The Design Files Daily

product design

Hay Pinnochio Rug


OMG!

I don’t often use txt-message style abbreviated exclamations like this but sometimes only ‘OMG!’ seems adequate to describe my excitement!

How amazing are these hand-felted Pinnochio rugs by Danish design house Hay? Seriously fabulous. I wish I was brave enough to have one of these babies in my own home. And actually, the pricetag of 4,999 Danish kroners equates to around AU$1200, which isn’t too bad really. Not for a loungeroom covered in multicoloured felt pom poms.

I do worry about the dust though. Imagine vacuuming one of these! Jeepers.

Anyway. Love it.

These closeup photos from Moco Loco

Footprints – a unique exhibition curated by Trent Jansen

Tsunami Bowl by Adam Goodrum

A question for loyal Design Files readers… who is our favourite emerging Australian product designer?

Answer : Trent Jansen of course!

Too easy!

But whilst the lovely Mr Jansen was flavour of the month in late ’08 – popping up all over the place after the incredible success of his Kissing Pendants at the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery award – you may be wondering what he’s been up to recently….?

Well, aside from jet-setting around the globe promoting his work and looking for manufacturers to put his pieces into production… Trent’s been designing and curating a unique exhibition.


Footprints is designed to promote sustainability in design, and to draw attention to the concept of the carbon footprint, whilst showcasing the work of a select group of Australian artists and designers including Mark Gerada, Anthony Dann, Adam Goodrum and Andrew Van Der Westhuyzen, amongst many others.

Paper Tiger stool by Anthony Dann

The exhibition will also feature Trent’s own work, in the form of a bed of handmade newspaper tulips, which visitors will have to navigate through in order to view the exhibition.

Footprints public viewing at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney is on for one day onlyThis Sunday March 22nd from 12pm – 4pm. Accompanying the launch will be a live art activity – the ‘Footprints Zaishu Project’, in which 8 artists and designers will create their own Zaishu slot-together seats and tables. These collectible pieces will later be available for sale, with all proceeds going to Oxfam.

The rest of the show (excluding Tulips, I’m afraid) can be viewed at Blank Space, 374 Crown st Surry Hills, from March2 6th – April 1st, where you can also purchase the customised Zaishu stools mentioned above.

Zaishu stools

Studio OOOMS

Dandelion Lights made from cables ties… (see the huge pile of cable ties on the ground!). So simple, so effective. OOOMS says “With a lot of patience we’ll be rewarded with beautiful new structures, which can only emerge by fervent monkish work“. Love it!

A similar chandelier-style light, created for TU Delft. The University organised an exhibition about modern plastics and its uses. The chandelier consists of 25,000 cable-ties, painstakingly zipped together into one giant lighting object. Currently the French Chandelier is part of the collection of Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

Studio OOOMS is a Dutch design studio run by Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout. They are both graduates of the fabulous Design Academy Eindhoven!

OOOMS creative output exemplifies everything I love about Dutch design – originality, personality, quality of craftsmanship and just plain kooky-ness :) Their website is full of many smile-inducing ideas… and some eyebrow-raising ones too! (you’ll know what I mean when you see them…!)

OOOMS also runs unique creative workshops and lectures for companies and schools around the world. Some of their clients include Paul Smith, Adidas, MoMA, Design Museum London, The Cooper Hewitt NY, SUN Microsystems, and, again, the Design Academy Eindhoven.

More designs to make you smile! The gorgeous Solar Birdhouse (with solar panels on its roof!) is available for sale here. Also, LOVE the USB twig! How great does it look sticking out of the mac tower?! You can buy them here.

Presentation in collaboration with graduates of the Design Academy Eindhoven during the Salone del mobile. Improvised workshop using found street-material… Visitors were welcomed with food, drink and atmosphere.

Lightly installation at Craft Victoria


Cindy-Lee Davies of Melbourne design company Lightly has an installation up at Craft Victoria at the moment… The ‘Chrysalis’ installation comprises a collection of these delightful wall-mounted butterflies – each cut from a recycled vintage saucer. The natural curve of the saucer delicately lifts the butterfly wings from the wall, creating an ever-so-slight shadow beneath…

It’s so nice to see something new from Lightly, and especially a move towards recycled materials. It gives each of these delicate forms a real feeling of unique-ness….

The Chrysalis installation with be on show (and pieces for sale) at Craft Victoria until February 8th.

Craft Victoria
31 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000

9650 7775

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am — 5pm


Banana Case


Do you know what’s been missing in your life up until now?

A Banana case of course! Ingenious! No more squashed black bananas in the bottom of your handbag. Plus, apparently these are advertised with the guarantee that 90% of bananas will fit inside the case.

Only in Japan. :)

*update – Thanks for all your comments! It appears this ingenious product has also been spotted in Sweden, Australia, Holland, the UK, and the US… who knew!?

via Pinku

RMIT Industrial Design Graduate Exhibition


Bald Bowls by graduate Ben Landau is an interactive design project in which bald men cast each other’s heads in plaster, and then slip cast them to create bowls. The event grew from therapeutic sessions of bald support groups and includes art therapy theories. By creating something together, bald men can connect with each other through a unique process, and have an artefact to show for it in the end, which represents their acceptance of balding.

NOOK by Industrial Design graduate Henry Sgourakis is an exploration of knits and weaves from the ‘arts and crafts’ movements of the past 150 years, and is inspired by detailed lace work in original handcrafted doilies – henry@sgourakisarchitect.com.au

I have not yet been to see the RMIT Industrial Design grad show, but it’s only on for three more days (ie this Friday – Sunday)… so I thought best to pop something up before the weekend so you have time to check it out!

The show is called Parting Line, and includes the work of 20 gradating students. The photos above were kindly provided by one of the exhibiting students, Liam Prescott.

The exhibition is at the gorgeous Guildford Lane Gallery which I wrote about recently… it’s a beautiful space, so if you get the chance do take a moment to support these emerging designers and discover a lovely new gallery in the CBD this weekend!

The Guildford Lane Gallery
20-24 Guildford Lane
Melbourne 3000

Open Wed-Fri 12-9 / Sat-Sun 12-5

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