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smow | 09.09.2009

(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

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Design Tourism | 07.08.2009

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

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Designer | 17.05.2009

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

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Design Tourism | 17.04.2009

(smow)offline. Verner Panton exhibition in Singapore

"Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours. The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting." Verner Panton No one who knows the work of Verner Panton could or would argue that his work successfully achieved it's purpose. But for all his interior design projects, such as the canteen at the Spiegel headquarters in Hamburg emphasis exactly what Panton always hoped to

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Design Tourism | 02.04.2009

smow on tour: Scandinavian Design - Panton, Saarinen and co.

We at the (smow)blog aren't above making advertising form others. If we feel that something passes to our remit, we go with it. Crazy as we are. And so it was with great interest that we heard about "Scandinavian Design: Discover form and function" the latest travel guide from Scandline Ferries. We've never actually set foot on a Scandline's ferry ourselves, but the idea of sailing around Denmark and Sweden while learning a little more about the design tradition and future perspectives in

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CeBIT 2009: A furnsihers perspective

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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Designer | 28.11.2008

Copy or Original?

Panton Chair Classic (Vitra) Among the chairs on offer from smow are two versions of the Panton chair: The „classic“ version from 1959 for 899 Euro and the newer Panton chair version from 1999 for 198 Euro. The classic 1959 version is still produced according to designer Verner Pantons original vision; every chair from one casting. The 1999 model is an affordable, mass market model based on Verner Pantons original design Which of course raises the question: Which stool is the original? Both,

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