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Archived May 6, 2008
FDM Magazine : hosts a free webinar sponsored by Dux Area Inc. on eco-friendly spray finishing. May 6, at 11:00 a.m., EST.
Archived May 2, 2008
Zip to Shape: Swiss-based Design to Production won a silver iF material design award for Zip Shape, a technology that allows curved panels to be produced without moulds by aligning two interlocking slotted panels.
Archived May 2, 2008
OCAD Links: Toronto's Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) is reported by Canadian Architect to have established formal links with Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, to allow students and faculty to collaborate on academic and research initiatives.
Archived May 2, 2008
In Memoriam: The National Post reports a planned retrospective exhibition of Canadian furniture designer Stefan Siwinski could be thwarted by a property dispute. Siwinski, a pioneer of moulded plastic and institutional seating design, died at age 91 in Toronto on February 25.
Archived May 2, 2008
Milan 2008: Design Boom presents images of "Vitra edition" experimental furniture at this year's Milan furniture fair.
Archived May 2, 2008
Museum Opened: Sir Terence Conran officially opened the Gordon Russell Museum in Broadway, UK, on April 5. A tribute to the furniture manufacturing company Gordon Russell Ltd., its founder Sir Gordon Russell and his brother Richard, the museum includes artifacts from the early 1920s to this century.
Note: Gordon Russell's last manufacturing facility in Worcester, UK, closed in 2007, and Hands, a High Wycombe-based office furniture manufacturer, purchased the designs and intellectual property.
Archived April 27, 2008
ON Green: Speke Klein of Durham, Ontario, features their Quinn dining table in the CANUhome exhibit at Toronto's Green Living Show, April 25-27.
Archived April 22, 2008
Chair/Table Awards: The 2008 Andreu Design Award design brief requests an "innovative" seat or table that meets technical parameters established by the Spanish company. Deadline September, 15.
Archived April 22, 2008
Bestar Back: French-literate readers can learn from this Journal Les Affaires article how Quebec-based office furniture producer Bestar decided to tackle off-shore competition. In an unusual move, Bestar dismissed 30 managers and assigned their work to shop floor unionized workers, a strategy that resulted in a small profit for 2007 and an about-face from a loss of $1.3 million in 2006.
Archived April 22, 2008
UK Designers: View a cross-section of British furniture designer/makers courtesy of Hidden Art, a London-based non-profit design support organization.
Archived April 22, 2008
Design Classics: When UK's Independent newspaper asked eight design "experts" to pick their ultimate design classic, Ron Arad chose the Ribbon Chair by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi, and Russell Pinch selected the EM Table by Jean Prouvé.
Archived April 22, 2008
Eco Selection: An eco-design exhibit Swell, at Vancouver's Pendulum Gallery, selected seven furniture designers and their products for inclusion: Evan Bare (Juxt table), Christian Blyt (Corelam material), Ornamentum (Bamboo Divide table), Ryan Frank (Bourke's Luck chair), Mike and Maaike (Juxtaposed:Religion shelf), Upholstery Arts (TBA Sofa), Covello Reesor (RePLY chair).
Archived April 22, 2008
Nu Green: A brand particle board, produced with phenol formaldehyde adhesive and manufactured by Uniboard in Sayabec, Quebec, received FSC certification.
Archived April 19, 2008
Eco-Chairs: Winners of the first annual California College of the Arts Eco-chair design competition will be presented April 16 at Zinc Details, 2410 California Street, San Francisco, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Public should competition sponsor Bevara Design House.
Archived April 19, 2008
Starck to Stop: French designer Philippe Starck, interviewed by the German magazine Die Ziet (translation via Google), claimed "elitism is vulgar" and expensive furniture "obscene." These "road to Damascus" revelations tie closely to Starck's intention to cease designing within two years, while remaining a "producer of concepts."
Archived April 12, 2008
Product Design and Development: , a 20-page Design Exchange report in pdf, enables Canadian manufacturers to compare their product design and development performance with local and international competitors.
Archived April 12, 2008
Sintered Chair: Dezeen blog posts an item about the Diamond Chair designed by Canadian-born Oki Sato for Tokyo-based Nendo. Fabricated from nylon using laser sintering technology, this "prototype" chair provides a glimpse into the future of mass-customized furniture.
Archived April 12, 2008
Vouchers for Design: Design Week lists several ideas from the Minister of Innovation in support of the UK's design industry, including "innovation vouchers" that SMEs can exchange for new product development assistance from the company's choice of educational institute.
Archived April 12, 2008
Eco Incubator: The Ottawa Sun reports on plans for a "world-scale, multi-corporate, value-added wood products processing, marketing and exporting complex", Ontario. Proposed elements for the Ontario East Wood Centre include a wood science centre, eco-friendly buildings and manufacturing incubator support.
Archived April 12, 2008
Panel Webinar: Stiles Machinery of Grand Rapids, Michigan, sponsors a webinar on honeycomb, composite and lightweight panel materials and technology. April 17.
Archived April 12, 2008
UK Pay Packets: Design Week provides extensive data and analysis of design salaries in the UK, with 2007 figures outside London showing "consistent growth" and those in the capital fluctuating "more wildly."
Archived April 12, 2008
A Boxed Set: Casulo a prototype "one box of apartment furniture" concept, designed by German designers Marcel Krings and Sebastian Mühlhäuser, can be viewed on YouTube.
Archived April 12, 2008
Eco Site: The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, based in Reston, VA, launched a new website to help educate consumers and building professionals about its Environmental Stewardship Program.
Archived April 10, 2008
Pure Design :, the Alberta contemporary furniture manufacturer that closed in 2005, "morphed" into a retail operation based in Corning, New York.
Archived April 8, 2008
Expanding Hardware: The Gazette newspaper reports Montreal-based Richelieu Hardware, a leading wholesaler of furniture hardware, takes advantage of the US economic downturn and high Canadian dollar to expand its US operation.
Archived April 4, 2008
Book Pick: Rob Thompson, lecturer at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts in London, and senior designer at Bolton Associates, recently published Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals.
Archived April 4, 2008
Eco News: The UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Indonesian NGO Telapak claims Vietnam's booming furniture industry is one factor driving rapid deforestation in Laos.
Archived April 4, 2008
Eco Count: FIRA, the UK-based furniture research lab, has developed Furniture Footprinter, a carbon and ecological accounting tool for the furniture sector. Claimed to be easy to use, the web-based tool is compatible with existing and emerging national and international standards.
Archived March 29, 2008
Canwood to Close: The Penticton News reports RTA pine furniture manufacturer Canwood Furniture will close its Penticton plant in mid-July, laying off 91 workers.
Archived March 29, 2008
Boxes Bought: Cabinet Maker magazine reports Craftsman Wood Products of Delta, BC, purchased JD Industries, a manufacturer of custom wood and composite drawer boxes in Langley, BC.
Archived March 29, 2008
Eco Exhibit: The Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver hosts Swell an The exhibition will showcase approximately 30 works that employ various principles of sustainability in their design, production, distribution or use. Contact Swell for submission details. Deadline March 30.
Archived March 29, 2008
Design Award: The Agency for the Promotion of Industrial Creation, based in Paris, sponsors Design Observeur 09, a competition with a "product design" category. Deadline June 6.
Archived March 29, 2008
Significant Award: The Italian Aldo Morelato Foundation sponsors their annual design award Significant Furniture with a theme that explores the relationship between furniture and new media. Deadline May 14.
Archived March 24, 2008
Umbra: Interviewed by Alex Bozikovic of the Globe and Mail, Matt Carr, Umbra's new design director, explains his approach to product development.
Archived March 22, 2008
Design Democracy 08: website promotes "mass customization." Enter your designs, vote for your favourite entry and access technical and material resources. Sponsored by Royal Oak, Michigan-based Context Furniture, selected designs and a "people's choice" design will be displayed in New York at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May. Deadline March 21.
Archived March 22, 2008
LEED Lacking: The new website Good Wood tracks the use of FSC-certified timber in 2010 Olympic venues, as the official Olympic bid book states the games will "showcase" LEED standards in all new facilities. (See also VCR issue 28:1 and Vancouver Sun.)
Archived March 22, 2008
How Much?: Coroflot announced its 2007 survey of international design salaries, data that indicate industrial designers earn similarly, whether working in-house, in a consultancy or freelance (unique in comparison to other professional designers).
Archived March 22, 2008
Stockholm Fair: View dozens of images from the recent 2008 Stockholm Furniture Show, courtesy of the Design Boom blog.
Archived March 22, 2008
IDS Vancouver: Design Vancouver has morphed this year into Interior Design Show West (IDSWEST). The show's participant list includes local designer/makers Brent Comber, Francis Lemieux and ODI Galley; Azure magazine sponsors a talk by Canadian designer Patty Johnson. March 19-22.
Archived March 14, 2008
What's in a Name? If you have wondered how Ikea decides on its "chummy" product names, this article in the UK's Independent newspaper provides some clues.
Archived March 14, 2008
RTA Fitting Wins: The UT Connector, manufactured by Australia's Zipbolt Pty. Ltd., won a gold award at the recent ZOW tradeshow in Germany.
Archived March 11, 2008
St. Louis Design: David Bonetti of St Louis's Post Dispatch reports on the contemporary furniture owned by the St. Louis Art Museum in its collection, including the work of Droog design, Charles Eames, Gaetano Pesce, Eero Saarinen, Philippe Starck and many other prominent designers.
Archived March 11, 2008
More Closures: On February 12 the United Steelworkers stated that 45 of its members will be laid off at the Shermag plant in Lennoxville for an indefinite time.
Archived March 11, 2008
BCIT Open House: Biesse Canada offers free sessions on software 20-20 Technologies, Microvellum, Top Solid and hardware, including panel saws, nesting CNC and edgebanders. March 13-14.
Archived March 11, 2008
Bestar Backed: Quebec-based ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturer Bestar Inc. has received financial assistance and loans worth more than three million dollars from provincial and federal governments.
Archived March 11, 2008
Architects Design: Alice Rawstone reports in the Herald Tribune on architect-designed furniture that is "pricey, impractical and very desirable."
Archived March 11, 2008
Open House: UBC's Centre for Advanced Wood Processing invites you to their open house on March 28. RSVP by March 7.
Archived March 11, 2008
Keep It in Mind: Terrible at remembering your customers' names? Joe Takash in Furniture World Magazine promotes five tips to help sharpen your grey matter's recall.
Archived March 11, 2008
US Sales "Critical": When America’s Research Group furniture retail sales index dropped to 66 in January, chairperson Britt Beemer stated, "The index has not dropped below the critical level of 70 since November 2001."
Archived March 4, 2008
Chair Awards: Furniture designers under the age of 40 can enter the Promosedia International Design Competition - Caiazza Memorial Challenge that stipulates "indoor chairs for either residential or contract use, making a significant use of wood." Deadline for entries March 31.
Archived March 4, 2008
Factory Opening!: News Record of Greensboro, NC, reports that Polish upholstered furniture manufacturer Com40 will build a plant for 813 employees in Danville, Virginia, to produce mattresses and upholstery for IKEA stores in North America.
Archived March 4, 2008
Vacancy at CCA: The California College of the Arts (CCA) posted an opening for a non-tenure part-time assistant professor of production furniture, beginning fall 2008. Application deadline March 10.
Archived March 4, 2008
Bruer Added: Owen Edwards announced in the Smithsonian Magazine that Marcel Bruer's 1926 B5 chair has been added to the collection of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City.
Archived March 4, 2008
DE Awards: Focus Green, a design competition (includes furniture as a category) organized by the Stuttgart Design Center, accepts submissions from designers worldwide meeting its criteria for innovation and sustainability. Deadline March 20.
Archived March 4, 2008
Toronto Design Exhibit: MADE presents Radiant Dark an exhibition of modern emerging Canadian design at the Burroughes Building, 639 Queen Street West, Toronto. February 20 to March 2.
Archived March 4, 2008
Eco Links: The UK's Guardian makes available an extensive and useful list of links to environmental organizations, products and services.
Archived February 23, 2008
Labels Online: The new Vancouver-based website ecolabelling.org, developed by partners Trevor Bowden, Jacob Malthouse and Anastasia, aims to provide an "independent" database of worldwide ecolabels.
Archived February 23, 2008
Amisco Reports: Tubular steel furniture manufacturer Amisco, based in L'Islet, Quebec, reports an average drop in sales of 16.1 percent (8.1 percent in Canada and 20.4 percent in the United States) for its financial year ending November 30, 2007. A much lower reduction in gross profit balanced the decline in net sales.
Archived February 23, 2008
Ergo Office Health: The Business Ledger reports chiropractors find a direct link between workers’ health and productivity and the use of ergonomically designed office furniture.
Archived February 23, 2008
Swedish Saavy: Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist of Stockholm-based Folkform incorporate a wide variety of materials and experimental applications into their furniture designs, which include steel street furniture, marble and Masonite cabinets and benches from three different leathers.
Archived February 16, 2008
CNC Creates: ISWOnline describes how advances in CNC machining centre technology develops new material and furniture applications.
Archived February 16, 2008
20-20 Purchase: Canadian Press reports interior design and furniture manufacturing software company 20-20 Technologies purchased UK-based Planit Fusion.
Archived February 16, 2008
Baronet Update: In November 2007, after 65 years of operation, Sainte Marie de Beauce-based contemporary furniture manufacturer Baronet laid off 165 workers. In a press release dated January 21, 2008, Thierry Audin confirmed the company is proceeding with the sale of its plant under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act; management says it is not a bankruptcy.
Reasons given for the closure include the high cost of the Canadian dollar and the October closure of UpCountry, one of Baronet's important Toronto retailers.
(On the same day, AFMQ reported Terronne-based Azura Furniture Inc. is also operating under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act.)
Archived February 16, 2008
Cologne Design: Rotterdam-based Designws.com provides a four-page comprehensive overview of furniture introduced at Cologne Design Week, January 14-20, 2008.
Archived February 16, 2008
French Design; Readers literate in French can access the most recent D+M Designplus magazine in PDF. The magazine features Eurosit, the French office furniture manufacturer profiled in VCR's current issue.
Archived February 9, 2008
Vietnam Ventures: A report in China Wood claims that the export value of wooden products from Vietnam will hit 5.5 billion (USD) by 2010, and Vietnam is expected to replace China as the largest exporter of wooden furniture to the U.S.
Archived February 9, 2008
Sales Slump: Furniture Today reports that the expected U.S. consumer spending on furniture will rise only .04% in 2008. Reasons given for the low forecast include the subprime mortgage "mess" and declining home values in some markets.
Archived February 9, 2008
Smaller-scale Designs: Vancouver's Wood Co-op Gallery hosts 2 + 1 = furniture for small spaces, an exhibition of eco-friendly, smaller-scale furnishings sponsored by Emily Carr Institute and Van Gogh Designs. January 30 to February 18.
Archived February 9, 2008
'Net Searching: Performics, Microsoft and ROI
Research author a PDF report documenting how mothers with young children use Internet search engines to make furniture purchases.
Archived February 9, 2008
Palliser Sued: Contact Music reports that Clint Eastwood is suing Palliser Furniture for illegally trading on his name without his permission as a result of Palliser marketing a line of chairs called The Eastwood.
Archived February 1, 2008
Free Catalogue: Contact Hettich at info@de.hettich.com to receive your copy of
International Design Award 2007, a catalogue and interactive CD documenting the 2007 furniture and hardware design competition sponsored by Hettich and Rehau.
Archived February 1, 2008
Quebec Losses: Jean-François Michaud, president and CEO of the Furniture Manufacturers Association of Quebec (AFMQ), told Laurier Cloutier of La Presse that the Quebec furniture industry lost 22 percent of its employees and 33 percent of its revenue in the past four to five years. Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce-based contemporary furniture manufacturer Baronet exemplifies this downturn. In November Baronet sought protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and laid off 165 workers. The October closure of UpCountry, one of Baronet's important Toronto retailers, was cited as a reason.
Archived February 1, 2008
MB Grants: FPInnovations (Forintek Division) has been granted $1,178,000 by the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement to develop value-added and wood technology programs in Manitoba.
Archived February 1, 2008
Sottsass Passes: Tributes to Ettore Sottsass, the "giant" of Italian design who died on December 31, 2007, aged 90, have appeared in newspapers worldwide, including the New York Times, The Guardian and Times of London.
Archived February 1, 2008
Magazine Pick: The UK magazine Furniture Production can now be accessed online.
Archived February 1, 2008
Nienkämper: Interviewed by Ian Armitage for Exec Canada magazine, Klaus Nienkämper, owner, president and founder of Scarborough, Ontario-based office furniture manufacturer Nienkämper, describes "how his dream to create innovative furniture has become a reality."
Archived February 1, 2008
Maeda Heads RISD: In June 2008, John Maeda, Associate Director of Research at the MIT Media Lab, will become president of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Maeda authors a blog on his "Laws of Simplicity" and has developed projects for Google, Philips, Reebok and Samsung.
Archived February 1, 2008
Awards: UK readers can vote in the third Observer Ethical Awards, in association with Ecover. The deadline is March 2, 2007, with results announced in the Observer Magazine's June 2008 special issue.
Archived January 20, 2008
Austrian Award: German-literate readers can read details of a design competition sponsored by Austrian furniture manufacturer Wiesner-Hager. The design brief specifies an experimental "bench," and entrants must be 20 years or older. Deadline February 4, 2008.
Archived January 20, 2008
Bauhaus Exhibit: The UK's mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) presents a series of exhibitions about the history and development of the Bauhaus. The Gaurdian recently reviewed the exhibit.
Archived January 20, 2008
EU Green Tax?: The article Is a green tax on imported furniture required? in the winter issue of the British Furniture Manufacturers journal focuses on proposed levies for imports of furniture from countries with low environmental, health and safety standards.
Archived January 20, 2008
Eco Events: The West Coast hosts two sustainability events this month. Vancouver - January 17: talk by Ann Thorpe, author of The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability, at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. San Francisco - January 19: Compostmodern, a seminar organized by the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design.
Archived January 20, 2008
Eco Laptop Debate: This interactive, creative and collaborative blog thread ironically debunks Bruce Nussbaum's view of the OLPC versus Intel/Microsoft (creative versus rote learning) $100-laptop debate.
Archived January 20, 2008
Import Ban: On December 14, 2007, the US Congress passed an amendment to the Combat Illegal Logging Act to prohibit the import, sale or trade in illegally harvested wood and wood products.
Archived January 14, 2008
DX Awards: This year's DXA winners include Mark Müller (Vox Open Office) and the Teknion design team (District Office System and Fitz Task Chair). Toronto's Design Exchange, 234 Bay, until January 27.
Archived January 14, 2008
Best of British: The range of contemporary British furniture on exhibit at this year's Interiors Birmingham (January 20-23) includes Design City, a regional design showcase organized by Birmingham City University; Isos Collection from Metropolitan University's Furniture Works; Designersblock, a showcase for new British designers; and Design Britain, which relates the history of British design and more.
Archived January 4, 2008
Italian Awards: The National Confederation of Artisans and Small and Medium Enterprise (CNA), based in Torino, Italy, sponsors a wooden furniture design competition in association with the student design group Altrementi. Designs must use a wood species common to the Piedmont region for a first prize of $1500 (approx.). Deadline February 5, 2008
Archived January 4, 2008
Chinese Conditions: Loretta Tofani reports in the Salt Lake Tribune that more than 16 million factories in China subject their workers to high, poisonous levels of toxic chemicals. Examples cited by Tofani include 36-year-old furniture factory painter He Yuyun, suffering from myelodysplastic anemia, a precursor to leukemia.
Archived January 4, 2008
Shermag Shuts Four: On December 10, CBC reported Quebec furniture manufacturer Shermag will close four of its eight plants and dismiss 320 workers. In October the Globe and Mail confirmed the company had appointed George Armoyan to the board of directors. According to the Globe report, Armoyan believes that "Some stuff has to be made in China...." See the Salt Lake Tribune report (link above on this page) for the consequences of his views.
Archived January 4, 2008
Eco Design: The US Environmental Protection Agency publishes Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, an introduction to the four basic stages of LCA assessment - goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation.
Archived January 4, 2008
Italy Today: Federlegno, the Italian furniture manufacturers' federation, reports, via
Dow Jones Newswire, that sales of Italian furniture have risen 4.4 percent in 2007. A recent item in the Herald Tribune about the state of the Italian economy puts this announcement in perspective.
Archived January 4, 2008
MYTO Chair: Alice Rawsthorn reports in the Herald Tribune on German designer Konstantin Grcic's new plastic stacking chair that uses a new polymer from BASF.
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