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Crystal Fight Club

Inspiration can come from anywhere. A book, a dream, a news report and occasionally some deeply dark and disturbing places in our society. Take for example this crystal collection that showed at this years Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. Designed by Koncern Design Studio for Rückl Crystal, this collection dubbed “Domestic Violence – Golden Edition” abstractly commemorates violent moments with these crystal designs that highlight the sad aftermath of domestic violent moments.

Designer: Studio Koncern

Get wet with style

So as I was gazing longingly at this bathtub design called “Sorgente” by Lenci Design for Teuco, I realized that I was schooled on the difference between a bathtub and a hot tub. A bathtub is obviously for bathing, and a hot tub is obviously for more recreational use and relaxing.

Designer: Lenci Design

Alice in Amsterdam

What better way to arouse creativity and inspiration than clean, white spaces filled with glowing ambient light? Some might argue that the lack of visual stimuli might create the opposite affect, but I beg to differ, and so do the Amsterdam based architects UXUS. They decided to use their own offices to showcase their latest creation that is self described as a “mysterious and poetic atmosphere of old and new world fables,”

Architect: UXUS

Horde by Numbers

Got a lot of stuff? Can’t remember where you put the power cord for that mobile phone you never use? Well designer Pietro Arosio for EmmeBi has your number. He just might be one of the first designers to think of something so obvious it makes my brain ache. He put numbers on these lovely drawer designs, making finding your stuff that much easier. That’s it! Numbers! Genius.

Designer: Pietro Arosio

Square is the new round

What’s this? A giant jewelry box for “power-ups” in Zelda? Nope, it’s a fine example multi-function furniture by designer John Nouanesing. Calling it the “One To Three For Five (Seconds)”, this giant white cube table can easily split up into a pair of low riding chairs and a red table/foot stool/extra life. How long does this transformation take to complete? Well as the name implies, it takes five seconds and a deep desire to interdimensionalize your surroundings.

Designer: John Nouanesing

Shades of Surreality

Are your objects of tactile reality not quite giving you enough depth, dimension and shading? Neither are mine and thankfully Swedish designers Front are exhibiting their “Shade” project at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during this years Milan furniture fair. Using standard silhouettes of common household items and shading them as if on paper, the designer states his intriguing designs are “like materialized illustrations.”

Designer: Front Design Studio

Jungle Love, Swedish Style

Going green to overt suicidal dreams is what’s for dinner at this new restaurant in Sweden called “New Restaurant.” Keeping your patrons alive and happy is good for business. In a country that has to deal with six months of winter darkness a year, design firm Architect Olssonlyckefors have created an oasis of happy thoughts by incorporating cascading walls of foliage giving the illusion of warm summer nights.

Architect: Olssonlyckefors

Faucet with Functionality

Hand cleaning dishes is not a favorite job of mine, but one that must be done. Unfortunately, using one hand to hold a large pot while using the spray nozzle with the other is a feat in and of itself. I have stumbled upon a new design by Kohler. The Kohler Karbon Articulating Kitchen Faucet, is an answer to all homeowners dreams, when it comes to cooking or cleaning in your kitchen sink. With a futuristic design, that can be placed in several different positions the faucet allows for the user to use both hands to fill large pots, clean the dishes, or even to prepare food.

More Ways To Store A Magazine

After the “Habitual Bedside Table” presented by Yanko design in March – readers questioned its usefulness in contemporary interiors since not everyone reads bedside. Optionally here’s its sister; a reversible magazine rack in powder coated steel. The side used depends on your reading/living habits. The great thing about this design is how you can get so many different ways to hold a magazine or book using only two simple adjoined shapes.

Designer: Stephane de Sousa

Prep Cook’s Dream

A fabricated trough prep sink with electronic interface that controls rinsing functions and garbage disposal synchronization. Developed in heavy collaboration with Kohler kitchen design and engineering group.

Designer: Anne Kitzmiller

2008 Salone Del Mobile Digest

Salone 2008 is upon us and if you’re not one of the 200,000 plus people flocking to Milan to inspect the cream of cutting-edge design, don’t panic. We’ll do our best to keep you updated on the best of all that happens with the help of our friends in the blogosphere.

Can You Handle My JUMI?

Matthias Hiller must have had a few knocks and bruises in his life to have come up with such a neat and useful product. “Jumi” is a silicone handle made for cabinet handles or drawer pulls. Designed with two things in mind – safety and organization. With the soft silicone handle, Jumi allows for no more bumps and the pictogram allows for the user to see what is behind the closed door or drawer.

Designer: Matthias Hiller

Check Out the Rims on That Table

OK, wait a minute. Rims on a table? Well, if you are Beth Fuller, then yes! Fuller has taken objects from the streets of New York Cities’ junkyards, and created beautiful recycled objects. All materials used in the creation of the “Junkture Table” are sustainable. They are found locally, and are either 99%-100% recycled. With the imagination of Beth Fuller, “Beautiful things CAN be made from junk”.

Designer: Beth Fuller