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Do Stainless Steel Chairs Dream
of Electric Sheep?
One
could almost imagine the Bibendum
chair morphing into a homicidal
android, Terminator 2 style.
Thankfully, the piece by Franco-Portuguese
designer Toni Grilo is just
furniture, its futuristic looks
notwithstanding. Taking 150
hours to construct, the Bibendum
is a limited-edition piece for
ToolsGalerie in Paris, and was
recently on display at Maison
et Objet. The smaller Aline
chair and stool are more widely
available. Handmade in polished
stainless steel by Portuguese
specialist furniture maker Riluc,
this collection is durable enough
to be used as outdoor furniture,
and stylish enough to adorn
an interior.
www.tonigrilo.com
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Earth-Conscious
Disposable Tableware. No, Really!
Disposable
tableware isn’t normally
environment-friendly; indeed,
to describe it as such is something
of an oxymoron. Still, if you
must use disposable tableware,
this is the range to use. Most
paper tableware is made from
virgin pulp since recycled paper
tends to contain impurities,
such as fluorescent paint –
rendering it unsuitable for
food-related purposes. Now Japanese
firm Wasara, together with compatriot
design house Simplicity, has
produced a range of disposable
tableware made from bamboo,
reed pulp and a sugarcane by-product
called bagasse, negating the
need for any tree products.
Bamboo and reed are hardy, fast-growing
perennials that provide an inexhaustible
resource. The range features
an extensive line of products,
including cups, bowls and plates,
all of differing shapes and
sizes. Each item is fully biodegradable
and compostable. Stylish, functional
design is at the heart of this
collection, to the extent that
were the items not made of paper,
they could be mistaken for high-end
tableware, fit for the poshest
of dinner parties.
www.wasara.jp
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Natural Implements
Cutlery
is utilitarian in nature. It
does its job, and then sits
silently in a dark drawer until
its services are required again.
Japanese design studio Nendo
has changed that by giving one
item of cutlery a makeover for
compatriot curry chain Coco
Ichibanya’s annual Grandmother
Curry campaign – in which
customers win curry spoons through
a lottery. The new Forest Spoon
has a handle shaped like branches,
with a little bird perched on
one. Alone the spoon looks like
a tree, but put a few together
and a forest landscape emerges.
Says a Nendo spokesperson, “We
know that spoons are used on
their own, but we wanted to
create a design that would have
a new charm when the spoons
were bought together.”
Expect to see gangs of preening
Forest Spoons strutting around
kitchens soon.
www.nendo.jp/en
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