Ceramics designer Ann Kristin Einarsen has based her latest collection, Rolla, a series of functional planters, on the Plus Salt and Pepper Grinders designed by Oslo-based design trio Norway Says for Muuto. The two-tone planters’ rounded forms comprise two elements, a base to hold water, and a pot to hold the…
Tag: London Design Festival
Features
Heather Scott’s wall-mounted plant stand elevates the humble houseplant
Designer-maker Heather Scott has created a wall-mounted plinth to display plants, working with Falmouth based plant studio and shop Toro. The brief was to change the way that house plants are presented, moving them from floor or tabletop to eye level by somehow affixing them to the wall. “My inspiration for the Toro…
Features
Native & Co’s Mu collection celebrates cedar wood
Furniture and tableware brand Native & Co launched their latest collection entitled Mu at September’s London Design Festival. The collection, comprising six designs, celebrates the natural qualities of cedar wood, highlighting the grain in a variety of shapes from a simple circular platter and traditional plate, to a smooth ripple effect…
Features
Troels Flensted creates a ceramic collection without using clay
Troels Flensted’s Poured Collection is handmade in Copenhagen and created by combining a mineral powder and water-based acrylic polymer. Various coloured pigments are added to the mixture before it is poured into a mould. The marble-like effect is unique to each smooth, polished piece, giving the feel of ceramic, but…
Furniture
Rachel Parker’s Northmore design features twice as many colours as a typical rug
Taking an existing Rachel Parker fabric for design studio Flock and working with rug retailer Floor Story to turn it into a rug seemed like a simple enough idea, but it quickly became apparent that there were big differences between the two media, especially when it came to colour. “When…
Furniture
The Centiped is Olga Akulova’s take on a vintage shop counter
The Centiped was originally designed as a bespoke piece for a penthouse apartment on the 30th level of a condominium in Kiev to showcase the homeowner’s accessories. “We couldn’t find anything appropriate to display accessories because we didn’t have much space for a freestanding piece in the interior,” says Olha…
news
Design Geek to create toolkit for Design Internships
Firstly, a huge thank you to interior design duo, the 2 Lovely Gays, award-winning designer Ella Doran, and editor of Intern Magazine, Alec Dudson, who were our invited experts, as well as everyone else who joined in the debate from actual interns to founder of the creative industry’s answer to…
Architecture
Norway pioneers ‘design for all’
Throughout September, London’s Somerset House played host to 37 countries all responding to the theme of Utopia by Design. Contributions varied wildly from the conceptual (Albania’s Bliss – “a concentric arrangement of stainless steel columns and benches designed to encourage self-reflection and solidarity”) to the emotional (France’s Le Bruit des…
Furniture
The best of the London Design Festival 2016
Top image from V&A Dundee showcase at V&A London – oak swing by Isabelle Moore, clothes on manakin by KellyDawn Riot and Hayley Scanlan.
news
CitizenM creates second ‘secret garden’ for LDF
To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, arguably Britain’s greatest playwright, CitizenM collaborated with their neighbours at the Globe to commission an installation for the hotel’s atrium. The temporary artwork is part of an annual series of secret garden installations, which last year saw Danish stylist…
out and about
37 countries interpret utopia at Somerset House
The exhibits, which include installations, artworks, prototypes and designs, are each a response to the Biennale’s 2016 theme Utopia by Design, chosen as part of Somerset House’s Utopia 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility, to mark the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s text. “When we set…
Furniture
The London Design Festival – A Design Geek’s Guide
Saturday 17 September 2016 Must see: Creative Matters Creative Matters is a four-day ‘creative futures’ forum including talks, workshops, master-classes, round-tables, installations, exhibitions and networking events. Don’t miss Yeshen Venema’s product photography demos and workshops – all day – and the Design Geek Round Table on Internships at 4pm, hosted…
interviews
interview :: molly hutchinson
Molly Hutchinson will be exhibiting at the London Design Fair 22 – 25 September 2016. Register for your ticket here.
Furniture
interview :: domaas/høgh
Domaas/Högh will be exhibiting at 100% Norway as part of the London Design Fair 22 – 25 September 2016. Register for your ticket here.
news
Design Geek to host Round Table on Design Internships
The Round Table will take place at 4pm on Saturday 17 September 2016 as part of Designersblock’s new Creative Matters forum. Hosted by Design Geek founding editor Katie Treggiden, the panel will include award-winning designer Ella Doran, interior designers the 2 Lovely Gays, and editor of Intern magazine Alec Dudson. “Creative…
Furniture
Book about tidying up inspires furniture collection
LYNKO is a series of wooden-hinged powder-coated metal frames, with a selection of accessories that turn them into storage systems for bedroom, kitchen or bathroom. Developed in response to a more transient population, they are designed to be customised and then folded up and brought with you as you move…
Furniture
interview :: silje nesdal
I met Silje Nesdal both in Oslo for the 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway preview and then again at 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway itself during the London Design Festival last year. I immediately loved her style and her approach to design, so this interview has been a long time coming. We talked yellow coats, post-war design…
interviews
interview :: siv lier
I first saw Bergen Academy of Art graduate Siv Lier‘s work in Milan last year, and then again at 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway in September. I was struck by her intuitive use of colour and form – her work often combines simple geometric shapes to make functional yet playful products that encourage…
look like love
Emma Buckley’s graduate collection is defined by experimentation
Kate Brewer, founder of Look Like Love, profiles a different new designer every week. With the tagline “support, nurture, promote” echoing confessions of a design geek’s own “discover, champion and inspire” and a similar commitment to advocating for emerging talent, the parallels between Look Like Love and confessions of a design…
cornish design season
Max Lamb slices up 187-year-old tree to make 130 functional objects.
Max Lamb, who grew up in Cornwall’s St Austell and is now based in London, felled a 187-year-old tree on his Grandfather’s Yorkshire farm and sliced it into 130 useable objects to save it from being used as firewood. The slices were displayed in order of diameter at Somerset House…
interviews
interview :: kristine bjaadal
I met Kristine Bjaadal in Oslo on a trip to preview 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway, having been aware of her work for a while – and then of course saw her again during the London Design Festival. We talked inspirations, imperfections and memories… What’s the most important thing to know about you?…
out and about
The best of the London Design Festival 2015
The London Design Festival has been and gone for another year. If you want all the gory details, you’ll have to subscribe to our sister publication Fiera Magazine, but you’re in the right place for the edited highlights. Here are just a few of the fantastic projects I saw across…
Furniture
The alternative guide to London Design Festival 2015
It’s that time of year again, and the London Design Festival is looming. All the action starts on Saturday 20 September, so I have scoured the guide, trawled through my inbox and asked my friends in the know, sorted through invites, read all the press releases, and put my ear…
Blog
confessions of a design geek :: the best of 2014
Hello and happy New Year! I’m really excited to be back at my desk after a wonderful break and I thought I’d kick things off by reflecting on the last year. I’m really bad at taking the time to be proud of what I’ve achieved, so I’ve got into the habit…
interviews
interview :: studio ljung ljung
I spotted Studio Ljung Ljung’s smoked bamboo lamps, made in collaboration with Thai artisans, at the London Design Festival’s desigjunction. They were exhibited as part of Ventura London, a showcase of new design talent. I caught up with founders Martin Hedenström Ljung and designer Greta Ljung to find out more……
interviews
interview :: ted jefferis
I saw Ted Jefferis’ leather Hangup lamps at Total Fabrication at Craft Central during the London Design Festival and was immediately captivated. The son of a boat builder, Ted studied at Oxford Brookes University, where he began to explore the concept of furniture as a scaled down form of architecture….
interviews
interview :: rhian malin
I met Rhian Malin at designjunction during the London Design Festival and was immediately drawn to her passion and enthusiasm. Her Hand Held Vessels collection is shaped in other people’s hands before it is fully dry and then project patterns are traced onto each one by hand. I love the…
interviews
interview :: rhian mclaren
I met Rhian McLaren when she exhibited as part of Spotted at Top Drawer during the London Design Festival. I was instantly drawn to her mid-century patterns and keen to find out more… What’s the most important thing to know about you? That despite their appearance, all of my fabrics…