Monday 29 June 2009

Willkommen auf Zeitraum

Thirty minutes from the centre of Munich, nestled in amongst the Bavarian hills is Zeitraum HQ. A German company, who for the last 19 years have been producing stunning furniture – natural, unpretentious yet stylish and contemporary. We at Relay are very proud to announce ourselves as Zeitraum agents in the UK and Ireland.


While in Germany we were lucky enough to taste some fantastic Bavarian hospitality and get a tour of their showrooms. All their products are beautifully crafted, using solid woods, finished with natural oils…no harsh chemicals here. Dedicated to sustainable manufacturing, ecology was a founding part to Zeitraum’s philosophy nearly 20 years ago and with such experience putting them ahead of the trend they have produced a truly great collection for 2009.


Always taking wood as their starting point – “it lives, smells good, feels nice, never looks the same and is therefore unique” - they mix in other materials like stainless steel and upholstery to create contemporary furniture ideal for domestic and commercial use.

With a large collection (all available in various finishes) we have had to be strict with ourselves and highlight just five products in this blog entry, but do visit their website at www.zeitraum-moebel.de to see more or email us at zeitraum@relaydesignagency.co.uk.

Code 1

Part of the larger Code family of shelving systems Code 1 is fitted with invisible magnets, recessed below the surface of the wood meaning the units can join together to create a stable wall.



Morph

Designed by Formstelle, Morph illustrates Zeitraum's long experience using wood. Bending ply to create this organic, lightweight form it expresses ‘a combination of stability and dynamism’. Available with or without upholstery.




Soda/Form

Using solid wood in combination with delicate stainless steel frames, both the Soda table (also available as a coffee and cafe table plus a side table) and the Form chair create a stylish aesthetic, which we at Relay think is unique to Zeitraum.





Sit

A classic design, which like all Zeitraum products is available in a number of woods including; European Oak, Wild Oak, American Walnut, European Walnut, Maple, Beech and American Black Cherry. It’s stackable too!



WebWeb

A simple name for a vast variable shelving system…WebWeb.35 and WebWeb.60 offer a myriad of possible shelving designs bespoke to the customer.


Also check out their new lighting family ‘Noon’ and their variable sitting system ‘Side Comfort’. Don’t worry if you miss something - Relay will be keeping you up-to-date with all the Zeitraum news.


www.zeitraum-moebel.de

Monday 15 June 2009

Hej Örsjö!

Relay Design Agency is proud to announce our appointment as sole UK Agents for the Swedish lighting company Örsjö Belysning. With 60 years experience providing unique lighting solutions for a host of different environments, Örsjö presents the UK market with an exciting and broad range of innovative products.


The Örsjö collection is created by some of Scandinavia’s leading designers including; Norway Says and Jonas Bohlin, as well as Matti Klenell who designed Mushroom (below). With its white lacquered steel and optional orange highlights Mushroom is a perfect illustration of Orsjo’s desire to produce classic designs with a contemporary edge.


Örsjö design and manufacture standard products alongside unique commissions. Over their history they have had a great deal of experience developing customized lighting solutions resulting in several close collaborations with architects and end use clients. All of which have been catching the eye of design journalists and juries across Europe, including Wallpaper, who awarded the Ginko pendant (by Norway Says) the Best Light 2009.



And these designs aren’t just stunning but environmentally sound too. In 2008 ‘Disc’ (below by Doos Arkitekter) was awarded the environmental label - The Swan. All the more notable as the notoriously difficult Nordic Swan Eco-label has never been awarded to a lighting product before!

With its continuing success and several exciting design collaborations and commissions on the horizon, we at Relay will endeavour to keep you up to date on all Örsjö news and product launches as they happen.

In the meantime keep an eye on our website.

www.orsjo.com

Monday 8 June 2009

KiosKiosk


Relay visited the Super Contemporary Show at the Design Museum this weekend. We enjoyed the playfulness of Paul Smith's Bunny Bin with light up ears (below) and Thomas Heatherwick's bouquet of street lights, however this is not an exhibition you can see in half an hour. With a potted history of the last 40 years of London design (including the birth of Pentagram right up to Industrial Facility's Two Timer clock for Established & Sons) set yourself a few hours and take it all in, especially the Super Contemporary commissions in the centre of the space.


One idea that stood out against the crowd came courtesy of Mr. Wayne Hemingway. He is proposing a series of (new and existing) kiosks around London be offered to young creatives and start-up entrepreneurs for free as a platform to sell their wares directly to the public. So many kiosks are laden down with the same tourist tat while so many young designers struggle to get exposure, surely now is the time to promote creativity as a way out of recession and give the kids a chance!


The first free kiosk will be at More London this summer, with hopefully more to follow. Designers/Creatives/Artists/Start-up entrepreneurs can apply for a slot at www.kioskiosk.co.uk.

If, however, you cannot wait to catch these pop-up stalls for a hit of new talent – New Designers is on its way and we are particularly excited as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (ICA) have announced its partnership with this year's New Designers exhibition in Islington this July.

For 24 years, New Designers has been bringing together the very best in UK graduate design, showcasing the work, energy and talent of some 3,500 young designers every July in the Business Design Centre, London. It's the freshest and most vibrant show of its kind, and runs for two weeks from Part 1: 9-12 July and Part 2:16-19 July.




www.ica.org.uk
www.newdesigners.com