Chairs and Benches by Per Fagring, LosPalurdos

Swedish Architect Per Fagring founded the design collective LosPalurdos in 2004 and has since been exhibiting his furniture and other small scale pieces in Tokyo, Milan, London, and New York. Working in fiberglass and polyurethane, Fagring creates whimsical pieces with an aesthetic that’s all about motion. His benches evoke spinning pinwheels, boomerangs or airplane propellers, and the chairs have the shape and aerodynamics of an Italian sports car. These are pieces made for sitting, sure, just not for sitting still.

Modern Trends on Design

Are the hard lines of modern trendier than the softer look of contemporary? Maybe -- but not by much.

ContemporaryFurniture.com asked its readers what they perceive the hottest new look to be and 23% said Modern European followed tightly by Casual Contemporary (20%) eeking out Asian Modern (19%) and Retro Modern (18.5%).

Find Bright Modern Furniture

The best way to liven up a bland room is with color. And while you’ll hear again and again that an easy way to bring in color is with simple accessories like pillows and vases, this is a fix that people can recognize, and it looks like what it is: timid. If you really like bright or saturated colors, just go for it, especially if you're considering a leather or microfiber piece.

Many furniture manufacturer showrooms show new designs in bright colors like red, yellow, vivid blues, even orange. It draws people in and they remember the lines and shapes of what they’ll end up referring to as the lime green couch or the canary yellow couch. They will forget the name, whether it’s a clever Hollywood icon or just a skew of numbers, long before they’ll forget the color that called them through the door. And use of color works just as well for making a statement in a home as it does in a showroom.

Hjellegjerde, Lind, and W.Schilling all have vivid, saturated leathers to choose from, but if you’re not quite ready for introducing a big piece of furniture, and the pillow idea still seems good, try DellaRobbia. Their pillows incorporate leather in stripes, squares, flowers, twists, curves and op-art shapes, along with any color imaginable. These comfy puffs work alone as unique pieces that would stand out in any room- bright or bland.

But if you’re thinking about taking a larger step into a more colorful world, try DellaRobbia’s fun and funky cubes. Shown here nested under a glass top table, these bright squares provide a punch of color and extra seating, without taking up too much room or making a statement bigger than you’re ready for.

Stokke Tok Lounge Chair Recliner

In the US, Stokke is known mostly for its children's line. In the rest of the world, the venerable Norwegian company is known for making "Life worth sitting." This means that their unique styles come with ergonomic benefits, so chairs that look good also feel good. Take the Tok. Product of Stokke's first collaboration with Japanese designer Toshiyuki Kita, the Tok blends Stokke’s knack for smart functionality with Kita’s pared down design aesthetic, and a bit of nostalgic hat-tipping to the late great Charles Eames.

Shown above in Olive wood and white leather, the Tok recalls Eames’ famous rosewood lounge chair and gives it a modern twist. If you like the looks you can buy it online at a number of retailers, but if you want to sit in it before you buy, you better be outside the United States. The Tok is not available through US brick and mortar stores.

Open Call for ICFF

George Little Management, LLC, producer and manager of the 2006 International Contemporary Furniture Fair, is conducting an open call for entries from design schools to fill 6 spots during the May 20 - May 23 show in NYC.

Entry deadline is December 1, and must include a description of a topic, a singular concept with original products and prototypes designed by students.

The elected schools will be announced on December 15, and will each receive a 200 sq. ft. booth and signage.

For more information, or to obtain an entry form, contact Kara Tobin of Tobin and Tucker at 212-879-5776, or [email protected].

Eames Chair Redefined

Designed in 1948, the Eames Molded Plastic Chair made modern history, becoming the first massed produced plastic chair. More than five decades later, this innovative chair can still be seen in contemporary homes, offices and showrooms around the globe -- proving that classic contemporary design has staying power in an environment of constantly changing trends.

Staying true to the original, the Eames appears to be exactly the same at first glance. But upon further inspection you'll find a more earth-friendly piece of art. Made with recyclable materials, high-impact plastic, and dyed throughout to ensure the same vibrant color quality after years of wear and tear, the new Eames chairs are redesigned for the 21st century.

Want to rock your world? The new chairs are also available with optional gliders and a felt base - perfect for the contemporary nursery.

Keep it simple

Living by Mies van der Rohe's credo of "Less is More," Alno has introduced a new way to heat up the kitchen - free of handles and distractions for simplified, modern living.

ALNOART's new design, available in three finishes, is tailored to the design purist, combining natural materials with cutting edge innovation.

With today's kitchen serving as the gathering point for families and social engagements, it has become increasingly important to style the space with a need for accommodation and an open flow. The large surface space, and absence of jutting handles and knobs, makes the new series ideal for entertaining, as well as preparing and serving.

Deck the halls

Round, shiny ornaments and strung popcorn not your ideal Christmas tree trimmers? This season treat your tree to flame-worked and blown glass pieces of art.

Handmade, the unique ornaments capture the colorful, contemporary essence of the holidays. From the more classic ball to the whimsical mermaid, these will make great additions to your tree, and under the tree of others!

 

Happy Birthday PURE CONTEMPORARY

It's October -- and just 12 months ago we started PURE CONTEMPORARY. Back then we had the notion that this would be an American resource for consumers who loved contemporary. We (correctly) thought we would entice Canadian readers but we were shocked by the amount of readers from 119 other countries that regularly turn to PURE CONTEMPORARY for news and ideas.

Oh we weren't surpised by the UK, the EU and all of Scandinavia. But Libya, Iraq and Niger? In fact the rest of the monied world loves contemporary -- and as a mass, the US is just taking notice of the art of design. The Scandinavians and the Italians have long lamented that the US market is a tough sell. Our need for immediate gratification (custom orders from Italy can take 6 months -- and oops, they have forgotten to ship a part); our lack of understanding of nuance (it's just a plain table isn't it?); and, our failure to understand why bookmatched veneers are so much more valuable than paper, has, well, frustrated European makers who scratch their heads at why so many Americans will buy Chinese (inferior) knock-offs.

Culturally, Americans tend to view the traditional styles of their ethnic roots as the epitome of status. But as technology takes a firm hold on our lives, as the iPod is as successful for its business model as its sleek and brilliant design, as individuals blend and borrow from other ethnic groups, American sense of contemporary is growing in appreciation.

At the Kitchen & Bath show in Vegas this year, I spoke with a rep from Porcher -- the highend line of American Standard -- and asked him if his territory was the US. He looked at me as if I had spit on him and retorted: "I cover Northern Africa." Handling the US, it seems, has been drawing the short straw in contemporary circles.

As such, many of the wonderful designs that we are privvy to as editors are rare finds indeed in this country. Firms long ago abandoned the idea of opening a US market because of its costliness and low return on investment. You, the discerning customers, are cheated. Which is why we started PURE CONTEMPORARY as a web-only magazine. We wanted a periodical where readers could find new resources, and being only available on the web, we were creating an affordable marketing channel that reduced the risk for contemporary makers.

After one short year, PURE CONTEMPORARY has become an international publication that opens a window to the world of contemporary. Thank you for allowing us to be your venue.

"Siento"glass and stainless hood by Gutmann is not available yet in North America.

$20,000 Great Room Giveaway from PURE CONTEMPORARY Revealed!

When Tim Westergard filled out the entry form and joined the thousands of people dreaming of winning the PURE CONTEMPORARY Great Room Giveaway, he had no idea he was just months from owning gorgeous products from the likes of American Leather, Weiman/Preview, Carpet Creation, Design Craft Furniture, and Philips Electronics. Nor that, to boot, the colors, design and accessories of the room would be put together by the practiced hand and great eye of interior designer and expert Chris Kenyon, from Advance Furniture.

Kenyon was thrilled to see the winning room, which frankly was pretty dull but said loads about its owners. They were vibrant, fun-loving people whose love of color was hidden in the mostly black and white room. Kenyon picked up the color cues from the Westergard's neon Wurlitzer jukebox and bright blue lit ceiling fan. She capitalized on these features to make the Wurlitzer, and the Westergard's personalities, this great room's focal points.

Click here to see the $20,000 Great Room revealed now in PURE CONTEMPORARY.