Corpus Assembly Ex Materia , by Benjamin Graindorge
The project imagined by Benjamin Graindorge functions like an ecosystem in which each element is not simply an object, but rather a material actor that feeds life into its environment; adopting it, adapting it, and modulating it. The designer chose to use living materials such as wood, leather, and fabric which for him reflect metaphorically the skeleton, ligaments, and skin. This daybed applies research into the use of leather thongs strapped to cherry wood laths. Since it’s both wide and deep, it serves as a bed, reclining chair, and bench seat/plateau. The second element is a 1.8 meter-high lamp—its cherry wood and leather structure is complemented by a fabric hood with straps that hangs like a kimono, which lets the light from inside seep outward through various openings.
Estonian Design House, by Tarmo Luisk
Part of the “Estonian Design House” exhibition, Tarmo Luisk re-used old furniture to give them a second life. Combining different elements and parts from several sofas and armchairs, the designer has created unique and original pieces.
Casque Egide Apollo Lin, by Freemoos
This helmet from Freemoos’ “Apollo” collection gives a new demonstration of the qualities of linen fiber, which is natural, eco-friendly and provides excellent shock resistance. The fibers are molded using a thermo-composite resin and are then treated for resistance to UV and to scratches. The same model can be made using carbon fibers or Kevlar.
Fluffy Lights, by MuscarLights
Muscar is a light that you can hold. It is the first light bulb that can be experienced for its warmth and texture, as well as for its lighting. Muscar’s surface temperature feels far lower that of common energy saving bulbs, so you can place it wherever you like, or it can even sit in your lap while you read.
Fulvio Chair, by Matteo Pacella
Made from compressed, dampened newspapers, Fulvio chair is a response to the 9.5 tons of newspapers discarded every day on the London subway system. The process of creating this chair informed its design, allowing the creation of the strongest paper-based chair structure possible.
Gaia Cabinet, by Erika Braccini
Gaia Gabinet by Erika Braccini has been designed to be brought to schools to educate children about the importance of earthworms. It illustrates the need for us to limit food waste, and to recycle it by feeding it to earthworms ,which will turn scraps into nutrients and enrich the soil. By using this enriched soil, children are encouraged to plant and grow their own food. Gaia Cabinet is made entirely from recycled plastic and stainless steel—both fully recyclable and locally sourced in the UK.
Fixie Bike, by In’Bo
Thierry LeHenry won the International Red hook Criterium track-racing event in Brooklyn in 2014 on this fixed-wheel bike. Hand-made by the In’Bo workshop in the Vosges Region (France), it is built of bamboo grown in Anduze for resistance, coupled with linen fiber from Normandy for absorbing vibrations. The Fixie offers excellent adhesion on both asphalt and indoor track.
“Was the First Chair a Stone?”, by Luca Muñoz
Lucas Muñoz is a Spanish designer working on his own from the Netherlands and crafts pieces that take a radical look into the origins of what he is considering an “artificial environment”. This piece, titled “Was the First Chair a Stone?” speaks about a New Primitivism where an old stone has been transformed into a rocking chair.
Muffler, by Normal Studio
The next two products, “Muffler” and “Diffuser”, are part of the Atmospheres project created by Eloi Chafai and Jean-Francois Dingjian of Normal Studio. From their perspective, users today have to control the capacities of technology and their effects, analyse their precise needs, and rebalance the characteristics of the environment.
The first device, “Muffler”, was designed to improve acoustic comfort, and it doubles as a storage unit. Its external sides are sound mufflers composed of absorbent foam rubber covered with Texaa (a woven technical textile made to a patented process). The faces are outsized to provide the largest surface possible for sound absorption, and they are sloped by physical necessity: flat surfaces reverberate sound waves more readily.
Diffuser, by Normal Studio
The diffuser is a lamp that also transmits numerical data by light. It uses an applied technology known as Lifi, which consists in harnessing a Led installation to serve as a wireless communication network. It has several advantages. as it does not emit harmful electromagnetic waves. and it enables specific diffusion data to be set up according to the various lamps installed in an interior.
Table Climatique, by Jean- Sébastien Lagrange and Raphaël Ménard
The “climatic table” has integrated heart-regulating qualities that enable to improve the comfort of interiors. It is composed of a folded sheet of anodized aluminum, and its folds are filled with PCM (phase-change materials) beads that store and re-emit heat. The table acts as a stand-by source of passive heat that works without any input of power.
Woollen Sunglasses, by Solid Wool & Fan Optics
Based in Buckfastleigh, an old wool-producing town in Southwestern England, Solid Wool has developed a new way of working with wool by combining it with bio-resin. This new material can be considered a sustainable alternative to plastic. Solid Wool collaborated with Fan Optics to create a collection of sunglasses using this innovative substance.
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