By Clément Bommel - September 2, 2011
I've always been attracted to the street art movement. Although I hate stupid tags without meaning, I have fallen in love with artists who open your mind while looking at their art, while providing beauty to the towns they work in. Banksy (UK), Invader (FR), or Zibe (IT) are just a few.
It all started with markers and spray cans years ago, but lately the street art movement has evolved; artists are getting more creative and are using a wide variety of tools and supports to open our eyes to the society in which we live!
By Clément Bommel - March 31, 2010
Because people are obsessed by the unattractiveness of power cables lying around the house, most companies developed products and solutions that help wrangle, hide power cables (charging station, kitchen appliances) - or even removed them by using wireless technology (home automation, home cinema). NUD takes the opposite approach… and creates a wide range of trendy, eye catching cable collection.
By Clément Bommel - October 23, 2009
‘Doorknob condition’ by ‘Arnaud Lapierre’ is a smart way to indicate the usage status of a room. It allows you to pull on the knob from inside the room to retract the outside door knob flush with the door!
Easily imaginable in hotel rooms, or any public but individual spaces to replace the usual sign we all know ‘do not disturb’, often taking form as a tie around the doorknob. This concept takes privacy one step further with an innovating pulley system that makes the external knob disappear (it retracts to lie flush with the door panel) when pulled from the inside… And without a knob, there is no way to open the door! It is also a strong visual information; you don’t have to look for the red status anymore… If there is a knob, take it as an invitation and use it, but If there is no knob, you are probably not welcome!
By Clément Bommel - May 10, 2009
The “Salone del Mobile” (Milan furniture fair), the largest and most anticipated trade fair in Europe , showcases everything from one-off pieces to coordinated suites and everyday household articles. The accent is on materials, technologies and styles, ranging from the classic to the ultra-modern. It is held every year, usually at the end of April, in the FieraMilano complex (main show), but it is also spread across the city with hundreds of off-site events in Milan’s showrooms, studios, art galleries and public spaces… This event brings around 348.000 visitors, 2450 exhibiting companies, 570 young designers and 22 international design schools.
Some of the Italian frogs went to look around the city, but due to how huge the fair is, this is a report of 2 themes among many: The ‘soft products’ & the ‘innovative installations’. Enjoy the 10 things we noticed most among those 2 themes… But keep in mind: this doesn’t represent the whole fair.
Soft products:
1/ The ‘Embroidery Rug’ by Charlotte Lancelot is a rug made out of hand made oversized cross stitch.
Composed of one felt layer filled of a holes pattern and some extra colored stitches allowing you to create your own graphic (a flower in this case). I like the fact that the rug can be customized by the owner and will evolve with time.
By Clément Bommel - April 21, 2009
Today, people tend to play solitarily in front of their TV or computer (or socially online but still physically alone). What happened to the times when everyone gathered together around a ping-pong or football table? It was social and active, (and it didn't use up any electricity). No need for a Wii video game.
For many years, the football table hasn't received a designer’s attention, while football stadiums have become incredibly involved and sculpturally beautiful. The classic football table no longer fits into modern interiors anymore. Enter "11," a collaboration of the two companies, "GRO design" and "Tim modelmakers." Their showcase football table (seen above) debuted at Milan Design Week last week.
By Clément Bommel - April 3, 2009
“Xerox Corporation scientists have invented a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again. The technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use… Xerox estimates that as many as two out of every five pages printed in the office are for what it calls ‘daily’ use, like e-mails, Web pages and reference materials that have been printed for a single viewing...
By Clément Bommel - March 26, 2009
An interesting Sneaker-to-Sneaker collaboration between ‘DC shoes’ and ‘JB Classics’ allowed to create those sneakers, well realized and nicely details focused.
By Clément Bommel - March 20, 2009
Nothing new about sticking post-it on a wall… But this lovely concept from Duncan Wilson (in collaboration with Sirkka Hammer) won a second place in the 'New Walls, Please!' competition for several reasons…
By Clément Bommel - February 27, 2009
Leonardo dining table, designed by B. Clerc, O. Gregoire, and M. Plantrou, doesn’t establish an innovation on the functional or ergonomic side, but it is a meaningful product.
By Clément Bommel - February 26, 2009
The D/A clock concept, from Alvin Aronson, imitates the LED segmented displays with physical segments that slowly fade in and out from the flat surface…
