Thursday 31 May 2012

Fine Irish Design by Joseph Walsh

The fine craftsmanship and perfected woodwork of Joseph Walsh has always been highly inspirational throughout my design studies and career. "The Formations Furniture Collection" by Joseph Walsh is a study in billowing, undulating forms. These works by the Irish designer include sleek bone-like chairs and tables as well as a sinuous wooden ‘erosion’ table. Walsh's work possess a modern and contemporary aesthetic while also capturing the naturaly sense of wood as a material.  “I am seeking to emulate nature’s forms with a timeless presence as though they have evolved like a formation or erosion.”






Wednesday 30 May 2012

Julian Mayor at ICFF 2012

London based designer Julian Mayor showcasde a new collection of furniture and lighting at this years International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York at the 21st Twenty First Gallery last week. Much like the construction of origami using specific paper folds, the sheet metal is heated then folded and weld in place to create the furniture forms."The Mirror Table and Fernando Bench were developed on a computer and with scale models, but the physical making process of folding and welding adds a layer of depth to the construction. The heat distortion of the manufacturing process allows light to pool in swirls on the surfaces.





Tuesday 29 May 2012

Fold Your Own Lamp at MOTO

A fold your own lamp designed by Elaine Fortin and Virginia Lamothe at Biped, showcased at this years MOTO by Domison Design exhibition being held last weekend in during Design Week in Toronto. The laser cut and perforated steel "Comet  Lamp" is sold flat and is up to the user to fold it into the desired shape. It can be folded into a sphere or more randomly into an organic, abstract shape.    Comet was part of the MOTO exhibition which showcases the works of cutting edge designers from Montreal and Toronto, Canada. The temporary installation presents the works of cutting edge designers from both cities. Envisioned by My & Thien, the team behind Montreal-based design studio Periphere, this temporary exhibition aims to bring the two distant creative platforms closer.




The Comet Lamp designed by Elaine Fortin and Virginia Lamothe

Designers at the 2012 MOTO Exhibition

Sunday 27 May 2012

Lighting by David Trubridge

New Zealand based designer David Trubridges flatpack lighting designs were an eye catcher at this years International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Trubridges ideas come from "wild places,
edges of turbulence and renewal, where seas break on beaches and headlands, where land and air meet on mountain ridges". Trubridge is a strong advocate for issues of environmental awareness, world-wide social inequalities, and pollution. He believes that design has a key role to play in reshaping our lifestyles and the way we do things, so as to become more sustainable. He makes forms of elemental simplicity with an optimism for a sustainable and enriching future, through the use of low impact natural materials and processes.





Friday 25 May 2012

Spectacular Stairs

Stairs are the name given to a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. Stairways may be straight and round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles, but why does this mean that stairs have to be a boring constructions in the middle of our homes, shopping centre’s and hotels. As a major focal point in any space, designing a stairs which draws attention to itself for all the right reasons is a massive part of a design when building or recreating an interior of any space. You don’t always have to conform to the standard wooden step and handrail stairway, incorporate a design and finish which works with the style of the interior. Here is collection of some of the most unique and stylish stairs from buildings and homes around the world.


Spiral Staircase designed by Patrick Jouin

“Floating” stairs designed by Florence architect Guido Ciompi for The Gray Hotel in Milan, Italy.

Stairs at the Longchamp Store in New York City.

Stairs designed by Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom in a private residence in Stockholm

 
Ribbon Staircase designed by HSH Achitects


Future Maker Results 2012

This years Future Makers Awards were announced at an award ceremony which took place on Tuesday at The Sugar Club in Dublin. With a total prize fund of €30,000, the Future Makers Awards & Support reward the next generation of Irish designers, helping them develop an exciting future in the craft and design industry. Future Makers promotes and distinguishes craftsmanship and excellence in design for creative students and graduates at a critical stage in their career.
 The overall winner of the future maker awards went to a gifted young Irish fashion designer whose stunning creations have been worn by singer Lily Allen, Grammer award winner Esperenza Spalding and Kathyrn Thomas. Natalie Coleman from Monaghan received the overall Future Makers Award of €5000 for the distinctive dress designs from her “All the Jewellery I Never Got” collection which is playfully drawn from images of jewellery she has never received.

Dress designed by Natalie Coleman
Other Future Makers Awards & Support winners announced by the Crafts Council of Ireland include:
Kate Cronin of Klickity, for design excellence. Kate impressed the selection panel with her design skills and desire to expand her work to develop a successful range of contemporary light fittings and products.
Lighting designed by Klickity
Fellow Malthouse designer Jennifer Slattery, textiles designer, for excellence in design development.

Table runner designed by Jennifer Slatery

Kate Murtagh Sheridan, ceramicist, for her experimentation with process, technique, colour and form.

Ceramics designed by Kate Murtagh Sheridan

Theresa Burger, jewellery student, for her large, geometric bangles made using 3D rapid prototyping techniques and inspired by the Zulu people of Southern Africa.

Rings designed by Theresa Burger
Along side another Malthouse Designer, Kathyrn Payne for her furniture,lighting and jewelery design.
Lighting designed by Kathryn Payne

Monday 21 May 2012

Highlights from the ICFF 2012

This years International Contemporary Furniture Fair is currently under way in Newyork City this week. For those of you who havent been lucky enough to have the chance to be there, here is a glimpse of some of the designs trending at this years show.

The Hyphae Light designed by Nervous System

The Mood Broom designed by Peteris Zilbers

The Stickbulb Light designed by Rux Design

The Aurrelia Lamp designed by Qisdesign

Chandelier designed by Benjamin Rollins Caldwell

Sunday 20 May 2012

The Graffiti Cafe by Studio MODE in Bulgaria

The Graffiti Cafe located in a boutique hotel in Varna Bulgaria was creativly designed by Bulgarian based desigers Studio MODE. The same building houses a four story hotel, along with an art gallery, restaurant and nightclub, therefore the cafe needed to be a continuation of the hotel’s modern aesthetic. The overall look was ispired by the Esker work. The interior space aswell as focusing on the esker form, had to deal with complex acoustic and ventilation issues, meaning they had to find a way to mix materials throughout. The linear elements that begin on the curvy pillars and continue onto the ceiling are phenomenal and definitely help create the cohesive environment they were looking for.






"Light Fantastic Exhibition" opening night 17th May


Wednesday 16 May 2012

Conceptual Development

Iv been very busy over the last couple of weeks pushing towards a solid concept for my new lighting design. After spending hours playing with paper and other flat sheet material to create a 3dimensional form that I was satisfied would work well and be pleasing to the eye I have found it. Taking influence from the mathematical geometric systems and sculpture by George Hart with an addition of sliceform, the finalised form I have produced contains 12 identical modules that are sliced at particular points which slot and interlock with each other to create a 3 dimensional sphere.


Now that I have the form I want to work with, I wanted to take it to another level.
"The language of visual expression defines various morphilogical agents of differentiation"
A combination of many aspects including form,composition and texture make up these agents.Now to introduce a surface texture through specifically choosen materials.
As a lover of fashion and fabrics which was influenced by my time working at Siopa Rince in my teens, fabric is my choosen material. I decided instead of choosing just any fabric I would choose a specific kind of fabric that had a meaning,a story, some nostalga behind it.
My first memory of working creatively with fabric was as a young child staying with my grandmother. Each night before bed we had the same routine, after the 9o'clock news, we would say the rosary together with my grandad then off up to bed. As I lay in bed my granny would sit on the chair next to me and together,everynight we would stitch a new line of crochet to the scarf I was making. From there I was crocheting anything from doilys to cardigans with her.
As crochet is a traditional fabric I am currently in the middle of experimenting with diffrent approches and techniques inorder to make it work within todays contemporary settings and to create fluidity betweeen the form I am working with and the crochet fabric.


Other influential designers that have worked with and been inspired by crochet fabric include Marcel Wanders and Louise Campbell.
Crochet Chair designed by Marcel Wanders

Felt Chairs Designed by Louise Campell


Hope you are all as excited as I am about whats to come :). Will keep you all posted.
Grainne.

International Contempoaray Furniture Fair 2012

The 24th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair will take place in New York this year at the City’s Jacob K.Javits Convention Center running from May 19th-22nd. The ICFF will map the newest frontier of what’s best and what’s next in design. Keep posted for the latest updates from the exhibitors showcasing there work over the 3 day fair.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Your Invitation to "Light Fantastic"

I would like to cordially invite all my friends, family, colleagues and readers to "The Light Fantastic Exhibition". An exhibition of modern lighting from some of the most exciting Irish designers working today.
18 Irish designers from all across the crafts sector have come together in The Malthouse Design Centre to launch Light Fantastic on Thursday 17th May at 6pm. This exhibition will showcase the work of all the designers in the form of lighting products. Top Irish designers including Shane Holland, Rachael O'Neill and Kooyong will be amoungest the exhibitiors including protoypes of my own work which I hope to launch soon after.
Guest Speaker Paul O'Hara, a world leader of social innovation, founder of Change Nation and director of Ashoka Europe will be here on the night to launch the wide range of innovative irish designs.

Look forward to seeing you all there,
Grainne


Monday 14 May 2012

Inception Chair by Vivian Chiu

The Inception Chair by RISD student Vivian Chiu is a series of ten interlocking chairs made of ash, meant to mimic the dream within a dream concept from the 2010 film Inception. Each chair has hand cut grooves on the inside edges of its seat frame as well as notches in the seat back. The mechanism works so that the pegs fit into the grooves of the chair one size bigger and slides into place so that the horizontal edge between the chair seat and back line up. The simple mechanism allows the chairs to be taken apart and put together with ease. Although the concept behind Chiu's chair design is based on a dream within a dream, the chair displays a perception of perspective when viewed from the front and back elevations also.