CasaSugar

Guess What This Product Is?

CasaSugar — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:30:03 -0700

This product is useful in every household. It may look like a rubber horseshoe, but it's not meant to be thrown. Rather, it keeps something in place. Can you tell me what it is?

Cool Idea: Frankensteined China, Two Ways

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:00:56 -0700

Belarusian artist Vika Mitrichenka makes gorgeous tea sets by casting broken pieces of china together, which were picked up by Dutch Design Shop Frozen Fountain, as well as the Stedelijk Museum. At $5,742 for a limited edition set of serving tray, tea pot, dish, sugar and cream bowls, and cup and saucer, you'd better have a pretty tame tea party if you want to use them, but I think it's best to think of Mitrichenka's work as fine art sculptures. To hear who else frankensteins china, read more.

One of my Designer Spotlights, Jason Miller (of antler chandelier fame), designed a collection called "Seconds," teapots, teacups and saucers, and dinner and dessert plates which look to be mismatched pieces of china glued to china, but are actually produced by Areaware. Each set actually has one singular motif or imagery that runs through each piece, like his blackbirds. His artist statement for the collection reads, "Products that are 'seconds' are products that are not quite right. They are imperfect and therefore lesser value. But who made the rules? Who says the decoration has to be in the center? Who says a flower can't grow down? Who says a whole bird is better than half a bird?" Prices range from $90 to $132.

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Nice and New: Areaware Magno Wooden Radio

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:48 -0700

Cute, and eco, too. The Areaware Magno Wooden Radio ($330), designed by Singgih Kartono, is made from sustainably harvested woods, and combines the techiness of an mp3 player with the ageless quality and appeal of wood. If this had an alarm, I'd be all about it. What about you? Do you like the look of this cute little radio, or is it too simplistic for your tastes?

Love It or Hate It? War Bowl

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:00:06 -0700

The Dominic Wilcox War Bowl ($400) for Areaware is an art piece made from melted and partially melted plastic toy soldiers, that makes "a statement on the futility of war." It's also available in red, white, or blue. Coincidence? I think not. If you wanted to eat your Top Ramen out of it, or decorate with apples in it, you'd be out of luck: it cannot support food. What do you think? Would you put this bowl in your home? Do you agree with the statement it tries to make?

Coveted Crib: Harry Allen's East Village Pad

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:30:57 -0700

If you follow modern design, you've probably heard of Harry Allen. His reality series produced by Areaware consists of decorative objects cast from pre-existing ones, including his Bestow Vase and his Branch Table, and are in all the hot design shops these days. New York Social Diary recently caught up Allen in his East Village apartment and shared photos to prove it. Check out this slideshow for a sneak peek of Allen's New York City home, and read the interview to hear his thoughts on everything from writing to child labor. Source

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Designer Spotlight: Jason Miller

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:53 -0700

Having worked as a studio assistant for Jeff Koons, an art director at Ogilvy and a designer for Karim Rashid between '95 and '01, Jason Miller decided it was time to step up his game and start his own design studio in Brooklyn — and he wasn't getting ahead of himself. Miller has pinned solo exhibitions all over the map, from LA to Tokyo, and everywhere in between, and been applauded with prestigious awards like Bombay Sapphire's "Rising Star" award and Wallpaper's "Best Breakthrough Designer" award, and named a "Tastemaker" by Forbes for his quirky contemporary designs, be it furniture, interiors, or bus stops. If that weren't enough of a pat on the back, his work is in the Permanent Collection of New York's Museum of Arts and Design, and he's got clients like Areaware, Persol, Brookstone, Carlo Rossi, Kikkerland, and Idee at his beck and call.

If you can't place his name, I'll give you a nudge by reminding you of his Ceramic Antler Chandelier, which single-handedly started the hunting trend that The New York Times has so lovingly already pegged "over." A brief glance at his portfolio, marked by low-res photos used as background for projects with titles like "Whatever Flowerpots" and "Dusty Tables," and you'll probably think a: he has no design experience or b: he's got to be joking. Well, that latter is only true, and in truth, the joke's on you; his terracotta flowerpots are shaped, not made, of whatever (beer cans, plastic jugs), and his table doesn't suggest that a neglected furnishing is a design, but the dusty table is coated in a finish making it only appear so — real grime is optional. It's no wonder pubs like Dwell, Domino, Metropolitan Home, and House & Garden have been all over him like, well, dust on a table; he's miraculously made everyday dirt trendy.
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