It's a Cinch

Ready Made magazine, one of my favorites, is featuring this make-your-own stool using old belts. I love the idea of repurposing leather belts-- they have a natural sheen and wear that gives them interest and a vintage feel. This is a great project.

Secondly, this reminds me of the beautiful mats I saw at International Contemporary Furniture Fair this year in New York. Ting Home, a London-based design company makes these outstanding floor coverings from used belts. They fashion them into 12 x 12 square tiles, then assemble the tiles in alternating directions. Again, the wear gives them a natural interest and shine.

So go buy some belts!

Dan Bleier Studio

Dan Bleier makes beautiful glass tile and resin veneer artworks, but I'm most interested in his furniture and wall installations. The line consists of tables, 3- and 5-panel screens, and storage/seating cubes. You can also install his resin as large wall pieces (top two photos). Their color and high shine give any space a visual power punch. All pieces are numbered and signed by the artist.

Refer + Staer

I rarely feature lighting on this site, but I was really taken with this chandelier from Danish designers Refer and Staer at ICFF this year. It is made from strands of fiber optics. The transparent fibers create a sparkling and airy feeling. Called "Black Fiber," it's available with or without a downlight in the center of the lamp shade. The chandelier Kari and I bought for our dining room (bottom photo) is made of 20+ small halogen lights, and we love the effect so many bulbs can make. Very elegant.

Dominic Wilcox

At ICFF this year, I saw Wilcox's War Bowl, a bowl made entirely of partially melted toy soldiers. There are two versions: the blue Battle of Waterloo (half British Artillery, half French Infantry) and the white English Civil War. From his site: "My aim was to make a material that had a voice of it's own, not just a passive lifeless thing. I started with the idea of combining small objects in order to create something larger. I arrived at the idea of using toy soldiers as my ingredients. As found objects, they seemed to represent something of a paradox. On one hand they were a fun childhood toy that brought back happy memories and on the other, they were a representation of war with it's associated horrors. This is a contrast that I find slightly uneasy." And that's why it's an interesting piece.

Jason Miller

Celebrated for his cool take on everyday objects, these ceramic tiles from Miller's collection last year are inspired by the container yards of China, New Jersy, and other shipping ports. I like these tiles because I've seen the stacks of thousands of containers in China (I took the bottom photo on a trip to Yantian Port in January), and there is a strange beauty in all that colored steel. Containers are the "packaging" of the world's goods-- most things in your house probably once shipped in a container like these. Great idea Jason Miller.

Naked Line

I really like these new storage cabinets from mio culture. The Naked Line of formaldehyde-free particle board furniture reveals its sustainable materials via unfinished edges--it's made completely from pre-consumer waste wood. Sliding doors of powder-coated steel can be mixed and matched. Very simple and elegant.

Timorous Beasties

Timorous Beasties was founded in Glasgow in 1990 by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, who met while studying textile design at Glasgow School of Art. Their jarring and unconventional subjects marry together contemporary themes like machine guns, crack addicts, and urban rot with the recognizable and sentimental scenes of old-world design found in 1800's Toile de Jouy wallpaper. So what was an upper class style (toile) becomes a record of urban ills. These newest designs were displayed at this year's ICFF.

Harry Allen BLOCKADE Table

From UMBRA (going into production this summer) comes this table from Harry Allen called Blockade. Made of hundreds of hand glued 1.5" wood cubes, the table is "meant to resemble the exploded topography of city blocks." I like its handmade assembly and final form.

Plodes Studio Firepit

And while we're talking backyards, here's a firepit I think is perfect-- modern, cool and made in Texas by Plodes Studio. John Paul Plauche is the designer. Great design and sensibility.

Samoa Design

This outdoor furniture from Somoa Design (Spain) is innovative, modern, and very good looking. I like how they've interpreted a simple construction and design element across this entire line-- tables, stools, a chaise, etc. I really want this in the back yard-- along with a margarita and a mariachi band. I think the white is nearly sculptural (think Donald Judd for instance).

PXL Lights

Another ICFF highlight for me was the PXL lamp, by Fredrik Mattson, $950 (sadly), from Mod Objects, is in the shape of a bulb. Made of aluminium and steel, it also comes in a hanging version. And like so many things I love, it's Scandinavian.

Claire Coles

Claire Coles offers a new approach to wallpaper design. Stitching vintage wallpapers together of various textures and patterns, Claire creates one-of-a-kind intricate wallpapers, illustrations and accessories. These look amazing in person and would give your wall some unique and artful interest. This was one of the highlights for me at ICFF. Great idea.

TING HOME

I cannot say enough about this London-based design company. Their Leather Collection (floor covering shown above) was one of the most interesting things I saw at this year's ICFF. Using salvaged vintage leather belts, they've created this beautiful, glossy, hard-wearing surface which is available in 12x12 squares for roughly $88 (US). Bergdorf Goodman selected TING's flooring to show on their Men Store Window and Third Floor exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of ICFF. No wonder-- this is a fantastic idea that they've executed beautifully. The result is an interesting high-end floor covering (but you could use it for restaurant menu covers, wallets, purses, etc) that really impressed me. Thanks Inghua!

Wall Champions

From RS-Barcelona, a new way of seeing things. These metal men taken from the traditional "football" table game, have been repurposed as coat racks and hangers. "It possesses its precursor's spirit for sport, its ability to excite, to amass supporters, and to arouse passion." I thought this was a very clever idea and well done with a vintage feel but reimagined in a contemporary way.

Potten

The ICFF show was great. One of the companies I was anxious to see was Nani Marquina, the Barcelona-based rug company. At this year's show, they included these new textile containers called "Potten," (designed by Renske Papavoine) which are all handmade in Bhopal, India. This community was at the center of a tragic toxic gas leak in 1984, which killed 7000 people and affected half a million more. The Bhopal Rehabilitation workshop makes these containers in an attempt to help the citizens with opportunities for work and free trade.



Several fabrics are sewn together to make the body of the container, then covered in latex. The result is a very touchable, pliable pot that you can fill with just about anything. I think these are fantastic. Now available through NY's Conran Shop as part of its exhibit of Spanish design (through June 8). More Nani Marquina to come.