Natuzzi Open Art in Milan presents The Shape of Energy

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We just received a press release on the collaboration between the incredible Italy-based furniture company, Natuzzi and Fabrizio Plessi, one of the most important and innovative artists on the contemporary scene. An installation will be on display at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile this year called “The Shape of Energy”, which was created by Plessi, echoing the dynamism, innovation and energy which has continuously inspired Pasquale Natuzzi and his company.

Lava will be the central feature of the video-installations and works that will be exhibited throughout the surface area and indoor venues of the historic Palazzo Caproni in Via Durini, where the Milanese Natuzzi Flagship store is located. The artist has created an installation of powerful visual impact, immersing visitors into a strong sensorial experience. The primordial fascinating beauty of lava seems to flow through the furniture and design objects of 2014 Natuzzi collection. Screens, digital stones, sounds and Plessi’s designs will be theatrically exhibited in the shop simulating a continuous flow, as a tribute to the Natuzzi’s vitality, energy and creativity.

The installation The Shape of Energy will be exhibited at the Natuzzi Italia’s Flagship Store in Via Durini until the 5th of May 2013. Within the Natuzzi Open Art project (whose mission is to make art accessible to everyone), Fabrizio Plessi will create, together with Natuzzi, an exclusive product collection which will be part of the Natuzzi catalogue. They will be authentic pieces of art created for everyone, where the value of art merges with the value of design and materials. A union made under the sign of value, for the benefit of the consumer.

This sounds like a fascinating exhibition not to be missed for trendsetters, those who love design, trendy furnishings and art installations. Please have a look at the video below and let us know your thoughts and impressions. If you want further information on this event or on Natuzzi furnishings, please visit their website here.

Innovative Moods for Food placemats

We just received photos from graphic designer Henrik Hallberg from Stockholm, Sweden who came up with a product for the tray in an Antilop highchair from Ikea. As a father of two, he found the highchair to be a bit dull, as a creative person by nature; he came up a very creative solution to this dilemma. He created innovative placemats to make the highchairs more attractive and more colorful and fun for children. The placemats are made out of silicon; Moods for Food placemats prevent plates and bowls from slipping, making mealtimes much simpler for toddler and their parents. Additonal benfits include reduced noise and improved hygiene, as the placemats can either be washed by hand or in the dishwasher. The placemat comes in four different themes: “Vegas Baby”- inspired by Las Vegas’ Black Jack table, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” – inspired by Marie Antoinette, “Mum.. we got a problem” – space and aviation themed, and “Just another breakfast” – bling for Audrey Hepburn fans.

For more information on these incredible placemats designed by Create Tomorrow, please visit the Moods for Food website here.

“Vegas Baby”- inspired by Las Vegas’ Black Jack table

“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” – inspired by Marie Antoinette

“Mum.. we got a problem” – space and aviation themed

“Just another breakfast” – bling for Audrey Hepburn fans

Photos: Courtesy of Henrik Hallberg

Unique knitted stools collection

These unique stools have been created by Claire-Anne O’Brien, a textile designer from London. Her work plays with technique and scale creating playful and tactile fabrics for interiors. This sculptural approach to textiles brings fabrics to life in three dimensions through form exploration and furniture. Her creative knitted stools are inspired by elements of the knitted stitch itself, such as rings and loops. The structures have been revealed and celebrated through exaggerated scale in bold and textured forms. Lambswool and Sheeps wool, in a mix of hand and machine knit stitches, are constructed into playful statement pieces.

Innovative design that’s cat friendly!

This attractive planter table is a project created by Emily Wettstein. Emily is 25-year-old designer from Brooklyn, NY and this table is a part of her application to grad school for architecture. The table is made from reclaimed walnut and steel with a removable planter that can hold a variety of plants, in this case wheat grass. An awesome table for those who appreciate organic elements in their home and need to decorate with cat-friendly furniture!

Rejuvenate by bringing a touch of botany indoors

Made by Nguyen La Chanh, the living moss carpet is perfect for the humid environment of the bathroom. Your own natural little green paradise is made from decay-free foam (plastazote) with three different types of moss inside: ball, island and forest.

This bathroom rug is made of recycled latex foam mainly coming from vegetal sources. Each cell welcomes a piece of moss (forest moss). The humidity of the bathroom and the drops flowing from the body, water the mosses. This vegetation carpet procures a great feeling to your feet.

The “tasty frame” is a 3 parts injected plastic frame which can be suspended on your kitchen’s wall or just laid horizontally. You can grow aromatic plants such as basil, chive, coriander, mint. Here is a little fresh kitchen garden bringing nice tastes to your dishes.

The kitchen garden offers fresh aromatic herblets grown right in your kitchen. Just cut them when you need some. They can grow vertically.

This interior “fragrant swing” is made of plywood with two tarpaulins pots. The ropes act as props for the creepers. The pot is thermowelded in one piece and acts as a pot and a pot saucer at the same time. Jasmine can live inside and has nice white flowers which emanate a very nice perfume.

Check out this stylish clock that knits!

German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen exhibited her 365 knitting clock at DMY International Design Festival Berlin. The clock includes a circular knitting machine with 48 needles, a thread spool, a thread holder, and roll of yarn. The design seeks to make time a tangible, physical thing. It moves clockwise and after one year, creates a scarf two meters long.

According to Wilhelmsen, time is a concept which unites us all, making it the lowest common denominator. On the one hand, time appears to be a physical phenomenon, logical and easily divided into the past, present and future. On the other hand, time can be viewed very subjectively. How long a minute, an hour or a year takes can depend on how time is experienced in different situations. However, this does not alter the fact that a day has 24 hours, one hour has 60 minutes and one minute has 60 seconds. ’365′ seeks to give a physical manifestation to the change of time. Drawing from the change that is witnessed through the growth of human bodies and hair, the same concept is found in ’365′ which translates time through the growth of knitted material. Via

Photos: Designboom

Unique design concept: Lost in Sofa

This unusual yet handy design concept is by Daisuke Motogi. Here is a description from the designer: “Things often get lost under the sofa. It’s ordinary for a coin which slipped out of your pocket, or a never-to-be-found remote to be accidentally found in between/underneath the sofa cushions. Maybe you’ll find a forgotten 10,000 Yen bill that you once hid there… Via

Illustrations: Noritake

Add a secret garden to your living room

The Secret Garden indoor/outdoor collection has been designed by Thai home furniture company Ayodhya Trade. The Secret Garden Table is a mosaic of various greens and textures that recall landscapes ranging from Tuscany’s rolling hills to the exotic Amazon rainforests. Each table in the collection is comprised of various kinds of moss encased within a transparent glass tabletop. While the moss is dried and not alive, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing you never have to worry about it dying and disappearing when you forget to water it. Via

Stunning hand-blown glass by Curiousa & Curiousa

These incredibly beautiful hand-blown glass light fixtures are designed by Esther Patterson of Curiousa & Curiousa. In her bio, Esther says that her work is an expression and reaction to childhood memories – she has a passion for visual expression mixed with an intrigue of the natural world. As well as creating surface designs on fabric that are then used on vintage furniture, she creates lighting from cast bone china and hand blown glass. Her poems and drawings are printed onto fabric and sometimes sandblasted onto the glass shades.

The Wo & We collection

These very unique light fixtures come from the Wo & We Collection. Olivier, the creative and talented designer behind these awesome fixtures, is a light “creator-assembler” and makes the coolest adjustable vintage lamps, restored and re-assembled from industrial components. He is based in Lyon, France and has been creating, restoring and assembling his pieces over the last four months. Via