Desu Design is another Brooklyn-based company, but one with its roots in Los Angeles. Originally specializing in architectural metals, Desu is similar in concept to Steelogic but utilizes a greater variety of materials in its work. Above: the LR-1 has all the trappings of a futuristic bench, with a white satin urethane finish, stainless steel loops for legs, and inlaid colored glass with rounded corners on a built-in side table. Not only is the LR-1 a stylish seat, but it also can double as a bed; the supportive foam cushions account for approximately 6 feet of its nearly 8 foot span.

If Symbol doesn’t look much like a coat rack at first glance, that’s because it was specifically designed that way. Desu’s team apparently has an aversion to empty wall hooks and wanted to create something that would look attractive during the summer months. The final design design utilizes retractable hooks that swivel into the aluminum frame when not in use. The playful colors of the hooks may not be for everyone, so Symbol is also available in a monochrome style.

Void and Slot are tables which share a similar feature: a deep crevasse that breaks up what otherwise would be a flat tabletop which also doubles as a leg. In the case of Void, the crevasse is surrounded on three sides by brushed stainless steel. The Slot opts for an open design, since its slot is lined with mirror-polished stainless steel, a brilliant contrast to the rest of the table which is powder coated in metallic brown.

The Either/Or Table has a dual function: laid flat it serves as a lap tray, but when laid on its side it instantly becomes an accent table. A satin brushed tubular steel frame that fully forms one end of Either/Or makes this possible. The lap form is the most functional; at nearly 2 feet in length, it has just enough space to comfortably accommodate TV dinners and laptops. Note: the tabletop is made from aluminum cladding and is powder coated in white or bronze.

Desu’s Axi tea light pendants are designed to be hung from the ceiling on bronze thread and hooks, and are so-named because of a two-piece design with an inner frame that is perpendicularly oriented to the outer frame along the vertical axis. The skyscraper-like Parallel Stem Pedestals are firmly rooted to the ground and have a long rectangular cutout just underneath the candle. Made from solid, cold-rolled steel, this candle holder is finished in black oxide with a lacquer coating and is available in four heights.
desudesign.com

Rios Clementi Hale Studios (notNeutral) is a multidisciplinary design team based in hip and trendy Melrose in West LA, and specifically avoids “lowest common denominator” products. This kind of attitude is pervasive in their products, which range from garden accessories to tableware. We focus on the latter in this post; above: notNeutral’s limited edition Designers’ Gilt plates are adorned with familiar patterns ranging from lace doilies to spirographs that are further interpolated along a polar axis. The 12.5″ plates carry a high price tag at nearly $80, but that’s because the designs are made of 22K gold.

notNeutral’s more conservative casual china still skirts the edge of style with four designs: Leaves, Letters, Links and Circuit. Despite their rather mundane names, these self-contained works of modern art are difficult to find at any traditional retailer. Color combinations alternate between b/w and shades of green, blue and brown. The latter colors seem to be inspired by Nature; notNeutral, but perhaps “natural”.

Much more seasonal are the Studios’ trivets, which basically consist of two themes: Fall and Winter. Their “Fallin” Trivet collection bakes the intense reds and oranges of Fall onto leaf-shaped steel cutouts with neoprene feet, while “Frosty” is the more elegant of the two with beautiful and delicate snowflake patterns painted in shades of blue.

Although perhaps not as interesting as the china and trivets above, notNeutral’s placemats fit their role perfectly; subtle birch mats with cork feet are screen printer with their now familiar patterns, and then sealed to protect against food and liquids. Also available in coaster sets, these complementary tableware accessories have the innate beauty of woodgrain and the style of minimalist, rounded corners.

As a final touch, no dinner is complete without the comforting ambience of candlelight; 80% soy based wax candles are scented with 10% essential oils. The beautiful glass cups are decorated with contemporary botanical designs that include bamboo, sycamore and pomegranate, and come primarily in green with hints of baby blue. For more information on Rios Clementi Hale Studios, feel free to visit their website, notNeutral.

Brave Space is a Brooklyn-based group of designers with a focus on sustainable products that are both a bit playful and contemporary. Their environmentally-friendly Bamboo Slide is a classic example of both their philosophy and their New York roots, with a small footprint that is perfect for tight urban kitchens. A sliding butcher block top adds nearly another 2 feet to its length and also reveals an extra, removable cutting board. Two drawers to either side of the table also slide out for additional storage space. In Brave Space’s words, this useful kitchen island also allows a host to simultaneously prepare food and serve as barkeep–making Bamboo Slide not only efficient in space but in time.

The Hollow line of tables features an open-ended “hangar” that sits just underneath the tabletop, useful for hiding relatively flat items such as magazines and books. The end table is particularly suited for storing periodicals with pockets on its legs, while the bench makes up for its length with a central cutout that allows for access to its hollow interior. A light blonde bamboo trapezoidal inner frame is wrapped by a darker amber shell, which is an interesting play on negative space. Finished in organic herbal oil, these tables are both minimal and sustainable.

Brave Space’s Tetrad series is based off of Tetris, a game to which many of us can attribute lost hours and sore thumbs. Not only is the shape of Tetrad just like its electronic counterpart, but its pieces are interchangeable too. This allows for an infinite variety of combinations; stylish, double-sided beveling only adds to the permutations by making the individual shelves reversible. A Pack Flat version comes with metal backing and fast shipping, while the Mini and traditional versions are bulkier but finished in more stylish Walnut.

Deep Space is a two-toned Baltic Birch and Walnut wardrobe which highlights Brave Space’s love for compartments and extra storage spaces, with a variety of hidden, shallow and deep drawers located not only inside its cavernous 4 foot-deep interior but installed inside its longest door. Three exposed drawers allow for easy access, while a bi level shoe rack near the bottom and a hanging rack near the top handle clothing and other apparel easily. Powder-coated black aluminum hardware accents an otherwise fully wooden frame which is finished with their patented water-based BioShield formulation.

The Bamboo Stagger and Desk 235 both feature zig-zagging perpendicularly oriented parts; the Stagger is a shelving system with an asymmetric configuration to make room for irregular pieces such as vases while maintaining a fairly compact profile, while Desk 235 is wrapped in thin cherry/walnut veneer panels for a lightweight appearance. 235 is so named for its shelving which resembles a digital clock; now if only we all got to leave work at 2:35!

Lastly we have the Folded Bed, which is a sleek, low-profile bed platform with the same thin-panel appearance as the Stagger and 235. The headboard is flanked by two semi-translucent panels which, are useful for diffuse rear lighting. Even the slats are stylish, as they not only flush with the bed but fully integrated into its frame. In addition to the products featured above, Brave Space also provides custom design services to fit your own needs; for more information, visit their website by clicking here.

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.

In the world of contemporary design, you could say that lighting designers have a bit of an advantage over their counterparts. Self illuminating decor, by virtue of its intrinsic energy output, tends to grab attention; in other words, pretty lights elicit “oohs” like nothing else. Above: Mathmos Design’s Aduki lamps are definitely in the “ooh” category, with an organic bean-like form factor and a soft-touch plastic shell that produces a gentle, diffuse glow. Both Aduki and its big brother Aduki Ni will smoothly transition through a gamut of colors. Packaged in a chrome-plated die-cast zinc base, these rechargeable lamps are designed for both outdoor and indoor use and are portable.

Mark McKenna’s Designer Emulation Kits (DEKs) are humorous homages to some of the most famous modern lighting designers. Similar to a plastic model kit, each DEK comes with a circuit board and snap-off pieces with which you can (attempt to) build replicas of renowned lamps by the likes of Ingo Maurer, Achille Castiglioni and Richard Sapper. A single 9V battery is used to power a bright LED light; at only $29, these are much affordable than their real-life equivalents.

Similar to the Aduki lamps above, Candeloo are portable, rechargeable lamps. Targeted towards children, the lamps feature two bunny ears and covered electrical contacts to make them appealing and safe for little hands–though, frankly I wouldn’t mind getting pair of these into my own very adult hands.

Buro fur form’s Molecular Lights (1, 2, 3) and Alexandre Berthiaume’s Kozom (bottom) simulate the arrangement of atoms into molecules; it’s been a long time since I took Organic Chemistry but I do believe some of these lamps faintly resemble sigma and pi bonds. A polyethylene shade is supported by an aluminum base, and are sold in table or pendant variants. Kozom takes the molecule theme to another level with a chaotic mass of inflated vinyl balls surrounding a light source, and is fairly spectacular in a reddish-orange glow.

Tord Boontje is taking over the world, and the Garland Light is just another example of his amazing work (we recently featured his Oval Table here). His patterns literally come to life in a 3-dimensional structure made from laser-cut metal. Available in brass, silver, chrome or rust finishes, this is a beautiful and exotic piece and not one to be missed at only $59. For more innovative lighting, visit gnr8.biz.

Although colorful/patterned decor is all the rage these days, light colored furniture still continues to occupy a hallowed niche in contemporary furnishings. Above: the plasticky/mod Orbit dining set is appropriately named, as it instantly brings back memories of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The playfully rounded chairs in particular are infused with the optimism of the 1960s; chromed steel lends the entire group a hint of sophistication.

The use of white furniture in a living room is simultaneously the most rewarding and most controversial. Placing such furnishings (which often attract scuffs and stains like moths to a flame) in a high visibility setting is best reserved for those of us with a mean clean streak. All things considered, the arrangement above makes a compelling argument: sleek, rounded cocktail and end tables flank a minimalist splitback sleeper sofa. A white vinyl upholstered chaise ups the style equation a notch while a bubbly TV stand with chrome trumpet base complements the other tables in the room.

The Jazz series is a fairly elementary storage solution for with a bit of mod style. The display cabinet features an alternating grid of square cubbies with five sliding doors which are removable if you want to maximize display space, while the low-slung buffet table includes four smaller cubbies hidden behind two sliding doors. What really sets Jazz apart are the quartet of triangular legs which splay apart in a cartoon-like fashion; overall, a nice mix of utility and fun for cool cats all around.

For pure simplicity, it’s difficult to beat the Solo bedroom group: aluminum features are the only real flourishes on an otherwise very simple and square template. Definitely a set for minimalists, Solo is perhaps most at home in a loft setting; the elegant platform bed and cosmopolitan dresser and nightstand are perfectly matched with concrete floors, New York-style brick walls and exposed columns and ductwork. All of this and more are available at Eurway.

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

It’s always nice to feel good about anything you buy; it can be said that Andrew Moe’s furniture engenders good feelings twice over with not only style but environmentally sound production practices. Reclaimed lumber is the Moe Design Studio’s medium of choice, and as such no two pieces are ever alike.

Above: The Olathe series of tables is perched upon tapered, insect-like legs and can be topped with glass, wood or even stone. The top table is made from hickory, while the bottom is made from oak–both from reclaimed sources.

The Ames and Musashi are solid and imposing coffee tables with fundamentally different design approaches; Musashi is clearly more asian-inspired with a cantilevered oak top, while the Ames is minimal and modern. Musashi actually utilizes two pieces of steel to support its “roof”, whose ends are purposely exposed at the top of each leg. The Ames utilizes more traditional dovetail joinery to produce an essentially seamless transition from the sides to the top.

The zebra-like Chama is composed of several different species of wood to give it a unique striped look. The example above is made from soft maple and spruce, with a contrast not only between colors but textures (smooth vs. rough). At just over 1 1/2 feet in height, Chama is suitable as a short end table, stool, or plant stand.

Ridgeway looks a bit like it was sculpted from a single and unbroken piece of wood. In reality the white-washed finish nearly obscures the transition between the legs and the bottom of the seat. I like the overall shape of the piece – sharply tapered legs and an uneven top give Ridgeway a playful, handcrafted look with just a touch of modern.

The city of Mancos is located in the extreme southwestern corner of Colorado, and is rich with farming, timber and mining industries. The Mancos bed is somewhat of a testament to a predominantly outdoor culture with a rustic, unfinished red oak frame. I say somewhat, in that the bed is also clearly contemporary in shape, if not in texture.

The elegant Ophir desk and chair combo is made from rich ash wood with gorgeous, sweeping legwork on both pieces. This collection is my favorite, as it balances both minimalist aesthetics with just enough flair to make a statement. For more information on the Ophir and other pieces by Andrew, feel free to visit the Moe Design studio. Note: although his work is mostly made to order, some of his tables are also available at Vivavi.

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

With an extensive portfolio that includes clients such as Kartell, Artemide and Vitra, Antonio Citterio is an exemplar of classic contemporary style with low-profile furniture and clean lines. Above: both Visofa and Charles are minimalist sofas with chrome frames. Visofa features a backward slanting seat that nearly sits on the ground and is tightly wrapped with stylish cowhide leather, while Charles can be upholstered in either fabric or leather.

As its name implies, the Freetime series is all about versatility with a movable backrest that alternates between a normal forward and rearward “relaxation” position. Its foam padded cushions rest on fabric webbing, which is not as supportive as a spring-based system but has enough comfort for moderate use.

The Diesis is a heraldic double cross (‡) with a storied history, perhaps best utilized by the French: first by Joan of Arc and then again by the Free French forces which resisted Nazi occupation in World War II. Elements of this double cross can be seen in the triple sofa cushions on the Diesis sofa, which is available in either fabric or leather. Wide leather armrests balance on deceptively thin die-cast aluminum arms and feet, although the base frame is made from sturdy rolled steel.

Modularity is the primary goal of the Arne series (an homage to Arne Jacobsen), with a variety of end and middle units that allow for placement either in the middle of the room or along the walls. Citterio actually designed Arne (and particularly the curved variant) to encourage family togetherness. The playful color combinations hint at a diversity of configurations; the armrests alone come in short, suspended and enveloping versions.

Marcel is also a flexible seating system and my favorite due to its low-to-the-ground profile. Polyurethane foam cushions rest on a sliver of brushed aluminum, while tilted backrests seem to literally project from the floor. Similar to the Arne, Marcel can be positioned anywhere in the room: I particularly love the double chaise lounge + ottoman configuration, which looks similar to these swank Manhattan Loft beds.
antonio citterio bio (b&b italia)

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