Butterfly light is made by Vinta design group, a japanese company with some really nice and fun stuff. They were at Salone Satelitte this year, and they also had som older work that I discovered, like this lamp. The light came from the idea of folding a piece of paper, and the two panels with slight shifts to each other at it's closed position remind a user to open this object up. This light gives the poetic theme to the space like a butterfly flying around with silence.
After Dark
Savor time before bed with chocolate on your nightstand
Stroke
This Flower vase is composed of bending a tube. Transforming a image from the water through into the putting in the vase. A simple transformation creates an intricate space, and it's emphasized to be together.
Loop
They wanted the user to feel the time flow by a change of an object form. The hands being connected as one element represent this idea.
Wooden Clock
They wanted to express the idea of "feeling the time", not "measuring the time".
It can be shown from revolving slowly on its own axis once every hour with an ambiguous change in its inclination.
And they used the preciseness of a Japanease craftman technique to make this delicate shape to revolve smoothly.
Lounge chair
The seat of this lounge chair is supported solely by a
cantilever attached to its arms. Through the use of an
elastic, sheer fabric, both the seat and the arms are
united together to create comfort.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Butterfly light
Visuelt 08
Every year the design competition Visuelt 08 goes of thanks to the Norwegian organization Grafill. And the fun for this year has just past. After these days we are left with some amazing works.
Visuelt is devided in to several categories. You have Graphic design, Illustration, Moving image and Interactive design. There are silver and gold winners in all categories,and here are some of my favorite works. Martin Kvamme won gold with him cd-cover for "Dub Trio" and silver winner; Tank design with their contribution in packaging for Holmen Crips.
Many of Norway's best design agencies have contributed in the competition, amongst other Are Kleivan, Bleed, Skin Designstudio, M8 design, Martin Kvamme & Oslo Collective, Claudia C. Sandor and Halvor Bodin. There are many nice workes this year, so take a look. 
Blablabla...
I just discovered SoonSalon and I have to say I really enjoy their portfolio with everything from fashion to accessories and interior design. In their BLABLABLA-collection the objects have been placed a little bit out of context, and in that way it becomes the perfect accessorise with a little bit of a social comment. Take a look at the BLABLABLA collection by pressing more!
One example is the golden necklaces we all have seen with different names on it, most famous as the Carrie necklaces from sex and the city. With text "Blablabla" it anticipates on the superficial side of communication between people, and it almost seems like the necklace has an ironic point to its own existents.
A golden or silver label is attached to this belt, which reads "Size Zero".The label covers up the original jeans-label that would reveal your real size."Size Zero" criticizes the pressure society puts on woman towards their appearance.
"Workaholic" is a necklace that mocks with people who are obsessed with their work.It's a customized, golden business card, which you can wear as jewellery.
Many people are preoccupied with their work. With "Red Rose" you tread every day as a potential blind date.
"Max 20 kg" makes people think about the absurdity to strive for the perfect body.It indicates that nobody’s fits this propagandistic ideology of the body.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Folding with Studio Lo
Studio Lo have a whole serie of “build it your self” objects, and I have earlier shown you the Pano Chair. Now they are out with 3 different objects in printed felt, that you can fold into a pair of slippers, a handbag or a little Nesting box. Studio Lo obviously care for the environment and therefore try to design “responsible objects”, by the use of natural materials, and also in this case, the “build it your self” make the product much more compact during the transportation. I have always loved putting together the kindereggtoys, and would I love it even more if I could put together an environmental friendly design object!
Nesting box «Maisonnette», natural gray felt, water-jet cutting, assembly by keys.
hand bag opla, natural felt screen printed, water-jet cutting, assembly by closing zip.
And the winner is.........
This April Sandro Kvernmo and Tank Design won the brand for Good design 2008 in the annual designcompetition in Norway for theire work "Halvors Tradisjonsfisk". Sandro Kvernmo is a norwegian graphic designer. He is only 22 years old and works for Tank design in Tromsø. Sandro has made several great graphical works, amongst other the packaging for "Fluid". Two slim-cans with beer for the norwegian brewery Mack. They have a limited editions, with new versions to come each year.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Handsfree!
Jan Borchies is a Swedish designer that I first noticed for his survival coat for homeless people, and now he has been kind enough to send us some pictures of his latest project. Handsfree is a floor lamp for cool lighting where the bulb is adjustable. For me this lamp is a good representation of Nordic design with its clean lines and the hole philosophy of “less is more”. The lamp is simple, practical and fun, all at the same time!
Fearless designs!
UREDD is not only the Norwegian word for unafraid, but it is also a group of very creative people from Trondheim. Together they make good and bold graphic designs, illustrations and visuals identities. Among many good designs, I have found “Furkunnjmat” to be one of my favourites. This is a cookbook written by the very cool chef Britt Moen, with pictures by Christan Nilsen and design from UREDD. The book has a nice contrast between modern punk and the traditional Norwegian style, and it was rewarded with the diploma “sterk reklame” ("powerful advertisement") in 2007. Take a closer look at Uredd on their homepage!
Uglybogus
Uglybogus is Shane Long and Rob Stanton, two guys who met during their sophomore year at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. They both shared the mutual love and fascination for pixel pushing, brush stroking, and squeegee pulling. Take a look at some of their gig posters, and their new work for Tegan & Sara.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
D-vision
D-vision is an internship program for Product Development and Industrial Design, and the initiator of the program Mr. Sami Sagol, Owner and Chairman of the KETER Group, tells it is to strengthen the competitive edge of the Israeli industry in the international arena by setting new standards of excellence for Product development and Design. "The program's strategic premise is that success in the global markets requires talented product designers who have been exposed to both valuable hands on experience and state of the art professional know-how." They were at Salone Satelitte this year presenting the project "Outable", and surprised us with many fantastic products. Check may of them out by clicking more...
(Above)
BBQ TRAY
When carrying the meat before and after it is grilled, fluids that are released, slowly flow into the veins of the tray creating an interesting interaction between the tray and its content.
MOTHERBIRD
The project deals with the relationship between the pitcher, the glass and the tray. Much like the bird feeds its offsprings in the nest, the question arises – do the chicks want to eat more than the mother wants to feed? 
FLATABLES
Vase.
Based on folding techniques and geometric locks a vase is formed from a flat, thin, plastic foil. 
FLOWER GOBLET
Ice-cream or fruit set. Shaped like a big petaled flower, it is surrounded by natural shapes and turns toward the diner.
IN BLOOM
A set of salad bowl, servers and a dressing bottle. Much like a blooming flower, reviles its inner layers exposing its different colors
THE NECESSARY 10%
Plays with the ratio between handle and tool and the correlation between metal and plastic. 
MOLECULE OF FLAVORS
Just place your favorite herbs in the molecular units attaching as many as you like to form one big molecule. Choose different units to create your own mix of flavors and intensity.
ANAFIM
Outdoor cutlery – Find the branch that is right for you, attach it to the desired tool and voila you have a fork, knife or spoon. Replace the branch whenever you feel like. 
A PUDDLE FROZEN IN TIME
One hand carrying tray. The thumb-gripping hole accurately relays weight shifting and enables close load-balancing of the tray, just like a professional waiter. 
BUBBLICIOUS
A bowl comprised of varying volumes of spheres, to place fruit of different sizes, in a way that enables to position the object in a new equilibrium each time, due to the change in the center of gravity. 
FRAME PLATES
There is a great importance to the way food is presented. The aesthetics of the food is defined by the mixture of shape and color. These plates function as a canvas for food as a work of art.
320 10’37.91’’ N 340 48’07.82’’E
An object’s shadow is visible in all worlds where there is a sun. At a certain point of place and time, the sun and the drinking glass create a shadow-like coaster.
GRANDFATHER ARTHUR’S GLASS
An eclectic set made up of an assortment of glasses from various cultures. Inspired by our every day family dinners where we use singular glasses from diverse sets.
SMALL APPLE DISH
By creating an appropriate place in the dish, your fruit waste becomes an esthetic part of your meal.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Marie Louise Gustafsson
Marie Louise Gustafsson is a swedish designer with a different point of view on things you can say... Her designs are fun and playful, and she uses everyday objects in a new way, a way that you maybe didn't expect. Like this "Table of Trash"; a desk literally throwing itself into the waste basket. She says: "I like the idea of visualizing the cycle of trash and the possibility reusing trash in a constructive way". (...)
SLACKER CHAIR: ‘Slacker’ adds a new flexible sitting experience as its users have to find their own sitting position. 
MOBILE BATHTUB: Let your senses guide you: have a bath in front of the open fire, your favourite film or anywhere in nature, daytime or moonlight! The project questions the location and personal value of the bathtub. Artwork by Norwegian artist Elin Melberg, www.elinmelberg.com.
MOP FLIP FLOP: A fun way to clean!
(Information about the products found on Marie Louise Gustafssons website)
Friday, April 25, 2008
La cassa della sposa
During salone del mobile, 8 designers met to work on a project called “la cassa della sposa” or as it would be translated in English: “the Bridal Box”. It is, if I have understood it right, an old traditional object that Italians used to put their most memorable objects from their wedding and marriage into, so that hey could be kept and remembered (....)
The 8 designers working on a modern version of this wedding-box were; Andrea and Nicoletta Branzi, Martino Gamper, Alessandro Guerriero, Dante Donegani and Giovanni Lauda, Giulio Iacchetti and Alfredo Häberli, InteractionDesignLab, and Pascal Tarabay. Their work were all presented in an exhibitoion curated by Massimo Martignoni, at my old school, NABA in Milano. Here you can see some pictures of the result from Interactiondesign-lab...
This is not only a storage for memorable objects, but also a storage for recorded-sounds with the integrated loudspeaker.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Gro- bud and bloom!
Gro is a project from the Swedish designer Caroline Wetterling, that will be in stores soon. Caroline says on her page that there is a human need to see something grow. The care and tenderness that we develop when we bring something to life, and as we see it grow, makes us feel good about ourselves. Therefore she has made Gro as a hothouse for you to plant the seed you want to see bud and bloom. Gro is a small glass that transport light both for the function as well as for the aesthetic of the product itself.
Farm
These guys have clearly understood that presenting not only your products, but also yourself is the key to being noticed at such a huge fair as Salone Satellite. Dressed up with hats and sticks, they kind of reminded me of a scene from “A Clockwork Orange”, as they gladly posed for us next to their original designs. We totally fell for the furnitures made of corrugated cardboards, with shapes of old baroque stile. Farm says that they create highly original pieces that, like themselves, are full of personality. And for that reason I do believe that Farm is a name you will see and hear more from in the design-future to come!
(Text by Julia and photos by Natalie)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
fascinating and horrifying...
Diddo Velma is an artist with a lot of political sidekicks and comments in her work. Now she have made designer Gas Maskes as a conceptual art project. In one way they kind of scare me, I really hope I never have to wear one, but still they do look good!! The big contrast of diamonds, the expensive fabrics and the shiny glasses with the gas mask itself, a symbol of war, makes the product both fascinating and horrifying. Read more about here thought behind it on her page
Designergasmasks.
Wyller, Froystad & Klock
Playdays at Salone Satelitte: Norwegian design was well represented at Salone Satellite, and at one of the stands we found Wyller, Froystad & Klock. With vibrant colours and clean lines, they drew a lot of attention from the visitors at satellite. Happy to see Norwegian design, we obviously wanted to have a little chat with them, and the first person we met was Øyvind Wyller. Unfortunately he just handed us a brochure and asked us to read it ourselves more or less, so, a little disappointed we turned to the girls who were much more approachable and helpful (...)
They could tell us that all three of them were from Khio (Art Academy in Oslo), the 2girls were doing their first year of a master and the guy his last of a bachelor at the school. It’s the first time they present their work at Salone Satellite, but they had some experience from the Stockholm fair. The table and lamps were all made of 100 % aluminium and the guy, who suddenly was back into the conversation again, could inform us that it therefor was easy to recycle. The surface of the aluminium is eloxated and we asked if it was of environmental concern they didnt use any lack or another type of finish, and they agreed on that. As they said that, he suddenly started thinking out loud that maybe the bath they used to eloxat wasn’t really good for the environment anyway, so…
They had all collaborated on the table called Trippel, wich have already got a lot of attention from the Norwegian press. At their stand you could also see their individual products: The Bermuda chair from Klock, the Cooper chair as well as the Eclipse Wall Lamp from Wyller and the Kimono chair from Froystad.
We leave their stand a bit confused and irritated, they obviously have some nice products that stand out in the crowd of design at Satellite, but we were just hoping for a nicer conversation, so that we could have written an even more positive article about them and how great it actually is to see good Norwegian design in Milano!
(Text by Julia, photos by Natalie)
Design against poo
The small Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds has many dog lovers. With a population of just 37000 inhabitants, there are as many as 2000 dogs that excrete a staggering 600 kilograms of feces every day! That’s a lot!
To get rid of the dirt, the local art school launched “Dogs Mess Eradication Project”. This project is interesting, cause the town is actually filled up with different coloured, three-dimensional dog signs that indicate clearly if it’s a no-go zone for pets or not. So I guess it makes it clearly, that you remove the dog-poo or you just don’t let your dog go there.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Giulio Iacchetti at Salone
It is not the first time I write about Giulio Iacchetti, and I promise you it will not be the last either! He was presenting no less than 8 different projects during Salone, and unfortunate for me I only had the time to have a closer look at 2 of them. First up was the 22 unusable knifes for Coltellerie Berti. I was soaking wet from the rain outside when I entered Via Ponte Vetero, were the atmosphere was warm and intimate. Giulio had chosen the perfect place to show his knifes, all of them with different shapes and forms. First made in wood and then reproduced in metal, the shapes were soft an elegant, and somehow it reminded me of humans and all our different body shapes and sizes (....)
The second project i did see was the "la cassa della sposa" of witch i will do a post a little bit later! so just stay tuned!
Monday, April 21, 2008
the best of satellite
Seeing so much design as you do in only a couple of days at Salone, is overwhelming for everyone. We have already posted a lot of interviews and closer looks on some of the designers exhibiting in Zona Tortona. So when we finally got to Salone satellite we were simply just so overwhelmed that we just couldn’t keep on posting everything we liked. That would have been exhausting for both you readers as well as us writers! So instead we have made this little “best of satellite” for you, and we hope you enjoy it!
Table, dishware and glases from SMOG MILANO
BCXSY had some really funny stuff! Like this "foreverdish" that has captured a satisfying meal in the surface of the plate, and the "Infinity aquarium" that makes the goldfish swim around in circles.
Disposable/reusable cutlery by Tomas Alonso for FAB assosiates.
bureau for Wis design
Lamps from Studio Hausen
Music is not dead from Gauthier-paulain
(Text by Julia and photos by Natalie)
'a world of folk' at salone satellite
Playdays at Salone Satelitte: This year Stavanger city in Norway has been elected to be the European capital of culture, and as a teaser to the major exhibition they will have in Stavanger in June, they had crossed the boarders and we found them at Salone Satellite. The exhibition is called a world of folk and containes a lot of different object from design and craft, furniture and tabletops, toys and textile, knits and embroideries, food and fashion, graphic and ceramic, metalwork and music.
At Salone we could see some of the examples form the coming show, and we had a nice little chat with Camilla Halverson. Only a second year student at the Norwegian academy of art (kiho), she was exhibiting her first year project, “Dean” a stool in wood.
(Text by Julia and photos by Natalie)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
hello sweden
ADDI, is a designgroup with roots in Kalmar, Sweden. The group is founded by the young designers Johan Malmqvist, Andréas Karlsson and Eric Therner.
ADDI is a shortening of ADD Innovation and their company has been up going since 2006. They recieved the prestigious Red Dot design award in the catagory best concept design for the coathanger Stick To Me, also an Honorouble Mention in Primo Vico Magistratti, contest for DePadova with the bookshelf Billys Brother.
Here you can see one of their work Piano, which is a combined bikestand and park bench. The 90 degree angels creates an interesting and effectfull contrast in the landscape and it looks to me, like Sweeden made some brilliant ideas.
You could see them at SaloneSatellite during the Salone this week..
Bombay Sapphire
Playdays at Salone: The Bombay Sapphire stand was a colorful, interesting and diverse exposition this year, and there was a lot to see. We especially loved the lung "Capacity" by Annie Cattrell, the lollipops "Frozen in 2007, melted in 1997" by Ruby Woo and the vases "A molecule for the Horizon" by Akiko Iwase.
"A molecule for the Horizon" by Akiko Iwase
"Capacity" by Annie Cattrell
"Frozen in 2007, melted in 1997" by Ruby Woo
"Mystical Journey" by Marvin Oliver
"Nuclear Power Station Project" by Kate Williams and John Lloyd
All photos and text by Natalie
Designersblock
Playdays at Salone: It was the end of a really rainy day, and I was wandering home to dry up. Since I live right by the Designersblock venue, I've passed by there a couple of times. It looked pretty sad in the rain- this venue is perfect for great weather- not for bad. But I wanted to check it out, and when I met these smiling faces on the inside of the first tent I went to, I didn't have any choice. The warmth and cosyness of these two people combined with a roof over my head for now, was a perfect combination. ROAM is a design company based on two fashion designers; Sonia Ambrosano and Lachlan Munro.
They make blankets in all the different colors in the world, and they even specify them with monograms etc. if the costumer wants to. They had a great week so far (when I talked with them on friday), with already some contacts and a lot of positive respons. They were just crossing their fingers for better weather right now. I didn't want to leave them, but I had to, so they told me to check out their neighbours, a design group called KithKin.
KithKin is launching a download-only online shop during Salone, giving designers the chance to sell their products in a quick and affordable way, directly to the customer. They were selling everything from music, film, books, fonts,
posters, photographs and trend reports as well as products and graphics, which can be
printed, laser-cut and rapid-prototyped after being downloaded.
This is the idea:
"Mp3s, file sharing and piracy revolutionised the music industry. Now it’s time for the design industry...
New digital technologies such as rapid prototyping are already changing the design environment. Concerns about copyright theft, intellectual property and ownership are sparking debate. There are increasing environmental worries associated with the manufacture, transport, storage and wastage of products.
Imagine being able to buy the digital blueprints to any object, being able to take it to a skilled professional and have it produced directly. Imagine instant access to quality design ideas and the means to manufacture products on demand. Imagine completely removing the middleman. We have designed a marketplace that connects the designer straight to the consumer. No longer will designers get bogged down in the traditional route to market for their products, involving protracted negotiations with manufacturers and shops.
"Some Rights Reserved" lets designers get ideas out direct to the public, on their terms. Designers have greater creative freedom, flexibility, spontaneity, and control over licensing. Consumers are given the chance to purchase design instantly, either printing it out on their own printer or taking the file to a listed supplier for production.
The "Some Rights Reserved" download shop stocks a range of products from conceptual one-offs to unlimited edition prints, from independent music and film to trend reports. The restrictions of commerce are lifted, empowering and questioning the role of designers and consumers alike. Let the revolution begin!"
All photos and text by Natalie
Swarovski Crystal Palace
Playdays at Salone: We've been looking forward to this expo for weeks, since they always seem to surprise us with these faboulus crystals. In the same venue as last year, a little bit dark and spooky at first, you enter into something that reminded me of Alice's Wonderland, but with a tad more of a bling-factor...
(Ok, I forgot my tripod... But bare with me, please;)
AQUA JEWELS by MARCEL WANDERS :
"Bisazza, the famous tile manufacturer teamed up with Swarovski to create a mosaic wall designed by Marcel Wanders. The wall is encrusted with specially designed Swarovski crystal tiles. This mosaic wall is the backdrop wall for a shower room which contains three Shower Chandeliers. Marcel Wanders grew up in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and graduated from the School of the Arts Arnhem in 1988. Marcel Wanders' fame started with his iconic Knotted Chair, which he produced for Droog Design in 1996." (Press release from Swarovski)
...and yes, we are in Italy, so there had to be half naked showering babes!
RÉ by ZAHA HADID: "Zaha Hadid’s design pushes the boundaries and preconceived notions of the chandelier, redefining the nature of the object. “From my first days in architecture at the Architectural Association, I have always been interested in the concept of fragmentation. For me the idea of fragmentation has also to do with the idea of dynamism, of a cosmic explosion of some kind. For this piece, each Swarovski crystal can be considered as an individual element that interrelates with, and responds to, every other crystal. Locked in a spiralling vortex, the crystals direction is determined by the forces of an explosion. As with our architecture, contextual embedding is always considered. The chandelier relates to - and interacts with - each new environment in a unique manner; constantly reinventing itself and offering exciting new possibilities with each installation. Zaha Hadid is a notable British Iraqi deconstructivist architect. In 2004, Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize."
CAVERN COLLECTION by FREDRIKSON STALLARD:
"Transcending convention, Fredrikson Stallard has created a collection of solid monolithic furniture forms in three different materials – concrete, wood and leather. Perforated by cavernous openings, the interior surfaces are encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals and lit from within to add volume and density to the sculptures. Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard began their collaboration in 1995 and have since become internationally recognised as leading exponents of British Avant-Garde Design."
