Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.... liesmichl and other assorted gift ideas

As traditional as roasted chestnuts and corked sherry, gift recommendations are what make Christmas for us. This year, however, we start with a friendly warning. The lead times for many of our suppliers are creeping upwards - and although we have a well stocked and bountiful warehouse; should you want to order something extra special as a gift for a loved one, and we have to order it - it's getting tight. The "traffic light system" in the (smow)shop provides an instant guide to availability;

ICFF 2010 : Call for entries

With the clocks all across Europe preparing to be turned back an hour and so cast us all into that unlit world so beloved of poets, painters and cat burglars; a ray of light comes from the US of A. The organisers of the 2010 ICFF have issued a call for entries for the ICFF Studio and ICFF Design School. We had a fantastic time at ICFF in 2009 and are thoroughly looking forward to returning to the Big Apple in May 2010. And so, by way of supporting and helping the organisers of ICFF we would

new at smow: Rag Chair by droog

One of the most exciting moments of our trip to the ICFF, New York was our visit to the droog flagship store in SoHo. For those who don't know droog, firstly forget everything you accept about the separation between art and furniture design. And then having convinced yourself there is no divide imagine your Dutch and design something. OK droog also have some fantastic "normal" designs - but their real strength is pushing the borders of absurd until they become the most obvious thing ever.

USM (smow)blog and DOK Leipzig .... sadly no happy end

Sadly we must report that our critically acclaimed short animated film “usm_highboard_m_rubinrot” will not be featured in the 2009 DOK Leipzig. Apparently entries closed months ago and it would be unfair to allow our film into the competition at this late stage. Those who have chosen a creative route through life, know that the road is long, hard and winds its way through valley's of despair. But that's why we do it. And so we go undaunted forward and our next USM Haller work is already

Choose smow, vote Moormann

Back in June we started a campaign to encourage election officials to improve the furnishing of their polling stations. We can't claim a great deal of success, or indeed any, but we remain committed to the cause and so will be using Sundays General Election here in Germany to further promote our demand for more stylish and aesthically pleasing polling stations. However, in comparison to the local election where we made use of the practical Eames Elephant from Vitra as our urn, for the more

(smow)test sitting: Uniturm.de

One of the joys of being involved in the designer furniture industry is that every now and again one is allowed to share ones enthusiasm and passion with others. We believe that in more vulgar industries such is known as selling. And so it came to pass that last week the boys and girls from uniturm.de visited smow.com to test out a few chairs. The smow.com testing lounge may not be as luxurious as those on offer in the two (smow)shops in Leipzig and Chemnitz but it does offer a pleasant and

new at smow: KAISERidell 6631 R Luxus

First produced in 1936 by Gebrüder Kaiser & Co. in Neheim-Hüsten, the “town of lights” in the Sauerland region of Germany, the KAISERidell 6631 R Luxus quickly became a by-word for product design, choice of materials and precise engineering. Designed by silversmith and Bauhaus Weimar Meister Christian Dell the 6631 Luxus is characterized by the smooth, asymmetrical design of the lampshade and the attention to detail such as the the swivel joints which enable the lamp to be positioned in

new at smow: acousticpearls

As all who work in a small office, or perhaps more importantly from home, know, noise is one of the biggest contributors to stress and non-productivity. And we don't mean the radio that you want to hear, but rather the unwanted, background noise generated by others. A little physics tells us that noise travels in waves, and that the most important factor in sustaining and amplifying noise in a room is reverberation and reflection from walls. Ergo, stop the reverberation and reflection and

new at smow: Strammer Max by Max Frommeld for Moormann

There are very few major designer furniture producers who are prepared to risk truly inventive design. The exception, as in so many facets of the industry, is Nils Holger Moormann. Although the basic look and feel of Moormann furniture rarely changes, the functionality and conceptual basis always does. And with Strammer Max, Max Frommeld has helped Moormann, once again, move the borders of what is acceptable in designer furniture. Who else would even consider a design that requires using

smow(abseits): Holland

It's not all hard work you know. Just read a nice little article on dutch design portal design.nl in which Marie-Luce Bree, deputy director of the Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam, talks about their photo project “New Greetings From”; which basically follows the tried and tested method of getting members of the public to submit photos and then using the best to create an exhibition. In detail, “New Greetings From” requests contributors to submit photos showing their interpretation of

(smow)abseits:3 fish studios, Modern Furniture Linocuts

Idling on the internet the other day we inadvertently clicked on an advertisement. Fortunately. For the link took us to 3 fish studios and these wonderful linocuts. Now we're not going to insult yous by pretending to be experts in graphic art, and so in the words of 3 fish studios: All prints are of the highest possible quality, each one printed by hand with a Conrad Machine Etching Press on Rives BFK paper using Daniel Smith Traditional Black Relief Ink. There are ten designs in total

(smow)abseits: LADAR by Wohngold

DMY Berlin may have been a few weeks ago, but the warm memories remain. And as we were sorting through the piles of info material we gathered in Kreuzberg we came across a postcard from Wohngold. And like a remiss lover returning from a holiday fling, instantly felt a pang of guilt as we saw the card and were reminded of that wonderful time at DMY Youngsters. Why hadn't we responded since our return? Did it all mean so little? For the truth is that LADAR by Wohngold is a truly wonderful

new at smow: Eileen Gray

As we stood looking at some mighty fine, but horribly over-carved, wooden furniture at the Salone in Milan a female colleague confided in us that all she needs is some leather straps and a few bits of bent metal. Trying not to show our horror at this outburst of candour, we asked if she had a meeting with El Presidente that evening. "No, no" replied our erstwhile colleague, "Bauhaus. That's my idea of good design" Eileen Gray (1878 -1976) We recite this tale here principally to amuse

Our new home....

As hopefully been noted we've been away for a week or so, but not on holiday ... rather moving into our new house: We wish. Now we're not big on flash harry design, we like it simple, as in the simpler the better, but we are impressed by this. And really impressed that it is used as an ... urban planning display venue. A) We've never known a local authority take such pride in the displaying of urban planning plans B) We don't know anyone, apart from a few grumpy pensioners, who are

new at smow: Vitra AC4 by Antonio Citterio

Now that it is finally online we did want to write at great lengths about the AC4 by Antonio Citterio for Vitra. But you know what. We're not going to. On the one hand; we already have: Red Dot Winner 2009 54% Recyclede, 91% Recyclable Heirloom Design Net'n'Nest And on the other Vitra have produced such a delightful promo video: We're impressed - especially by the three zone lumbar support and the constant eyeline tipping system - and we genuinely don't say that about all office

new at smow: Thonet outdoor

Although the rumour persists that we only travel to trade fairs and exhibitions so that we can impress people in bars with phrases such as "Last week in New York..." or "For me the real beauty of Milan is...", in truth we do do a little work. And the fruits of that work can be seen, for example, in the ever expanding (smow)collection. And punctually to the start of The Ashes season we can now offer the extended Thonet outdoor range; quite possibly the most stylish furniture for sitting in the

new at smow: USM Haller for beginners

System USM Haller is a storage and display system for all. We know that most people only come across USM Haller units in lawyers and accountants offices, doctors surgeries or museums ... but that is, if you will, a historical relic based on the traditional distribution system. The times my have changed but system USM Haller remains the reliable, versatile and practical system it has always been. Many new customers, however, have a problem understanding what is and is not possible with USM

new at smow: Liesmichl by Moormann

Just in time for the official start of the balcony reading season in Northern Europe, (smow) is proud to announce the arrival of Liesmichl by Nils Holger Moorman. Without a doubt one of the freshest and most inventive reading/side table design of late, Liesmichl is also an expression of Nils Holger Moormann's love affair with the written word. And a rare excursion by the southern German firm away from 100% wood furniture. The genius of Liesmichl is not the wonderful holder on the top where

Joe Colombo: Observing Inventing the Future

Joe Colombo: Understanding The Future

The influence that our industrial society is exerting at a high technological level could lead to a global transformation of our ecological balance Joe Colombo

Joe Colombo: Predicting The Future

In agreement with the predictions of futurologists, we see the house as an instrument of life that can satisfy a number of precisely defined needs Joe Colombo

Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future

The possibilities presented by the extraordinary development of audiovisual processes are enormous…… Distances will no longer have much importance; no longer will there be any justification for the 'megalopolis'….Furnishings will disappear…the habitat will be everywhere... Now, if the elements necessary to human existence could be planned with the sole requirements of maneuverability and flexibility...,then we would create an inhabitable system that could be adapted to any situation in space

(smow)abseits: Gangsta Lean by Matt Braun

Sometimes we really do ask why we invest so much time and effort travelling to design shows, when all we need to do is sit in front of our computer with a good Brooklyn Lager and bag of crisps. Saves money, saves the environment and potentially saves us from drowning. Such questions mainly arise when we find products such as Gangsta Lean by Matt Braun. As we will never tire of saying, for us an important element of good design is does the phrase: Took a problem, analysed it, solved it

Vote smow

As a Europe-wide active business we at smow take Europe very seriously. We must, it is our home. And naturally for us the European elections are an important event for which we are more than happy to sacrifice a couple of hours of our time in which to go voting. But don't you also agree that polling stations are frightfully dull locations? We're not snobs, but, you know, one could at least try to, you know, make a little effort. So smow spoke to the responsible authorities in Leipzig and