If we're completely honest, until now the only piece of wickerwork about which we have ever gotten truly excited is The Wicker Man in Robin Hardy's eponymous 1973 film. All other wickerwork leaving us somehow cold. Almost as cold as the heart of Lord Summerisle. That however was until we saw Diana Stegmann's woven baskets presented as part of the Modern Crafts Talents section at Tendence Frankfurt 2015. Yes with their protruding stalks and unfamiliar forms Diana Stegmann's woven baskets are
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We've said it so often that even we are somewhat tired of hearing it, but..... Portugal has lots of cork. Portugal has a, relatively, weak economy, Portugal has lots of very talented designers. 1+1+1= More Portuguese cork design would be an excellent idea. And while some Portuguese labels such as Blackcork, CorkWay or Vicara are investigating, admittedly with various degrees of success, contemporary uses for cork, in general when one finds Portuguese cork in the home it is invariably in
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In 1960 Enzo Mari designed "16 Animali" for Italian manufacturer Danese. Comprising 16 wooden animal shapes "16 Animali" is simultaneously a child's jigsaw and 16 individual wooden toys to be played with and thrown about as wished. In 2014 with his son's second birthday approaching Prague based industrial designer Jakub Gurecký faced the question of what to give him? Yes, he could buy something, but surely as a qualified and experienced industrial designer he could also create something? But
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The very first piece of product design George Nelson realised was inspired by architecture. The typical American family home in 1944 had storage problems: not only because increasing prosperity meant that a majority of 1940s Americans owned more than their parents and grandparents had ever possessed, but changing lifestyle practices meant they didn't own the same things their parents and grandparents had owned. Rather they owned things like golf clubs. Which don't fit in conventional
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