Dutch design house Vij5 kicks off an ambitious goal of launching one new product every week for 10 weeks and to get things started, they’re releasing the Dressed Cabinet. Designed by Puck Dieben, in collaboration with Vij5, the design offers endless flexibility with movable fabric panels that adjust to your storage needs. Also, the pieces invite adults to play around with their furniture to achieve the look they want.
The Dressed Cabinet comes in two versions – Divide and Slide. Divide, available in a short or tall model, includes five meters of Kvadrat fabric that you thread through the slots in the metal frame to create dividers and sections as needed. Slide, which only comes in the tall version, features Kvadrat fabric that’s wrapped around the outside of the frame allowing you to slide it up and down to change where the opening is. Wooden rods hold the fabric taut and in place.
This is the latest in our Made in London series of films about London-based makers by filmmaker William Scothern. This month’s video is about third generation chair caner and seat weaver Rachael South. Watch:
Rachael gained a first class honors degree in textiles at London Guildhall University and had a successful career as a freelance textile product designer and bespoke passemanterie designer before returning to the family business. “My sisters and I were always in our Dad’s workshop, so I can’t remember a moment when I thought I wanted to do the chair caning, it was just something that was around all the time,” she says. “It wasn’t until later that I thought, this is just a lovely craft.” She applies her own skills and knowledge to the family craft, working on both traditional restoration projects and contemporary new furniture designs.
She was just 14 when she learned to cane chairs – a process that brought her closer to her father. “My dad sat me down and showed me how to do the caning of one little nursing chair and then kept bringing me more chairs to do,” she says. “That was a whole other way of having a relationship with him.”
Her father learned chair caning from his father, Michael South. “My Grandfather lived in Ladbroke Grove and he would walk up to Kensington and he would wait for people to bring broken chairs to him and he would fix them. [Today] people seem much more interested in sustainability. The beauty of caned furniture is that it’s actually designed to be reused and recycled. We can repair it and make it as beautiful as it was when it was first manufactured.”
Rachael finds fulfillment in both the sense of history and the potential longevity of her work. “When someone commissions me to restore a piece of furniture, it should be good for another generation,” she says. “Pieces of furniture are little time capsules. I might be caning a chair that’s been caned four, five, six times before. I like being a part of that chain through time.”
While doing research on materials, Paris-based Studio Bold created a collection of 3D printed vases where “hair” is implanted during the printing process with the hope of bulking up the shape. The studio created a code made up of “coordinates between the logic mathematics to the logic generated by nature.” What resulted was the Poilu Vases, a series of three vessels printed with vegetable-based fibers, like bamboo, coconut, and wood, giving them rows of looped “hair”, almost like loops on a rug.
Each vase – Blond, Brun, and Roux – is numbered and signed in limited editions of 8 (+ 2AP + 2P) and are available via Aybar Gallery.
The following post is brought to you by Bang & Olufsen. Our partners are handpicked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.
Smart technology: Sometimes it makes us feel more connected, but often, it can be isolating. Personal connections are more valuable, and more necessary. Bang & Olufsen, the modern design brand synonymous with high-quality sound and aesthetics, has recognized that smart technology should also help us come together. Movies, television, and the viewing experience are ways in which we can connect—from family movie night to romantic date night (even “Netflix & chill”)—these are all ways we experience and enjoy technology, together. And, even if we’re not in the same room, the shared experience of viewing popular shows, movies or televised events and experiencing the emotions and excitement that go along with it, also creates a shared humanity. So, what does this have to do with B&O?
They teamed up with LG Electronics to create the BeoVision Eclipse, the first TV they developed together in their new partnership. Bringing together LG’s OLED TV technology, which delivers high contrast and a dynamic moving picture experience, and Bang & Olufsen’s attention to design and high-quality sound, this TV is a luxurious package that looks to deliver a superior experience. Take a look:
The tag team of Bang & Olufsen and LG really put the pedal to the metal when it comes to attention to detail both in terms of operational perfection and aesthetics. The sleek, slim design that Bang & Olufsen is known for hasn’t been compromised here, with a screen that continues beneath the SoundCentre punctuated by a simple stand. This is definitely a Design Milk-approved TV that will fit in nicely with your modern decor without detraction. Let’s talk for a moment about that stand: it’s motorized! Yes – that means that you can move the TV around on the floor with the push of a button and adjust it to whatever position you’re in, whether sitting on the couch, watching from the kitchen counter, or laying in bed. If that’s not your jam, though, you can still mount it on the wall. If that wasn’t enough customization, you can even choose from aluminum or colored fabrics for the speaker.
Aesthetics aside, it also functions beyond the traditional viewing capabilities: it is a smart device. With LG Electronics’ webOS 3.5 platform, you can access everything from Netflix to Amazon to Spotify and even audio AirPlay and Bluetooth streaming.
To complement the BeoVision Eclipse, the BeoLab 50 rst loudspeaker (born from the BeoLab 90) is a sophisticated and powerful companion. Enhancing the cinematic experience with acoustic lens technology, beam width control and active room compensation.
For ease, a single remote, the BeoRemote One BT, can be used to operate everything. You can customize the remote with shortcuts, personal content, and even store access to various sources.
BeoVision Eclipse will be available in both 55” and 65” at Bang & Olufsen European retailers in September 2017. Learn more at bang-olufsen.com.
