Formica launches new European Collection

Formica Limited has launched its new Collection including intriguing premium textures and many new unique designs.

Formica comments, 'This new Collection presents a comprehensive palette of High Pressure Laminate (HPL) specially designed in response to European trends. With extensive colour families and co-ordination between ranges, textures and patterns, innovation and exclusivity are watchwords of this exciting offer.'  

The new Collection includes a unique new texture Rigato™ and new patterns Mode, Geo, Dogbone and Strand. The Formica Collection is a practical, trend led resource for Architects, Designers and Specifers and demonstrates how the Formica Group continues to innovate and lead the market in decorative laminates.

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LondonKillsMe featured in Clerkenwell

LondonKillsMe is an independent design and screen print company based in London specialising in designing and making fashion and interior products of the highest quality. It has been described as a lifestyle anti-brand and a movement towards a more social conscious consumer who takes an ethical approach to lifestyle products.

Established in Nov 2007 by Jane Young and Nick Darrieulat LondonKillsMe counts the Museum of London, Rockett St.George, Handmade Interiors, One in the House (Brighton) and the Zetter Hotel as clients. All products are ethically traced and made from natural or reclaimed materials, such as pure linen, cotton and silk. All the slate products are made from reclaimed roof slate and are hand cut and finished.

LKM will be featured at a One Day Designers Sale at Craft Central, St. John’s Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1 on Wednesday 22nd Sept 12-7pm and also at The Pop Up shop at Clerkenwell Green from Tue 28th September – Sunday 3rd October.

See more here

Thomas Heatherwick installs Spun seats for Design Week

Designer Thomas Heatherwick has created an installation of his Spun seats designed for the Italian manufacturer Magis. Located in the  Southbank Centre Square it has been installed to celebrate the opening of London Design Week. Watch the video below.

Jaime Hayon launches Sé Collection II at London Design Week

Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has launched a new furniture collection for the design brand Sé.

The brand comments, ‘Solid bronze side tables with fantastic curves. Bold colours applied to confident shapes. A sofa and armchair delicately proportioned but with a wit and presence that sets them apart from any other chair. The upholstery is refined, the styling almost classic but with a look of something very new, very now.’

This great Sé Collection by Jaime Hayon launches at the London Design Week and the series of chairs, mirrors, tables and sofas is Hayon’s first complete furniture range.

Blueprint 100% Design Awards

The Blueprint Awards are back at 100% Design with a format that guarantees the best work receives a prestigious Blueprint Badge. Opening up the conventional awards structure, there is no limit on the number of possible badge winners for the Best New Products, New Talent in 100% Futures, and the Best Use of Materials. The Blueprint Badge winners were selected by Peter Kelly, editor of Blueprint, and design author and curator Max Fraser in late July.

See more on Blueprint

Murakami comes to Versailles

Takashi Murakami's whirlwind exhibition of manga-inspired works comes to the Palais de Versailles, Paris, in a display of 22 bright coloured sculptures - does it work with the historic background of the palace? What do you think?

See more on Cool Hunting

A balancing act at the Venice Architecture Biennale

Madrid architect Antón García-Abril of Ensamble Studio has installed two enormous girders that slice through the Arsenale exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Entitled Balancing Act, the installation comprises one girder balanced across the other and supported at one end by a metal spring.

See more on Dezeen

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Industry Gallery, Washington DC, opens Nature/Data exhibition

The Industry Gallery, Washinton DC, is holding a new exhibition called Nature/Data by New York-based Italian designer and architect Antonio Pio Saracino. The exhibition features eleven chairs that are constructed in a range of materials including plywood, metal, carbon fiber and synthetics and in various forms such as molecules, leaves, blossoms, and crystals. Great furniture designs that inspire.

See the collection here

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A hunter shoots a bear

This is a fantastic viral but very addictive - a few swear words though so be warned - click on the image below and get started. Enjoy!

Do you know your chairs?

Know your chairs? Try this new iPhone app and see if your knowledge is up to scratch. Design Icon: Chairs showing silhouettes of design icons and asks for their name, designer or date. It was developed by Mark Stevens from Fail Forwards in Copenhagen and costs 59p from the App Store See more here. There is also one for fonts coming soon.

Just Amazing - Interior of the Mira Hotel, Hong Kong

Miami-based Interior designer Charles Allem has designed the interior of the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong. It is just simply stunning. See loads more pictures of this amazing hotel here. They speak for themselves.

Playhouse design incudes concrete slide - Great Fun!

Aboday Architects has designed a 2 storey house located in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang. It is part of a new gated housing cluster, and the house is an amalgamation of an existing house and a new construction. A feature of the house is a sculptural slider of concrete tucked in the corner between the two buildings. This is the transporation of choice of the 5 year old boy who lives in the house, sliding from his bedroom in 2nd floor to the dining room on the 1st floor.

See more here on Arch Daily

© Happy Lim

Intriguing Canopy Installed At State University

A new digitally fabricated installation by Jonathan Henry Arseni Zaitev from Anonymous Studio called “Alexandria”, is to be situated in the Architecture Gallery of the Southern Polytechnic State University. It is to open at the State University's biannual exhibition of young professional work as a part of the “Summer Salon 2010”.  Alexandria hovers above the floor and drapes across the gallery, transforming a canopy into an intriguing installation. “The symbolic disillusionment with the political datum of the ground relinquishes the installation from prescriptive idealizations. Alexandria’s canopy will not be tainted by agendas but will be appropriated but those who are most likely to contribute to it,” explained the studio.

View more here on Arch Daily

© Anonymous Studio

A world without Photoshop

A world without Photoshop - an insight into what the creatives used to get up to a few years ago - oh what fun!

http://www.aworldwithoutphotoshop.com/

BBC Worldwide Headquarters in Australia

Contemporist look at BBC Worldwides new headquarters in Australia. They comment,' Thoughtspace took two geographically separate BBC Worldwide offices and created a dynamic 2000m² workplace in Macquarie Park. Eden Park Drive media precinct was the perfect fit for the evolving global media organisation. BBC Worldwide’s new headquarters boasts a large expanse of office-free open plan environment peppered with a variety of working lounges and alternative activity based working areas. The organisation believed that there needed to be a element of ‘fun’ introduced into the typical workplace in addition to the functional aspects of commercial interior design. thoughtspace worked closely with the marketing and communications team to develop a design and workplace strategy for the new facility.

Read and see more on Contemporist

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SLEEP BOX offers a quick nap

The Arch-Group of Moscow has conceived the SLEEP BOX, a place where you can rent a space for a few minutes or several hours in a terminal or other space for a quick nap. It's designed with a bed, a desk for your computer, environmental controls, media and wifi. See more here

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Clerkenwell Golf Open a Success Despite the Rain

The second Clerkenwell Showroom Golf Open, organised by The Think Tank, was a success despite the rain last week. Enjoyed by all, several teams completed the course around the furniture showrooms of Clerkenwell and finished the course at the 10th hole in Desso's showroom on Great Sutton Street.

With more than 60 architects, designers and dealers signing up to take part it was going to be a busy afternoon, however the heavens opened and numbers were reduced. But not putting a dampner on things, those that took part had a great time.

The Think Tank congratulates all the winners and looks forward to next years classic.

 

Opportunity for an Account Executive at The Think Tank

We are looking for a go-getting and creative Account Executive to join our expanding Account Management team. The Think Tank is a leading B2B integrated marketing communications agency offering a full range of marketing services to our clients. Established for seventeen years, we continue to grow and are looking to add an Account Executive to our experienced Account Management team.  

This is an opportunity for a self-starting marketing professional to make their mark within an agency that is expanding. Previous experience in a similar Account Management or Marketing role is preferred but not essential. We need someone with marketing knowledge, great organisational skills and that is up for a real challenge.  

If you think that you have the knowledge and ambition to make your mark at The Think Tank then this could be the role for you.  Please email Liam Bateman with your CV and covering letter at liamb@thinktank.org.uk

Press Relations for IronmongeryDirect

The Think Tank is delighted to announce that is will be working with the UK's largest multi-channel supplier of ironmongery products, IronmongeryDirect, to provide PR services for this evolving business.

The Think Tank will work on both business-focused and trade-focused media communications for IronmongeryDirect, which over the past few years has achieved many awards for its customer service and business growth, despite the tough economic times. The Think Tank won the account in a competitive pitch.

Robots invade Trafalgar Square

A new installation will be placed in Trafalgar Square during the London Design Festival. Outrace, includes eigth industrial robots borrowed from Audi and both visitors to the square and users of the project's website will be able to take control of them, each of which have a reach of over three metres. Users will be able to write short messages and the robots will 'write' using light heads. "As a user’s message is drawn, the light trace will be simultaneously recorded through a system of high definition, long-exposure cameras, encoded as a video and relayed back to be shared across social media,"  The project is the brainchild of KRAM/WEISSHAAR, artists Reed Kram and Clemens Weisshaar - See more here or visit the Outrace site.