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Archived December 21, 2007
Design Lab: The UK's Design Museum presents the entire Vitra Edition Design Laboratory collection, which includes the work of Ron Arad, Jasper Morrison, Tokujin Yoshioka and others.
Archived December 21, 2007
Milan Museum Opens: Promoted as Italy's first museum dedicated to design, the Triennale Design Museum opened December 6 in the Triennale di Milano complex in Milan's Parco Sempione.
Archived December 21, 2007
UK Design Grad: Kate Hilpern of the UK's Independent newspaper interviews recent furniture design graduates from Buckingham University and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Archived December 21, 2007
Protect the Rain Forests: The Natural Resources Defense Council publishes Know the Forest and the Trees, a pdf brochure, on the use of tropical wood species and suggested alternatives.
Archived December 21, 2007
Rashid Review: In a recent interview with Pure Contemporary, designer Karim Rashid says (among other things) that he "hate(s) the idea that only an elite gets to have interesting or beautiful things."
Archived December 21, 2007
Sawing Savvy: A video and supporting articles, courtesy of Fine Woodworking magazine, point out the importance of specifying quarter-sawn lumber for furniture production.
Archived December 21, 2007
Herman Miller Cuts: The Kalamazoo Gazette reports office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has announced 150 white-collar job cuts, some from its environmental and quality-control departments.
Archived December 21, 2007
Design Views: Discounting the "new generation of techno-organic designers," design author Stephen Bayley outlines his views on modern design for the UK's Observer newspaper.
Read about his latest book Design: Intelligence Made Visible, co-authored with Terance Conran.
Archived December 21, 2007
Show Lists: The 2008 Toronto-based Interior Design Show has released a list of exhibitors. Exhibition Place, February 21-24, 2008.
Archived December 21, 2007
Prototype Award: The Furniture Society and the Neuberger Museum of Art, NY, sponsors Multiplicity, the Art of the Furniture Prototype, a furniture design competition. Eligible prototypes must have been created since January 2000 and intended for small, batch or mass production. Deadline January 15, 2008.
Archived December 21, 2007
Dust Data: OSHA released new combustible dust guidelines to control fire and explosion hazards where combustible dusts accumulate.
Archived December 10, 2007
Magistretti Awards: The Premio Vico Magistretti furniture competition awards, sponsored by Design Boom and Italian Manufacturer Depadova, include three main prizes, two honourable mentions and several innovative short-listed entries.
Archived December 10, 2007
AB Opening: Edmonton-based IZM Contemporary Furnishings invites you to an open house of its new showroom, 14231 - 130 Avenue, December 7, 2007, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Archived December 10, 2007
OX x 2: Until December 31, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the XO laptop to a child in a developing nation and receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.
Archived December 1, 2007
Chair Changes: The British Design Council announces new chairperson Sir Michael Bichard takes over from Sir George Cox in January 2008.
Archived December 1, 2007
Ernest Beck's: report for Business Week emphasizes that consumers need to educate themselves to gauge the eco-friendly product claims of some furniture manufacturers and retailers.
Archived November 26, 2007
BC Competition: A public seating design competition, sposored by the Interior Design Show West, AIBC and IDIBC, accepts entries until November 23, 2007.
Archived November 26, 2007
DX to ROM: CBC reports that Michael Prokopow, curator of Toronto's Design Exchange, has been named managing director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Archived November 26, 2007
Diffrient Views: Pure Contemporary interviews Niels Diffrient, designer of the Freedom chair and one of the authors of the ergonomics reference classic Humanscale (now out-of-print).
Archived November 26, 2007
Paris by Design: The Galeries nationales du Grand Palais in Paris brings together objects and household furniture from the Industrial Revolution to the present day in an exhibit titled Design Contre Design (Design by Design). To January 7, 2008.
Archived November 26, 2007
Ercol Extra: UK-based Ercol Furniture has been producing Windsor chairs since 1920. Designers familiar with the company's products will be interested in Matthew Hilton's new chair design for Ercol, as reported by Dezeen Design Magazine and Interiors.
Archived November 26, 2007
Rapid Results: MADE and Hugh Aldersey-Williams published a summary of the MADE1 conference on the design, business and societal implications of Rapid Manufacturing, held September 25, 2007, at the Royal College of Art, London.
Archived November 26, 2007
Tom Opposed: British furniture designer Tom Dixon states the challenge facing designers is "how to establish an opposition to convention" in an interview by Edward Helmore of the New York Times.
Archived November 18, 2007
Time to Crawl: Eastside Culture Crawl, the annual Vancouver open-studio event and visual arts festival, returns November 16-18. The event website lists over 30 participating furniture designer/makers.
Archived November 10, 2007
Design Awards: The Milan showroom of de Padova displays the winning entries in the first Premio Vico Magistretti design competition. Line Depping of Denmark received first prize for her "Borrod" table.
Archived November 10, 2007
Design Promotion: Business Week reports on a $40-million British Design Council program that promotes the use of design by small businesses to help spur national economic growth.
Archived November 10, 2007
CDN MFG: Statistics Canada released a report on October 26, 2007, with its analysis of business conditions in the Canadian manufacturing sector.
Archived November 10, 2007
Artek Aware: Alice Rawsthorn of the New York Times interviews Artek's creative director Tom Dixon and managing director Mirkku Kullberg about the sustainability goals of the Finnish company.
Archived November 10, 2007
Prototype Awards: Designers whose furniture prototypes are selected for ICFF Studio will be awarded a display space at ICFF, New York, May 17-20, 2008. Submission deadline January 15, 2008.
Archived November 10, 2007
ICFF Materials: George Little Management, the operators of New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), have announced that the 2008 fair will include Materials Matter, a trade show of cutting edge materials.
Archived November 10, 2007
Build 2007: The theme of this year's Chicago Greenbuild conference is "Accelerating Green Communities." The event includes educational sessions, speakers, tours, exhibits and a trade fair. November 7-9.
Archived November 3, 2007
More From IDSA: Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) recently updated its excellent range of design-related web links. The red "P" icon identifies links of particular interest to product designers.
Archived November 3, 2007
ROM Adds Modern: The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto opens the Sigmund Samuel Gallery of Canada on October 6, 2007. While primarily showcasing Canada’s colonial past, for the first time the ROM will show modern Canadian furniture in the new wing.
Archived November 3, 2007
Journal Pick: The International Journal of Design publishes research papers in all fields of design, including industrial design, visual communication design and architectural design.
Archived November 3, 2007
Eames Videos: YouTube videos show the launch of the Eames Lounge Chair on the Arlene Francis NBCTV "Home" show in 1956. Part 1 and Part 2.
Archived October 26, 2007
Sedo Sofa: Contact Éditorial in Montreal to purchase a "Sedo" extra-deep sofa designed for Mobilier d'ici à demain at SIDIM 2006.
Archived October 26, 2007
Trends: Red Dot reports on colour, form, material and furniture design trends (good and bad) from its 2007 awards submissions.
Archived October 26, 2007
Dutch Design: This year's Eindhoven-based Dutch Design Festival includes the "Dutch Living Room," an exhibit featuring the work of local design firms. October 20-28.p>
Archived October 26, 2007
Plaspanel Product: Infolink reports on an outdoor contemporary seating prototype manufactured from recycled plastic and designed by Edie Kurzer, a final-year student at RMIT.
Archived October 26, 2007
Book Pick: Furniture Design, a new book by Jim Postell, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, covers furniture history, technology, aesthetics, the human body, architectural production, interior design, industrial design and art.
Archived October 26, 2007
Italian Designer: Italy's Idea Magazine provides the transcript of an extensive interview with Carlo Bimbi, the Florence-based furniture designer whose clients include Arketipo, Bosal, Casprini, La Falegnami, Falegnameria 1946, Segis and Dema.
Archived October 26, 2007
Final Draft: The committee working to establish an ecological criteria for the award of an EU Eco-label for furniture published its final draft on August 27, 2007. Contact at FCBA (formally CTBA) for a copy of the report.
Archived October 7, 2007
UK Benchmark: Established in 2004 by Terence Conran and Sean Sutcliffe, Benchmark Furniture employs 45 workers and designers in its technologically advanced workshops in Hungerford, UK. The FSC/PEFC-certified company has supplied furniture to leading architects such as Norman Foster and Richard Rogers.
Archived October 7, 2007
Sofa Scene: Ian Tucker of London's Observer gives his view of why the British are abandoning their three-piece suites for more "cocooning" modular sofas.
Archived October 7, 2007
Design Thinking?: David Stairs of Central Michigan University gives his critical perspective of the Cooper Hewitt exhibition Design for the Other 90% in the Design Observer blog. The exhibit closes September 23, 2007.
Archived September 11, 2007
Dott 07: The UK Festival, held at a purpose-designed/built space on the Newcastle Gateshead Quayside, profiles a wide range of sustainability projects. October 16-28.
Archived September 11, 2007
Deadline: The IF Product Design Awards cover 14 categories, including furniture. Entry deadline: September 15, 2007.
Archived September 11, 2007
A New Leaf: Three female graduates from London's Metropolitan University own and operate New Leaf, a contemporary and sustainable furniture company.
Archived September 11, 2007
Body Research: Look beyond the Auckland City Harbour News too-cute headline for details of original ergonomic seating research being done by Auckland University engineering student Sarah Cox.
Archived September 11, 2007
Chair Icons: The chair features as a design "icon" in an International Herald Tribune article by Alice Rawsthorn.
Archived September 11, 2007
Japan Award: International Furniture Design Fair Asahikawa is now accepting registrations for the 2008 competition. Held every three years, this prestigious event attracted 909 applicants from around the world in 2005. Deadline: December 7, 2007.
Archived September 11, 2007
Design London: This years's London Design Festival (September 15-25) includes the Deptford Market Challenge, children's conference, talks and sustainable design events.
Archived September 5, 2007
Ecosytem: Brooklyn-based contract furniture manufacturer EcoSystems Brand released Bamba, a new chair that incorporates sustainable materials and unique connecting hardware.
Archived September 5, 2007
Honeycombe Connect: Hettich International has introduced a two-part glued plastic dowel insert for honeycombe panels that adapts for the use of standard quick-assembly hardware. An example of the technology in action can be viewed at the Fritz Egger GmbH website and in the Eurolite® PDF brochure and video.
Archived September 4, 2007
Book Pick: Chris Lefteri, senior lecturer at Central Saint Martin's College of Design in London and author of Ceramics, Materials, Metals, Plastics 2 and Wood, recently published Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design.
Archived September 4, 2007
BIFMA Goes Green: Rapid Growth Media reports that the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) hired Sustainable Research Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to help develop a US standard for the manufacture of environmentally friendly office furniture.
Archived September 4, 2007
Andreu Award: This year's Andreu International Design Award brief is to design and construct a contemporary chair and/or table mainly from beech, oak or walnut. Competition deadline: September 13, 2007.
Archived September 4, 2007
Soya Adhesive: Hercules Inc. signed an exclusive agreement with Columbia Forest Products to sell its soy-based adhesives to the composite wood products industry.
Archived September 4, 2007
Connex Soon: German blog woodworker.de reports on a new RTA connector to be launched by Lammello in August.
Archived September 4, 2007
Slow Design: Mark Vanderbeeken of the Torino World Design website interviews Giacomo Mojoli about the "slow+design" conference sponsored by Slow Food Italy.
Archived August 29, 2007
Surface Stripes: Swiss manufacturer Vinterio offers a wide range of certified veneers in plain, striped and multi-wood patterns.
Archived August 24, 2007
Turning Topic: PB Swiss Tools have introduced DigiTorque®, a screwdriver with an integral electronic torque indicator. Archived August 24, 2007
Joe Columbo: The Musée Des Arts Décoratifs in Paris hosts Joe Colombo, Inventing the Future, the designer's first international retrospective. Produced by the Vitra Design Museum in cooperation with the Milan Triennale and Studio Joe Colombo, the exhibit closes August 19, 2007.
Archived August 24, 2007
Corbusier in Context: Le Corbusier is the subject of a major retrospective at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam. The exhibition closes September 7, 2007.
Archived August 24, 2007
Craft Crafted: Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, hosts Massclusivity, an exhibition of affordable and appealing contemporary batch production craft objects. The exhibit closes September 9, 2007.
Archived August 24, 2007
FSC Questioned: The Action Alert from the Rain Forest Portal website questions the validity of FSC certification in Peru and other countries.
Archived August 9, 2007
Book Pick: The question, "Does sustainable design have a special appeal for women?" is explored by authors Kira Gould and Lance Hosey through conversations with designers, architects, educators and others in Ecotone Publishing's Women in Green.
Archived August 9, 2007
Irish Design: A survey by the Irish Centre for Design Innovation found that 78 percent of SMEs that employ designers launched new contemporary products over the past three years compared with only 51 percent for SMEs without a design strategy.
Archived August 9, 2007
Ply Prospects: The CBC reports that Commonwealth Plywood is cutting nearly half its approximately 2,400 workforce. The lay-offs are a result of fewer housing starts in the U.S. and may have implications for the furniture industry.
Archived August 9, 2007
Marketing Mix: Furniture World lists its five pillars of digital marketing; personalization, communities,
searches, content and interactivity.
Archived August 9, 2007
RCA Reasoning: Bruce Nussbaum of Business Week provides a transcript of his address on Design Thinking from a recent Innovation Night at London's Royal College of Art.
PC Chairs: Chalmers University in Sweden has published Computer-supported Furniture Design at an Early Conceptual Stage, a research paper that encourages collaboration between IT engineers and contemporary furniture designers.
Archived July 19, 2007
EPA Award: On June 26, 2007, Columbia Forest Products, Hercules Inc. and Dr. Kaichang Li received an EPA award for the development of PureBond® "formaldehyde-free" plywood.
Archived July 19, 2007
Pli Plastics: Christopher Pett, founder of London-based Pli Design, instigated a new school chair that meets eco-criteria for new school construction and recycles consumer waste. Designed by Sprout Design, the chair consists of a metal frame to which plastic "slats," injection-moulded from discarded Sony PlayStation consoles, are clipped.
Archived July 19, 2007
CNC London: This summer Metropolitan Works in London offers three two-day introductory courses to 3D modelling software Rhino. Download the PDF brochure (920KB).
Archived July 19, 2007
MC Choices: Research the purchase of your next moisture meter from VCR's selection - courtesy of Amazon.com
Archived July 19, 2007
Shermag Sags: The Toronto Star reports on Quebec-based furniture manufacturer Shermag's "sagging" sales and its outsourcing plans.
Archived July 1, 2007
Alternate Joints: The Festool Domino DF500 "tenon" joiner (above) and the Mafell DD40 "double dowel" tool (below) are portable joiners similar in size to a biscuit joiner but with different methods of assembly.
Archived July 1, 2007
Marcel Museum: The Ludwig Museum in Budapest, Hungary, hosts an exhibition featuring the work of Marcel Bruer, one of the country's native sons.
Archived July 1, 2007
Green Tips: Courtesy of UK-based business Green blog, suggestions are given on how to "green" a small business.
Archived July 1, 2007
Canadian Sales: Aktrin reports that since 1997 Canada's household furniture sales have shown increases from 5.4 to 10.4 percent per year. The consulting firm expects this growth trend, driven by increases in after-tax income and population, to continue.
Archived July 1, 2007
London Online: London OnlineThe online listings of London's non-profit design support organization Hidden Art lists an impressive 56 furniture designer/makers.
Archived July 1, 2007
Pandora's Box: Enter the search term "furniture design" into Australia's library search engine Pandora and connect with up to 1,219 interesting links.
Archived July 1, 2007
Fairs Fair: Design Week's Jude Stewart writes about the effectiveness (or otherwise) of contemporary design fairs in Belgrade, Budapest, Istanbul, London and other locations.
Archived July 1, 2007
China Update: The Association of the Austrian Wood Industries update on the growth of China's furniture industry.
Archived June 27, 2007
Soybean Saves: The Kansas City Star reports on how soybean oil is being incorporated into upholstery foam resins to reduce dependency on petroleum-based products by 10 to 20 percent. (Subscription required.)
Archived June 17, 2007
Eco en français: French literate readers can view the latest edition of Designplus Magazine in PDF. Included are items about worldwide contemporary eco-design initiatives and eco-transport.
Archived June 17, 2007
High Point Goes Green: Furniture World Magazine describes the addition of the Living Green Pavilion that opens at this summers's High Point Furniture Market. July 30 to August 3.
Archived June 17, 2007
Plastic Years: London's science museum opened a new exhibit that traces the proliferation of plastics over the past 100 years and explains the current environmental issues.
Archived June 17, 2007
ICFF Awards: The UK's Modus Furniture has won the ICFF Editors Award for the furniture category. Bernhardt Design's Whisper Chair by CuldeSac won the seating category. Business Week has a review of this year's New York show written by Helen Walters.
Archived June 17, 2007
Design for All: New York's Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design sponsors an exhibtion of affordable and socially responsible objects designed for the majority of the world's population. To September 23.
Archived June 11, 2007
CCA Talk: The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montréal hosts a free public discussion between Phyllis Lambert and architects Rem Hoolhaus and Peter Eisenman. June 8, 2007.
Archived June 5, 2007
City Chairs: Edmonton hosts its sixth annual contemporary street furniture design competition on June 30, 2007. All materials and tools will be supplied - you just need to bring your imagination!
Archived June 5, 2007
SF Awards: Woodshanti, an FSC-certified worker-owned furniture cooperative based in San Francisco, has won one of this year's small business awards sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Chronicle.
Archived June 5, 2007
Canwood Contracts: Furniture World reports that British Columbia-based Canwood furniture
has created a contract furniture division to market a range of solid wood furniture to the hospitality, educational and government sectors.
Archived June 5, 2007
Danish Design: The Toronto Design Exchange hosts the Danish Way of Living exhibit that features the work of 12 Danish design companies. May 15 to June 20.
Archived June 5, 2007
CARB Ruling: On April 27, 2007, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted regulations to limit formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products such as plywood, PB and MDF. When fully implemented in 2012, the measures will remove 500 tons of formaldehyde annually from California's air.
Archived June 5, 2007
Branded: Reena Jana reports for Business Week on the "current wave of eco-chic" that has corporations developing their own in-house branded eco-labels.
Archived May 27, 2007
Designed Toronto: The city of Toronto sponsors a Festival of Architecture and Design for the month of May. The festival features exhibitions, films, symposia, lectures, walking tours, readings, book launches and dinners.
Archived May 27, 2007
Over the Bridge: Brice Brown reports in the New York Sun on the growing and viabrant design scene in Brooklyn, NY.
Archived May 27, 2007
SIDIM 2007: This year Montreal's interior design show SIDIM features free workshops in a new conference room and Design Africa, a project presenting nineteen designers and companies from South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali and Senegal. May 24-26, 2007.
Archived May 20, 2007
Magistretti Award: Italian furniture manufacturer Depadova and Designboom are sponsoring the Vico Magistretti Award, a contemporary international furniture design competition in memory of the Italian architect and designer. The jury is seeking entries that combine "simplicity with playfulness, elegance, freshness, and contemporary spirit." Entry deadline June 25, 2007.
Archived May 20, 2007
Dixon Drawn: MCAD Magazine reports that when UK contemporary furniture designer Tom Dixon switched his design agency from AutoCAD to SolidWorks, he cut his computing time by half.
Archived May 20, 2007
British Made: Metropolis Magazine profiles Established & Sons, the UK-based contemporary furniture company that is not outsourcing its production to other countries.
Archived May 20, 2007
Green Grows: Previously based in Brooklyn, the contemporary sustainable design exhibition HauteGREEN has moved to a gallery location in Manhattan. This year's show features 70 items of furniture,
lighting and accessories and a "conversation" with London-based designer Tom Dixon. May 19-22, 2007.
Archived May 20, 2007
Design NY: Core77 publishes comprehensive listings of this year's New York Design Week events. May 19 to 22.
Archived May 13, 2007
V&A in DC: The Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, presents the touring V&A exhibit Modernism:
Designing a New World 1914–1939. To July 27, 2007.
Archived May 13, 2007
Design Awards: The Japanese Good Design Award, applies to contemporary consumer and industrial goods and ecological activities. This year's deadline is June 13, 2007.
Archived May 6, 2007
Français Vert: French-literate readers can view the latest issue of Ameublement Durable to discover how French designers and Burgundy-based furniture manufacturers are working together to create new contemporary eco-friendly products.
Archived May 6, 2007
DV Expo: Stories Behind Design is the theme of this year's Design Vancouver (dv), the Interior Design and Urban Living Expo at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, May 4-6, 2007.
Archived May 6, 2007
Copy NOT: For thirty years Action Plagiarius in Soligen, Germany, has provided strategies to combat fakes and plagiarisms through annual awards, museum and exhibits.
Archived May 6, 2007
3D Auto: Autonomatic, a UK-based research team, explores the use of contemporary digital manufacturing technologies in the creative process of designing and making three-dimensional objects.
Archived May 6, 2007
Design Pays: The British Design Council provides research studies that show a relationship between investment in design and increased business.
Archived April 28, 2007
NY Exhibit: For the first time in the United States, the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture in New York hosts an exhibition of works by architect and designer Bruno Mathsson. The exhibit closes June 10, 2007.
Archived April 28, 2007
Milan Menu: For those not attending this year's Milan furniture show, the Designws.com website is the next best thing to being there. Designws.com provides extensive show listings and images by manufacturer, designer and studio.
Archived April 28, 2007
Eco Expressed: Core77 reprints Allan Chochinov's 1000-word "manifesto" for sustainability in design. The ten steps listed include the key directive "do no harm."
Archived April 28, 2007
Logging Largesse: Peter S. Goodman and Peter Finn of the Washington Post investigate cross-border wood supply practices in Asia. Their article identifies environmental concerns for Ikea in China, where it sources a large percentage of its solid wood furniture.
Archived April 28, 2007
CFLS OK: A recent test by Popular Mechanics magazine that compared seven common compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) with a traditional 75-watt incandescent bulb should be compulsory reading for designers who are still CFL-averse.
Archived April 23, 2007
Kids Furniture Foldschool is a collection of cardboard children's furniture designs from Swiss-based architect Nicola Enrico Stäubli. His philosophy is "to restore design to one of its original missions: to provide a product at an affordable price through a smart manufacturing process."
Archived April 21, 2007
Green Chicago: In early 2008, Chicago will open America's first contemporary "green mall." Located in a 250,00 sq. ft. LEED certified building, the Green Exchange will be home to about 100 vendors, event rooms, incubator spaces, organic cafe and other facilities.
Archived April 21, 2007
Old Is New: Remanufacturing your products (or others) to a like-new condition for resale has numerous environmental advantages. A new report (PDF), by British researchers Casper Gray and Martin Charter, studies the viability of the concept for manufacturers and designers.
Isos Expands: The Isos Collection, the subject of a 2005 article in VCR, has redesigned its website and introduced new contemporary products.
Archived April 21, 2007
Sofa R&D: Ian Tucker of the UK's Observer newspaper reports on his visit to B&B Italia's research and development centre in Brianza, Italy.
Archived April 21, 2007
Free Info: Register for free at the UK's Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) website and gain access to numerous technical articles. Of particular interest to SMEs will be "Adhesives for Furniture" and "Edge Sealants for Wood-based Boards."
Archived April 13, 2007
Gallery Opens: Vancouver's newest furniture design gallery, ODI Gallery, 883 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC, formally opened March 15, 2007.
Archived April 13, 2007
Design 10: A panel of "experts" from Business Week produced a table of the top ten design schools worldwide.
Archived April 13, 2007
Book Pick: In Humble Masterpieces author/curator Paola Antonelli demonstrates the role of design in modern culture through 100 examples of affordable, commonly used and unpretentious objects, from the Lamello biscuit to the lead pencil.
Archived April 13, 2007
100% Directed: Tom Dixon has been appointed creative director of London's 100% Design. Ian Rudge, formerly brand director for the show, left the organization to start Tent London, a contemporary design exhibition based in London's Eastend.
Archived April 13, 2007
Custom/Mass: Kerry and Bryce Moore, designer/owners of Context Furniture in Royal Oak,
Michigan, contribute their thoughts on contemporary mass customization to the
Metromode
Blog.
Archived March 29, 2007
Eco Research: Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) makes available an excellent range of design-related web links in 30 categories.
Archived March 29, 2007
Pay Packets: Coroflot provides a worldwide survey of salaries for designers by specialty and country.
Archived March 29, 2007
Profits Up: The Aktrin Furniture Center reports an improvement in gross profit margins for Canadian furniture producers for the period December 2005 to December 2006. This good news results from lower material costs, including
steel sheet, aluminum and hardwood, and slightly lower labour costs.
Archived March 29, 2007
One Tree: The Independent's Ian Herbert reports on various "one tree" projects around the world that were inspired by the original UK idea when craftspeople, artists and designers made maximum use of an entire white oak tree (including leaves and sawdust).
Archived March 29, 2007
Eco Blind: A recent Guardian
investigation of 15 UK furniture retailers found their sales staff had
no knowledge of the sustainable credentials of their inventory. The few notable exceptions included B&Q, John Lewis and Heals & Co.
Archived March 29, 2007
Panels Webinar: On April 17, 2007, FDM Magazine and Stiles Machinery will sponsor a web seminar on recent innovations in honeycomb, composite and lightweight panel technology.
Archived March 29, 2007
Magistretti Award: Design Week reports that Italian furniture brand De Padova in partnership with designboom.com will sponsor a contemporary furniture design award in memory of Italian designer and architect Vico Magistretti who died in 2006.
Archived March 29, 2007
Obituary: Hans Wegner, synonymous with the term "Danish Modern," passed away January 26 in Copenhagen at the age of 92. Although he trained as a cabinetmaker, his Wishbone and Round chair designs are often cited as his greatest contributions to contemporary 20th-century design. Courtesy New York Times.
Archived March 18, 2007
EPIC Launch: Billed by its organizers as "Canada's first sustainable living expo," EPIC will be held at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, March 16-17.
Archived March 17, 2007
Stop Museum Cutbacks: The William Morris Museum in east London faces the threat of severe cutbacks by Walthamstow Forest council. The museum's treasures include original sketches of Morris's acanthus-leaf wallpaper, bronzes by Auguste Rodin and work by pre-Raphaelites Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Help support a world treasure at this website.
Archived March 17, 2007
Better by Design: is a guide to "using natural design solutions" from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This 36 page PDF format booklet covers a several approaches to environmental product design including learning from nature, appropriate material selection, disassembly for recycling and selecting the best tools and software.
Archived March 17, 2007
Swag Leg Group: Herman Miller Inc. reintroduces George Nelson's 1958 furniture series that features curved swag-formed metal legs. The process of rotary swaging incorporates radial hammering from one or more opposed dies to taper the cross-sectional area of a metal tube along its length. More swaging information courtesy JB Scepko.
Archived March 6, 2007
Stools Added: The latest addition to VCR's contemporary online History of Furniture Design in Canada 1945 - 1985 are stools by Philip Salmon and Hugh Hamilton, designed circa 1969 for Kinetics Furniture, Toronto.
Archived March 6, 2007
London Launch: Since leaving the UK's 100% Design and 100% East, Ian Rudge and Jimmy MacDonald have founded Tent London (September 20-23, 2007) to feature contemporary design talent. Located at the Truman Brewery site in East End London, the new show will consist of professionally vetted themed events and provide exhibitors with a range of innovative resources.
Archived March 6, 2007
China Copies: At a press conference held at London's Design Museum on January 30, 2007, organizers of the Milan Furniture Fair claimed China was a country that "just produces copies." More details at Design Week.
Archived March 3, 2007
Eco Design: A Sectoral Manual for Furniture, published by The Stockholm Environment Institute's Tallinn Centre in Estonia and aimed at contemporary SMEs, features numerous colour images and covers practices that are relatively easy to implement in an existing manufacturing plant.The manual is available as a must-download, 32-page PDF. Readers may wish to cross-reference the document's MDF information with this VCR feature article.
Archived March 3, 2007
Book Pick: The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations . Authored by Darcy Hitchcock and Marsha Willard (both from the Pacific Northwest) this new publication provides a comprehensive range of environmental actions derived from several case studies.
Archived March 3, 2007
Shermag Inc.: Closure on April 6, 2007, of Quebec's Shermag Inc. factories in Disraeli and St-Etienne-de-Lauzon will affect 283 workers employed in manufacturing bedroom and dining-room furniture. Courtesy CBC/CP.
Archived March 3, 2007
Skilled Support: Small-scale manufacturers in Ontario that hire apprentice cabinetmakers can claim up to a 30% tax credit per eligible employee to a maximum of $5,000 per taxation year.
Archived March 3, 2007
CBC on Design: On January 18, 2007, Magnus Hanton, a recent industrial design graduate from the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design, discussed the design of contemporary sustainable products on the CBC radio program, "The Current." Hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti, the interview begins about 8 minutes into the Real Audio clip, courtesy of CBC.
Archived March 3, 2007
Furniture Waste: A website project co-funded by the European Furniture Manufacturers Federation and the European Commission, provides information on the recovery of end-of-cycle furniture and the recycling of furniture.
Archived February 21, 2007
Tate Talk: A webcast discussion about design with Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, and designers Ron Arad and Tom Dixon goes live from the Tate Modern gallery, London, February 21 at 10:30 PST (18:30 GMT).
Archived February 15, 2007
Video Contest: EPIC, the Sustainable Living Expo, to be held in Vancouver March 16-18, has announced a video contest to be judged by John Fluevog and David Suzuki. First prize is $5,000. Deadline February 28, 2007.
Archived February 15, 2007
Design Network: Contemporary designers, other professionals, students and anyone interested in how design can contribute to a sustainable future may join the UK-based association Tempo. Listed in a searchable directory (including portfolios), members can access an online forum.
Archived February 13, 2007
Canwood: The Penticton Herald reports that Canwood Furniture has laid off 22 workers, due to declining sales of its ready-to-assemble lodgepole pine furniture.
Plant manager Bob Bird told the Herald that Canwood is looking to diversify into hotel furniture and is bidding on contracts for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Archived February 13, 2007
Microvellum: Sponsored by the Canadian Design Research Network, Microvellum Basics for the Furniture and Millwork Industries is a one-day workshop that will be held February 15 at UBC, Vancouver, BC.
Archived February 8, 2007
RCA Conference: The Royal College of Art, London, hosts Include 2007, April, 2-4, 2007, a conference on user-participation design. This year the program emphasizes diversity, by including a wider range of professions and outside groups whose opinions have not been considered previously.
Archived February 8, 2007
State Support: The Lexington Dispatch reports that the North Carolina legislature has introduced a draft bill to help promote the state's furniture industry. By providing various incentives, tax benefits and a new furniture technology training centre, the Act aims to assist local industry as it competes with overseas manufacturers.
The Triad Journal reports further on public reaction to subsidies for this initiative.
Archived February 2, 2007
Colourful MDF: TOPAN® colour FF is an MDF through-dyed panel available in black and several colours. Bonded without formaldehyde, the contemporary panel is manufactured by Glunz AG, the German subsidiary of Portuguese wood-based panels manufacturer Sonae Indústria (brochure in PDF).
Archived February 2, 2007
Greening Toronto: Green Enterprise Toronto (GET) is a network of locally owned enterprises committed to a healthy environment and locally produced products.
Archived February 2, 2007
Green Council: This issue of Furniture World covers the development of the US-based Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC). Founded at the October 2005 High Point Market, SFC was the idea of Gerry Cooklin, owner of South Cone Furniture in California.
Archived February 2, 2007
EU Eco Label: "Development of Eco-label Criteria for Wooden Furniture," a preliminary report published by the Centre for Technique du Bois et de l’Ameublement (CTBA) for the European Union (EU), describes EU criteria. Email to receive a PDF of the report.
Archived February 2, 2007
NZ Design: Better by Design promotes contemporary design in New Zealand with programs that include a design directory, advice centre, promotional events and funding/internship support.
Archived February 2, 2007
CAD Takeover: 20-20 Technologies Inc. of Laval, Québec, has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Pattern Systems International, Inc. of Mount Arlington, New Jersey.
The combined companies will provide North American contemporary manufacturers, using CAD/CNC technologies, with integrated cabinetmaker, architectural millwork and woodworking solutions.
Archived February 2, 2007
Alder Theft: Once considered a valueless "weed" species, alder is now a prime target for timber thieves. Seattle's King 5 News report provides details.
Archived February 2, 2007
Green PB: Marketed under the PureBond trademark, Columbia Forest Products will start production of a particle board panel with a soy-based adhesive at its plant in Hearst, Ontario, in the first quarter of 2007.
Archived February 2, 2007
Online Seminars: The WMIA offers two online seminars of interest to smaller-scale contemporary manufacturers: How to Become a World-Class Manufacturer and Justifying the Cost of New Equipment. VCR preferred the Real Player option on Windows XP for playback.
Archived January 26, 2007
IDM Awards: The 2007 Institute of Design Montréal Awards competition is open to contemporary products or projects designed and completed in Québec in the last three years. Deadline Friday, January 26, 2007 (noon).
Archived January 26, 2007
UK Fees Down: Design Week reports on the latest British Design Innovation Survey. The survey shows reduced income for the UK contemporary design sector between 2004/5 and 2005/6, with turnover for London agencies down 13 percent and employment reduced 8.4 percent countrywide.
Archived January 23, 2007
Best of British: Highlights of this year's UK Furniture Show (January 21-24) include Design Britain (this year in a new contemporary pavilion), curated by Michael Sodeau, and "hands-on" demonstrations of spine mapping by Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) ergonomists.
Archived January 19, 2007
QC Designers: The current issue of Canadian Interiors reports on nine prominent Québec design firms. VCR has featured two of the firms and their principals, Patrick Messier of Messiers Designers Inc. and Frederic Galliot and Vincent Hauspy of Erratum.
Archived January 16, 2007
Design Competition: The Italian furniture manufacturer, Pircher Oberland Spa, has announced its outdoor contemporary furniture design competition titled "Garden Oasis." Winning projects will be exhibited in Milan during the 2007 furniture fairs, as part of the Zona Tortona design initiative. A prize of € 7.000,00 will be awarded to a professional designer and € 3.000,00 to a student designer. Deadline January 15, 2007.
Archived January 10, 2007
More History: The "Lollipop" component public seating group designed by Robin Bush in 1960 is the latest addition to VCR's online History of Furniture Design in Canada 1945 - 1985. VCR welcomes additional entries. Images submitted must be copyright-free, with an appropriate source and/or photo credit.
Archived January 10, 2007
Vista Vexes: When logging out from Windows Vista you choose between nine options: two icons and seven menu items. The Microsoft interface gurus and other "designers" addicted to bells and whistles should visit Simplicity, a website (and book) authored by MIT professor, John Maeda.
Archived January 10, 2007
Effective Design: Newsweek's Helen Walters details how Britain's Design Effectiveness Awards, run by the Design Business Association, are targeting the bottom line.
Archived January 10, 2007
Draw Free: Looking for a simple online (or off-line) software to make diagrams and charts? Try Cumulate Draw, available free from Cumulate Labs.
Archived January 10, 2007
Sraight Goods: Concerned about greenwashing when talking to suppliers or producers? Consult this sustainability checklist from the Washington State chapter of Interior Design Association. Courtesy of Interiors and Sources.
Archived January 10, 2007
DX Awards: The 2006 Design Exchange Awards, recently announced in Toronto, gave an honourable mention to the contemporary Vox® FlipTop™ table, designed by Mark Müller for contemporary Canadian office furniture manufacturer, Nienkämper.
Archived January 10, 2007
Copyright Laws" Design Italia outlines that an Italian Court has taken an important step toward the copyright protection of contemporary furniture designs. The court awarded Vitra a "precautionary measure" against producers of fake copies of its plastic S-shaped chair designed by Verner Paton in 1959.
Archived January 10, 2007
GDR Design: Designboom reports on product design in the former German Democratic Republic. German readers can access more information at the exhibition website.
Archived January 10, 2007
Design Limits: The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) has launched its newly redesigned website. Unfortunately, the small text font in pale grey communicates that design is not about being inclusive. Fortunately Firefox users (not IE users) can increase the text size for better readability.
Archived January 10, 2007
NY Sources: Published in May 2006, The Residential Furniture Market in the New York Tri-State Area reports on contemporary furniture retailers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and provides useful contact information. It is available to Canadians who register with International Trade Canada.
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