Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Knu on 2Modern.com!

 
 

Sent to you by Corey Canfield via Google Reader:

 
 


Knu

Knu is now on 2Modern! Knu is solely focused on sustainable contemporary furniture. Knu's unique, original designs--from the Knu Entertainment Center, Knu Lateral File, and Knu Bookcase to the Knu Aluminum Coffee Table and Knu Aluminum Dining Table--will foster creativity and innovation while also being ecologically conscious. Designed and engineered with an unrelenting commitment to quality and sustainability, Knú will become a lasting part of your modern environment.


 
 

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Feel the Felt

 
 

Sent to you by Corey Canfield via Google Reader:

 
 


Has anyone else found themselves lusting over an impressive felt item lately? 

I know you must all be dying to know how felt is actually made (I know I was!) so hop on over to Wiki and have a read-through before checking out the items below. Designers and craft-junkies alike have taken an old and overlooked textile and started churning out modern solutions in sophisticated neutrals and vibrant hues! 

Rose & Radish

DAdco_l

100% Merino Wool coasters (sold in sets of 4) $12 
Also check out their placemats and table runners! Yummy colors!

Rose & Radish

GirlsCanTell

Il_430xN.75790849

Il_430xN.60119039

Gorgeous, modern, industrial felt coasters. Simple & oh so sweet. In my opinion, the perfect complement to a sleek & clean-cut wood or metal table. $14 for a set.

GirlsCanTell on Etsy

Maharam

Maharam

Maharam has developed a method of combining several layers of felt with embroidery to create a beautiful collection, aptly name "Layers". Each pattern bursts with dimension and "let-me-touch-it!" goodness. 

Imagine reupholstering your favorite chair in one of these. 

Kvadrat by Maharam
Upholstery textile collection designed by Hella Jongerius 


Molo

040507_rocks_02

040507_rocks_03

These are pure felt perfection. The story behind the creation of these is interesting in its own way too! They are 100% solid wool and sold in sets of 6, hand selected rocks. ($240 at MinNewYork) You even get one cut in half so you can see a little bit of the ultra-cool process!

Molo



EDIT: Please check out the Felt Studio as well for some awesome felt installations!


 
 

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Last Chance! Gus Modern Sale

 
 

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Hurry, the cool summer deals end Sunday! Shop Gus Modern

Gus-SummerSale-FinalWeek


 
 

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Cozy chair

 
 

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via 2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog by Heloisa Righetto on 8/16/09

What do you want the most when you got the flu (yeah, that`s me)? I just want to rest in a cozy place, and this chair, hand knitted with flower shapes, would do the job! By Eulália de Souza Anselmo, for sale at Prima store.

Prima1 Prima2


 
 

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bathroom inspiration in hide-a-way

 
 

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 Troy Adams Design offers a stylish way to conceal your commode as well as provide storage. Click here for more designs for both kitchen and bath.

Troyadamsdesign1 Troyadamsdesign2 Troyadamsdesign3


 
 

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Harbenger Duo

 
 

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 Kart

Limb copy  

Limbside 

Cloverside_white 

Combining traditional details with modern materials, the husband and wife team from Houston, Texas have created some stunningly simple, fresh and gorgeous furniture pieces. And, lucky for us, they are rather reasonably priced and available on Etsy. They also get lots of nerd bonus points for apparently gaining inspiration from Star Wars for their angular and awesome Kart Chair pictured above.  

Harbenger Duo


 
 

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Krumnikl Disko

Here is the coffee table with the electronics incorporated.... BRILLIANT!

 
 

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Kevin Krumnikl, of Krumnikl Environment, creates some amazing wood furniture. I love how there is a seamless integration of the electronics into the form of the table. It  is so clean and awesome that I want to give him, and the tables, a big design hug!

Phonocherry
Phonoerle

Make sure to check out the rest of the awesome designs here.

via


 
 

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Recycle Chairs from beverage products

 
 

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via 2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog by Valentina Herrera on 8/27/09

Recycle2
Recycle1

As you can see, design does not always been related to luxury.  Sometimes with things that many people has considered as garbage,  a designer thinks the opposite: This things are extraordinary materials!.  Here, for example, I show you three examples of chairs, all of them made by recycled pieces from the beverage industry. 

First, we got the SIE43 Chair by Pawel Grunert.  The chair is made from PET bottles with a stainless steel frame. The bottles can be easily changed if they show signs of damage.  It was exhibited at the Colombari Gallery in Milan, Italy.  More pictures and details of this chair can be found on Contemporist.

With light on it, I think this chair is very cool.  I imagine it can work on the lounge of a discotheque, don't you think?  Let's have a drink seating on this bottle chair.  Sound great for me.

Recycle3

Here we have a very interesting design proposal.  It's made with a lot of drinking straws, 10.000 to be precise.  A design by Scott Jarvie, who had his inspiration on the xylem of the trees.  I found "The Clutch Chair" on Design Milk.

I would like to test this chair on a pool... What do you think, it floats or it sinks?

Recycle4

What to do with all of those corks that bottles of wine and champagne includes?.  Let´s make a confortable seat! That's probably thought Gabriel Wiese, the designer of  this original cork chair.  It seems to be very warm and flexible, just for a relaxed posture on a rustic ambient.  Don't know you, but I think this design is perfect for a cabin, with a fire place.

If you want to see more examples of recycle chairs, check this link.


 
 

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Zoë Mowat

 
 

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I am jealous of Zoë Mowat for several reasons. Here are just a few...

She is not afraid of color.

Zoe3

or material.

Zoe

Oh. And of course has created a beautiful line of work that is wonderfully nostalgic (for the child in all of us).

Zoe2

"Zoë Mowat works as a freelance designer in Montreal, Quebec. Zoë's work explores unique combinations of colour, material, and form, while continually questioning the value of objects and what it means to have them. Zoë has exhibited her work across Canada, in the US and Europe." 

www.zoemowat.com


 
 

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Design House Stockholm’s Family Chairs

Interesting chairs :-)

 
 

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 Image004

Dhs5 

Dhs4 

Designed by Lena Nordqvist, the Design House Stockholm's Family Chairs recently won the Accent on Design Award for "Excellence in Product Design" during their official debut at the New York International Gift Fair.

"Family Chairs is a foursome of traditional Swedish stickback chairs. Separately they present themselves as individual unique chairs aspiring to be something more than just pieces of furniture. Together they form a boisterous family, with each one displaying a distinctive character. Even the horizontal spindles between the chair legs play an integral part in the design's individuality."

Design House Stockholm


 
 

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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Tell us about your shopping experiences?

We are very interested in your stories about furniture shopping experiences. Have you ever had to haggle over price? What is your crazy story? We want to know, and we also know what you would like to have the industry improve. Thanks for helping and leave your story below.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Guest Blogger: Corey Canfield

I was happy to be asked by Furniture Story Research to be a guest blogger on the site. I think these guys have a fun experiment going, and I look forward to seeing your stories develop on the site. My roll will be to talk about innovation, design and strategy and how what is happening in other industries may apply to furniture. Thanks again and Happy Story Telling!

A story to start with... why our sofa was a huge disappointment

We thought we would start with a story from one of the founders of FSR.

Why our sofa was a huge disappintment.

"Three years ago my wife and I bought a sectional for our home. It was a BAUHAUS branded sectional. We purchased it from a Boston Store Furniture store which we found the best deal and offering at. After we bought it we loved it for about the first 2 years. Going into the 3rd year we noticed that it got more and more uncomfortable. The cushions started to get out of form and lose their stiffness. The coverings were wearing and starting to get sloppy. This was very disappointing... less than 3 years and our $1,900 investment was not panning out. We looked and looked for a place where we could get new cushions, but nothing was available to us in Milwaukee, and we really didn't need to have it reupholstered, let alone afford to have it reupholstered. So to our greatest sadness, we found a bright light in Craig's List. We were able to sell the sectional for $500 to a lady who just had her sectional half-eatten by her dog! LOL! She didn't want new not knowing what the dog would do next and not being able to repair hers herself, so we were glad to pass along our sectional to a new home. From there we began our search for new furniture... which is a story for another time. If our sectional could have been repaired, we would have. If there was an affordable solution to do so locally, we would have. Our biggest disappointment is that it was built so that it could not be repaired easily and that there was no place to do so. This is a problem that the furniture industry needs to solve. Why can't you make furniture that we are able to repair ourselves and sell us the stuff to do it with? The only thing we really feel good about is that we were able to give it another good home and not have to leave it out on the curb for the trash man."

The Begining

Today is the begining of a change in the furniture industry. Today, people will have a place to voice their opinions on all sorts of topics related ot the furniture industry, their experiences, and most importantly the stories they have to tell. From these stories, FSR will synthesize what is working, not working, desired, needed, broken, and absolutely fabulous from the point of view of you - The Consumer. Thank you for being part of the journey.