Tjep is best described as unusual furniture by an equally unusual pair of designers. On one hand you have Frank Tjepkema, who designed a toilet for astronauts at age 4. The other part of the duo is Janneke Hooymans, who crafted treehouses for children at age 8. Although both are now well into their 30s, Frank and Janneke still exhibit a childlike enthusiasm and curiosity in their work. Above: Table Accident is the “controlled collision of 7 tables” and is working metaphor that symbolizes the different perspectives of individuals in a meeting.

The Chair of Textures is as rich in motivations as it is in detail: designed to directly contrast with purely economical and functional design, this metal chair is laser cut with patterns that include flames, butterflies and flowers. Heterogeneity and dynamism is the ultimate goal here, and it largely succeeds in creating a chair that is overflowing with nuances.

The XXL Chair speaks volumes of Tjep’s abilities to quickly shift from one foot to the other, literally: this organic, almost animal-like chair is designed to make a humorous statement about today’s “super-sized mentality”. Fat-like folds lay atop each other, with a beautiful floral tattoo on a decidedly ugly surface.

My favorite work by far is the Shock Proof collection; while damaged decor is normally sent straight to the trash can, the discarded state actually makes a far more interesting statement. An internal polyurethane rubber layer normally ensures watertightness, but in this case helps to keep the shattered pieces together. As with all of Tjep’s pieces, visual impact is their forte and symbolism is always available if you’re willing to look a bit deeper.
tjep.com

Popularity: 10% [?]

I have the sneaking suspicion that the crew over at Finland-based Tunto Design doesn’t always take itself seriously, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While Tunto’s work has the polished hallmark of a quality manufacturer, there is also an unmistakably hip and homegrown urban vibe that permeates their product line.

Above: the Skede is a chair with the deck of a skateboard for a backrest (similar to Vitamin’s Powder Seat, which we featured here). The deck is supplied by Control Skateboards, but is optional: if you’d like to use your own skateboard, Tunto will supply the necessary instructions and screws so you can do the mounting yourself.

Although Keinu resembles the Skede in form, its function is completely different: I’d have to say Keinu is the first swing we’ve featured here at PadStyle. The seat is made from slightly bent layered birchwood, and even includes 5 meters of rope. While five basic colors are available, Keinu really comes to life when screenprinted with one of three graphic designs.

M3 is another fairly basic piece that resembles a banker’s box. The M3 is in fact a birch plywood seat that comes with handles and a removable lid for storage. Similar to the Keinu, this rudimentary seat is really shines when decorated with illustrations and patterns (the result of collaborations with more than half a dozen artists).

What I found the most interesting was the artwork on Tunto’s Kukka table. These floral patterns (by Finnish artist Jani Tolin) bear more than a passing resemblance to Patricia Urquiola’s Damasco table (featured here), enough so for me to wonder whether Jani also collaborated with Patricia or if this is an amazing coincidence. All questions aside, the Kukka and the more rectangular Vuokko table are definitely more “traditional” contemporary works from Tunto, but stylish nevertheless.
tunto.com

Popularity: 22% [?]

Michiel van der Kley is a relatively young designer, both in terms of age and experience, yet has worked with numerous European designers including Artifort, Soft Line and Van Esch. One of his best known creations is the I-Con Desk, winner of the “best of the best” category at the 100%design furniture fair in Rotterdam in 2006. This beautiful minimalist desk is wrapped in white Corian with a dark, contrasting walnut center, and is perched on stainless steel legs. One version even doubles as a computer, with an LCD screen, speakers, bluetooth and Wi-Fi all integrated into the frame–this is somewhat apt considering the smoothly rounded edges have faint overtones of iPod.

The Bingo Pouf has also been particularly well received; this attractive and highly versatile polyurethane foam mattress can also be folded up to serve as an ottoman, side table, or stool. An included bentwood tray helps further underscores its multifunctional nature. Structurally speaking, the high density foam provides ample support while the durable wool/synthetic upholstery enhances durability.

van der Kley’s approach to seating is essential minimalism mixed with just enough comfort. His Conco chairs are comparable to a heavily eroded pebble; even the seams are reduced to a bare minimum, with a knot at the top to hold the fabric together, and a point at the bottom for the base to meet the seat. The Bird Chair is an interesting contemporary sofa which curves back on itself, while the more transitional Seven series features a rectangular silhouette that contrasts with a gently rounded seatback.

The Chase series of coat stands and coat hangers are both highly functional but drastically different in terms of appearance. The Chase W is curvy and hollowed out, essentially hiding the hangers and minimizing its visual profile. The floor-mounted model takes the opposite tack with an attention-getting tripod design and dagger-like legs.

Similar to the I-Con desks, Michiel’s Sumo dining table is topped with Corian and is a minimalist’s delight. Integrated but removable trays with circular depressions eliminate the need for plates, while a separate set of featureless trays can be inserted during work time to form a flat surface. Despite his relatively young age, van der Kley has an impressive design portfolio; we hope for (and expect) to hear much more about him in the near future.
michielvanderkley.nl

Popularity: 22% [?]

Finnish designer Eero Aarnio is a man whose works likely need no introduction: his iconic Ball Chair is easily one of the most recognizable chairs in modern design. Despite being designed in 1963, this fiberglass chair is permanently anachronistic: it continues to seem like something you’d see in the not-too-distant future. Even more futuristic (and undoubtedly swank) is the Bubble variant which hangs from the ceiling and is made out of clear acrylic with a chromed steel trim.

The Keinu rocking chair is a labor of love; although Eero’s first draft was created in 1983, it took another twenty years before he would allow a more refined version to see production. A product of two decades and two centuries, the chair’s chrome frame is decidedly retro with an ebullient, circular shape (note the small ball stop–yes, it’s that round!), while the seat is somewhat more contemporary and is upholstered in tightly wrapped leather.

Eero clearly loves to have fun with his work; his Double Bubble Lamp (at top, apparently being worshiped by Ball Chairs) is youthful yet grandiose. Available in three sizes, the largest version stands nearly four feet tall, with all sizes being powered by two light sources in the bubbles and one in the leg.

From oversized fiberglass screw tables (1991) and the racing-inspired Formula Chair (1998) to his Focus Chairs (2002) and playful TIPI birds (2002), Eero shows no signs of slowing down. A creative yet playful force of nature in his own right, Aarnio’s overriding philosophy is best summarized by a quote about his fanciful Pony Chair: “It’s quite simply a lovely piece that brings a smile to my face. Hope it brings one to yours too.”
eeroaarnio.com

Popularity: 14% [?]

We’ve covered a few rather unusual designers here at PadStyle, but Pinel & Pinel is definitely one of the stranger ones. Born in Paris, Frederic Pinel had his first major success selling pizza bags; after which point he moved into other markets including smoking accessories, bathing shoes and dog collars. His present love: trunks, especially large ones that harken to the golden years of the Orient Express, which he customizes in unusual ways. Above: His Visio Trunk is a portable movie theater, with a 28-inch Beovision LCD screen, Bang & Olufsen DVD/CD player and nickel-plated brass hardware. Upholstered in leather, this trunk comes in one of 51 colors.

For audiophiles, Pinel has created a Soprano outfitted with a 250-watt B&O speaker system. Just like the Visio, the Soprano comes outfitted with casters for portability and is available in over four dozen colors. The most interesting feature of the Soprano is an array of 24 apothecary drawers which can hold up to 480 CDs/DVDs, giving this piece a quaintly Asian style.

It’s been said one of the best ways to see Europe is by bicycle; the Bike trunk has the unusual distinction of including an actual Brompton type M6R which can be disassembled and stowed away inside its compact frame. At 66 lbs, it’s a bit heavy and doesn’t come with casters (a major oversight), but it does make a somewhat compelling “case” for more well-heeled travelers who have the money to afford bellhops.

Lastly we have the Krug, which Pinel describes as the “ultimate, eccentric, contemporary and enormous luxury moment.” This trunk is actually a massive 88 lb. picnic basket with brown colt leather upholstered and red leather lining. 10 drawers carry numerous champagne bottles, utensils, bowls, thermos bottles and anything else you could conceivably need for a picnic–including the table. Yup, the Krug’s door actually detaches and includes a fairly spacious cocktail table and four foldable stools. Stylish in an old-world way, perfect for those who want a bit of traditional sophistication in their (portable) decor. For more information, feel free to visit the Pinel & Pinel website.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Via Cool Hunting: The guys and gals over at Vitamin definitely have a fun, playful spirit when it comes to design, and it’s downright infectious at times. Their Powder Seat is a an innovative way to turn your snowboard into a seat, with sleek chromed metal legs that attach to your ‘board with suction cups. The legs come in two varieties (tripod and arrow-shaped), both of which can be folded flat for storage.

Vitamin arguably has a bit of a plant fetish as well. From top: I.V. is a pot with an attached drip feeder, just like the ones you find in hospitals, while both Tab A and Tab B are two-piece pots that use your plant to cover up the sight and smell of cigarettes in the ash tray underneath. Lastly, X-Tray has a nice urban feel to it, with slightly sloping rectangular pots that can be arranged in a straight line, perpendicularly or in an L.

Spruce is one of the stranger combinations I’ve seen: a lamp integrated into a floor sweeper. I’m pretty sure this is a prototype at the moment as I do wonder about the usefulness of a top-heavy handle: it’s a bit cumbersome to have a lamp shade and light bulb in your face while you clean.

Vitamin also makes garden gnomes (of all things) which are much hipper than the traditional terracotta ornaments that decorate lawns. Styled after the squat, nubby toys that are popular in the urban vinyl scene, these bone china figures are adorned with a nice variety of graphic designs. Although they’re outdoor friendly, I probably wouldn’t leave them outside–we all know what kids like to do with gnomes (g). My faves are the glow gnomes that are available with an internal light: very cool, just like the rest of Vitamin’s goods.
vitaminliving.com

Popularity: 9% [?]

Via swissmiss: Courtney Skott is a recent graduate of the Wood/Furniture program at the California College of the Arts, but don’t let that fool you - she draws from a diverse background that includes majors in journalism and engineering as well as work in the internet industry. Perhaps the best embodiment of Courtney is in her innovative Cloud Bed which serves as a “room within a room”. This is a bed that is layered with meaning: the curved corners are clearly contemporary, the frame is based on Chinese alcove beds from the Ming Dynasty, and the cutouts are digitized clouds from a trip to Patagonia. All the while, the bed is more functional than most, with casters that allow for easy repositioning. Image attribution: Heather and Fraying

Corrugated cardboard is not necessarily the classiest of materials to emulate, but the Map Cabinet and Corrugated Bench (both, above) are surprisingly handsome. Made from bent plywood, the wavy sheets are not only interesting but also help to give structural integrity to the overall piece (much like with real cardboard). The plywood itself is detailed with silk screened patterns; forests in the case of the Map Cabinet, and chantilly lace for the Corrugated Bench.

As a fellow Bay Area resident, I can relate to the rationale behind Courtney’s prototype Quake Shelves. Each shelf (made from Padauk wood) is bolted to the wall with a patina-finished metal bracket–not a bad feature to have in a tremor, although the shelf can slide back and forth within the bracket.The metal actually is dotted with holes that represent the locations of earthquakes in California for the previous week, guaranteeing a certain level of uniqueness for each piece.

The Un-upholstered chair is exactly that - this chair not only revels in its wooden frame, but has been routed through the Walnut veneer to expose the base plywood. A repeating floral pattern and the natural warmth of Walnut is enough to temporarily fool the eye into thinking the chair is perhaps thinly wrapped in fabric, but this chair is simply wood, through and through.

Like the Un-upholstered chair, these Tree Stools reflect Skott’s Wood/Furniture background, although more in spirit than actual composition. Save for a plywood frame, the stools are actually designed for comfort with ample foam padding. Each stool is wrapped in a jacket of wool which is meticulously pin tucked to give it the appearance of bark. As with many of Courtney’s other pieces, these stools are expensive at $3500. I do however look forward to seeing more of her work in the near future, if not for ownership, at least for inspiration.
courtneyskott.com

Popularity: 10% [?]

Happy New Year everyone! PadStyle is taking the day off to ring in 2007 with friends and family, and will resume normal posting tomorrow.

My warmest wishes to you and yours,
Si

Popularity: 4% [?]

Like many pieces of furniture, the essential function of a clock is rather simple–yet, our timepieces still manage to come in a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes. Above: this alarm clock from Gump’s in San Francisco shows that beauty needn’t be skin deep: all of its inner workings are visible down to the cogs. A brushed metallic rim with exposed metal screws helps to give this piece a nice dose of style.

If the complicated/mechanical-look is not to your taste, this Wood Plinth clock from West Elm goes back to the basics. The entire frame except for the movement is made from a slice of acacia, and then lacquered for a smooth finish. As this is primarily manufactured by Nature herself, the clocks can vary significantly in shape and size.

For those of you who feel the Wood Plinth clock’s natural features leave a bit too much to chance yet love its simplicity, French publishing house Domestic’s “Vynil” is worth considering. Yup–Vynil is made by a publishing house, since the vast majority of its components are little more than vinyl stickers which you can position as you please. Frankly at $80 I think it’s a bit much for a bunch of stickers (which are arguably stylish) and a $10 clock movement, but enough people are buying it–it’s currently sold out at Rare Device.

Time (and arguably causality) is purely a mental construct, yet one that occupies a very tangible role in our daily lives. The Magnet Words Clock brings a different mental aspect to the forefront with magnetized words that you can shuffle around its face. I particularly like the “dance” and “play” stickers–they just need to throw in a few like “food coma”, “party” and “me-time”.

Rnd_time looks somewhat like a (programming) function, which is appropriate given its form: the “rnd” stands for “random”, in that each number is assigned its own cube, each of which can be randomly placed on the wall. Available in black with white numbering (or the reverse), the cubes aren’t too large–about 2 1/2″ LxWxH–but they do look like they could double as shelving for trinkets, small photos, and of course–action figures.

If mathematics isn’t your thing, you’re really not going to like the Numero Clock. The 24″ wide face is crammed full with numbers (I count at least 80) which are tightly packed enough to form a fairly interesting pattern that faintly resembles swiss cheese.

No, the Giovannoni clock (above) doesn’t float–though it would be really cool if it did. The image is more an example of beautiful but misleading marketing, since its primary feature is the ability to wirelessly transmit time from the rectangular base unit to the orb, or “time sphere”. The sphere can then be moved to another room and will project the time onto any surface, as long as it is within range of the transmitter.

Flip clocks are my favorite - not nearly as complicated as the Gump clock at the beginning of this article, but mechanical enough to evince feelings of nostalgia. The retro-stylish Karlsson Flip Clock (above) actually has an analog timepiece, but does have a flip motion calendar. For real novelty, however, the immensely popular Yoshitomo Nara clock takes the cake: with 84 distinct drawings that represent the different hours and minutes of the day, it actually makes watching the clock fun.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Just an abbreviated post today as I celebrate Christmas … above, via our friends at DesignMilk: Blomus’ Estilo contemporary christmas tree is made out of shiny stainless steel, with each “branch” carrying a tealight. Although not the color of a traditional tree, it captures the essence and lighting of one.

Above: another candleholder christmas tree, this time with a wrought iron frame. The stars come in not only silver but gold, white, green, red and blue, while the tree itself comes in small and medium sizes. Made by Cescanis Decorative Accessories in Turkey.

Lastly, the Lesley Craze Gallery exhibited these swirling light sculptures by Wolfgang and Heron in 2003. Called “Flo Light”, each handmade strand is made from steel and is available within the UK only.

Happy holidays. Please celebrate safely (and if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, warmly).

Popularity: 5% [?]

Chista is a New York-based furnishings designer with an emphasis on materials - specifically, wood. Similar in premise to Stew Design, the execution is entirely different. Chista prefers to keep its wood as close as possible to its original state, and excels at taking natural coincidences and making beautiful furniture. Above: several tables are formed from slabs of richly colored aged teak for a wholly primitive look.

The Root block table and solid wood lounge chair are even more primitive, with the natural channels caused by water and decay not only retained but emphasized. In the case of the Root table, the damaged appearance is unique, if not entirely functional (lost coffee cups anyone?). The lounge chair is beautiful, although not something I would want to sit on for any length of time without plenty of padding.

Chista’s Dubuffet tables are also made from teak wood and feature complex, organic slices that are extruded vertically. They bear somewhat of a passing resemblance to traditional Chinese characters. A glossy lacquered surface and a flat-top make these slightly more acceptable in a clean, minimalist setting than the previous Root table.

Above: the stunning Slice line of tables are cross-sections of Tamarin and Teak wood, dominated by a single gaping and irregularly-shaped hole. A squared, tapered design and smoothly sanded surface is a stark contrast to the raw, chaotic center - gorgeous, yet simultaneously disturbing.

Chista also makes more traditional furniture: the Coconut line is made from solid coconut wood, with an emphasis on rectangular segments in its design. Each piece features a beautiful matte surface that reveals the fine grain of the wood. Modern but not cold, due largely to the naturally warm colors of coconut.

My favorite work by Chista is pure art: these old chinese roots are familiar yet entirely natural. Many of these pieces look like something out of an HR Giger painting, with surreal curves and an alien biology. The wild-yet-tamed “Horse” is startlingly accurate, down to not only the shape of a horse but its pose. I’ll take the horse any day - truly natural coincidences are a beautiful thing, and Chista has an uncanny ability to not only find but beautifully prepare these wood pieces for the home.
chista.net

Popularity: 9% [?]

Moura Starr is a recent partnership between American distributor Shelley Badauy and Brazilian designers Graca Kazan and Luis Mario Moura. Previous to meeting Badauy, Moura and Kazan were only known within their home country (Brazil), making them somewhat of a hidden gem. Their upscale furnishings are now thankfully available in the US, with a focus on minimal grain patterns and utilization of native South American woods such as Acai and Cabrueva. They also proudly tout their efficient production practices–Moura Starr claims it is able to create 300 pieces of furniture from a single tree.

Above: the flagship Atmos cabinet (Moura Starr was originally known as Atmosphere) is a functionalist’s dream, with multiple drawers and shelves hidden behind a sleek folding door. Their Veg line of dressers and end tables share a similar blocky design, except with indented drawers that remind me of Heywood Wakefield furniture.

Moura Starr’s chairs are similarly restrained; overwhelmingly rectangular, they incorporate slight curves to deliver a sleek profile without being organic. Upholstery is essentially flush with the lines of the chair frame in the Greca dining chair (above), while the Malaca chair is slightly bolder with an arched back and arachnid arms that smoothly transition into legs.

Not all of Moura and Kazan’s designs are conventional - in particular, their accent tables are a welcome (but tasteful) exercise in experimentation. Carved, criss-crossing lines give the U coffee table an amazing texture, while the Vitoria console appears to float a slab of glass above its downward curving frame.

Their Olimpo and Plasma coffee tables are both centered around a circular design; the Olimpo has a dramatically slanted top while the Plasma adds visual interest by embedding a circle within a square outer frame.

Moura Starr’s dining and work tables stay within the confines of perpendicular lines–for the most part. The Tao table has an interesting zig-zag frame (I’m still not sure how that glass top manages to stay balanced), while the straightforward Ramses features a central slab of glass that is flanked by wood on either side.

My favorite is the Century desk, which is not only padded with stitched leather but keeps its fairly thin wooden frame aloft with a steel tube that runs the length of the table. Perhaps most representative of Moura Starr, the Century desk emphasizes functionality with style playing a secondary, but effective role.
mourastarr.com

Popularity: 10% [?]