Introducing from our Flensted Mobiles collection some new hanging marvels, Moomin Mobile, Flying Chairs, and Olephant Mobile – a perfect range of ceiling and hanging mobiles.

“In 1951 Isamu Noguchi visited the Japanese town of Gifu, known for its manufacture of lanterns and umbrellas from the mulberry bark paper and bamboo. Inspired by the lanterns illuminating night fishing on the Nagara River, Noguchi designed the first of his lamps that would be produced by the traditional Gifu methods of construction. He called these works Akari, a term meaning light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness. Extending the concept of illuminated sculpture that he developed during the 1940s in New York, Noguchi employed abstract shapes to unite the simplicity of Japanese aesthetics with the principles of contemporary art and design. More that home furnishing, Akari are light sculptures.

“With the warm glow of light cast through hand-made paper on a bamboo frame, Isamu Noguchi utilized traditional Japanese materials to bring modern design to the home. Like the beauty of falling leaves and the cherry blossom, Noguchi wrote, Akari are ‘poetic, ephemeral, and tentative.’ And he was fond of saying, ‘All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.’ ”

View all Noguchi Lamps

 

Kartell produces this neat looking all plastic chair, designed by Philippe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet.

 

 

 

It is available in several transparent colours as well as a few matte colours.  In all their fun shades, these chairs are sure to please.

 

 

 

Designed by Verner Panton in 1969, the Living Tower embodied the spirit of the 60′s interactive ‘living’ landscapes.  Verner designed many great pieces, breaking away from the more traditional techniques and materials being used by his fellow designers. 

Hans J. Wegner Wishbone Chair

He took the living landscapes theme to a whole new level with the “Fantasy” Landscapes he created for Bayer in 1968 and 1970. 

"Visiona II". One of Verners Fantasy Landscapes

The Living Tower is still available through Vitra today, although not an inexpensive piece.  The Tower serves as Art, interactive furniture and a fantastic, eye-catching way to divide a room.

Verner with family

The Living Tower is available in red, matt blue and chocolate.  It is constructed of a Birch Plywood Frame, uses polyurethane foam, classic upholstery and the outer dimensions are 78 3/4″ square.  There are 4 levels at which you can lounge on the Living Tower.

4 Levels of the Living Tower

A fun,  funky piece of furniture sure to be a conversation piece for years to come.

Well, if so, here are a few things that you may want to consider:

1 – Does the designer have a portfolio of previous projects to show you ? This is a great starting place to see if you feel this person has the ability to work with you. I would suggest that you look for a range of projects that may or may not fit your personal aesthetic. Someone that is diversified and able to meet the needs of a range of clients, is more likely to meet with you and strive towards something that is personal to you. If I am looking through a portfolio and everything looks the same, then I am inclined to think that I am going to end up with the designers aesthetic, not my own.

2 – I would want at least two references from recent clients who’s projects are complete.
A quick call to see if they are happy with the result. Did the designer listen to their wants and needs and did they find solutions that suited them. Did they find the designer to be knowledgeable in his/her chosen field. Did they prevent mistakes from happening, before they happened. Do they feel that they received good value for their money? Would they hire that person again and would they recommend that person to a friend, family or colleague ? If you can only ask one question, maybe this would be the most telling.

3 – How does the fee structure work? Of all of the clients that I have talked to over the years, this is the one issue that leaves most clients upset at the end of a project. The potential for unknown/hidden fees that often come with this sort of arrangement can leave clients feeling like something is awry . Generally, you should expect to pay an hourly rate as well as “actual cost” plus a percentage on purchases. This is the fairest way to both the client and the designer and it insures that the designer is making decisions for you based on what is in your best interest, as opposed to their best interest. Very often there are back room deals going on whereby a designer may receive a “kickback” from a vendor for bringing their clients to said vendor. If you are paying an hourly fee for advice and that advice is possibly being swayed by the amount of a kickback from one vendor versus another, well, that is unethical and you are bound to end up with some bad advice. If you are made aware that this is the arrangement, then that is a different story.
The advantage to the hourly rate and cost plus method is that the client may get to take advantage of pre-negotiated discounts, which can help to off-set the cost of a designer and this also means that you don’t have to go in and bargain for deals.

Happy hunting !!

1. Hideaway – use unique storage to get organized
2. Cubic versus square – don’t focus on floor space, even the smaller spaces offer plenty of wall space
3. Smaller scale furniture – try chairs instead of a sectional and round tables instead of square
4. Mirror and glass – mirrors trick the eye into seeing into another room, whereas glass allows the eye to see through
5. Nesting and multipurpose pieces – nesting tables offer flexibility and a small footprint
6. Functional zones - split your space with different paint colours so if the dining room and living room have no wall separation, use different tones of paints in order to show functional difference between spaces
7. Accessorize – small spaces develop their style through the accessories

Modern Nesting Tables by Vitra

Flensted Mobiles are beautiful, humorous and reflect a more modern approach to accessories.

Originally Flensted Mobiles were sold in bookshops and craft centres. Today, they are sold predominantly through museum and gallery gift outlets, contemporary furniture and design stores and children’s shops, and enjoy an international success.

All Flensted Mobiles are hand-made in Denmark, and offer high quality at a moderate price. Elements are assembled and packed by about 50 skilled home-workers and their families. Many of the original Flensted Mobiles are still in production, but the contemporary designs are now the bestsellers. Ole Flensted is the chief designer, but for introducing new ideas often works in conjunction with artists.

Flensted Mobiles are modern yet timeless, often abstract, brightly coloured and unaffected by fashion, qualities which enable them to hang and give inspiration for many years.