lifeiscarbon®

Contemporary Danish Design Triumvirate

Having collaborated on multiple projects for years Lars Holme Larsen, Bjarke Ingels and Jens Martin Skibsted decided to turn their intuitive inclination to work together into a full time collaboration. The result was KiBiSi, a Copenhagen based industrial design firm that is spawning a new breed of idea driven design.

In an age in which products should be the carriers of brand ideas rather than merely the form and formula of an individual designer, KiBiSi is successfully navigating a course in the fertile overlap between design, architecture and ideation. Take a look below to read more about KiBiSi and to see a selection of lifeiscarbon® favorites:

Traditional Scandinavian Futurist

Staffan Holm, a young Swedish designer with a studio in Gothenburg, is fast building quite a reputation for himself with his impressive work in interior architecture, industrial design and furniture design. The designer´s work has already been widely exhibited, including shows at Salone Satellite in Milan and at the Stockholm Furniture Fair for the last three years in a row. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that a number of his prototypes have already been put into production.  

lifeiscarbon® loves the designer´s eclectic sources of inspiration and ability to combine traditional craft techniques with the latest manufacturing technologies. Take a look below at all five pieces that Staffan Holm exhibited in Milan this year and some earlier favorites of ours:

Scandinavian Master Of Light

Ranging from limited editions, art installations, architecture and product prototypes, the work of Norwegian design Daniel Rybakken has always been difficult to define; occupying as it does, a space between art and design. One example is Right Angle Mirror (pictured above). A simple yet intriguing piece by Rybakken, that has recently become part of the Ligne-Roset collection. CNC-milled from a single piece of aluminum that is then polished and chrome plated, the design casts reflections and shadows on surrounding walls to create the illusion of being suspended in space.

Earlier this year, Daniel Rybakken was commissioned by Cosmit to create an installation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Salone del Mobile, and exhibited not only at must-see Spazio Rossana Orlandi but also at Salone Satellite. Take a look below to see photographs of pieces from the installation and some of our favorite works by this highly talanted designer:

Emerging Graphic Design Talent

lifeiscarbon® applauds the comprehensive identity program developed by Norwegian graphic designer Mikael Fløysand for the New Deichmanske Library at Bjørvika in Oslo. Including everything from logos and fonts to notebooks and promotional posters (and much in between) the design was actually created for Fløysand´s 2nd year final exam.

Originally from Bergen, on the west coast of Norway, Mikael Fløysand is currently part of Studio 3, the in-school 
design agency consisting of 15 handpicked third year students at Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo. Take a look below at the full scope of his design for the new Deichmaske Library and then make sure to follow the link to check out more great work on his website:  

Villa Plus by Waldemarson Berglund

Built on a narrow waterfront site in the Stockholm archipelago and wedged cleverly between forest, rocks and sea, Villa Plus by Swedish architects Waldemarson Berglund, offers spectacular views of the Baltic sea. We love the way that the house seems to float like a ship on land. A visual feat achieved by design rather than accident. Being positioned so low to sea level and so close to the shoreline presented a major architectural challenge. Since waves occasionally sweep in far further than the shoreline, a series of pillars form the foundation of the house in order to allow waves to simply pass under the body of the house. Take a look below to see more of the simple yet stunning Villa Plus:

Collective Designs from Norway

What began in 2008 as a collaborative project by four fellow students from a product design program in Norway has grown into a fully fledged design collective that´s recently been getting notable media attention following a successful showcase at Salone Satellite in Milan.

Intended as a common way to promote its members as individual designers, Strek Design Collective comprises of Jørgen Platou Willumsen, Fredrik Wærnes, Stian, Korntved Ruud and Nicolai Gulliksen. Take a look below at a selection of interesting new work from Strek Design Collective:

Silent Swedish Time

The soon to be launched Mutewatch has an extremely simple and intuitive design. Tapping the flat surface illuminates the touch screen. Different functions (clock, alarm and timer) are selected by swiping. Adjustments are made by tapping or pinching the digits. A further clever feature is a built-in motion sensor that registers the wearer´s movements and automatically adjusts the strength of the vibrations. Important given that this is a totally silent watch that favors tactile rather than audible alarms. We love the purity of the design and are looking forward to July, when the first batch starts shipping. Take a look below at more images of the Mutewatch.

No Picnic by Elding Oscarson

Having long admired the Townhouse in Landskrona designed by Elding Oscarson, it´s no surprise that we´ve fallen for the Swedish design duo´s stunning new offices for the Stockholm based design consultancy, No Picnic.

Housed in 19th Century buildings, originally built as stables for horses and a parade hall for troops, the new offices have meeting rooms concealed behind a reflective aluminium wall. The flat reflection of the flush fitting windows makes the glass seem like a mirror whilst the aluminium appears transparent. The wall is there, yet somehow disappears. This is a bold, kaleidoscopic and delusionary design full of wonderful trompe l’oeil effects. Look below to read more about Elding Oscarson and see more images of their stunning new offices for No Picnic.

Infinite Visual Simplicity

Busy times indeed for the talented Finnish designer Sebastian Jansson. Not only did Stephen Burks, New York designer and founder of the Readymade Project, nominate him for Blickfang in Basel last weekend but, later this week, he will be exhibiting at Salone Satellite in Milan.

Style is never the starting point for Sebastian Jansson´s designs. Rather, style is a consequence of the infinite visual simplicity he achieves through a unity of symbolism, structure, materials and the human beings he had in mind when carrying out his initial research. Take a look below at some our favorite recent designs from Sebastian Jannson:

Angell Wyller Aarseth New Work

Despite the fact that we wrote about the Norwegian design team of Angel Wyller Aarseth only a few days ago, we wanted to share with you their latest designs that have just been unveiled in preparation for Salone Satellite. Take a look below at three new design favorites of ours; the highly unconventional Dark Matters Lamp, the quirky Mono Cup and the ultra sleek Trestle Mirror. 

Immortal Scandinavian Design

The Norwegian design team of Angell Wyller Aarseth are busy making last minute preparations to exhibit their new Handle Me range during Milan Design Week (12-17 April) as part of Salone Satellite.

Simen Aarseth, Christoffer Angell and Øyvind Wyller are three individual designers who have collaborated on a number of projects since completing Master Degrees in design at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. We love the simplicity and timelessness of their new range. It reminds us of one of our all time favorite Scandinavian design classics; the cast iron pot that Timo Sarpaneva designed for Rosenlew in 1960. Take a look below to find out more about the Handle Me collection:

Playful Scandinavian Purist

One of our favorite Swedish designers, Fredrik Färg is busy preparing to show his new Succession Collection, first in Milan and then in New York. The new designs are intended to remind us – in shape and spirit – of animals from a time gone by. Dressed in leather and textile, the stools have been brought to life through a relatively complex production process. The bases are made of an innovative composition of materials that have then been dressed in textile and leather before being tightly tied with ropes prior to baking. The result, when the ropes have been cut away, is a pattern without seams, as brutal as it is sophisticated and refined. Take a look below at more images of the Succession Collection together with some of our other favorite designs by Fredrik Färg

Velorbis Arrow Launched

Velorbis, the Copenhagen based creators of iconic bicycles, have entered the sports bike market with their own spin on the 'fixie' style bike with the launch of the Velorbis Arrow. The company claims there is an increasing trend among urban commuters for a second bike for the occasions when they need to get to their destinations a little bit faster. The Velorbis design team created the the Arrow as a second bike to complement their existing range of classic comfort bicycles. Take a look a look below at some of our favorite models and accessories from Velorbis. Then take time to take a look at our all time favorites....Arrow bikes of Japan.

Wi-Fi Light Painting

Cities are filled with an invisible landscape of networks that have become an interwoven part of daily life. Intrigued by the fact that Wi-Fi networks are starting to influence how urban environments are experienced and understood, Touch set out to explore just what the immaterial terrain of Wi-Fi looks like.

Nature Inspired Design

Working with a wide range of products and materials, the young Norwegian designer Vibeke Skar strives to create distinctive products that people can relate to in an emotional way. Not satisfied with creating beautiful and functional designs, Vibeke´s ambition is to tell stories with the objects themselves; often finding inspiration in Norwegian nature, culture and traditions.