Getting a Modern Vibe

As modern design becomes more commonplace, people expect ease of use and good looks in even the most utilitarian items. And for Scott Henderson, these are the best terms to work under.

---

"The objects I really enjoy designing are the day-to-day items everyone has in their house but never thinks about. For me, the more mundane the item is, the better. The more mundane, the more potential there is to make something totally new. It’s like a built in ingredient for high impact," said Scott Henderson.

---

Henderson designs commonplace products with intuitive functionality and extraordinary aesthetics. Take his Coink Piggy Bank, a ceramic version of the classic penny-saver but with one outstanding update––a funnel instead of the old slot. It saves time, sure, but it's also a reminder that almost everything can use a little improvement.

And one category that continues to grow, largely without improvement, or a hint of thoughtful, aesthetic, or smart design, is sex toys.

Vibrators and the like had been wholly relegated to tasteless design until just recently, when luxury UK lingerie and sex toy brand MYLA launched with the knowledge, among other gems, that "women love beautiful objects." In short order, MYLA had high-design great Tom Dixon creating "Bone," a vibrating toy selling on MYLA's UK site for £ 199, and soon, Henderson was brought into the mix.

"I was intrigued by the project because the sex toy category is so in need of better design, and the lack of any credible design has contributed to the category's 'sub-mainstream' stature as much as any conservative views on such products, I think. It was a great product category to 'transcend', which is a common theme in a lot of my work- transforming product areas that were previously ignored," said Henderson.

Henderson created "C-Shell," an organically shaped toy with multiple vibrating surfaces that contact the body in several places simultaneously. The vibrations are stronger than any other MYLA toy, so "C-Shell" is ideal for general all-over body massages as well as more intimate use.

But whatever the use, one thing is for sure, "C-Shell" is a hit. It sells through MYLA for $130, and it's selling out. The "C-Shell" is currently available only in blue, and only on back-order.

Technorati Tags: Scott Henderson, Design, Modern

Enter Martin Pierce

Sculptor and artisan furniture maker Martin Pierce turns his skills, influences and nostalgia toward creating organic, one-of-a-kind door handles.

UK born Pierce lives in LA but sometimes works from memories gained across the pond.

"Martin has always been fascinated with nature and this is evident in the organic quality of his style. His hardware venture began with the Hedgerow collection [Hedgerow shown above], which borrows its name from the hedges that typified the English landscape he knew as a child," writes Anne Pierce.

Pierce will debut the handles collection at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Chicago this month.

Technorati Tags: Martin Pierce, Design, Modern

Distinctly Italian Design

My grandmother used to say, make it by hand you make it with love. She was referring to cooking as she urged us to get our hands into the food. Learning her recipes was a kinesthetic experience -- nothing was written down. It was a rummage through the materials on hand, pinch of this, some of that, more of something else, and then you let the whole thing simmer. Don't rush it, she would scold. The art of Italian cooking.

So too the art of Italian design. In our pictorial essay see the distinctly Italian designs of leading modern italian furniture makers like Cassina, Casprini, Fasem, Prealpi and Pianca. Never rushed -- you just know when the look is right. Chair by Fasem.

Technorati Tags: Italian Design, Fasem, Design, Modern

Piano's Extreme Makeover

Nice piece in the The New York Times on Renzo Piano's extreme makeover of the Morgan Library in New York City. A glass and steel "box" was inserted between the century-old stone buildings, creating a bridge between the past and present. One descends into the new entrance on Madison. The new buildings open to the public on April 29.

Technorati Tags: Renzo Piano, Morgan Library NYC, Modern Design

Viteo Outdoors

The Butterfly by sunsquare and Tuarec, both from Viteo Outdoors, make shadows magical again. And they do it with high-performance fabric that's impermeable to water and fights environmental agents like fats and oils that would build up and contribute to algae and mold, two things that don't exactly make for a good time. So these sun-shielding creations have it all. Beautiful and practical, we like them both.

Technorati Tags: Viteo Outdoors, Outdoor, Modern

Fire Island in Corian

Honored by her peers with the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2004 for pushing spatial boundaries, Iraqi born Zaha Hadid has ventured into the kitchen -- creating a new landscape for modern homes. In her concept kitchen for DuPont Corian, that was brought to reality by Ernestomeda, and unveiled this week in Milan, Hadid created separate islands of "fire" and "water" -- euphemisms for cooking areas versus washing areas.

Here on the sensuous Fire Island, space age heating membranes, voice and sound-activated control panels and monitors are embedded in a Corian worksurface that cantalevers from the ground. Wondering where the pots and pans are? Look no further than the surrounding vertical cladding system, also made in Corian®, that masks storage and appliances.

In practicing what she drafts, Hadid is having a similar kitchen installed in her home.

Technorati Tags: Zaha Hadid, Kitchen, DuPont Corian, Modern Kitchen

Recyled, Re:Modern

UK glass artist Emma Woffenden teamed up with Tord Boonjte, lord of Tyvek cut outs, to give new life to old beer and wine bottles. Their collaboration spawned Transglass, a collection of recycled serving vessels that look as modern their eco-conscious story.

Manufacturered through Artecnica's Design With A Conscience program, Transglass is available through one of our favorite online shops re:modern.

Modern Design for Babies & Kids

Necessity is the mother of invention, and motherhood (and fatherhood) necessitates inventing modern kids' stuff. That's what Caroline Barry found when she talked to designers who made modern designs that breach the baby barrier by taking matters into their own hands. And as CK points out, kids, naturally, go Mad for Mod.

Crystal Chandelier

Henry Herman started Gen-Lite Industries in a single room in Montreal over 70 years ago. The lamps were rather simple and traditional in nature, a base and a shade, and distribution was just within the Canadian borders. Over the years the designs became more contemporary and the materials definitely modern, incorporating Halogen, LEDs, crystal and plastics. Now, Henry's son Harvey and grandson Michael are pushing their wares into the US, and are finding that their crystal chandelier is right at home in those open 2-story foyers.

Pictured: Asfour crystal chandelier, retails at US$1399.