“Documents of experiments, style and craft.”
The Wood & Faulk website champions the use of the finest materials for handcrafted product design. The latest project, for example, explains how to make your own customised leather watch strap, with full instructions on Design Sponge. The website is illustrated with delightful photography.
Wood&Faulk
Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby have designed the stunning London 2012 Olympic Torch. Made from double skinned aluminium alloy, the triangular cone has 8000 holes perforating the surface to represent each of the 8000 torch bearers. The choice of material and porous design helps to keep the torch as lightweight as possible.
The relay will last 70 days, covering 8000 miles from Lands End to the Olympic Stadium, commencing 19th May 2012.
The London 2012 Olympic Torch
8000 holes will be punched from aluminium alloy for the exterior
Design by Barber Osgerby
The light creations by Simon Heijdens have recently caught our attention. The ‘Shade’, is nominated in the Product category, for the ‘Designs of the Year 2012′ at the Design Museum. It is described as “A responsive skin to the windows of a building that filters daylight into a moving projection of shadows, that translates the ever-changing natural timeline of the outdoor to the static and perpetual indoor space.” The Shade appears as a cross between a computer generated graphic and the reflections from water ripples.
Heijdens has also created works called ‘Lightweeds,’ plant silhouettes projected onto interior surfaces, which grow or shed seeds depending on measurements from the weather outside and the level of human traffic inside the building. The interplay of light and shadow is very successful.
For more information on his background read this article on the Design Museum website, or visit his website here.
Shade by Simon Heijdens
Lightweeds
These stunning vases, created from water based resin, have the appearance of being digitally produced but are actually formed by hand. Liquid resin hardens inside a rotating hand folded former so each vase is unique. Designer Phil Cuttance demonstrates the process in this video.
Dezeen: Faceture by Phil Cuttance
Dezeen: Faceture by Phil Cuttance - production machine
Stefan Diez created the CH04 HOUDINI seating range in 2009. It’s sleek design has won numerous awards including the Gold German Design Award 2012 and the “Best of the best” Red Dot Award 2010.
The chairs are made from 4mm thin oak-veneered plywood, that is hand stretched around a former and glued in place. We love the modern, crisp style and playful quality of these lacquered chairs!
Stefan Diez Houdini chairs
Pablo Reinoso is an Argentinian product designer working in Paris. His Spaghetti series of objects caught our eye, in particular the benches, such as the one pictured below at Sudley Castle. The beautiful curled extensions add an elegant sculptural quality to an otherwise ordinary bench.
Pablo Reinoso at Sudley Castle, Copyright Pablo Reinoso Studio 2008.
Pablo Reinoso at Sudley Castle, Copyright Pablo Reinoso Studio 2008.
Have you seen the UK’s longest bench? Designed and installed by Studio Weave it stretches along the Littlehampton sea front, swirling and meandering around the existing seafront furniture. It starts from Thomas Heatherwick’s East Beach Cafe, (locally known as the Rusty Cafe) and can seat 300 people along its length!
The UK's longest bench at Littlehampton
Swirling bench designed by Studio Weave
Here at The New England Shutter Company we have rediscovered our love for the legendary artist Michael Craig Martin. A master of contemporary design, Craig Martin is not only recognised for his eye catching work spanning back to the 60s, but also as an influence to the YBAs (Young British Artists) where he taught artists such as Damien Hurst and Sarah Lucas at Goldsmith’s College.
Through various mediums including painting, prints and sculpture, Craig Martin’s work is an aesthetic exploration of objects ranging from the every-day to the extraordinary, resulting in unique and vivid artworks which can be seen world-wide.
Big Fan, London (2003), flexible PVC & fluorescent lights.
Inhale (2002), acrylic on canvas.
Lightbulb sculpture.
Umbrellas sculptures.
We can’t go too long without a visit to London’s Design Museum and with our most recent trip, we were intrigued by an exhibition around Kenneth Grange.
More of a household name than most would realise – Grange is a product designer responsible for the Kenwood mini mixer, the re-design of London’s black cabs and the Adshel bench.
Beautiful in their iconic familiarity and far too often taken for granted in their exceptional design, Kenneth Grange has made a vast influence on the world that we live and we thoroughly recommend a visit to his exhibition to realise his impact.
Kenneth Grange. (Image courtesy of Blueprint Magazine)
Adshel bench, 1972.
Kenwood Mini Mixer, 1972.
Visit the Kenneth Grange: ‘Making Britain Modern’ until 30th October at the Design Museum, London.
At The New England Shutter Company we stumbled upon the exciting work of Elisa Strozyk. She creates ‘wooden textiles’ and accordion furniture from a hybrid material that combines thin slices of wood on a textile backing. The various geometric construction techniques allow the material to flex. Strozyk studied the Future Textile Design MA at Central Saint Martins London, and has been awarded an array of prizes including First Prize “Salone Satellite Award” at this years Milan furniture Fair. The potential product applications for this exciting new material appear endless!
Elisa strozyk: Accordion Collection, photos by Sebastian Neeb.
Elisa strozyk: wooden bedspread, photos by Sebastian Neeb.
Elisa Strozyk - wooden textiles
Wooden Carpet, 2010, produced by Boewer. photos by: Thorsten Doerk, Andreas Körner (agency: Trüffelschwein)
At The New England Shutter Company we love the work of illustrator Rob Ryan. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art with an MA Printmaking in 1987, Ryan has turned the skill of paper-cutting into an art form. His intricate creations possess a fairy tale quality to them, often interlinking text and images cut from flat areas of colour. Ryan specialises in original paper cuts using a scalpel, or limited edition screen prints. Commercial collaborations include projects with Vogue, book jacket designs and working with designers such as Paul Smith.
He has also worked with The Rug Company to produce a unique woven version of his signature style.
Ryantown, Rob Ryan’s shop is open Saturday and Sunday’s, at Ryantown, 126 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RG.
Rob Ryan papercut
Ryantown, Rob Ryan Shop open at weekends
'We Had Everything,' Rob Ryan and The Rug Company collaboration
