Subtly Creepy

We all know there are some scary looking products and furniture out there (e.g. Campana brother’s Edra beds or anything Ross Lovegrove); it comes with the territory of pushing boundaries, changing aesthetics, and making people think. 

There is another class of works of design though that slowly and subtly starts to make you uncomfortable when you are left alone in a room with them, or suspiciously appear in dreams right before they become nightmares.  These projects may be beautiful, clever, interesting, and even downright good for your health; there is still something undeniably unsettling about being in/near or wearing them.

Creepiness being a very subjective quality, the following may not have the same effect on you as yours truly. Here are few examples that although they don’t make my skin crawl, definitely make it goose-bump slightly:  

Hiroshima studio Tsukano Architect Office did not like the views from this lot in Miyazaki, so they replaced them with a plain white wall. Although the wall is reflective enough to create nicely day-lit interiors, there is a post-apocalyptic feel like the whole house has been swallowed by the Blob, or is in the midst of being raptured.  

Zaha Hadid’s ‘Aria’ pendant light is a very graceful shape which beautifully dispersed light; but I wouldn’t stand too close for fear of being swallowed up by it in a swift spider-like motion. Especially in a group, these lights could certainly be featured on their own planet in a sci-fi flick.

‘Shivering bowls’ is a project designed by Nendo in response to a commission by the Triennale Design Museum of Milan to do with the idea of Eros. These thin silicone bowls are meant to invoke desire, as the viewer should uncontrollably want to touch them.

The bowls are so thin that a slight breeze causes them to shiver (see video below), and (I would imagine) the last person leaving the museum to shudder and look over their shoulder on the way out. 

The ‘Darwin’ coffee table was designed by gene-mapping the DNA of one Giulia Wolthuis, creating patterns with specifically designed software. Although this is a very innovative and fascinating process, it somehow feels like some kind of genetic ethics law is being breached. The shiny white lacquer covered in glass like a lab section probably doesn’t help. Below, the gene-donor and her table-clone. 

 Yves Behar’s latest contribution to the Jawbone brand is a wristband that the user keeps on at all time (24/7: in bed, in the shower, everywhere, all the time), that monitors how they eat, sleep and move. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this a little ‘Brave New World’ even for me… There is also something about the semi-faceted, rubbery surface of the bracelet that is maybe a little too futuristic sci-fi thriller.   

Made for slabs of oddly frosted resin in muted pastel colors, the ‘Haze’ collection by Wonmin Park has a little bit of a ‘killed in a terrible accident involving an ice-cold body of water and came back to haunt you’ feel.

The ‘Traffic’ armchair by Konstantin Grcic for Magis features an intricate wireframe base wrapped around the seat, back and arm cushions. I realize I’ve been on a bit of a murder kick at the moment, but if this doesn’t say ‘torture apparatus’ I don’t know what does!

by Claire Toussaint 

Your Design Has Holes

Whether to lighten up a material, let light shine through, or just add a bit of flair, perforations are popping up everywhere. Small holes may have driven the Poinçonneur des Lilas crazy, but we’re mad for them!

The 3+ collection by Oskar Zieta features furniture entirely composed of perforated steel plates. Perfect for cable management, keeping laptops and sweaty backs cool, letting the water through in an outdoor situation, or making a giant chair mobile (?). 

Mutina’s latest tile collection by the Bouroullec Brothers, ‘Pico’, has very small loosely imprinted dots in red or blue, which create a slightly quilted texture from far away. The very subtle touch of color adds an almost nostalgic childhood feel to a clean, modern bathroom or kitchen. 

Somewhere between a huge domino and a monument to braille, Barber Osgerby’s marble bench by Established and Sons for the Victoria & Albert museum in London was inspired by the shrapnel marks left on the museum’s façade. 

Nothing says Champagne like bubbles, which for HK designers John Lin, Joshua Bolchover and Jason Carlow translates into perforations all over the wall, bars and seating of the ‘Maison du Champagne’ in Wan Chai.

Inspired by factory workers’ lockers in the sixties crossed with 18^th century French furniture with mid-century proportions, the pieces in the ‘locker’ collection by Magnus Pettersen each have perforated aluminum fronts. A great way to keep your socks aired out yet out of sight.

The Dream Downtown hotel by Handel Architects takes perforation to an Olympic level. Overlapping layers of perforated metal in different scales give you a connect four, porthole or Swiss cheese feel, depending on how far away from the façade you stand. 

‘Down side up’ by Fabrica is a modular furniture system where each element has an irregularly perforated surface designed to accommodate many variations in configuration. Very clever, although it looks a bit worm-eaten.

‘Moon’ is a perforated serving dish… for your larger fruits and non-saucy items only.

The Kanazawa Umimirai library’s outer shell is evenly perforated from floor to ceiling. The relatively small holes allow bright daylight in the (w)hole building, but take away the view of the outside. No distractions here.

By Claire Toussaint 

Eric's Salone 2013 Top 10

Fresh off the plane from Milan, Dzine’s head of furniture Eric Zimmerman shares his impressions on his top 10 picks from the most anticipated design event of the year. 

1. The ‘Mikado’cupboard, one of Front Design’s latest pieces for Porro, has a light wood slat structure that lets you catch a glimpse of what is stored inside. The slanting and staggering of the wood slats gives the cupboard an exotic yet playful feel, adding a little flair to any austere modern interior.

2. The ‘Helen’ lounge by Flexform is simply a beautifully crafted chaise. The seat is made of woven leather braided around Flexform’s trademark sleek nickel-satin frame.  

3. ‘Stelle Filanti’ by Venini comprises of a glass pendant light held in place by a cage-like leather harness. It’s strange beauty makes it more akin to an artwork than a light fixture.

4. Another Front Design design, the ‘Doodle’ sofa for Moroso has an intricate pattern quilted in the leather, giving it a quirky yet luxurious effect.

5. Nendo’s ‘Deep Sea’ shelving for Glasitalia features glass shelves in deeper and deeper gradations of blue, creating the effect of looking down into a large body of water. This piece really captures Nendo’s quintessentially Japanese minimalist beauty. 

6. Modeled on the ‘Quattroporte’ by the famous Italian car manufacturer, the ‘Maserati’ chair by Zanotta breathes comfort and luxury. 

7. ‘Mate’ by A+B for Living Divani is a versatile chair cum ladder cum clothes valet, which could find its place in any interior with its discreet but distinct personality. 

8. ‘Aim’, by the Bouroullec brothers for Flos, is an adjustable pendant light which can be tilted in all different directions. An interesting piece on its own, it looks particularly animated in groups. 

9. A highlight of the fair year after year, Paola Lenti’s presentation of their outdoor furniture collection with a palazzo backdrop is a sight for sore eyes. Their vibrant rope finishes create fields of color in all kinds of comfortable looking variations.

10. The real showstopper of this year’s Milan fair however was undoubtedly the Moooi presentation on via Savona. A juxtaposition of vignettes, each one more lavish than the next, the space was filled with quirky out-of-scale accessories, dripping with gold and delicate pendant lights and adorned with wall-covering photos by Erwin Olaf.

by Claire Toussaint

Many Chairs Make Much Art

No longer content to be an integral part of an overall interior, chairs are reclaiming their sculptural qualities and bridging the gap between art and design. (All this to seemingly sell chairs to be in your interior)

A feast for the eyes and a great way to show off variations in style and color, shooting chairs out of context allows the potential client to look at them in a very different way. The focus is no longer on how well the chair complements the rest of the environment, but on the formal character of the chair itself. Accordingly, the buying process is cleverly altered to one similar to buying art (which is certainly not chosen on how well in goes with a sofa).

Italian manufacturer Pedrali turns 50 this year, and to celebrate they have developed an ad campaign showing the top view of dozens and dozens of chairs laid out in geometrical shapes like the candles on a birthday cake.

 Arper, another Italian manufacturer, uses photos of their products stacked, piled or bunched together on a neutral background like topless models in jeans. Definitely shows off the curves, although not necessarily the scale of the piece.

Nothing says ‘garage sale’ like piling up all your furniture in front of the house.  But somehow if you pile it up in a photo studio, or line it up perfectly in front of the factory, it suddenly says ‘list price’.

To hell with scale, chair art translates easily to doll size pieces! Instead of arranging them in a small open-faced dwelling, they can be hung by their feet in a spherical shape around a light bulb with interesting shadow effects...

 Finally, for the no-longer-parentally-guided crowd, a little straight-up chair-porn mise-en-scène and photographed by the inimitable Karl Lagerfeld. From light necking, to a little upside-down plaisir à deux, to a pile-up of countless chairs, the fashion master plays up the leather and fur side of each piece.

By Claire Toussaint