All Images by B. Alter: Orchard StudioThere is something so elemental and fascinating about chairs. Travelling around the London Design Festival, one sees the endless interest that they hold for new designers.We have been collecting photos from across the London design scene of good (and bad) examples of work. This one is a cutey, made from recycled rubber bands, DIY, flat pack and recycled particle board. What's not to love. 111 Navy Chair: EmecoHere it is: the chair made out of 111 recycled Coca-cola bottles. The original Emeco Navy Chair was designed in 1944 for the U.S. Navy. These new ones, called the 111 Navy Chair contain a mix of 60 percent rPET plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic) and a special combination of other materials including pigment and glass fiber for strength. It is estimated that more than three million PET plastic bottles will be re-used annually for the production of 111 Navy Chairs. The great thing is that it is solid, comfortable, and although utilitarian, quite nice to look at.
This is a beauty. Made of European Oak and stainless steel, it was designed by Simon Austen, a former mechanical designer who gave it all up after 22 years at the job and became a furniture designer. It looks too firm, but in fact it is bouncy and the wood gives under the body.This chair is made out of left-over bits of hazel wood from the coppicing of trees. Coppicing is the traditional form of small forest management. Tree stumps are cut down to ground level. New shoots and suckers grow out from them while the root system is untouched . The new growth can grow to more than 2 metres long.Sebastian Cox is looking for contemporary usages for this wood which would otherwise be surplus from the hazel tree forests. Using weaving and steam bending techniques, it is amazingly light to pick up and weighs only 1.8 kg.The Flux chair was inspired by origami. It is useful because it saves space and can be mailed, and lets you sit down whenever you want. This one weighs 4.5 kg, is foldable and comes in 8 colours ranging from red to blue to white.
It seems to be made of strong (let's hope) cardboard and is recyclable.And the queen and first lady of the art of textiles: Lucienne Day. She started as a textile designer, her husband Robin designed the chairs in the 1950's and onwards. This pattern, called the Helix, was created in 1970, on the same day as the Apollo 13 was launched. Its bold and colourful spirals are an ode to the op art movement popular at the time. She was the chief designer for Heal's, a furniture and department store, and this pattern is being reissued at this year's Design Festival in her honour.More on London Design Festival 2010Julika Welbe's Growing and Reparable Felt CarpetLondon Design Festival Gets Cooking with Wild MushroomsStuart Haygarth Recycles Picture Frames at London Design Festival Positive Space opened on January 23, 2008. At the beginning stages of planning, we thought it was important to focus on intelligent and unique design. Our goals have not changed. We continue to research and keep up with trends in the international furniture world.
Although we seek knowledge and awareness in the design world, we choose not to represent many lines. Each line we work with is innovative, smart, strong and attractive; and each line stands out as an individual. Please continue to check our website as we have many exciting plans for the future. Positive Space would also like to thank everyone who has supported this business from the beginning. Charles, Natalia, and Nathan 09/21 : Sixinch Releases Newly Designed Catalog Sixinch has released a beautifully designed 2010/2011 catalog. 07/02 : Emeco’s 111 Navy Chair The 111 Navy Chair is finally here. Modeled after the original aluminum Navy chair, this piece is created with 111 recycled Coca Cola bottles. Signup to our newsletter and stay in the loop with the latest news. The Randall Campus Center has been renovated to offer students a more comfortable and modern space. Upstairs, Bennett Lounge now offers cozy overstuffed leather chairs and conversation corners.
The former lower level game room has been transformed into "Emma's" – a wonderfully contemporary place to hang out between classes. The visionary behind both is interior designer Winnie King, wife of president David King, and owner of Environments H.C., a company that specializes in creating amazing and original environments "Our students asked for more student space that would support their needs better. They wanted better study areas when the library closed and casual hangout space. There was a real need to update the two areas in the barn that we were renovating (upstairs and downstairs)," said Mrs. King. "I wanted to give them something that was hip, contemporary and fun to be in. They were my clients and I wanted to give them even more than they could imagine. My hope is that the space will inspire them to enjoy each other, dream big seemingly impossible dreams, and enhance the creativity in their studies." The name itself - "Emma's" - is an homage to Malone University co-founder Emma Malone, a visionary in her own rite, who actualized her dreams through the education of young people, inspiring them to make the world a better place.
The historical building which once served as a working barn for the Stark County Home, was already equipped with rustic wooden beams, exposed brick, and tile floors. King described the new atmosphere as having a "very cozy grotto feel to it. It had an amazing amount of natural beauty." A second goal was to design a coffee bar "space for our students that would be cool anywhere!" King said, "It's the tension between the iconic barn and contemporary pieces that helps create interesting space. We were so blessed to have such a beautiful room to work with." Furniture selection in itself proved to be a lesson in stewardship. Both president and Mrs. King wanted to raise the consciousness of being stewards of our environment by choosing elements that support that goal. "As a designer, it is always the relationship between form and function that sets the table. Our furniture needed to be durable, comfortable, and also the right look so as not to compromise style. We used furniture that was made from recycled barn wood for our larger study tables," said Mrs. King.
"An amazing furniture company, Emeco, was used for a lot of our furniture. Their Broom chair is made of 90% industrial waste: the trash that you would sweep up at the end of the day in a factory. Another one of their chairs that we used is made out of recycled Coke bottles. Their aluminum chairs are all recycled material. Their beautiful design adds so much to our rooms." The "Coke bottle" chair is the result of two companies -- Coca-Cola and Emeco -- collaborating to solve an environmental problem: Up-cycling consumer waste into a sustainable, timeless, classic chair. Made of 111 recycled PET bottles, the 111 Navy Chair is a story of innovation. Furniture arrangement plays an important role as well. "As I developed the layout for the rooms, I wanted to have spaces that could function for different needs," King said. "Tables and chairs, while strategically placed, can be moved to accommodate larger or smaller groups of students. The color palette allows for a wide variety of movement."