Designboom Mart Update
Hey... we had a blast at the Designboom designmart at ICFF.
It was without doubt the most happening area of the fair...not just because we were exhibiting there... but because it was the only place to see and buy things that were truly new and not overexposed by the glossy media outlets. In the internet era it is refreshing to be able to discover new products that have not been over hyped and rammed down your throat by endless design mags and blogs. The international representation at the designmart was also quite telling... as product design may indeed be the lingua franca of todays global community.
Anyway... here is a view of our favorites at this year's New York mart...
these two young ladies make awesome ceramics...
the leg handle teacups are by Undergrowth Design UK Ltd.(Tina Tsang) www.undergrowthdesign.com
the christmas ornaments, candlesticks, and gold lipstick stained mugs are by Reiko Kaneko. See more of her range at www.reikokaneko.co.uk
Alex Garnett & Nahoko Koyama ( they are married like Charles & Ray ) have more talent in there little toes than the rest of us do in our big toes.... together they are known as Mixko and their range of products is amazing especially considering their tender young age. Anyway... just check them out at www.mixko.co.uk... we love these guys.
Emma Henderson's Showpony might just blow up in the states this year and we think there is a lot more to come from this Scottish talent. The tote bag is quite simply... elegant (and organic if that means anything to you)
See more of her products at www.showpony.co.uk
Soop products are charming and speak for themselves... Wai-Lian won't need our help but remember... you heard it here first. www.soop-group.com
Finally... PAD represented properly....our new products had a great debut and the the ash trays and light bulbs continued to boggle minds.
Old friend and design superstar Nick Dine dropped by the stand to wish us well. He hinted that he may be down for a collabo product in the future... that would be awesome... right.
PAD in New York!
We are very excited & honored to be participating in this years Designboom Mart @ ICFF. The show is May 17th thru the 20th @ Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street NYC, Booth #105.
The Designboom Mart @ ICFF is part of the cultural program of the ICFF, (the largest design
event in the USA) Designboom will host a group exhibition of
international design professionals from around the world.
Now in its fourth year the New York mart will once again provide
an unprecedented opportunity to meet the young avant-garde
and become familiar with their work. Visitors are able to buy
design souvenirs™ and limited edition pieces (priced from:
$10 USD - $100 USD) directly from the designers themselves.
In honor of this...honor...PAD is debuting two new items, an aluminum serving tray/ fruit bowl and a porcelain flower vase.
The serving tray has a stochastic perforated pattern that not only makes the tray lighter but also allows it to double as a fruit bowl as you can load it up with fruit and run it under the tap to wash the fruit while the water drains out the perforations. The aluminum is bright dipped anodized and available in three colors.
The Nuclear Planter borrows its form from the iconic cooling towers of the infamous 3 Mile Island nuclear power plant. A truly modern form, the hyperboloid's beauty is mitigated by its sinister contextual connotations. A celebration of the paradox of life springing forth from that which is known for destroying life. Our cute little vessel stands about 10 inches tall in unglazed porcelain with a protective high gloss glaze on the inside.
Stop by if you are in New York, or check back as we will be updating the blog during the show.
design happens!
Sometimes beautiful design just happens with an effortlessness that makes one contemplate the role of the 'designer' in 'design'. Dig this picture of our local hardware, Baller Hardware in Silver Lake CA. White field, Helvetica type justified right and simple descriptions of what lies inside. Not only a perfect advertisement for Baller, but also a fine example of the graphic design ideas of Massimo Vignelli in action... and quite by accident.
Massimo Vignelli is the man who brought Helvetica to the states and is best known for his globally recognized design for the New York City Subway map and information system. If you want to learn more about Vignelli check out "Vignelli From A to Z" published late last year by Images Publishing. The self penned survey is a combination bible and how to book...really first rate.
He also designed the plastic plates and mugs for Heller. These 70's icons are being produced again, unfortunately only in the monochromatic range (white, black & gray).
pad indoor?
Without giving away trade secrets, we want to show off our latest prototype. We are collaborating with handbag maker Harvey's to develop an indoor version of our lounge chair. This version is built on our existing lounge chair frame with Harvey's ingenious woven seatbelt technique employed for the seat and back. We unveiled the chair at the Dwell magazine party last Thurs. at Ford-Brady in Los Angeles. The straps on this particular chair are from Harvey's Treecycle line and feature 100% recycled seat belts. The variegated look is due to the random nature of the recycled materials.
There are still some tweaks before it is ready for production... but be ready for PAD to make a move indoors.
check Harvey's @ www.seatbeltbags.com
Check it!
We have heard from some people that the product shots on the site look like renderings.... is it our fault that we are awesome photographers and not too shabby in Photoshop either... so, in order to quiet the skeptics we are including some 'lifestyle' pictures from the Ford-Brady showroom. These are a few of the configurations that we like...hope you do too.
Hello
PAD outdoor launch...
The most exciting news in our world this week is the blast-off of our website. We really hope you find it worthwhile.
We don’t want to fill the web-waves with another slick design blog...but we will be making regular drops of tasty nuggets related to design, architecture, and other topics that we find relevant if sometimes a bit abstruse. So stay with us...