Nika Zupanc

Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc creates intriguing everyday use objects. What makes them so different and interesting?

Not only the actual toys, like the car Konstantin, but also the lamps and sofas seem to be made to play with. All the "toys" are meant to seduce and awake our true selves: our inner children. “Emotional ergonomics”, this is how the designer defines the personal interaction concept between the users and the object.

"I was asking myself if we buy something because it’s functional, or simply because we like it on some emotional level?"

Nika Zupanc clashes our everyday true life with the inner images of ourselves and, what could seem impossible - binds the two realities together. The designs refer to stereotypes of feminity and masculinity, the girlish and the boyish clichés. Especially the feminine icons are present: innocent and seductive, both from flirtatious boudoir and boring kitchen.

www.nikazupanc.com




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Lolita lamp, 2008




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Unfaithful feather duster, 2007



...................................................................................................................................................................... Maid chair, 2007



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Mrs. Dalloway, mini hot plate, 2009



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Konstantin B, toy car, 2009



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Scarlet table, 2009



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Boy’s Lamp, 2009



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Black cherry lamp, 2010



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5 o'clock chair, 2010



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Modesty sofa, 2010



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The doll house, 2009



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The wind pavillion, 2010

Achille chair by Jean-Marie Massaud

Do you remember my post about slim line furniture? Achille, a padded chair designed by Jean-Marie Massaud is definitely one more example of the new trend. The chair is available in a variety of fresh, summer colours and has removable upholstery. It was created for MDF Italia and presented at Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2010, Milan.

Slim line furniture

Modern technologies combined with traditional crafts lead designers to new, undiscovered areas and enable to create innovative, surprising and almost-impossible furniture.

Cord-chair, designed by Japanese Nendo in 2009, is a masterpiece of craftsmen's work, each part carefully carved from wood to reveal the beauty and flawlessness of the material.

Unbelievable 15mm diameter - that is the thickness of cord-chair's legs. 15mm is also the diameter of a standard electrical cord, the origin of the chair's shape and name. Each of the legs is made of stainless steel frame (9mm) wrapped in a hard maple wood layer (3mm). The steel core is visible at the base - when the chair is lifted we can discover the secret visual reference to the chair's name.

As a follow-up to the Cord-chair, Nendo designed recently Wire-chair, a bare structure of 12mm steel rods. The chair is covered by multiple layers of powder coating and precisely hand polished to achieve immaculate surface reminding of traditional japanese lacquerware.

Surface table (2008) is a result of cooperation between designers from very different areas: furniture and racing car design. Terence Woodgate and John Barnard shared their experience and used unique properties of layered carbon fibre combined with aerospace technology to create an innovative table with very sophisticated, ultra slim silhouette. The thickness of the 3m long table top is only 2mm!

Surface chair (2009) was the next slim line furniture piece created by the design duo. The chair is made of layered carbon fibre with highly polished finish that reveals the structure of this exceptional material. Surface chair is available with optional 0,4mm leather seat pad.

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Cord chair by Nendo for Maruni (photos: Yoneo Kawabe)

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Wire chair by Nendo (photos: Masayuki Hayashi)

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Surface Table, by Terence Woodgate and John Barnard, for Established & Sons

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Surface Chair, by Terence Woodgate and John Barnard, for Established & Sons

Black sculptural chairs

Where is the border between art and design? At what point everyday object becomes a work of art? It is surprising how quickly the balance shifts recently, how easily we began to accept abstract forms and invite them to our homes. What is your opinion?

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One Chair by Konstantin Grcic (2006)



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Ombra Tokyo chair by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina (2009)



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Houdini Chair by Stefan Diez for e15 (2009)



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The Masters Chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell (2009)



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Teepee Chair by Konstantin Grcic for Cassina



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Vertex Chair by Karim Rashid for Vondom (2010)



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Robo Chair by Luca Nichetto for Offecct (2010) 

.03 chair by Maarten Van Severen

I discovered .03 black chair at the local Photo/Video shop, simply by realizing at I'm sitting at something very comfortable. Of course, I had to inspect! The next moment I was amused how nicely it fitted among all the cameras, tripods, telescopic lenses and studio equipment. Was there an interior designer involved?

.03 chair design was developed in 1999, by Belgian designer Maarten Van Severen, closely collaborating with Vitra since 1995.

.03 simple form, as described by manufacturer, is the quintessence of the concept "less is more". The shell is made of polyurethane foam available in seven colours, with back legs in tubular steel, front legs in aluminium profile.

Jumper chair by Bertjan Pot

Jumper chair was launched by Established & Sons in Milan last week. I felt enchanted the first moment I saw the photos. The woolen surface seems warm and invites to touch it. The concept was created by Dutch designer Bertjan Pot.

"Jumper consists of one continuous oversized woolen knitted cover, with qualities very much like that of a jumper, including buttons that fix the cover together on the underside of the chair, once the knitted cover is wrapped over the solid wooden structure and bent steel legs. The cover is knitted on a ‘Knit and Wear’ machine that is skilled for clothing garments, but this is where the fashion and design production processes divide. Once the garment is completed it is then run through a high degree wash to attain a seamless and upholstered effect eradicating most of the stretch from the wool but presenting a high quality fabric that layers the structure with precision and rigor."

via: Dezeen

Tall Chair by Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon's designs are extraordinary, each characterized by beautiful sculptural form. Tall Chair, with its slender form and accentuated high backrest, can be considered as a design statement. The upholstered dining chair is available in grey fabric with brushed black-lacquered oak legs. It was launched in 2006 and it's a perfect accompaniment to the Slab Dining Table in solid oak . Recently Tom Dixon used his Tall Chairs to complete interior design for The Circus Bar & Restaurant in London.

www.tomdixon.net