WABI SABI Scandinavia - Design, Art and DIY.: Design

Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts

Wabi Sabi = Wood

Another blogpost about wood, and who can blame me? Natures best material? For making great architecture, lasting interiors, beautiful arts and crafts. And furniture! (OK, so I love a clever wood joint!) The images above are clockwise from top left:

lifeonsundays.com

Clockwise from top left:

honeyandjam
corinnechatelain
(door unknown)

Artwork by Alton Falcone

Beautiful joints and structures - clockwise from top left:

More woodwork, above - clockwise from top left:

... and some more beautiful wood joints below:

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DARK STYLING - Natural Beauties from Japan

REPOST from March 2013.

Award winning japanese designer Katsumi Machimura started off as a jewelry designer in the 1960s, and didn't dig his hands into clay until years later. His stunning ceramic work has both elegance and roughness - proper gems in themselves! Katsumi Machimura also love gardening, and share his passion for nature in his garden blog. I borrowed these pictures of his ceramic work and natural photos from Atelier Katsumi here.

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Rethink your table settings

Bringing nature to your table via wooden plates and cutlery may not be the most practical, perhaps? But it is very trendy. Very right now. At flee markets you may still find beautiful wooden items for almost nothing. Prefer new ones? Check out british designer Gary Allson's wooden plates, bowls and cutlery below. More at Gary Allson Design

Below: plates of wood and clay from Mollys Cafe Istanbul in Istanbul:

Why be a minimalist?

Why be a minimalist? Leo Babauta's explains at his website Zen Habits:
It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value. Read more on minimalism here. Below: Spalted Beech Table by Howard Werner.

Going up - inspirational stairs

I must admit - I see stairs and stairways as a piece of sculpture.

The zig-zag structure in concrete, steel, iron, wood etc.

Timeless, sturdy, elegant. I'll take them all, thank you.

All images via Pinterest.

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Old Disused Stoneware Factory come to life again - Wallåkra

I recently visited Wallåkra, a small village in the south of Sweden. I came to see an textile/embroidery exhibition, and found an 150 year old, disused Stoneware Industry turned into a Cultural Center. I instantly fell in love with the old brick buildings, and the beautiful surroundings. What was once an old Industry, using the clay and coal in the ground, is today the studio for four ceramic designers.
The area also include a small restaurant, a shop and coffee bar, a "stage" for concerts in the summer, and much more. Here are a few of photos of what you can find at this must-see place, just outside Helsingborg in Skåne. More info at their Facebook page and website.

Some info in Swedish, based on an article in the Swedish newspaperHelsingborgs Dagblad 13 juni 2014:
Ugnen går fortfarande varm på en av Sveriges sista stenkärlsfabriker, Wallåkra Stenkärlsfabrik i Helsingborg. Med 150 år av traditioner i ryggen har keramikern Åsa Orrmell (se videon nedan) skapat en inspirerande mötesplats för både turister och lokalbefolkning. För några år sedan fick hon Svenskt kulturarvs eldsjälspris. Och när fabriken behövde renovera den gamla, uttjänta ugnen fick hon engagerade människor att ställa upp och bidra.
Verksamheten på Wallåkra består idag av keramikverkstad, butik, restaurang och en livaktig eventverksamhet med bland annat ljusstöpning och drejning. Varje sommar har man även uppskattade grillkvällar med levande musik. Läs hela artikeln här.

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Old railway sleepers in new design

Already June 2014! It's been an amazing year, with major changes in my life, including re-decorating my home and studio, and more travels than before. And this blog has suffered. But now I back, and plan to give you weekly updates on art, architecture, design and photography, from a wabisabi angle. Let me start with this stunning copper colored house in Portugal, designed by Atelier Data, where they've recycled old railway sleepers everywhere in the structure.

The house is oriented and designed to protect the home from strong winds from the north, while allowing great views of the valley and the city towards the east and the south. More info on Atelier Data's facebook page.

WABI SABI interior design art photography

Swedish Design in the Front line

One of many favorite design firms, are the (many times over) award winning Swedish design team Front. I have blogged about their work before, and they keep coming up with new unique designs. With a twist....

Remember the Blow Away vase? Here are a few examples of what they'd done since.

First, the Axor shower system for Hansgrohe. In their own words: We were inspired by water pathways in their most original form. We wanted to draw attention to the hidden aesthetics of technology in a particularly elegant way, turning pipes, joints, valves and funnels into a new shower set.

The chair Collage (above and below) is part of a series of furniture, that has its origins in the archives of this 150 year old Swedish firm Gemla. Throughout the design process, tools and shapes from the past have been re-used, enhanced and complemented.

The Elle Deco Winner chair (above) is in the shape of two joined arches and made of wood and upholstered leather.

The Mikado Cupboard (below) for Porro, is an a transparent structure made of olive ash. The result is a piece of furniture somewhere between a vitrine and a cupboard...