Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,500,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Tastemakers
Top Ideabooks
- 3-D Printing Takes Furnishings to New Heights at ICFF 2013
- Upholstery in 3-D Comes to ICFF 2013
- See the Daring Designs at the 2013 Kip's Bay Decorator Show House
- Peek in on Brandon Morrison's Lamp-Making Process
- 10 Visionary Designs That Could Be Coming Your Way
- Sculptor Susan Wallace Turns Screen Doors Into Art
ICFF 2012 Report: Black+Blum for Home Plus Office
Everyday items for the home and workplace — a water bottle, a dish rack — get an unconventional rethink by the award-winning British company
Dan Black and Martin Blum want to make life easier. At the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York, the two friends and cofounders of Black+Blum in London introduced several new products designed to solve the issues of everyday life in the home and office. From a charcoal-filter water bottle to a handy dish rack, these designs aren't just smart, they're beautiful to boot.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Eau Good is the company's new self-filtering water bottle, which sold out online just a few hours after it released. The bottle relies on the traditional Japanese method of filtering water — binchotan active charcoal. Wedged securely in this BPA-free bottle, it reduces chlorine, mineralizes the water and balances the pH.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The Thermo Pot (not yet available online) is a new version of the company's popular Lunch Pot, made especially for hot soups and meals. The metal and cork combination keeps the meal warm for long periods of time, and there's a handy spoon that snaps to a magnetic holder.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| High & Dry is an easy-to-store dish rack. You can contain and release icky water with a quick flip of the flap, and the plastic rack — perfect for delicate dishware — folds flat in an instant. |
|
by black + blum
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Dan Black (left) and Martin Blum Although the two designers couldn't make it to the show, we managed to get in touch for a quick interview on their inspirations and goals. Dan Black answered most of our questions. Q. What is the biggest priority in your designs? A. Function. We want to design products that people can enjoy using. If something isn’t functional, it is what we call a gimmick. It might have short-term appeal but will eventually end up sitting in a drawer, not being used. We can hardly claim to be environmental when we produce new designs, but we do want to make sure the designs we do produce are functional and have a good life span. Q. What iconic designer would you love to work with? A. Philippe Stark still manages to be at the cutting edge of design in a wide range of product areas. Q. Where's your go-to place for inspiration? A. Recently we have been going to the Victoria and Albert museum in London quite a bit. There is so much to see, and they currently have an exhibition of British Design from 1948 to 2012. Q. What's a favorite piece of furniture that you own? A. I have a set of four 1952 three-legged Arne Jacobson ant chairs. They are not in perfect condition, but I probably like them more because of this. Blum: I hope lighting can be covered under furniture. I recently bought a Gras work lamp. It was designed by the engineer Bernard-Albin Gras in 1921 and is a testament to minimal functional design. Q. What famous figure's home do you think your products belong in? A. This is a great question. We did launch our Loo Read magazine rack and Loo Roll holder at ICFF. One lady bought one off the stand, and she said she had done interior design work for the Lou Reed and that she would give our Loo Read to him. I am not sure if she did know him, or if our Loo Read ever made it into his apartment ... but it would be pretty cool if it did. See more reports from the ICFF 2012 |
Ideabook published on May 27, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
View over a million photos:
