BKM‘s stated goal in interior design is to “search for the unconscious of things.†They do this by exploring what a chair means, becoming aware of the properties inherent in that kitchen table, and paying attention to the inner power of your floor lamp. In essence, BKM is after the essence of things. They try to look at design in terms of deficits: what is current design missing, and how can they provide the solution? And BKM does not overlook the ever so necessary relationship aspect between user and design product, as things are seen as tools, objects, representations, or personal accessories.
Mickus Projects is a relatively new design firm in the neighborhood, with just four years of product design under its belt. However, in those four years, Mickus Projects has managed to create pieces that harness the creative power of unique materials, superb craftsmanship, and the latest digital technologies. They strive to minimize the impact their production process has on the environment. Their self-professed mixture of “function and flirtation†makes their products fun and fresh, and easily incorporated into any modern home. The above pictured Relief Chair updates sculpting with digital technologies, and uses solid structure combined with contoured textures for a tactile and visual event.
Working as a freelance designer isn’t easy, but Charlie Crowther-Smith makes it look just that. His one-man operation may appear on the small side, but his studio workshop is going non-stop. He is a Bristol-based designer, and takes commissions as well as produces more commercial items. Intent upon working with local designers, Crowther-Smith is organizing an exhibit this summer to showcase the best and brightest in Bristol interior design. His style is eclectic, using hardwood as his material of choice. He spruces this up by bringing out the natural grain or by painting the wood with whimsical, bright colors.
Specializing in realizing industrial design’s most ambitious projects in Denmark, Molgard Aps is a creative and innovative interior design firm which is growing its happy customer base daily. Founded in 1998 by Claus Molgaard, this firm also provides support to other industrial designers around the world and reaches out to over 20 internationally acclaimed firms. With an eye to high creativity and guiding the interior design industry, the impacts of Molgard Aps can be felt from North America to Europe and beyond. The above pictured 3 Skin Chair is based on an initial CAD design by the client, which Molgard Aps amped up, modifying the high-end plastic materials and swooping design.
Escho is a young firm, with only one collection released to the public. However, they show the promise of great things to come, if their current Allaria line is any measure. Escho is made up of a team of individuals passionate about interior design and quality craftsmanship. They worked together on Allaria to take an old idea and make it new: by moving interior design to the outdoors. The Allaria is a high-end product line featuring outdoor furniture that is inspired by indoor-only pieces. It features white ceramic construction, with clean crisp lines and geomestric styling.
Voon Wong and Benson Saw is a design firm with nearly ten years of collaboration between its two founders. Within this time, they have found a balance of their unique backgrounds in architecture, engineering and product design. In their first year, they won the OXO Peugeot Award for lighting, and they have been showcasing award-winning lighting, furniture, tableware and other designs ever since. The above pictured Array series of bookcases is a custom made-to-order set for Air Division in Singapore. The below pictured Ribbon Coat Rack is made of a single continuous band of bent painted steel and features a smooth, minimalist attitude.
Monique Engelund explores that unique relationship between people and objects: how people affect their surroundings, and how their surroundings affect them. Her designs are meant to challenge the mind and inspire the spirit, and move beyond simply function or beauty. She is all about experiences, so some of her more experimental pieces combine multimedia like film in order to get people interacting in a new way with their surroundings. Her minimalist approach and crisp designs show that she has her finger on the pulse of the modern interior lifestyle. Inspired by the everyday, Engelund brings her adventurous spirit into everything she designs.
Palmas Del Mundo caters to the high-end, beach-front property-owning crowd: perhaps not a mainstream market, but it’s one that needs a little something extra. They produce upscale, high-tech beach architecture and roofing solutions, and their designs are innovative, luxurious, and make us a bit envious. Using palm tree thatched roofing as inspiration, Palmas Del Mundo crafts their tropical treasures out of durable, low-maintenance, fire-resistant polymer. These roofs are leak resistant and water resistant, and look just like tropical palm trees up close. If you’re in the market for something that is reminisce of white sand and seafoam reef, look no further than the niche palm roofing from Palmas Del Mundo.
Straight Line Designs Inc. is a firm founded by prolific designer Judson Beaumont and operates out of Vancouver, British Columbia. This Canadian team prides themselves on a work environment that encourages the impossible and experimenting when others would simply stop and throw their hands up in the face of a challenge. Their specialty is custom-made furniture for public institutions and children’s exhibitions, and their quality designs are meant to be unique, rather than mass produced. Their whole approach to design is to ditch the “disposable society†syndrome found in so much cookie-cutter design and strive for something eye-catching, unique, and truly creative.
Omri Barzeev Design Studio consists of an Israeli designer with a passion for new, innovative interior design. He has recently received a BA in industrial design from Shenkar university in Tel Aviv, and has been working hard at furniture design since graduation. Don’t let his youth fool you – Barzeev has an eye for the hip, funky new trends in interior design. The above pictured Zaza chair uses notions of morphology and mixing materials to come up with a chunky seat that would look wonderful in any loft-style living room. It finds harmony in the combination of soft and hard, round and straight, and evokes a sense of balance.
Office4ideas is managed by a team of gentlemen who are eternally curious about the method of industrial design and the materials and processes of furniture production. Their main focus is personal and consumer furniture, and they have expanded their offerings to international and domestic markets. Each one of their projects receives unique attention, but they have similar ambitions across all of their work: to innovate, improve upon, and make better every idea they come across. The modular bench pictured above uses firm but sturdy benches separated by a metallic divider, and can be placed and reconfigured based on the atmosphere of the space.
Creative Ape uses a unique three-stage design process to incorporate new and cutting-edge designs at every stage of the process. They also create their own furniture and other projects, using the evaluate, innovate, create three-step process that is so unique to their firm. Fluid and modern forms have emerged from this process, such as the above pictured modular home theater awash in stylish metallics and reds, or the below pictured chair and bed set that use traditional grain wood paired with flashy color and a low profile. Creative Ape is a firm with a solid grasp on the design process and a variety of projects to show for it.
