Ken Tomita, of Tomita Designs, draws inspiration from traditional Japanese forms and the multi-cultural context of his upbringing when designing his furniture. A majority of his Asian-inspired pieces are custom-made from bamboo plywood and highlighted with a black ink called sumi, a Japanese calligraphy ink. Hard at work in Portland, Oregon, this architect turned furniture designer understands the need and use of more earth friendly materials.
“The potential of bamboo ply as a renewable contemporary building material is only starting to be appreciated” says Tomita. “Bamboo retains the warmth and tradition within the framework of modern design. I think my of my pieces as sculptures. I design each piece specifically for the area in which the client plans to use it, so I always visit the site before I begin.”
We appreciate the use of bamboo as a more sustainable and renewable alternative to wood. With the addition of Tomita’s stylish mix of organic and modernist design sensibilities it just sweetens the eco-friendly deal that much more.
Our Friends at Orange 22 released a new teaser for the Botanist Blank Canvas debuting later this month at ICFF. We did a few more in depth posts here and here about the rock star list of designers contributing to this project, and the refreshingly philanthropic twist that convinced them to get on board. To get it straight from the horses mouth you can check out Orange 22’s site.
This table, by Israeli designer Itay Ohaly, Encourages the removal of smaller internal tables to be used separately before being herded back to the larger table. Walnut and Corian. 100 cm x 120 cm x 28 cm. Read the rest of this entry »
We told told you about the Botanist Blank Canvas project a few weeks ago and we can finally allowed to brake our vow of silence on the impressive list of participating designers. The full list includes-
If you missed last weeks post, the Botanist Black Canvas Project is one of the first ever product design endeavors to incorporate philanthropy. For the rest of the details click here.
This year’s CA Boom expo in Santa Monica featured Greenform, recyclable, fiber cement, e form products. Hand made in Switzerland, these beautiful large scale pieces are perfect for those of us who want to limit waste, and maintain taste. Their collection includes Willy Guhls 1954 chair and 2008 Ecal collection from Nicolas Le Moigne.
We were happy to show you the Botanist from our friends at Orange22 way back when, but they’ve just take it to a whole new level by giving designers the chance to give back. The Botanist is a minimalist indoor outdoor table made from a single sheet of aluminum. The fun comes in as designers use hydrojets to cut or etch designs into the table surface.The Botanist Blank Canvas project has recruited some design heavyweights by giving them a royalty, then giving a match donation to the charity of their choice. This is a new twist for the product design community, and hopefully one that will continue.We promised not to release the list of collaborators until the public launch of the project at ICFF next week, but if we made a list of our top ten favorite product designers, at least five of them are doing this. Place your bets now!For more info you can check out the Orange22 website.
If you’re anything like us then you grew up on low-fi graphic video games like Asteroids. This coffee table is a fitting tribute. The only thing missing are the coordinating spaceship coasters. Made of glass. As of right now it is a concept with plans for a limited production run later this year. Thanks to Zack and Kristy for the tip.
Designed by Lene Nendel & Michael Ryding. The aim is to create furniture and accessories for cats and dogs befitting the modern, cosmopolitan home. The design approach is Scandinavian and items are made from natural materials such as leather, lamb wool, steel, wood and glass. Products are minimalist yet have a comfortable feel and are made to blend in the modern home rather than being hidden away in a corner. Walnut cave, ultra-suede cushion & stainless steel frame. Cushion can be machine-washed h 22.8″ w 17.7″ d 19.7. You can get it here for $650.
The Myto chair was designed by Konstantin Grcic for Plank. Made of a new fluid plastic material from a single mould. It marks a shared achievement between German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, chemical researchers at BASF, and Italian furniture manufacturer Plank. Look for it at the Milan Furniture Fair this coming April. - Via Architonic.
We’re always amazed when someone can take an everyday object and rethink it in a new and interesting way. Flavour design seems to specialize in this with their buddah bowl, udon noodle bowl and the potluck. This interdisciplinary studio from Canada strive to make people say “why didn’t I think of that”, while creating fun and ergonomically friendly objects.
When we saw the Udon Noodle Bowl we were immediately reminded of one of our Asian friends chuckling at us as we left our chopsticks sticking up in our noodle bowl rather than resting them on top (apparently this is tantamount to yelling at the checkout clerk when they tell you that you can’t buy Colt 45 with your foodstamps, again).
