The Brooklyn-based design/build studio 4-Pli designs and manufactures furniture cut from sustainably-harvested plywood on their in-house CNC mill which are then finished with low-VOC paints and varnishes. Much of their collection has elements that repeat, slide together, or nest within each other. They’re not exactly flat-pack design, but they’re also not hand-carved one-of-a-kind pieces (luckily for us). Their work finds a wonderful balance between the two extremes, resulting in work that is simple and sophisticated. (more…)

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!Update to Part 2: It seems like the “Shelter Screen” was carried on into the final rounds for ICFF. See below.

As SCAD students of the Designed Conversation course created different bedding solutions for the clients of Growing Hope of Union Mission, one of the most challenging problems was a structure that actually provided shelter for the homeless living on the street.

This was the prototype presented at the end of April during critique. The canvas slip cover fits over a standard bi-folding lawn chair. Inside the flap was a layer of tulle to represent mosquito netting. There were conversations about how to secure the flap while preventing liquid from dripping inside, how to make the netting functional and convenient, and how to transport the entire structure on one’s back.

Above, a student demonstrates the room within the structure and possible issues with not being able to sit up.

It seems that a more dome-like silhouette was the group’s solution. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to see this prototype, but it looks like the project really came together for ICFF.

At the end of the critique, I sat down with each groups “documentarians.” Rubi McGrory, a Graduate Fibers student, Alice Meiss and Kathleen Imig, both undergraduates in Fibers, were responsible for documenting the process of their groups, collaborating on the mission statement, and putting together the site for Designed Conversation.

(more…)

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The interdisciplinary course Designed Conversation at Savannah College of Art and Design started around a competition sponsored by the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

“Given departmental emphasis on community outreach and, increasingly, small-scale production, fibers program members explore conscientious design and sustainable, socially responsible studio practice as a matter of course. For the past two years, the program has worked with the Growing Hope Artisans Cooperative, which provides creative programming for the homeless. This year, fibers students are delving into the issue of bedding for Growing Hope clients. Issues confronting the students include the relationship of inside/outside, portability, and the difference between consumer-driven and community-oriented products.”

-from the ICFF announcement

The last post Front and Center: Designed Conversation at ICFF (Part1) covered a product concept for people in transitional housing. This post covers the second prototype that focuses on the needs of individuals living in shelters. When I attended the final critique, the prototype looked like a three panel room divider with fabric pockets.

Each fabric panel was 15 inches wide and attached to pvc pipe. The idea was to use found materials to create pockets at different heights of the panels for those sleeping on the top or bottom bunk. The screen would provide storage as well as privacy. Issues arose at this last critique on the construction around the stitched sleeves of the panels, the stability of the light weight pvc, as well as the inconvenience of repositioning the screen in order to climb on the top bunk. The students must have seriously evaluated these issues, because less than two weeks later their prototype looked like this.

Storage is given precedent with an expandable shelf, as opposed to fabric pockets. Contents can be kept out of sight, and there is a fold out shelf.

These are the latest photographs I have of the prototype, but Fibers professor Jessica Smith reported that the final prototype for ICFF incorporates over 10 yards of digitally printed polyester.
Here’s the front of their promo card. Return tomorrow for coverage of the final design which offers a sleeping solution for men and women who must live on the street and a few words from the students reflecting on how this project has affected them as designers and as people.

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Designed Conversation is a special topics course at the Savannah College of Art and Design. This Spring, a divergent group of students from the Fibers and Furniture departments came together under the direction of professors Jessica Smith and Sheila Edwards to collaborate on a proposal for this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. I had the honor of attending the final prototype critique and interviewing a few students about the project.

“Designed Conversation represents a dynamic dialogue between Savannah College of Art and Design students and clients of Growing Hope of Union Mission in Savannah, Georgia. Union Mission aims to elevate the quality of life of Savannah’s homeless through housing, job training, counseling, and healthcare. Growing Hope, the arts and crafts cooperative within Union Mission, is a unique program which addresses the need for creative expression in this underserved population. Our goal is to create sustainable bedding solutions for people in non-traditional living situations. We address the needs of three specific demographics within Union Mission: those sleeping on the street, those sleeping in a shelter, and those living in transitional housing.

Through regular conversations at the shelter, our clients expressed their needs for comfort, security and privacy which we continuously integrated into our design solutions. We embrace a definition of sustainability looking beyond the green movement to incorporate a socially constructive practice. Using readily accessible materials and an ease of construction, we created functional items that can be replicated by clients within the Growing Hope Studios. In giving the design blueprints to Growing Hope and posting them on the internet, we aim to give our products a life in the community beyond ICFF.”

:: mission statement

This first post presents the work of the group that addresses those in transitional housing programs. Because physical shelter is provided, the primary needs are personal and psychological. Below, are the sleeping arrangements the students visited.

These “bed pods” were developed to provide privacy and a sense of ownership and control over limited personal space. The canopy like structure is secured to the bottom of the bed frame by simple straps and suspender clips. The pod can be folded back and snapped shut to signify that this person has left the dormitory and begun their day. Extended, the pod provides shade from the typical overhead florescent lighting, privacy from fellow housemates, as well as some storage. There are pockets on either side of the interior for small personal items. It’s light weight and compactability make it portable, due to it’s construction of fiberglass rods and basic fabric. I think it’s a very good way to begin to establish individualized space and a healthy sense of independence.

Here’s the final version to be presented at ICFF.

And here, clients of Growing Hope of Union Mission look at the prototype.

coming soon. Front and Center: Designed Conversation at ICFF (part 2) - a storage solution for shelters

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There is a heap of cool materials and making techniques out there that could be combined with your Ponoko pieces to form your products. Ever thought of using some carpet samples? Well apparently 700, 000 fabric samples are shipped every year to architects and interior designers and once they have served there purpose they are thrown away. Ample sample is a competition that tries to get people thinking about how these squares of carpet can be reused and turned into something useful. Now in its second year the competition has resulted in some great ideas.

One of the winners from last year was the Care-E Purse; it was designed from a single carpet tile and blocks of scrap wood, and provides a convenient way to carry your things and tells the world you’re green.

They are still accepting entries into this year’s competition but there has already been some clever ideas submitted. The carpet pet house and the rug dish are two of my favourites.

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I love cardboard furniture. There’s something alchemic about turning such an omnipresent, mundane material into something other than a box. Cardboard furniture is really great for temporary purposes such as outfitting a dorm, traveling, and in Green Lullaby’s case, providing for rapidly sprouting children. Green Lullaby has designed a small series of cardboard furnishings for children of various ages that are eco-friendly and damned useful, often incorporating storage space in their design. With a cradle, bench, table, and stools, each piece appears to be sturdy, beautiful, and functional, although I would hope the cradle is at least water-resistant. (more…)

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This beautiful lamp called Nautilus is from designer maker Rebecca Asquith. The lamp has a unique sea shell appearance and a unique way of collapsing; it folds like a Chinese fan so that it can go from flat pack to the stunning shell form in seconds with no real assembly required. The hanging lamp is made from sustainably grown hoop pine ply and is manufactured using a minimum of energy and resources.

The lamp is available from Unless; a couple of designers linked by their environmental concern. It is directed by New Zealand based designers Rebecca Asquith and Tim Wigmore. They’re website also features work from New Zealand designer David Trubridge. Their aim is “to promote high quality design works that are produced with conscious effort to mitigate harm to the environment. Unless selects works that demonstrate that the designer has engaged with issues of sustainability”. It’s always good to see objects that embrace sustainable design and also look great.

Via Inhabitat/Keetsa

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Mio who I’ve written about here before, have some great puzzle products. I like the Haute Surface Houndstooth Set because it’s fun and functional. It’s a collection of interlocking pieces of cork in two contrasting colours; tan and chocolate. The pieces when assembled can perform a variety of functions. “The trivets can be arranged into stunning table runners, table protective arrangements, place mats or even mouse pads”. The designer Jaime Salm was inspired by hounds tooth patterns in textile design but then I guess you knew that from the name. The concept was to use a pattern as a means to decorate and protect tables, while encouraging creative table presentation. This would be a perfect desk item for anyone looking for something to entertain them while procrastinating from work.

It’s got a few ticks in the environmental column too. Being modular it extends the life of the product as individual pieces can be replaced. I guess the idea is that it would also extend the life of the table it is protecting and it’s also made from reconstituted cork. Their other designs are the Haute Surface ZigZag Set and the ModuTiles.

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Because We Can is a design-build studio that has created some really amazing work. Their flat pack designs are especially interesting, such as the flat pack couch, designed as a place to rest your feet and store your vinyl. equally cool is the flat pack furniture system designed for Sunpower, Inc. The system consists of tables, stools, & signage, and is fit together with no adhesives, requiring only a few hard smacks with a mallet. (more…)

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Not breaking news necessarily, but Vert Design’s flat pack mallet is a wonderful example of creating functional three dimensional objects from a single sheet of wood. The design is minimal, using only one board of plywood with little waste, with some very cunning fittings. If you’ve been puzzling over how to fit some troublesome pieces together, you might want to give this design a look. If you’re just interested in tenderizing, for $40 USD and requiring no adhesives, you can construct a fully-functional mallet and hit things to your heart’s content. Incidentally, if you’re looking for more inspiration, they also make a functional windvane toy with–in my opinion–a very clever rotating joint and a spectacular example of flat pack ingenuity. (more…)

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