News from Offecct @ Stockholm Furniture Fair 2009

Strong architectural presence in Claesson Koivisto Rune’s colorful – Etage coffee table

One of the most interesting new items at the 2009 Stockholm Furniture Fair is the Etage coffee table, designed by the highly regarded architectural and design firm of Claesson Koivisto Rune. The three designers themselves see a clear connection between their many architectural assignments and their new product design for OFFECCT. This successful combination of architecture and design lay behind the inspiration for the Etage coffee table series, which grew out of their close cooperation with OFFECCT’s design department.

Etage consists of three coffee tables in different colors and sizes. At first glance, they appear to almost hover above the floor. The three table tops protrude in different directions like balconies, revealing their underlying architectural inspiration: the table is a mini-building without walls—a building under construction. The different levels create spaces for magazines and remote control devices.

Each table features one strong color and two muted colors. Bright green, pink, and orange tones are combined with more muted shades of blue, beige, and brown. The color inspiration comes from the team’s many trips to South America and Spain for lecturing and teaching engagements. The colors of the Etage tables are an interesting combination of a muted Scandinavian palette, and more intense colors that are almost drawn from a folk art tradition.

“We were partly inspired by architects like Le Corbusier and Luis Barragán and how they used color,” says Eero Koivisto. “And perhaps we were influenced by the times we live in—we wanted the colors to show that you can inject color like vitamins to make something bright and energetic. The white room serves as a stage.”

 

How can you renew a coffee table? How can you combine its parts to create something new? The essence of this challenge lies in renewing the basic characteristics and concept of the coffee table.

“Swedes are not very used to bright colors. However, since half of OFFECCT’s products are for export, and people in many parts of the world love color, we’re confident the tables will find their owners,” Koivisto says about the Etage tables, which exude architectural elegance and joie de vivre.

Claesson Koivisto Rune (Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto, and Ola Rune) design everything from buildings and interiors to products and furniture. Past assignments include buildings, private homes, offices, exhibitions, advertising agencies, and restaurants. The firm has won numerous awards for both architecture and product design, in Sweden and internationally.

 

Poetry and function when OFFECCT and Teruhiro Yanagihara combine their design forces

OFFECCT is continually on the lookout for new design talents in addition to the more well-established ones: creative individuals who can work with OFFECCT’s own design team to develop the company’s collection into one of the most exciting in the world. Back in 2005 OFFECCT had already noticed the young Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara. Now we can finally see the result in the sofa Grow.

The development of Yanagihara’s Grow has been a long journey. Both the designer and OFFECCT have striven for perfection of quality and design while also incorporating optimal environmental elements. That sort of approach takes time. The result is a modern, modular sofa with an international look. It is austere but still soft, and despite its size and weight it appears almost to hover above the floor.

“Contrasts are exciting,” Yanagihara explains. “I wanted to create the feeling of a sofa that looks firm but is soft to sit on. It has a generous depth and the two back cushions create an inviting impression.”

Grow is minimalist but also filled with possibilities. In that respect it resembles its creator, whose design style is always understated and poetic. He has designed products for clients like Muki and has also created interiors—including for hair and beauty salons—that have also been given his typical understated style. Architecture is also high on his list of achievements.

The modular sofa Grow is available in two models, both of which feature an ingenious and attractive builtin table in the armrest. As well as providing a useful place to put a tray, the armrest as a whole naturally creates a separate zone and some seclusion for people who want to be private in a foyer or waiting room.
The corner module with a divan section is well suited to a home environment or more intimate public setting.

Teruhiro Yanagihara was born in 1976 and comes from Kagawa, an island off Osaka. He trained at the university in Osaka, and has had his own design studio in that city since 2002. He has exhibited in Sweden twice before—in the Greenhouse section of the 2005 Stockholm Furniture Fair and in the Tokyo Style in Stockholm exhibition in 2004. Scandinavian designers who have inspired him include Claesson Koivisto Rune and Alvar Aalto.

“There’s an affinity between Swedish and Japanese design and between me and OFFECCT,” he says. “It’s fantastic to be able to work with OFFECCT and be part of an international design company. Grow fits into OFFECCT’s collection well thanks to its simplicity and function.”

 

History meets modernity in a unique recycling project when Sweden’s OFFECCT collaborates with Spain’s Carlos Tíscar

It took ten minutes for Carlos Tíscar to create the concept for the Louis IX chair in his head. But it took two years to go from the sketch to the finished product. The Louis IX furniture series is an archetypal neoclassical chair in the French Louis XVI style, but inspired by a modern design idiom. But the chair’s most special feature is its environmental friendliness.

The basic shell of the Louis IX chair is made of recycled shampoo and soap bottles that have been melted under high temperature into a “dough” and then pressed into furniture components. The steel frame is also produced with great respect for nature.

Sustainability is one of OFFECCT’s key issues. The company has actively worked for many years with environmental issues at all levels, ranging from what type of glue to use at the office to the choice of materials, energy consumption, and transportation. Much of OFFECCT’s product range has environmental certification.

A major feature of Tíscar’s design is the environmental manufacture of furniture—objects he would like to see following us like “silent companions” throughout our lives. Since OFFECCT is a company that believes having an environmental strategy is as important as design and quality, the partnership with Carlos Tíscar has been stimulating and completely in accordance with the Swedish company’s view on what constitutes good design.

“I realize that I am being inconsistent when I say that we really don’t need more products on the market,” Tíscar says. “But nowadays furniture must be economical and made in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible. I want to make products that will be loved and used for a long time, and that goal is also in agreement with OFFECCT’s ideal.”

He gets much of his inspiration by reading books, especially ones on the history of design. But the small details of everyday life also give him ideas—for instance how a coat might hang over a chair in a cafe or restaurant. His creative process often starts with a product taking shape, but for him to be really satisfied, the final result must feature an equal interplay of function, esthetic and form.

When OFFECCT first noticed Carlos Tíscar, the Swedish company was looking for a designer who could develop a furniture series in which there was an interplay between historical and modern forms. Louis IX is a concept that is intended equally for use in the home as in public settings. Tíscar himself likes to combine the chair with the other furniture in his own living room. His dream is to see the Louis IX series used by people in their private homes and in public places like restaurants and cafes.

Carlos Tíscar Riveiro was born in 1964 and trained as an industrial designer. He first studied at the Applied Art School in Valencia and then the Polytechnic School of Design in Milan. He has operated his own design studio in Valencia since 1993, primarily designing furniture for home and public settings. He has worked with companies like Sellex, BM 2000, Hodema Oficina, and Paularte Design.

 

Classic and contemporary in OFFECCT’s new collaboration with prizewinning Norway Says

OFFECCT and Norways Says know how to create a winning concept together—their Spline chair is now in the collection of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, Norway. That joint project led to a desire for more, and the result of their new collaboration is the elegant Moon chair. Could this, too, become another new classic?

“I find Moon attractive, and when I see it I want to sit in it myself!” says Espen Voll, one of the three designers behind Norway Says. “It has a charming appearance and an ergonomic seat. We’ve worked with a holistic concept—a spherical, coherent form in which the armrests and shell create a unified impression. It’s a form that is simple and recognisable, both classic and contemporary.”

Moon has a pure and simple outer form, but a complex inner one. The chair is intended primarily for use in conference environments. Flexible, clean-lined, and understated, it comes with or without armrests and with various frames. Espen Voll designed Moon together with his colleagues, Torbjørn Anderssen and Andreas Engesvik, who work as a team on all projects. Voll says they are usually very much in agreement about how to solve design commissions.

“We toss out various ideas and often have very similar opinions about what works,” he says. “We have a collective gut feeling and quickly agree on what feels good. Everything has to function and be closely interwoven: the form, function, and aesthetics. First, we test small models and then full-scale ones, and we let the product emerge in an organic way.”

Sustainability has been a guiding concept for the project. Materials and transport conditions have been assessed and adapted to OFFECCT’s own highly developed environmental policy. The trio draw their inspiration from architecture, music, design, and art. In this joint project, it was important for the trio to follow OFFECCT’s clear design style. The brief was explicit: to design a chair in accordance with OFFECCT’s mission to be a leader in the creative conference environment.

“We’ve already created one series for OFFECCT (Spline),” Voll says. “Even back then, when we were fairly young and new, we felt it was a company that attracts attention and feels good to work with. OFFECCT represents contemporary design and an international horizon, but it also has a clear environmental focus in everything it does—and that attracts us as designers.”

Norway Says was founded in 2002 by Espen Voll, Torbjørn Anderssen, and Andreas Engesvik. They have a design studio in Oslo and a subsidiary in Santa Cruz, California. Norway Says has quickly made a name for itself in the design world. Among other achievements, the trio has won the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize worth SEK 1 million, and exhibited at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo.

 

Ultra-thin Outline table the result of new design cooperation between Sweden’s OFFECCT and Finland’s Mika Tolvanen

OFFECCT continues to focus on gifted young designers who reflect the company’s vision of contemporary furniture design that radiates Scandinavian simplicity. One of this year’s newcomers is Mika Tolvanen, a Finn whose Outline table epitomizes the concept of furniture that suits all types of creative endeavors and works equally well in private homes.

Tolvanen was born in 1975 and has run his own design studio in a former dairy outlet in Helsinki, Finland for the past three years. He trained at the Royal College of Art in London, where one of his teachers, Jasper Morrison, is still one of his major sources of inspiration.

Tolvanen mainly designs furniture, but has also created various interior design products. His list of clients includes Finland’s Selki-Asema and Germany’s KFF. Tolvanen has also been involved in launching the design group Rethi, which is the Finnish word for “honest.”

“I like to make things that are as simple as possible, free of unnecessary details. The main thing is that the product serves its function. That’s what I call ‘honest design.’”

The Outline table measures 240 cm by 100 cm and is 73 cm in height. It is a large piece that can easily be extended by linking additional tables. Despite its size, it is relatively lightweight. The frame is metal, and the top is white through-dyed laminate. Though it consists of two parts, the table appears to have been produced as a single piece. Tolvanen drew his inspiration for the frame from a folded sheet of paper, to create the overall impression of ultra-thinness. If two Outline tables are placed side by side, it appears that they have only one leg, although there are actually two.

When Outline was still in the initial design stage, Tolvanen thought carefully about what materials to use for its construction. The end result proves he made the right choice, as the metal contributes to the table’s impression of lightness while still providing stability. The metal also helps make the table flexible in terms
of its usage: Outline works equally well in the conference room and the dining room.

“One of my most important design priorities is to make products that can be used in several contexts. I also want to produce simple and elegant designs with a long lifespan in terms of both appearance and durability.”

Collaboration with OFFECCT appeals to Mika Tolvanen. He views the company as innovative while also being open to diversity. He believes that OFFECCT’s international joint ventures enhance its progressive attitude.

“Connecting with international designers ensures that the company stays receptive, which in turn ensures that it avoids limiting its horizons. Their projects have an innovativeness and freshness that appeal to me as a designer.”

 

Michael Sodeau’s designs for OFFECCT: seductive and sensual

OFFECCT recently embarked on a long-term collaboration with the internationally well-known British designer Michael Sodeau, with whom it has been in contact for several years. The first result of this new arrangement is an elegant series of easy chairs inspired by the Swedes’ love of shellfish. The name Oyster also suggests the idea of a place to escape to—somewhere that belongs to no-one else, even though it exists within a larger milieu. Taking an environmentally sustainable approach has been a major priority throughout the project, from initial concept to finished product.

 

“It’s exciting for us to cooperate with Michael Sodeau, and his innovative thinking provides yet another opportunity to develop new seating furniture for the consumer and the conference environment,” says OFFECCT’s CEO Kurt Tingdal. “We aim to be the leader in furniture for international conference environments, and new designers who add their expertise to our development team are an important component in our success.”

Sodeau knows how to create beautiful, appealing design. In his Oyster easy chair series, he weaves sensuality, comfort, and flexibility into a well-proportioned whole. The shape of the easy chair is inspired by the seductive shell of an oyster, and the curved armrests offer users a breathing space in the midst of a busy environment. The easy chair would suit many public spaces, such as a hotel lobby, where it would both be a beautiful object and provide a relaxing and comfortable seat. For someone looking for a place to work undisturbed, Oyster offers an inviting retreat.

“Designing a good easy chair is a challenge that calls for a well-developed ability to identify with the chair user,” Sodeau explains. “I usually think about how people will sit and move in the chair, how it will be used, and where it will be used.”

Protecting the environment is a priority for both OFFECCT and Michael Sodeau. An environmental perspective has been key throughout the development of Oyster, resulting in a more efficient use of materials. Despite its considerable size, the easy chair requires a relatively small amount of material to produce.

“As a designer, you have a great environmental responsibility,” Sodeau observes. “In all our projects, we consider and discuss the sustainability aspect, and look for areas where we can improve. In most cases, we find something we can add or do to make the product more environmentally sustainable. For Oyster, we used a minimum of materials, worked to reduce transport costs, and thought through all aspects of the sustainability perspective.”

Born in 1969, Michael Sodeau established his design studio in London in 1997. His has designed for Thonet Vienna, Magis, Modus, and Wedgewood, and his work is represented in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Once upon a line, a book by Alex Payne on Sodeau’s design, was published in 2000.

 

Soundwave Village: an architecturally inspired sound absorber and wall panel by Claesson Koivisto Rune

The highly regarded architectural and design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune presents two new series for spring 2009 for OFFECCT, continuing the companies’ long and successful collaboration. Claesson Koivisto and Rune themselves see a clear connection between their many architectural assignments and their new product design for OFFECCT. It was the successful pairing of architecture and design that prompted the inspiration for the new Soundwave Village sound panels and the Etage coffee table series.

OFFECCT is an innovator and market leader in designed acoustic wall panels. Soundwave Village is a new addition with a complicated geometry, in which the sound-absorbent properties have determined the pattern. The Claesson Koivisto Rune and OFFECCT design team applied acoustics principles to tweak and twist the intricate pattern to achieve the optimal sound absorbency.

“The facets and trapezoid shapes make the sound rebound at a 45-degree angle,” Eero Koivisto explains. “After we had worked on the pattern for a while, we realized it looked like the roofs on a lot of small buildings. To get the right feeling, we looked at aerial photographs of very dense urban areas. The Forbidden City in Beijing, where the spaces between buildings can be extremely narrow, was one source of inspiration.”

The pattern can also be experiences as an abstract—the observer does not have to perceive the building pattern. 2008 was an active year in architecture for Claesson Koivisto Rune, which could explain why the inspiration from buildings has carried over to the firm’s product design.

“I think Soundwave Village typifies our approach in two ways: first, its perfect function, and, second, the fact that once again we’ve started from the idea of combining various parts into a larger whole in order to make something new, like beehive structures or DNA molecules. If you combine several sound panels on a wall, you’ll end up with an entire little village!”

OFFECCT was quick to identify the need for sound-absorbing material and the first to bring designed acoustic wall panels to the market. Some of the world’s most exciting designers have been commissioned to produce their own collections for OFFECCT. The range is growing and there are currently about a dozen different versions of acoustic panels, designed by Karim Rashid, Marre Moerel, and Teppo Asikainen. The panels are among the best in the market for sound reduction and design.

The panels can be used individually or combined to form a whole wall. All panels absorb weak sound in the upper frequencies (500 Hz and higher). They are perfect for eliminating disturbing reflected sound from voices in office landscapes, telephone conversations, and computer noise, and can be used to improve the sound levels in settings like restaurants.

 

OFFECCT’s collaboration with Mikko Laakkonen results in a playful style

In launching the Sparks series, OFFECCT is collaborating with one of Finland’s most interesting designers. Sparks was designed by Mikko Laakkonen, who wants to make products that last an extremely long time—preferably for 100 years. For OFFECCT he has designed two products that share the same aesthetic: a coathanger and a magazine holder. Both have an organic form while giving a cheerful impression.

Laakkonen wants his products to add vitality to public environments. Grouping many newspaper racks together on a wall will create a wall border. The clothes hanger may be used alone or grouped on a wall with many others to give a more vibrant look to an otherwise unobtrusive product.

“But I also think the Sparks hanger and newspaper rack would work well in a home environment, such as in a child’s bedroom.”

This is the first time Laakkonen has collaborated with OFFECCT, though the Swedish company has been on his wish list for some time. He views OFFECCT as a company that truly respects designers. The result is a unique collaboration between the company’s design team and their designers, producing many welldesigned furniture items that enhance human interaction—in meeting environments, the home and at the office.

Mikko Laakkonen was born in the Finnish town of Espoo in 1975. He loved to play the guitar, and at first planned to support himself as an instrument maker. He completed a two-year course, and even managed to build a few guitars, before realizing that construction was not his forte. He was more interested in the conceptual and sketch stages. He therefore started to study design at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki.

“But my training in instrument making has stood me in good stead. We acquired a thorough knowledge of different materials. Construction is also a useful ability for a designer: for example, I build all my prototypes by myself.”

Since 2004, he has operated his own design agency in Helsinki jointly with Mika Tolvanen, another new recruit for OFFECCT. In addition to working with OFFECCT, Laakkonen collaborates with the Italian companies Covo and Cadamia, and the Finnish companies Selki-Asema and Inno Interior.

Laakkonen considers himself a designer with two sides. One side leans toward the understated and strict, whereas the other is partial to soft, round forms that are also cheery. Nature is frequently his source of inspiration, but utility is paramount. He likes to combine several functions in one item, while avoiding the excess of multifunctionality in the style of a Swiss Army knife. He also likes using new materials.

Hopefully, Laakkonen’s collaboration with OFFECCT will lead to further exciting new products in the future.

 

 

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