covet
Haste and all its pushy co-conspirators skip the line and
shove ahead. Shameful, but think of everything they miss.
The graceful work of Hiromi Kim was the cherry atop New
York’s supersonic sundae of a spring design festival, where,
at ICFF, we ventured across her strikingly beautiful Alatus
chopsticks. The etymological (Alatus meaning “winged” in
Latin) floats into the visual, and together they are poised to
soar into cumulonimbus latitudes, or rest cleanly on the table.
These wings are made not of wax, but titanium, a material as
unexpected as it is enduring. This was a conscious choice by
the designer who thoughtfully crafts each set as an tasteful
counterpoint to disposable, mass-produced chopsticks. This
pair must travel all the way from Japan to your table, but is
ever worth the wait. For information, hiromikim.com
Alaskan crab fishermen, beer maidens and boy scouts can coordinate schedules, cut their next demo and calculate their odds at the track, courtesy of a slim, interactive device that is the insatiable apex of functionality. While it nourishes mind and soul, it does not actually fortify the body. There is no app for that. The intuitive design of the Dinner Stack by Gunjan Gupta will entice the iPhone user’s need to touch, and possibly encourage a renewal of interpersonal skills at meal time. A scrumptious, original blend of art and tactility, the set articulates the designer’s cultural exploration of cooking, serving and storing traditions in India. Fashioned of silver and gold-plated brass, the vessels can be arranged in various configurations—as candle stand, vase, or accessory of the moment. To inquire, Wrap Art & Design, wrap.co.in
Details are foggy, particularly over the now-regrettable visit “to the
discothèque!” But that was before the baby alligator. It is a familiar story:
one man’s misfortune in kinetic neon is another man’s Wednesday night.
Surely the intriguing Fredersen wing chair by Jos Kranen and Johannes
Gille of Dutch studio Kranen/Gille could have been a glam-rock deluxe
cover of a furniture classic, but its inspiration dances to a different beat.
Kranen effuses over “the dark brown mystique of old English gentlemen’s
societies” and the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. These moody precepts
morph further still into an alluring allegory of nature—the nickel plated,
laser-cut steel form as “the fertile ground on which the upholstery could
grow like moss.” A bewitching garden to behold, shown is the Fredersen
Basel wing chair. For information, kranengille.com
