cool outdoors 2

another groovy brand for cool outdoors is extremis from belgium. they have very good designs, innovative materials and of course timeless designs like "picnic" or "gargantua".
ex-tempore collection is the best wood-steel combination product in the market at the moment. ecologically well designed, the wood used in the collection is not teak but jatoba. barbecue linked to the table is genius.

a tip: you can use eames plastic chairs with outdoor safe varnished frame around ex-tempore dining table, it is cheaper and and looks perfect.

icecub is a party decoration element to keep your drinks cool all night long. I would ask to denny venlet, its designer, why he did it!!

design classics in the garden: bertoia diamond and side chair collection from www.knoll.com

if you choose a powder coated version and vinyl seat pad, with extra care you can use these products for your outdoors, they are not really confortable unless you have fully covered versions. (not in production for outdoor use)

rattan, abaca, bamboo and more.....

gervasoni, pierantonio bonacina and vittorio bonacina. if you are looking for a product made with above mentioned materials you should check these 3 companies.

www.bonacinavittorio.it

www.bonacinapierantonio.it

www.gervasoni1882.com

super elastica by marco zanuso jr& giuseppe raboni launched this year in salone del mobile milan from vittorio bonacina is my favorite among them

cool outdoors 1

same problem every summer.
what to buy for patios, pool sides, gardens? what is suitable for heavy winters? what can I use in my summer residence's livingroom?
even though outdoor furniture league seems crowded I can list in here only a few really good, tested and approved products:

















the classic of all classics, a timeless design
by richard schultz: ligh weight materials, good design, 1966 collection is my favorite.
unfortunately there is a limitation design wise!!!! chaiselounge, low tables and lounge chairs are ok. when it comes to dining tables we have a problem with the sizes. also the chairs are too wide.

useful info: for usa www.richardschultz.com for europe www.bebitalia.it .












on the other hand, paola lenti is a refreshing breath in furniture business: avantguard lady who started to run her company with felt material carpets and sofas added recently very nice outdoor stuff to the collection. materials and colors are not boring, chic, timeless and original. www.paolalenti.it


top, wave chaise lounge

left, sad armchair

right, hilo folding chair

balenciaga? forget about the bags, it's time for jeans

I believe after all that trashy jeans brands (like seven, humanity, rogan, habituel or all u can find in a typical american department store's better sportswear section) only "dior homme" by hedi slimane's jean designs were interesting and to die for.

have you seen the new numbered jean series of balenciaga?

cigarette shaped dark denim beauties complemented with fine knitwears embroidered with a cute "b" sign on.
the shop assistant in newyork was so proud of this collection, you could even doubt that he might created it!!! my favorite is francisco in balenciaga paris on avenue georges V, he is really cute and kind.

why they have to do it? I mean this collection is a mean trap for fashion victims who would probably say "I have to have it"!!!

ask yourself.........................

www.balenciaga.com

lieu commun by matali crasset, laurent garnier and ron orb

paris is a stunning city...unfortunately american people assume that paris is consisted of "hermes bag" and "christian dior" (if you watch the movie "le divorce" you would understand what I mean, terrible)
I wonder how ignorant these people can be, unbelievable!!!

anyway, paris is a real design city, you could never find so many specialty design stores in no place around the world including newyork.
I learned today that again in marais region a very interesting shopping spot is opened by famous dj laurent garnier (5years ago I partied with him in istanbul, oh la la!!!), famous designer matali crasset (I love her hair style, very french!!!) and fashion stylist ron orb. I guess these trio were already experienced by working together in "hi hotel" project, nice. www.hi-hotel.net

name of the store is " lieu commun", means common place...they found a common place to display their creations, it makes sense.

a very good combination: music, fashion and design

cool stuff for hip babies

baby bed by horm

lately designers and manufacturers discovered a niche market in the business: modern design for kids. many of them restarted the production of old stuff designed for children like eames collection by vitra.
on the other side belgium designers have created very cute and upscale fashion brands for trendy kids.
these products are very functional both for parents and kids: beds, chairs, fine textiles all combining extra
fine quality, durability and of course design.
above baby bed by horm, italian furniture company specialized in wood work.
stokke, german company specialized on ergonomic children and baby furniture offers the best designed baby chair ever: trip trap, adjustable, comfortable, ask parents!!! as seen below right. www.stokke.com
for new born baby I suggest "album di famiglia", italian company using 100% natural materials like wool and felt, adorable colors , sleek design.

albumdifamiglia@libero.it

another baby collection comes from a german designer who created "amelia". very special materials in form of dresses, underwear, accessories.

www.ameliamilano.it

"hut up" berlin based design company specialized with felt material has funny hats and other accessories for winter babies. www.hutup.de

belgian power: maan, max&lola, quincy, ma muse and many more..............
while searching kids design websites I was surprised by the descriptions made for above mentioned designers: fine european individuals and not big corporations!!!! hellooo, these people are belgian, different sense of style, you cannot compare them to any typical european designer. this is like dolce&gabbana versus martin margiela.

max&lola funky, devilish, colorful. when you see a tiny boy's sweat produced with de-reconstructivist technique you realize why it is so expensive. if you ever go to brussells you'll find the best kidstore on the flashy "antoine dansaert" avenue, kat en muis, very good selection. maan's style is less guerilla but more elegant. collection gives you many different options to combine, mix and match. www.maankids.be/www.zeroperzero.be
the sister company, zeroperzero produce sleepwear for babies and kids.

toys toys toys

like a bike is a genius wooden toy, helps to restore balance without pedals.

and we shouldn't skip of course "playsam" s classical 20th century designs, wooden miracles for boys.... www.playsam.com

I would so far admit that the best kid's design store is located in paris: founded by marlene pallicci in north marais region, calesta is one of a kind around the world.

so here are rest of the world

www.modernseed.com

www.sparkability.com

www.fragile.com

www.estella-nyc.com

www.kidonyc.com

if you want to get in to the business

www.pittiimagine.com

pitti bimbo is the best fair for children's clothing and accessories. you should especially visit the "new view" section in order to find contemporary designers.

www.bff.be

design freak

designer clothing* designer hotel* designer food* designer furniture* designer music* design magazine* e-zine* and much more, a glossary for design victims.

since I have started to work in this field I witnessed its evolution. now we have celebrity designers, antidesign designers, italian school, french school, belgium all different and with a distinctive taste.

"image is everything"
I believe the image question is not very recent. every epoch had its own image problem. today it is very fashionable to buy even for classic minded people a pair of eyeglasses designed by french celeb designer philip starck. people are much concerned today about their appearance then before.
a very famous italian architect told me once that every time he creates a star product he opens a new bank account namesake with the product. also called as "my baby" one of his accounts created 10 years ago has in present millions of euros because of loyalty commissions.

lately not only me but also the biggest manufacturers are realized a new trend in the business: upcoming young designer generation who claim support antidesign act are creating trendy, userfriendly, inexpensive designs. they don't appreciate commercial point of view of older designers. they simply want to create, perform their art, I can give konstantin grcic's name as an example www.konstantin-grcic.com

my point of view is we shouldn't blame old school designers like citterio, starck and others because of being that commercial. thanks to them more new people are joining to the design world even though they don't really digest the philosophy of modern design at the first sight. I believe with a little time and knowledge they will realize the meaning of modern design, buying an object not for its form only but also for its function.
I would like to finish this introduction post with a definition of design made by vitra. www.vitra.com

Design is the process by which almost all objects in our surroundings are instilled with a specific design and function - from cars to paper clips, from clothing to chairs. And design does not just mean giving things a shape. Design creates the basis which enables things to function in the desired manner. It is a process in which complementary but often mutually contradictory requirements have to be met (comfort, technology, ergonomics, ecology, economics, aesthetics...). Design can be successful only when the balance of all these factors is attained.

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