It's been called a Camping Chair, a Bog Chair, an X-Chair, a Stargazer Chair, a Viking Chair, an African Chair, but "no one can agree on where the design first came from or what it ought be called," says Rain Noe. In his article for Core 77 he looks at the many variations of this simple flat pack chair.
Steve Ramsey shows how to make one: Read the rest
Spotted on the Pittsburgh craigslist, the future of law enforcement. Read the rest
SWISH is a lovely portable stool created by feeding inputs into design software and seeing what the software generated. Carlo Ratti Associati debuted this prototype at Milan Design Week 2017. Read the rest
Why have 3.5 inches of delicate magnetic medium and clattery mechanisms, when you can have a beautiful 3.5 feet replica? The first can coast one drink; the latter a great many. Floppytable is made of hot-rolled steel and the creator, Neulant van Exel, will apparently make one for you if you get in touch.
Anna Hezel just saved us from an inadvisable couch purchase with her horrifying article, Why Does This One Couch From West Elm Suck So Much? Read the rest
Rainier Weber pays tribute to Rainier Weber with this chair, "upholstered in luxurious hand woven fabric from London and Venice" and matching lamp. The 22k-plate set is $127,000. (via Crazy Abalone) Read the rest
On November 11, Sotheby's will auction off David Bowie's beautiful collection of Italian designer furniture and other objects, including his incredible 1966 "Radio-Phonograph, Model No. RR126" by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The bulk of his collection going on the block though are 1980s pieces of Memphis furniture. Over at Collectors Weekly, Hunter Oatman-Stanford writes about Bowie's deep appreciation for Memphis:
The name “Memphis” was supposedly chosen after an early brainstorming session, during which Bob Dylan’s song “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” played repeatedly on the record player. The designers appreciated the word’s disparate connotations, evoking both cheap American kitsch and the regal city of ancient Egypt.
United in their efforts to reject traditional notions of “good design,” the Memphis artists mocked the bland austerity of Modernism by mixing clashing colors, patterns, and materials on playful geometric forms that often masked an object’s intended use. Although their collaborations only lasted a few years—Sottsass left the Memphis group in 1985, and the rest parted ways in 1987—they caused an uproar in the design world. Memphis sensibilities continued trickling into mainstream design via knockoff brands that influenced interiors everywhere from movie sets to high-school cafeterias.
“It didn’t look serious. It looked like a prank,” Bowie wrote of Memphis in 2002. “It mixed Formica attitude with marble diffidence. Bright yellows against turquoise. Virus patterns on ceramics. It couldn’t care less about function.”
"Space Oddity: David Bowie's Secret Obsession With '80s Memphis Design" (Thanks, Ben Marks!)
Reddit user rykahn confirms that there is no lock on the door of the Existential Toilet they chanced across this weekend, where one is always alone yet fully empowered by the cold vastness of the universe. [via CrappyDesign] Read the rest
This Jeep Desk made from a reclaimed hood is approximately $1700 from Canett Furniture:
Primary material: Metal Secondary material: Wood | Primary pattern: Worn out Secondary pattern: Plain
Jeep Desk (Canett Furniture via Geekologie)
The Bun Van, designed by Circu, is a bedroom designed to look like a 1960s VW microbus.
The exterior of this piece is made in fiberglass with chrome plated finishes; the inside is made in palisander wood veneer. Inside it contains several storage compartments, a bed, a tv, a secretary, a mini bar and a sofa.
Barcelona design firm Bel & Bel makes chairs out of the front farings of old Vespa scooters, with the option of working turn-signals (no side-mirrors in sight, alas). Read the rest
The DS-600, a modular sofa from Swiss manufacturer De Sede, was designed by U. Berger, E. Peduzzi Riva, H. Ulrich, K. Vogt in 1972, and remains otherworldly and wonderful. Read the rest
Not sure about Pesco's new throne. [HAROW via CBR]
You could be lying around on this super-comfy mat of configurable balls if you have $8K lying around. Comes in blue, red, brown, and gray. Read the rest
