Translated by Silvia — Lately at the Furniture Fair in Milan we have been able to admire the urban trendy touch on one of the most famous pieces in the history of design: a piercing applied on the sensual lips of DARK LADY, the new tainted black version of the Bocca sofa.

The original model in red created by Studio 65 in Turin in 1975 in homage to Salvador Dalì has become so famous as to be included in the permanent collection of New York’s MoMA, Paris’ Louvre, Milan’s Permanent Design Collection of Italian design and Denver’s Museum of Modern Art.

Strong piece in the “I Multipli” collection of about180 pieces, Bocca is indeed one of the most famous along with Pratone, Cactus and Capitello. Made from cold-expanded polyurethane a dressed in stretchy material, Bocca and its new version DARK LADY, produced in limited edition of only 1000 pieces, are produces by Gufram, the historical Italian company which is now a part of the Charme group (with Cappellini, Poltrona Frau and Gebruder Thonet).

Strangely though… in the States, this mythical and sexy sofa is known as MARILYN, a love seat, so-called by Eleanore Stendig from Stendig, Inc. in New York, the first importer of Bocca on American soil. The reference is clear!
More images in the cut below.

Translated by Silvia — The creativity of the so-called “Reuse Design” lately is forever more appreciate from an earth-friendly and “NON Useless” design point of view, but more importantly even of “RE-useful”.

Here is for you a selection of interesting projects born from the creativity of sensible designers looking for ecologically sustainable solutions, selection which goes to show the fact that reusing is an effective solution and can also be aesthetic. 12 propositions which come, in the most part, from discarded objects, rethought and modelled into a new existence, for a renewed and original desirability.

A source of inspiration and encouragement for our daily recycling.

All details in the link below.

We’ll start with lighting design. Above you will find the original suggestion made by the designers of Toronto’s Castor Canadensis: a suspended lamp which resuscitates those terrible discarded neon bulbs which we never know how to get rid of for lack of a proper disposal solution and usually end up throwing in the communal bins against our ecological good will. [via Inhabitat]

Another chandelier which most certainly won’t leave you indifferent: this time because, if you look at it closely, you’ll see a whole lot of used biro pens (exactly 347 in this image, but there’s another version with 895!) elegantly arranged in circles to create exhilarating light plays on the walls of our houses. It is called Volivik 347 and was imagined but the Spanish design studio Enpieza [via WebUrbanist].

For vintage lovers (and not only) here are table lamps Made in Italy made by a passionate Italian creator, Maurizio Lamponi Leopardi: the Lamponi’s Lamps are born from the reusing of real car parts and electro domestic appliances, literally made to shine in a new light!

We couldn’t, in this post, not speak of Reestore, the English studio which has made Reuse Design its own philosophy and company mission. From Max McMurdo’s creativity have been born bizarre yet functioning objects with the added appeal which hangs between eco-chic and boho: like the Annie chair which you can see in the above images: a shopping cart re-thought to a new utility…

…the Max couch, a bath tub transformed into a chaise for some dry relaxing…

…and Silvana, a post-industrial looking coffee-table obtained from the drum of a washing machine.

These here are Andrew Gregg’s coffee tables, gotten from the wheels of old bicycles: compositions with elliptical lines, original and dynamic at once. A nice example of Bike Furniture Design.

Another original suggestion for home décor is this collection of seat, bar stool and armchair conceived by Amir Zinaburg from Israel and entirely obtained from used soda cans, artfully compressed to offer a new and durable support function. A robust and colourful solution which would help even our beaches, too often disfigured by beer and soda cans abandoned there without shame.

One particular chair which re-suggests and gives a new nobility another of the most common elements of our waste these days is “Panda Chair”, suggested by Belen Hermosa from Spain. It’s an original way of reusing old CDs which aren’t used anymore or have been scratched. For those wondering about the odd name, the young designer explains that it’s made from the initials of the 5 friends who gave her a hand to build it and to whom, as acknowledgement of their participation, she dedicates this creation of hers: Pedro, Arantza, Nagore, Diego, Aritz. A fun product of eco-design and friendship! [via TechnaBob].

From Turkey we get this very special luggage: Sit Bags by MayBeDesign, old luggage which ends its journey not in the trash but in our houses, giving itself a new utility [via Treehugger].

Keeping with the theme of travelling and flights, here is a curious and practical suggestion to program for another destination, on Earth this time, the airplane carts. Bordbar is the collection created but the German designer Stephan Boltz to give us a new and super customisable cupboard on wheels. Adaptable to any kind of use, it is usable anywhere one may need to put things away with order and a touch of style [via Ecoble].

And finally, as grand finale, the eccentric and refined limited edition from Toni Grilo, the young French designer from Objection Design who signed, for Christofle, a collection of accessories and an incredible coffee table, the “Precious Famine”, entirely made from silver cutlery. Thought of controversial utility, it is without a doubt a flighty application of creativity to such common objects which enhances the beauty and artistic workmanship. It will definitely have an effect! [via Casasugar].

Translated by Silvia — A touch of moon light for furniture which reminds us of the Thai Full Moon Parties at Ko Phangan down the Haad Rin beach, and of full-moon summer nights from when we were kids, rocked by a story and the hypnotic sound of the sea.

Fullmoon is born from the creativity of the Greek designer Sotirios Papdopoulos for the Italian company EnneZero from Pordenone (the same one that created the furniture collection for Giuseppe Canavese, dedicated to the fascinating and sensual Valentina of Guido Crepax): a 24 piece limited edition piece of furniture with luminous special effects that recreates the luminescence of the full moon thanks to an ecologically safe varnish (ELI: “ecolightinside” created by Papadopoulos himself) of a gelatinous consistency. Thanks to the addition of a special ecological power, it takes on light-in-the-dark properties, to give the home the suggestive lunar influxes to which Man and nature have been attracted since the dead of time.

This novelty will be on show at the temporary SOHO gallery that will be held during Milan’s Furniture and Design week, for the “dEMOsign” exhibition from the 18^th to the 20^th of April 2008.

More pictures in the cut below.

Translated by Silvia — We bring you the following news that came to us from the Doppiospazio design studio on what you will be seeing in a few weeks at the Milan Fuori Salone at Furniture Fair of 2008 (N.d.DB):

Oppure is a line of contemporary objects and furniture made from cardboard and to be used and lived in: produced by unique and unmistakeable design, all perfectly coordinated between them.

Oppure gives modernity to an already current material, such as cardboard, visibly lightweight but decidedly resistant, the use of which gives multiform creations a complete skill of constructive perfection.

The furniture and objects of the Oppure line distinguish themselves, emerge, surprise: whilst the essentiality of the volumes liberates fantasy, the elegance of the geometric shapes interprets the constant dialogue between art and design, with a definite touch of eclectic energy and affective technique.

Translated by Silvia – After the preview held on February 7^th 2008 at the Secondome design gallery in Rome, the 300 Sudoku bookcases, numbered and signed, designed by Arch. Mario Bellini for Italian company Horm will be the protagonists of the official “Horm for Unicef” event that will be held on the evening of March 13^th at Milan’s Spazio Pontaccio. The audience will be able to buy the pieces of this special edition dedicated to solidarity for African children in Unicef’s “Schools for Africa” project and contribute in a personal way, even through the purchase of the pouch designed by the same Mario Bellini and made with the same materials as the bookcase, black and white wood, polished leather and a mirrored interior.