trendey

In conjunction with the 2010 Milan International Furniture Fair, opening today, the YoungDesignerBook exhibit is held. In this arena, two young Italian designers, L.Bregoli and M.Fanelli, are presenting their first design collection under the brand Rocket. These designers believe in design that’s fun, original and unconventional; design that reminds you that life is anything but dull. [we fully embrace this!].

The 2010 collection was born ’where the indie scene brought rock back to its heights’, between Milan & London’s east-end. That same electrifying vibe is expressed in the Rocket design. Inspiration is, quite obvious!, derived from their infatuation for rock n roll and disco culture. Out of the 10 design items in the 2010 collection, three items are awarded trendey points:

First, the GuiTray, a shot tray in the shape of a colourful guitar. It’s a little tray ’dedicated to all those who, every now and again, savour a cheeky drink’:

True rockstarness with a twist! A functional yet playful decor item. It will easily blend and immediately give the situation a rock vibe. Compared to the coffee table in similar design, whose steel legs and overall feel don’t appeal to us as much, these mini guitars are lively and fun. Not for eveyday use maybe…(?) but definitely something to bring out for the party. Trendey points: 7,5 out of 10. GuiTray is made of Plexiglas® and aluminium alloy, and is available in transparent, translucent orange, translucent red, and translucent violet. It includes 6 glasses. Price tag approx. EUR 59/$80.

Secondly, the wine rack, Wine Jack. As the designers state, it is ‘an innovative interaction between container and content’. Any music nerd of a home decorator would embrace this! It is set to be a focal point of any room. A statement item. Late 80′s early 90′s feel: it’s nostalgia. And it’s smart.

The nerd factor is obvious, but you know what, there’s nothing trendier these days than being a nerd! Design shows a high level of originality, but because it only hits *the true music geek* straight in the heart it gets trendey points 6 out of 10. Wine Jack is made of metal and Plexiglas®. Price tag EUR 149 (approx.$200).

Lastly, but not leastly, the coaster set Nap(kin)ster. It’s a cheerful set of 6 headphone-shaped napkin holders. Material: Plexiglas®. Music nerdiness is again (as with GuiTray) well-balanced to playfulness.

Also, the strong colour trend is observed; the vibrant colour mix will actually bring joy to any dull table. Some may see an underlying message of ‘sit back, relax and be yourself in your own world’ or maybe… ‘at this table, we listen, we don’t just babble on about us and ours’. Hah, either way, a nice decor item! Trendey points: 6,5 out of 10. Price tag EUR 29 (approx.$ 40).

Have a further look @ Rocket and for purchases visit Yook.

Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting!

I just have to share with you these peculiar next-generation teapots. At WebUrbanist you can find a collection of 19 exceptional teapots that clearly shows the future design direction. More examples and details here. They all come from Britain you think? I found out my favourite, below, can be bought at The Teapottery, and oooh, they surely have a full range of odd tea-design! Anyhow, the Toaster Teapot seem highly multifunctional. Design must be functional, right?

The Swedish design group Muungano is attending the ongoing Stockholm Formex fair. They are one out of twelve designers invited by Formex and the Trend Group to the section Young Designers - a platform for not yet established designers. According to their website, Muungano has its roots in a critical discussion about the meaning, methods and values of design. In their projects they “consciously find challenge and motivation in pushing the boundaries of the brief, by contextualizing problems and assuming a holistic approach”.

In 2008 Muungano designed a very special library bus, and in 2009 some awsome skull lollipops, now one really looks forward to their next design steps! Here’s a look into my Muungano favourites so far.
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At the Formex fair a few awards and honorable mentions are given. This year’s tear of joy goes to the product Snaps -Table napkins and tea towels by Barbro Tryberg Boberg and Maria Holmer Dahlgren for the Swedish company Formverket. Dry your tears of joy with this napkin or (if there’s a lot of joy tears) with the tea towel. It’s got lyrics printed on it, so next step is to raise your Snaps glass, sing and cheer!

This is the jury’s reasoning: “All of a sudden, those gathered round the table have good reason to burst into song. Raise a glass to Sweden’s musical traditions!” I.e. design with a jolly mission!