Archinect - News

Savio Firmino unveils chair collection inspired by architectural landmarks, underwritten by the Blockchain

2021-10-01T12:42:00-04:00

Italian furniture and interior design studio Savio Firmino has unveiled a collection of 16 chairs inspired by some of the world’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Titled CITYNG, and designed in collaboration with artist Cosimo De Vita, the collection was exhibited at the 2021 Salone del Mobile in September. The iconic design event, which was curated this year by Stefano Boeri, came one month after the Salone del Mobile appointed Maria Porro as its new president.

Image courtesy of Savio Firmino

The collection of 16 chairs depicts both a geographical journey between West and East and a temporal journey between tradition and contemporary design. “The chair not only becomes a symbolic object of the cities but also symbolically represents their values, traditions, and cultural substratum,” explains Savio Firmino. “It starts in Europe from Florence, the hometown of both Cosimo and the Savio Firmino company, continues to Milan, the city of the Salone and of design par excellence, to t...

Jean Nouvel designs 'dazzling and lasting' kitchen for Reform

2021-09-01T08:54:00-04:00

Jean Nouvel has collaborated with Danish design company Reform on a new kitchen unit, the first designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Described as “tight and minimalist, yet characteristically dazzling and lasting,” the kitchen is defined by an understated, art deco design language. The kitchen is available in black or untreated metal, both featuring a monochrome design activated by diffuse reflections across their surface.

Image: Reform / Jean Nouvel

The kitchen is constructed of steel imbued with vertical ridges, finished in a high gloss, reflective surface. The countertops are available in stainless steel with gray and black Fenix laminate, complimenting and accentuating the unit’s reflectivity.

Image: Reform / Jean Nouvel

“Jean Nouvel and Reform occupy different ends of the design spectrum,” Reform said in a statement. “Where Jean Nouvel concerns himself with creating ‘visual landscapes’, Reform is dedicated to delivering extraordinary, yet accessible kitchen desig...

Is BrickBox reductive modular design or flex-space genius?

2016-04-26T13:37:00-04:00

Shelve your "bigger than a breadbox" jokes—literally. The BrickBox, a storage unit made from marine grade birch plywood, can be used a shelf, a room-divider, or even as porous furniture.

Each unit has cut-out handles and nylon connectors that can lock into the grooves of other units without the use of screws. One can accessorize with wheels, doors, and legs.

Is this great design, or is the austere laminate box reminiscent of boiled-down IKEA?

For all the latest in experimental furniture design news:

The 2015 holiday gift-giving guide for architects

2015-12-10T19:51:00-05:00

If you’re asking yourself, “What should I give the architect(s) in my life?” the answers are here: we came up with a slew of architect-appropriate gifts, ranging from clothing to furnishings to apocalyptic salvation, for that special detail-oriented someone. The best part? Absolutely no clichéd, Frank Lloyd Wright tchotchkes. You’re welcome.

ALTERNATIVE MODELS

These model-based items reconceptualize seemingly static spaces and processes in aesthetically pleasing (and quite efficient) ways. Archie Archambault’s mental maps, which represent cities not with GPS-accuracy but rather in the way we mentally and physically navigate them (for example, by landmarks extending outwards in concentric circles) are not only intellectually stimulating, but visually gorgeous too. Damien Murtagh's Arckit models, meanwhile, have a more practical application: by creating a kind of pre-fab, quick-to-build scale model house kit, architects can spend less time with tedious adhesives and more time modifying ...

Get a glimpse of these hacked IKEA kitchens by BIG, Henning Larsen, and NORM Architects

2015-08-11T14:15:00-04:00

Here comes another product collaboration between famous architects and affordable-brand giants. Pretty soon, consumers worldwide can add a hint of BIG, Henning Larsen Architects, or NORM Architects into their everyday kitchen space. Danish furniture brand Reform, whose concept focuses on hacking IKEA kitchen-cabinet fronts with their own customized designs, collaborated with the big-name architects in envisioning the new collection of kitchen cabinets. The kitchens will make their public debut at the northmodern trade show on August 13-15 and will be on sale starting September 1 (promotional video below).

The cabinets already have the on-trend sleekness and minimalism down, but stamping on the names of famous architecture firms ups the chic factor effortlessly. The cabinets by the one and only Bjarke Ingels Group — who is no stranger to designing home products — are available in white and oak or stainless steel, with a composite table top and composite wash. The cabinets come with ha...