Air

The Spain-born but London-based Héctor Serrano designed the Air: a plastic stool for the Spanish exterior furniture company Gandia Blasco. It is a compact and solid stool, but at the same time it looks light and slim with its fine section.

This polypropylene stool is made by rotational moulding, which is quite unconventional considering its triangle midsection.

It is available as a bar stool and low stool, and comes in white, black, tobacco and warm gray.

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How is this for a definition of minimalism?

For the past few years, I’ve been collecting notes and quotes on minimalism, and with those trying to sculpt a new definition of minimalism. The one Wikipedia uses (‘the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features’) is just too loose for my liking.

Minimalism and its extensions are so diverse, that it has proven to be difficult to find the common denominators. I started at Minimal Art, continued through minimalist architecture, and looked at industrial design, graphic design, photography, and so on, and so on.

Right now I’m at at point where I think it’s got something. Time to ask for thoughts and feedback, so here goes:

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Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2011

Jil Sander’s 2011 Spring/Summer line by Raf Simons proves that minimalism does not mean to neglect colour. In this collection, Simons employs strong block colors that if translated to painting would be regarded as minimal, non-figurative works.

Simons shows the world that at the forefront of minimalist fashion is an abandonment of decoration, adornment and excess, and a focus on structure, shape and cut, and how best clothing is agreeable with the body.

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Wire chair

Tokyo based furniture designer Oki Sato designed this wonderful, thin and almost fragile wire chair. The wire chair is a follow up of the cord chair.

The stainless steel legs have a diameter of 12mm and multiple layers of powder coating and hand polishing give the chair a lustrous finish. Due to this finish you can use the chair outdoors as well. Available in three different serene colors a perfect complement for your interior.

Photography by Masayuki Hayashi.

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Uniqlo +J

Minimalism in consumer goods is here. Jil Sander fans line up for the near sold-out Uniqlo +J. If you were ever looking for Apple-esque for fashion, then this is it. Your one stop shop for clean and sharp staple items for your closet.

The quote from the +J website says it all:

Luxury will be simplicity. Purity in design, beauty and comfort for all. Quality for the people. Basics are the common language. The future is here: +J.

Not just a marketing gimmick, Jil Sander is here to stay, indefinitely. Plans includes bags as well as footwear for the coming seasons. The Japanese brand Uniqlo is definitely up to something.

This is a good season for minimalists.

Photography by David Sims.

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Georg Spreng’s House by C18

“If my house was burning down I would try to save my life,” said Michel Roeder, one of three partners of German architecture firm, C18. A less obvious choice for some of us. Once during an earthquake, I quickly grabbed my iPhone before running out of the office building.

Georg Spreng, one of the original founders of Frogdesign, now a jewelry designer, and C18 architects share a taste for clinical precision and pragmatic romanticism. Facing the street, the exterior of Georg Spreng’s home, near Stuttgart, in Germany, is a facade of clinical white, square tiles. It does not reveal what is inside—a great surprise. The house opens into the landscape with splashes of color, that reflects Spreng’s jewelry designs, and light-filled spaces with ultra-modern finishes. On the cooler end: flirtatious curtains and an unforgettably, glamorous lap pool.

A nostalgic mood to the minimalist affair. Can minimalism be deliberately mysterious?

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LaCie Sound² Speakers

Anyone who has ever owned a laptop knows that sound quality is never a strong suit for any portable device. LaCie’s Sound² USB powered speakers are an elegant solution for the ubiquitous cacophony of coarse noise emitting from notebook computers. Best of all, Neil Poulton - the renowned Scottish product designer based in Paris – is the man responsible. While most designers have an idiosyncratic style that is purposefully salient, Poulton specializes in inconspicuous simplicity and minimalism.

The design is successful in every aspect of its minimal composition. Poulton was able to create an affordable product without compromising any value. The contrasting elements of the black cover to its white base give the speakers an illusion of airy lightness. I also love how the circular extrusion of the speaker is slightly larger than its base, allowing the speaker to slightly prop up toward the user.

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Semjase

Technology, design and poetry are the guidelines that have taken to the planning of this floor lamp, having big dimensions, and designed to be an elegant piece of furniture.

That’s what Italian lighting manufacturer Lucente says about their floor lamp Semjase.

The lamp, from the hand of industrial designer Sandro Santantonio, flows from the base to the top in one continuous curve, giving the lamp a fantastic minimalist and futuristic feel.

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Elastic Straps and Drawings

France-based artist Julien Mijangos executed the use of elastic straps quite brilliantly in his Elastic Straps and Drawings show at Sebastien Ricou Gallery.

Leaving the majority of the gallery empty, Julien used elastic straps sparingly and quite drastically; intersecting and manipulating the architecture of the building. Superb.

His drawings are great, too, by the way.

Photography by Jacques Theys.

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Heineken Icone Pure

Heineken and French designer ORA-ÏTO teamed up again after previous collaborations. Back in 2002 ORA-ÏTO received the ‘oscar for the best packaging’ for his aluminum Heineken bottle. The outcome of the latest collaboration is a new limited edition set of 100% sustainable aluminum bottles; the Icone Pure.

ORA-ÏTO is the brand name of the designer Ito Morabito. Morabito describes his style as simplexity. He says:

All my designs look very simple, but I can tell you it is very complex to make it happen.

The new bottle is white with a green dotted inscription and featuring the iconic green logo of Heineken on the front and back.

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