Pasila Design, a recent founded small Finish family business design agency, created Tuoli. Tuoli is an ergonomic, minimalist, chair for parents making it easy for them to interact – on eye level -with a playing child on the floor. The chair is multi functional as one can create a slide for the child by turning it upside down. Pasila design just finished their first furniture collection, a collection that consists of  timeless designs and classic furniture with a funny edge. At the moment the products are prototypes, but their goal is to be able to offer furniture for your home in the near future.

Timepiece company Uniform Wares commissioned UK-based creative consultancy Six to design a series of promotional mailers, stationary suite, gift vouchers, watch box inserts and supporting gift wrap materials for their wristwatch collections. All of the printed material was designed to reflect the simplicity of the company’s pared-down aesthetic, based around a philosophy firmly rooted in classic British design and contemporary styling. The use of strong, contrasting, albeit neutral colors is used throughout the series, finely complementing the wristwatches’ minimalist designs. I’m especially in love with the subtle use of the identity on the watch box, as well as the bold simplicity of the gift voucher numbers. The vector illustrations of the designs are beautifully expressive as well… Also, I’m having a hard time choosing a favorite watch!

Setting itself apart from the sport inspired garments, the Adidas SLVR collection stays one step ahead and releases the Spring/Summer 2012 collection, shot by fashion photographer Willy Vanderperre. Inspired from the sport of fencing, the new collection is characterized by simple, dynamic lines and bold, primary colours that create a highly functional, well tailored and sophisticated result. The concept behind the new clothing range is excellently presented in the campaign’s video, directed by Willy Vanderperre and starring Marique Schimmel. The video; Extends the idea of fencing set to a beat which is reminiscent of the sport’s rhythm. You can watch it here.

Wiroa Station is the name of the minimal wine cellar built by MAP Architects in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. The simplicity of the building has been dictated by the astounding backdrop of the scenery. Restricted to 25m2 due to local planning regulations, the wine cellar features a beautiful interplay between coolness of concrete and warmth of natural wood. The wine bottles, displayed through the holes in the focal wall, make an exquisite statement. I love how the subtlety of the interior sets the stage for the vista of the ocean. Thanks to this reserved and laconic design the enjoyment of the environment and the enjoyment of wine tasting can come together and transcend into one harmonious moment.

This clock rebels against the very thing clocks traditionally represent: time. Ironically, this clock is named Time, although more often than not the actual time is hidden from view. Studio Like This has designed this analog clock so that the hour can only be read when it is approached front-on. Through the use of modern nano technology, the classic hands disappear when viewed from any other angle. Time requires one to hunt for the hour. It creates an extra step in our time-seeking process by forcing the user to physically move one’s body in order to know the hour. Consequentially, the classic question “what time is it?” creates a moment of philosophical analysis. One is compelled to also ask why knowing the time is important in that moment. It is a human compulsion to constantly ask the time and we are reminded of its passing everywhere we look. Thinking about how much time has elapsed or the limited time we have can be stressful and oppressive. This clock attempts to return us to our current task by allowing the reminder of time to fade into the background. Time fights against its very presence, enabling us to finally dwell in the...

The most important thing is the nature of the item, its essence. This is the way Jean Nouvel describes his project Flying Surface, because he thinks of this piece more as luminous object rather than a luminaire, looking for the essence of light. Flying Surface has been developed for the illumination company, Troll in 2006, and it is essentially made with a stretched fabric and produces a floating-like surface when its inside light is switched on. I think that this is perhaps the most minimalist lighting design that can be made. What can be more simple than a surface of light without anything else?

I was recently introduced to AGFronzoni.com, which celebrates the life and works of Italian minimalist designer, architect and teacher, AG Fronzoni. In 1962, Fronzoni designed this attractive light fitting, Quadra. Made from steel with a white, black or polished finish, Quadra can be installed on brick walls or ceilings, and measures just 8.66″ x 8.66″. The lamp was nominated for a Compasso d’Oro in 2004 and is manufactured by Italian lighting company Viabizzuno. With its simple form as a perfect square, and soft lighting, I think it’s a fine example of the great work Fronzoni has produced over the years.

The Museum of Modern Literature is located in Germany and was designed by London based architect David Chipperfield, of David Chipperfield Architects. The museum is set in Marbach’s scenic park overlooking the valley of the Neckar River. Neighbors to Chipperfield’s museum are the National Schiller Museum and the Archive for German Literature. The museum displays artifacts of 20th century literature, including original manuscripts of Franz Kafka’s The Trial. Completed in 2006, the museum won the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2007. The museum’s façade is dominated by limestone columns which create a dramatic portico surrounding the building. The interior galleries are dimly lit with artificial light so as not to destroy the delicate manuscripts. To contrast the necessary lighting conditions of the galleries, Chipperfield allows the circulation hallways to flood with sunlight from the tall glass windows which constitute the exterior walls. The evenly spaced columns and consequential portico call to mind the cerebral architecture of sacred temples. Chipperfield’s museum is very much a temple, a shrine to the literary works it contains and to literature in general. The simple, rational design of this museum allows it to be as expressive and communicative as the books it contains.

Based on the development of a  self-organising, programmatic and rhizomatic design, Atelier Carvalho Bernau created this series of deceptively simple, geometric designs for Amsterdam-based publishing house Octavo. Briefed with the wish for a collection of cheaply published books that are functional, durable and beautiful objects, the designers approached this project with an awe-inspiring and thought-provoking methodology of research of both the physicality of books and of  how their data could be used to make readable connections between the individual titles visible. The results are a design system in which each book is unique but relates to the others, so that what sits on the shelf is a visual continuum. Every book has its unique cover through a unique position on the map in relation with other publications, its colour scheme and placement of typography. No parameter is random, all data can be read: it is possible to understand that books with the same colour(s) bear some relation with each other; that the point to which the triangular areas point indicate yet another level of relation between the titles. Having had the opportunity to attend a conference in which they explained the entire process of their design research and systematic, I can say it was...

K% is an exciting new venture, born from the collaboration between famed Japanese design studio Nendo and K Projects from Singapore, with Oki Sato, Nendo’s prolific co-founder, as a design director. The début collection, K% is currently showing at Salone del Mobile 2012, is called black&black. Purposely reduced to one colour, the line explores the relationship between structure and function. There is no distraction of new techniques or unusual materials. All pieces are made out of wood or metal. The black&black collection is comprised of 15 objects, all following Nendo’s minimalist aesthetic. Sato elaborates: It is exciting to be able to expand the original idea of Nendo into other parts of the world, starting with K%. We hope to bring a little bit of inspiration to everyone’s home through our products. Collaborators for black&black are Singapore design firms Stidio JuJu and Exit Design. They each contributed an item to the collection.

Located in Tokyo, Japan, the Long Tall House is designed by the Japanese architecture firm SPACESPACE. The home is sandwiched between two traditional residential buildings in a busy neighborhood. This home acts as a clean white escape from the chaos of the big city. As the name suggests, the house is long and tall. Five stories span across the 4 x 16 meter site. The home is partially built into a retaining wall, creating the condition for two floors of basement. The basement levels are made from concrete, while the upper levels are clad in white timber. The north and south facades are covered with aluminum panels that can be raised or lowered to shade the street-adjacent windows. The interior is elegant and functional. A narrow spiral staircase provides the circulation between floors. White walls and hardwood floors provide a lightness and livability to the space. All of the storage is hidden within or behind the walls. This house truly illustrates how to make the most out of tight spaces. The architects took an unusually shaped lot and turned it into a wonderful family residence. This house is both simple and complicated: simple because of the calming materials and clean...

Bringing slightly different layer to today’s post with the Finnon Glen house in VIC, Australia designed by Doherty Lynch. Shortlisted for the Australian Interior Design Awards this year (among other excellent projects), I was mostly attracted to the balanced combination between architectural clarity and the ease of the furnishings. The result seems like a natural gesture by the designer without forced and unnecessary design features but with just enough visual interest  to please the eye. Moreover, this type of design allows flexibility and opportunity for the clients in their day-to-day lifestyle. Would love to hear your thoughts. Photography by Sonia Mangiapane