig Book Fair prides itself on being more than just an industry meeting point, and during the Fair over 500 public readings took place as part of the “Leipzig liest” festival. And we at smow joined the fun. On the evening 14.03.09 our Leipzig (smow)room once again hosted a reading with subsequent discussion. Guest
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Fernando the Fish, Talulah the Toucan, Elihu the Elephant and Omar the Owl – four irresistibly cheeky chronological creatures born in 1965 from the imagination of master clock designer George Nelson. The “Zoo Timers” from Vitra not only brighten up any room, but make learning telling the time playful and enjoyable. George Nelson studied architecture and mad his name in furniture design, but was also a highly talented graphic designer. His “Zoo Timer” wall clocks at first attract your
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Last week the (smow)team made their annual pilgrimage to the CeBIT communications and IT trade fair in Hannover – not as exhibitor but as curious visitors and passionate techies. And while we looked for ways to improve our on-line service and to offer even more features, we found our attention being continually attracted – and occasionally astounded – by the furniture behind and around the stands. And over the course of the visit we had plenty of time and opportunity to draw up a list of our
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The bed “Siebenschläfer” from the Moormann (Design: Christoffer Martens, 2007) is beloved for the simplicity with which it can be constructed. The individual frame elements needing only to be slotted into one another. However, what happens when the carpentry firm responsible for cutting the parts holds the plans back to front? – Then one gets an unplanned innovation, albeit one that causes several “Am I being stupid?” moments for smow customers. Those who are quick of the mark, however, can
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It may be a few months old, but as relevant as ever: The International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. During the festival in November 2008 smow sponsored, in conjunction with Vitra, the Industry Lounge. Within the festival hub – the Museum der Bildenden Künste Leipzig – industry visitors, VIps and the media were offered a quiet and relaxed atmosphere in which to hold business meetings, hold – or overhear discussions – or simply to relax and unwind. The Industry Lounge
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With the design for his „Wallflower“ wall unit for Jonas & Jonas Designer Markus Honka has placed the emphasis not only on a flowing, functional form that presents an almost transparent effect, but also on a quick and simple assembly. The units can be assembled without any tools: No screws, no drilling, no problems. Wallflower is composed of one or two supporting legs and "Elastic-buffers" on the rear side to provide stability. The "Wallflowers" are perfectly suitable for today’s
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To end 2008 some tips – and inspiration? – regarding some of the new products that will be gracing the smow selection in 2009. Sadly we can’t present all our new products here – because at this stage even we don’t know how the year will develop. However, by subscribing to the (smow)blog RSS feed or simply regularly visiting smow.com you won’t miss out. Rattan chair from Lampert The rattan furniture from Lampert is the perfect companion for the long winter months. In, for example, the
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The discussion around originals and plagiarisms in designer furniture it is not only a dialectic excercise but a real problem for many produces and retailers of licensed furniture. In the previously mentioned article "The Original" by Rolf Fehlbaum we provided a gentle introduction to the theme: That the problem is very real can be seen in the regularity with which cases are heard before various courts. In 2006, for example, an Italian furniture company was banned from calling the
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The first snow of the years has fallen, the Christmas window displays are finished and the nervous hunt for the “perfect” Christmas gift is well underway. And so sometimes the best decision is simply to relax in front of the Internet and choose extravagant, amusing or simply, simple gifts for your nearest and dearest. In a small pre-Christmas series we the smow blog team will present a few ideas and treasures from the (smow)catalogue, which will hopefully ease you search and bring a smile to
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Welcome to the (smow)blog. Why are we blogging? For us at smow this blog is an opportunity to present new information, exchange ideas and experiences and to offer an informed, behind the scenes view of us, our suppliers and designers. Many of our designer furniture pieces are established classics with which their owners have grown-up, matured, loved, lost and loved again. At the same time the dynamic in the designer furniture market is such that new products are continuously being presented
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