ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH | designed by Maxim Velcovsky

ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH | designed by Maxim VelcovskyWhat a great use of old with new. The Gothic architecture of the church mixed with new classics in design add great visual interest and design. Velcovsky has used the classic Panton chair for Vitra and updated it to fit the aesthetic by turning the mass of chairs as pews. Modifying each chair by adding a small cushion and adding a cut-out of a cross on each chair customize this church.
The continued use of old and new is seen with the use of several oriental rugs to help ground the modern aesthetic of the Panton chairs. The simplicity of this design is what helps make it so bold. The minimalism keeps the grand architecture of the church visible, but complimented by the classic designs. Perhaps the best view of the two styles melding together is depicted in the image below. The minimalism continues to the altar where four simple Eames DSR Eiffel Tower Base chairs sit. Located in the village of Chodovice, Eastern Bohemia this work by Velcovsky is a collaboration with his design studio Qubus. The design is a simple, sophisticated, mix of old and new classics.

Source: qubus.cz

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT | Arik Levy

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT | Arik Levy

Born in Israel, Arik Levy entered the design world in the late 80s after moving to France, where he currently resides where his studio is located. Partnering with Pippo Lionni, their studio has a design team of 20 and they have collaborated with companies like Gaia & Gino, Eno, Serralunga, and Ligne Roset.


His designs are generally very graphic and bold. Featuring hard lines and the use of angles, help make his designs stand out from the rest. His new light series, Fractal Cloud, above, has a sense of high tech ordered chaos.

Arik Levy - Image Source: ldesign.fr

BIRILLO BATHROOM COLLECTION | designed by Piero Lissoni | Manufactured by Alessi

BIRILLO BATHROOM COLLECTION | designed by Piero Lissoni | Manufactured by Alessi

Birillo is Alessi's first full bathroom collection, and as they say, good things come to those who wait. The new Birillo collection by Piero Lissoni was a greatly needed addition to the Alessi catalog. Its clean simple lines add sophistication and class to any bathroom. Certainly we all know Alessi for its impact on the design world, but its hard to imagine with the great range of their products, that they did not have a complete bathroom accessory collection. The line ranges from the soap dispenser all the way to the towel holder and toilet brush, Alessi really did the collection well.
Available in a mix of polished stainless steel and polycarbonate, Alessi commissioned Lissoni for this collection. Going in the classic and contemporary style Alessi has created a bathroom suite that will certainly be around for a while. The best part of the collection is that it is so clean and simple, that you can certainly add the elements of their other bathroom accessories like Pisellino, Merdolino, and Mr. Cold (some of my favorite pieces).

Birillo Collection - Image Source: alessi.com

C'MERE HAND HOOK GOLD | by Harry Allen | Manufactured by AREAWARE

C'MERE HAND HOOK GOLD | Designed by Harry Allen | manufactured by Areaware

Harry Allen has done it again. This time he has the 'golden touch', yes pun intended. For years now the Hand Hook by Harry Allen has been a big hit. Featured almost everywhere the Hand Hook is recognized almost as much as his pig. Finally the C'Mere hook is available in one of the signature metallic finishes. As a long time admirer of Areaware and Harry Allen's REALITY series, I often wondered when the metallic hand would appear, and finally, now it has.

Cleverly enough it is the 5th Anniversary of Areaware, one-tenth of 50 years (The Golden Anniversary) and ironically, here is one of the iconic items available in gold. It makes us beg the question of when the other hands (Offer and Grab) will be available in the metallic version.
The REALITY series keeps us in touch with the daily things that we take for often take for granted and re-contextualize them in a new way and function. The Hand Hooks are an integral part of Harry Allen's REALITY series that is continually growing with new objects and I can't wait to see what is next.

Hand Hook(s) - Image Source: AREAWARE.com

RECYCLED TUBE LIGHT | by Castor Design | for Castor Design

RECYCLED TUBE LIGHT | by Castor Designs | for Castor Designs

What a cool find. While flipping through a magazine the other day I stumbled upon this light, so I immediately had to find out more about it. The structure is simple, banned together used florescent tubes used to create a diffuser. Not only does it look good, and helps to solve the issue of recycling these florescent tubes, but I found out from their website that all of the fixtures are made with recycled tubes from architecturally significant buildings. So now we all can have great design in our house made from good recycled design (maybe that is stretching it too far... but still none the less a cool concept). The lamp is available in several sizes from 15 inches up to 8 feet. The lamps can be suspended from the ceiling depending on the size as well as used as a floor or table lamp.


Recycled Tube Light - Image Source: castordesign.ca

111 Navy Chair | by Emeco with Coca-Cola | for Emeco

111 Navy Chair | by Emeco with Coca-Cola | for Emeco

Genius! That is all that I can say to start this post. The concept for this chair is simply one of the best green ideas that I have heard of in design recently. Emeco has been known for their recycled chairs for years, nothing new there. However, the 111 takes their concept of recycling to the 21st century.
The original Navy chair has been around for many years, and we have all seen it from movies to restaurants. It is one of the most replicated designs and also one of the most iconic chairs in the US. Emeco has brought this chair to the 21st century in a great, green way. Since aluminum is not the only method used for distributing one of Americas favorite beverages, Coca-Cola, Emeco has taken note and came up with 111 Navy Chair. In collaboration with Coke, Emeco has taken their know how to create this chair with recycled plastic bottles, 111 to be exact. The chair has been made with a state-of-the-art mold, that produces one chair every three minutes (three times longer than typical plastic chairs).

Beginning its development in 2006, the 111 Navy Chair is now available in six colors: Red, Snow, Flint Gray, Grass Green, Persimmon and Charcoal. Made from 65% post-consumer waste (PET Plastic Bottles) this chair is aimed at keeping more than 3,000,000 bottles out of landfills each year. Great design, that is sure to last the test of time for many more years. Two thumbs up to Emeco and Coke for this great recycled design.

111 Navy Chair - Image Source: emecowithcoke.com

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT | Jean-Marie Massaud

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT | Jean-Marie Massaud

Each Sunday on this blog I will feature a designer and spotlight some of their recent works as well as some of their classic designs. This week I am spotlighting the designs and accomplishments of Jean-Marie Massaud.

Born in Toulouse in 1966, this French Architect has made quite the impact on the design world with his works that range from faucet design to stadium architecture. Collaborating with many companies, Massaud has worked with B&B Italia, Hansgrohe, Poltrona Frau, and MDF Italia, just to name a few.Massaud's work focuses on reduction and lightness, a philosophy that keeps his work classic and timeless. This emphasis is seen in many of his works like Terminal 1, pictured above for B & B Italia. Some of his other recent works include, the Archibald Chair for Poltrona Frau and the Volcano Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. Another design that Massaud has been working on for several years is the Manned Cloud. This dream of Massuad's is to create a floating hotel that soars above. See the video of the Manned Cloud Below.




Other news about Massaud is that he recently became the creative director for Environment, a US based company with showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, Atlanta, and one showroom in Europe, Dublin. The company focuses on green design and sustainability by using materials that are recycled, reclaimed, or re-purposed. Look for an upcoming blog on Environment.

Massaud Photo - Image Source: massaud.com
Termainal 1 - Image Source: massaud.com
Manned Cloud - Video Source: YouTube.com

MASTERS CHAIR | by Philippe Starck | for Kartell

MASTERS CHAIR | by Philippe Starck | for Kartell

On the kickoff day of ICFF in New York, it seems fitting to feature this brand new chair by Starck for Kartell. Masters is a chair that pays homage to three classic designs from three of the most iconic designers: Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames. Starck says, "We weren't born just today. There were masters before us." Masters combines the lines of Jacobsen's 3107 chair for FritzHansen, the Eames' DSR chair for Herman Miller, and Saarinen's Tulip Armchair for Knoll.

Stark created this chair as part of Kartell's celebration of 60 years of design. Collaborating with Eugeni Quitlet this chair was conceived simply by the linear outline of the three classic designs and combining them not to create a new chair, but another way of looking at these chairs. Masters will be on display at Kartell in their New York showroom this week as they unveil their new designs in the US.
Many might say that this chair is yet another designers failed attempt to create their own designs, which in most cases is true. However, this design only takes the best of these designers and combines them into a single piece, creating a new design, fresh and honoring of the great masters of design. Masters reminds us, in my opinion, of three of the greatest dining chairs designed.

Masters Chair - Image Source: Kartell

AMAX OUTDOOR FLOOR LAMP | by Charles Williams | for FontanaArte

AMAX OUTDOOR FLOOR LAMP | by Charles Williams | for FontanaArte


Classic and simple in its lines, this outdoor lamp with its over-sized proportions makes a great impact to your patio or garden. Designed in 2008, Williams altered his original design of the successful Amax pendant lamp by using the same shade to create this outdoor floor lamp of great proportions. Drawing his inspiration from a table lamp blown up to a giant floor lamp, the Amax Outdoor Floor Lamp is available in two sizes.

This lamp is whimsical, yet classic and modern which makes it versatile for all aesthetics. Williams has designed several products for FontanaArte including the Amax pendant, Elvis, and Avico. Each of his pieces has its own sclupture and classicism.

Typically known for their works in glass, FontanaArte has expanded their scope of products in the last few years to incorporate new designs in other materials, like plastic, metal, and even nylon. Their pieces are mostly designed by architects, which has helped their products maintain a classic modern aesthetic that is made to last. Their attention to detail has landed pieces of their collection in MoMA.

Amax Outdoor Floor Lamp - Image Source: fontanaarte.it

HANG ON | by Jade Barnes-Richardson | for Normann Copenhagen

HANG ON | by Jade Barnes-Richardson | for Normann Copenhagen

Hang On is a clever new design from young designer Jade Barnes-Richardson. The piece is a collection of 'ordinary' coat hangers arranged in a chaotic mess that ultimately allows us to be orderly. How clever! Drawing her inspiration from ordinary items and making use of the small spaces we have, Hang On was inspired from the piles and messes we make from piling clothes and coats throughout our homes and turning that mess into order.
Available in several colors, this piece can certainly fit into your decor. This piece is so great that it looks so good without anything on it, it is hard to want to cover it with coats and scarves. This young British designer has only been out of school and in the design world a short while, and I can't wait to see what other designs will come next.

Normann Copenhagen recently nominated Jade Barnes-Richardson's Hang On at the LaunchPad Pulse Fair in June of 2009 for "Best New Product" Award. I would have to agree with them and also put my vote in for the best new product.

Right now the Scandinavian design companies seem to be coming up with some fresh new design that you are sure to see more of in this blog.

Hang On - Image Source: normann-copenhagen.com

Welcome to Modern Design Daily

WELCOME

Welcome to the inaugural blog posting of Modern Design Daily. My goal is to share my passion for modern design by highlighting what is new the modern design world. Through this blog I will feature new product design, architecture and interior design, graphic design, furniture, art and more. I hope to increase the awareness of great design and help celebrate everything modern.

GRADIENT TABLE | by Paul Loebach |manufactured by AREAWARE

As my first post I want to feature a new product from one of my favorite design companies, AREAWARE. They just released new products to their website including, Gradient Table, by Paul Loebach.

Gradient Table - Image Source: AREAWARE.com

The table has a look as if it were something crafted in your garage, from scraps collected from a lifeguard chair on the beaches of the eastern seaboard. The colors that soften as you get lower on the table help anchor the table as well as add a rich softness. His use of colors are seen in his other works such as the Step Stools from AREAWARE as well. I am drawn to the monochromatic theme that he has employed in both pieces which add a simpleness to accentuate the the design of the woodwork of the piece. Another great thing I like about this table is that the designer is from my hometown of Cincinnati.