Pine cone inspired furniture design

Most people won’t admit where their source of inspiration comes from (it starts with a b and ends with a room).
However, design student, Alix Armour was inspired by a pine cone, created a “pine-scale cocktail table” and won the 2011 Student Design Competition, sponsored by the American Society of Furniture Designers. Armour's table was prototyped and displayed at the High Point Market. According to the designer, she would like to create a furniture line based on the form, shape and colors of the pine cone. Nature is the original artist.

Furniture so down home you may never want to leave

Paula Deen, the patriarch of the Food Network, is taking a break from her Southern cooking to create a line of furniture so comfortable it’ll melt you like butter.
Known for her comfort food and southern charm, Deen is expanding her empire by collaborating with Universal Furniture to create pieces that are comfortable and casual with a bit of coastal style. Unlike some celebs who lend their name to a project, Deen helped design the collection and some of the pieces are similar to plantation antiques in her own home.
The Paula Deen Home collection includes furniture for the bedroom, home office, dining room, living room and home entertainment. The line’s wood furniture comes in a distressed tobacco finish, and accent pieces are available in painted finishes such as linen, Spanish moss and sea-oat.
According to Deen, life revolves around family and food—thow in some butter and I couldn’t agree more.

Ornate furniture with a modern twist

Modern furniture doesn’t have to be sterile and cold. Light Vintage from Italian design firm Moda offers an ornate, classic wood furniture line paired with bold, colorful modern fabrics. The result is a playful mix of old and new that would fit in a European palace and a loft in Chicago. The furniture line features chairs, sofas and my favorite the fainting couch.

New seating design fits multiple applications

The CH bench from Itoki Design is a one-piece plastic form that can be used in multiple configurations for seating and surfaces. The design won an Innovation Award at NeoCon 2010. The pieces can be moved around easily and are light enough to be stacked. Itoki suggests that it could take the place of small upholstered lounge seating or steel and wood side tables. It is made of linear low-density polyethylene, can be recycled, and has no parts to assemble or disassemble.

Reclaimed, restored and reborn

I’ve always like the idea of using something you don’t need to make something else you want. Call it recycling, upcycling or green—I call it smart.
Old bowling alleys are disappearing all over the country, but what happens to the long, beautiful heartpine wood lanes? I’ve read articles of people salvaging the wood to make countertops, and frames but Counterevolution has taken it one step further. Craftsman, Jim Malone has created three contemporary fine furniture lines out of these old lanes. Modern Rustic and Industrial Green series feature tables, seating, kitchen and desks. The Buffalo Greens series includes wine racks, lazy susans, clocks and jewelry. Malone has also done some beautiful commercial installations.
Its furniture fit for a kingpin! Go green!!

I blame 'Mad Men'

Yes, the 1960s' are back (cigarette smoke not included).

Bombay take two

As a teenager I was mesmerized by the Bombay furniture and accessory store in our local mall. I dreamed of an elegant Bombay dorm room. I bought a few pieces my freshman year and quickly discovered you get what you pay for—it looks expensive but it’s not durable. So my cherry-finish desk and matching chair ended up in the dumpster with the rest of the broken IKEA particle board furniture soaked in beer and memories.
Bombay packed up and left the US in 2007 after sagging sales and many store closures. However, the Bombay brand is alive again and will start selling its 250-piece collection on QVC, September 30. The new brand is designed to appeal to all price levels and I know a few former mall rats that will be tuning in.

Cardboard chic?

Cardboard is the new wood and cinderblock college dorm furniture material de jour. Freefold Furniture is touting its cardboard offerings as environmental friendly with infinite design configurations.
The good news is that once you graduate you can turn your cardboard bookcase into a home.

Something old, something new

Sotherby’s is featuring a cutting-edge, contemporary exhibition on the spectacular grounds of Sudeley Castle (across the pond) from May 28 to August 1, 2010. However at this exhibition you can touch and buy the art.
The selling exhibition arranged in association with Carpenters Workshop Gallery, is showcasing a series of one-off and limited edition pieces by contemporary artists and designers. The exhibition follows in the footsteps of previous successful outdoor shows by Sotheby’s at Chatsworth House in
Derbyshire (Sotheby’s Beyond Limits sculpture exhibitions at Chatsworth are now in their fifth year), and also at Isleworth in Florida since 2003. In contrast to Beyond Limits, which focuses on monumental sculpture, the Sudeley exhibition presents design pieces with a utilitarian aspect.
The works can be used as functional lifestyle objects or simply appreciated as works of art with profound aesthetic appeal.

It’s not you, it’s your furniture

Do you suffer from periodic creative droughts? If so, your furniture may be holding you back.
Steelcase’s Turnstone division recently launched Campfire, a line of informal office furniture inspired by familiar indoor and outdoor spaces for small businesses. The seven-piece furniture line boasts a paper table with a glass surface similar to a white board or a paper pad top for ideas on the go. Furniture groupings have kicky names such as Island, Base Camp, Oasis and my favorite Shanty. The big lamp is reminiscent of a beach umbrella, the big table is similar to a kitchen table and the big lounge is, well, you get the picture.
While Campfire is designed to foster creativity and teamwork— chatty co-workers can be the biggest creativity buzzkillers. Will small businesses owners bite or just go work in the park for inspiration?

The sliding furniture scale

Somewhere there’s a “yo, mamma” joke in here, but I’m going to take the high road.
For years, furniture manufacturers have been slyly designing furniture (the chair-and-a -half and monster sized sofas) as the world’s population gets bigger. Some smart furniture companies are cashing in on this growing trend.
For example, Norwegian company Ekornes offers reclines in three different sizes— small, medium and large. The large chair can hold up to 300 pounds. The selling point of these chairs is that different sizes offer a personalized fit for various body types. As this niche market expands, (no pun intended) look for other manufacturers to join the fray and up the design ante.

Vintage with a modern twist

I have to admit it, I hate fall.

I like the colors and pumpkin flavored anything, but I hate what comes next--winter.

This vintage aluminum sofa with super chic modern fabric reminds me of better times (summer). As Chicago flirts with its first hard frost of the season, I will be dreaming of mojitos and hot summer days.

One good chair

Humans like to sit. And we all want to sit on a comfortable chair. However, I want my chair to be comfortable and look good.
I am not alone in my quest for beauty and functionality. The One Good Chair design competition focuses on lounge chairs or similar casual seating — to aid the body in the act of sitting.
For this year’s competition, designers and students were challenged to create sustainable chairs that meet the subtitled “Fit Right Here” criteria of Make good (Material conservation), Feel good (Physical comfort) and Look good (Emotional resonance).
Two chairs from Europe and one from a Florida designer are finalists in the competition, and the winner will be announced at the upcoming Las Vegas Market.
Select entries may be featured in Lance Hosey’s forthcoming book, “The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design.”

Blurring the boundaries

Paging Brad Pitt…

“Furniture Futures,” the first in a series at the V&A is tapping influential designers and industry heavyweights to discuss how contemporary furniture is blurring the boundaries among art, craftsmanship and design.
The event coincides with the growing awareness of furniture as an expression of contemporary culture, and is structured around three main themes: Creative Directions, Changing Practice, and Promotion and Communication. Additional topics include whether furniture is a new art form; what role new materials and sustainability play in making and design; and whether individual creativity or collaboration in the key to innovative practice.
The Symposium will be held September 18, 2009 and is part of the London Festival of Design.