The on-line resource luxuryculture.com with the vision “sharing the art of living well” brings in their latest issue forward 16 of the world’s best concept stores. Among familiar ones like Milan’s Corso Como and Paris’ Colette you can read about the cool Restir shop in Tokyo and The Corner in Berlin. Don’t forget to check them out next time you are on a road trip. Below are a few more of their top pics. Now I’m just waiting for them to list Carlson Ahnell in Skanör/Sweden next year…
Sorapot is designer Joey Roth’s modern take on the teapot. As the first product he’s releasing under his own brand, the teapot was designed to emphasise one of his favourite things in life – the unfurling of tea leaves.
He designed Sorapot for the green and oolong teas that he loves. As Roth explains, “these teas show their character over the course of multiple short steepings and do best when they have full run of the entire pot so they can expand completely. This is impossible with the small mesh baskets in most teapots, so I designed the entire body of Sorapot to essentially be the basket.” This means that the tube also acts as a sensual window onto the process of the leaves unfurling.
Sorapot’s closest teapot relative is the small Yixing pot that’s central to the Chinese tea ceremony. Roth wanted Sorapot to function like a Yixing, but to emphasise the tea leaves themselves.
But ancient tea ceremonies weren’t his only source of inspiration. As he says, “I’ve always loved teapots because there’s so much variation within the category. Any vessel that pours in a tight stream and insulates the user’s hand from heat could qualify. Like chairs and lamps, I feel that a teapot is a chance for designers to articulate their DNA, since there is so much room for experimentation.”
Roth feels the Sorapot perfectly communicates his approach to design – sustainable, mindful and narrative-based. Of equal importance though is that the teapot also makes great tea. To show how Sorapot brews the tea leaves, Roth created a demonstration video on Youtube (see above).
But tea especially is one of those things in life that can’t be looked at in isolation. So Roth’s website also links to tea blogs he loves, and discusses such topics as modern tea tools and the concept of topography to teacup. In Roth’s words, “leaves, hot water, and a teapot or cup combine to form a complete universe, which you then get to drink up.” Enjoyed on your own, or in the company of friends, a cup of tea is still one of life’s great pleasures.
Courtesy of Joey Roth, this is the first time these four images of the Sorapot have been published.
This is the second post by new David Report contributor Kristina Dryza. You can read her first post here
It’s important to have a holistic mindset when talking about sustainable design. Quite often ecological matters are overbalanced. In this issue we are describing an imaginary wheel (created by Designboost) which could work as a tool for designers, companies and organisations when defining sustainable design. You will also find an interview with designer researcher Jennifer Leonard. Voila - the SUSTAINABLE WHEEL.
The day before the final judging by the film festival itself was to begin something strange happened. DESIGN 21 was being asked by the festival organizers to include 13 extra entries to the finalist pool. Both DESIGN 21, UNESCO and we in the jury did not agree to changing the system mid-way through the process. It’s not credible to do so and not fair to the already chosen finalists. Unfortunately, Stories from the Field added the 13 extra entries and also picked the winner out of this “extra” group of finalists. The result is that DESIGN 21 will no be able to declare a winner (and pay the winner the price award of 5000 dollar). Instead the price money will be added to their next competition dedicated to the Millennium Development Goals.
What can we learn from this? Probably - always stick to the rules! I’m really glad that DESIGN 21 and UNESCO did not change the rules mid-way through the process.
Here you can read the official letter from the DESIGN 21 director Haruko Smith to all the entrants. However one winner was declared and that was the most popular-voted entry by the visitors of the site. You can see it here together with our 145 chosen finalists and also the complete list of participants.
Hotel Budir is nicely situated at the end of the habitable world in the north-west part of Iceland. The hotel was originally founded in 1948 and has ever since been immensely popular among a cosmopolitan clientele. Unfortunately, the old Hotel Budir burned down in 2001. It was rebuilt immediately and re-opened in 2003. The new hotel was designed with a careful eye on the history. The majestic surroundings, the relative remoteness, superb cuisine and unique atmosphere make Hotel Budir well worth a visit.
Swedish house producer Willa Nordic is launching a new prefabricated house concept based on ecological values. The Eco House is constructed in raw wood and renewable materials and has extra insulation in walls and roof for minimum energy consumption. There is also a well constructed pre-separation at source and the built-in pergola will change the look of the house when the herbage grows. At the same time the green gives a better air situation and the look of the house will change with the seasons. The target group is the design conscious family that would like to live a sustainable life at an affordable price.
The architect behind the project is Rahel Belatchew Lerdell. She was appointed Architect of the Year by receiving ‘Det Stora Formpriset’ (Swedish for ‘The Great Design Award’) from Residence Magazine 2006 and was also recently nominated by Wallpaper magazine as one of the world’s most interesting architects.
The Ceramica Chronograph Limited Edition by Rado is restyled by Jasper Morrison. It features new dials and proportions. The three counters, as always like three subtle random comets, have been redesigned and highlighted in gold, as all the other details on the dial. The minute indexes emphasize the highly graphic character of the model and form a rounded square towards the corners. Scarcely emerging from the case, the pushers signal the functions of this watch and are perfectly integrated into the profile of this model. Standing out: the golden crown matching each dial. As for the legendary ceramic, an innovative new development: matt appearance and exceptionally dense color, offer a striking contrast to the radiance of the gold and the brilliance of the black metalized crystal.
