Who Will Create the Iconic Furniture of Tomorrow?
Ask people about their favorite piece of contemporary furniture, and odds are that you'll get some very similar answers: the Eames Molded Plywood Chair, the Bertoia Diamond Chair, the Saarinen Tulip Table or the Mies Barcelona Chair, for starters. Each of these designs successfully challenged the norm in its day.
We know the iconic furniture of today — but what will it be in 20 years? The Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco considered this for its current exhibition, New West Coast Design 2. The exhibit showcases about 60 experimental works from artists in California, Oregon and Washington. Will one of these innovative designs become iconic for the next generation of design lovers?
Info: Through January 5, 2014, at the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco. Open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays 12 to 5 p.m.; admission: $6 to $8.
Photography courtesy of the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco
The Parabola Chair doesn't look comfy at first glance. But with the help of digital drafting technology, designer Carlo Aiello (shown here) has created a stunning and surprisingly comfortable chair, reminiscent of a Bertoia piece. The design won the prestigious Studio Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in 2013.
Alexander Purcell Rodrigues' Cartesian Chair takes a very different approach from Aiello's design. Sculpted from aircraft-grade aluminum, this chair can be packed flat and is stackable, environmentally friendly and incredibly comfortable.
Some of us are just too busy to stand in line and wait for food these days. We have places to go! People to see! The Pronto Kiosk by Joshua Aidlin was designed to solve that problem by serving healthy, organic food to customers on the run. The small design makes for easy transactions in busy places but still packs in all the essential ingredients of an urban café.
The Fortune Cookie Stool's inspiration is fairly obvious. Designer Po Shun Leong was influenced by the shape of a fortune cookie, coming up with an innovative method of molding a single piece of laminated plywood into a similarly shaped seat.
Part sculpture, part toy, part lamp — no matter how you see Ray Salas' Green Land-Turn, it's stunning. The handmade lamp makes adjusting light oddly fun: Turn the crank, and the angle of the light changes. Adjust the rod, and you'll alter the angle of the arm.
North Forty Design built this simple but sturdy playhouse for small children. The open frame doesn't confine youngsters; it leaves room for imagination and interpretation — better reflecting how children learn and play.
More: 3-D Printing Takes Furnishings to New Heights at ICFF 2013
