The Skull Workstation Is One Funky Fiberglass Office Pod From Atelier van Lieshout.

The AVL (Atelier van Lieshout) Skull is a strikingly designed one-person workstation made of a polyester fiberglass shell with a built in wooden bench and desktop on the interior.




The object shows unmistakeable resemblance to the so-called Skull Rooms that Atelier van Leishout designed at the end of the nineties. This is from the same designer who also brought us the Wellness Skull and the Sensory Deprivation Skull. The AVL Skull is build out of two polyester skull parts, which are ‘riveted’ to each other with bolts.





On the inside a solid wood work surface and a seat have been mounted, which are accessible via a small opening in the one side.




Once inside, the user is closed off from the outside world, just like in the Skull Rooms, and can work on tasks that require more concentration. The light falls inside through a narrow entrance and a ‘porthole’ on the other side.







Dimensions: h174cm x 169cm x 178cm
Price: € 7.203

Available colors:
Beige / Beige RAL 1001
Bruin beige / Brown beige RAL 1011
Pastel licht roze / Pastel pink RAL 3015
Pastel violet / paste violet RAL 4009
Pastel blauw / pastel blue RAL 5024
Ivoor / Ivory RAL 1013
Lichtgrijs / Light grey RAL 7035
Diep zwart /Black Pastel RAL 9005
groen / Pastel green RAL 6019

About The Designer:

Joep van Lieshout of AVL is one of the most successful and best-selling artists in the Netherlands. He is known for its huge 'human' objects of colored polyester, like a womb, a penis or intestines. Van Lieshout was born in Brabant (1963, Ravenstein) but AVL studio is located in Rotterdam.

Visit Lensvelt for more information

Mondrianesque Metal Shelving By Andrea Branzi Incorporates Real Birch Trees.

above: Tree 4, 2011, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 110 / L 250 / W 27 (cm), H 43.31 / L 98.43 / W 10.63 (inches)

“When birch tree forests are pruned or agricultural cultivations of fruit trees are picked, they are dispersed or burned. I have always been fascinated by these parts of nature, that continue to give off a grand expressive force, more powerful when they are combined with modern, perfect and industrial materials. They become mysterious, always diverse, unique, unrepeatable and somewhat sacred presences. Trees, trunks and branches are part of our ancient culture but also of actual culture, because in the age of globalization, design searches to trace recognizable ‘anthropological’ platforms. The collection, ‘Trees’ consists to place simple, everyday objects, books, and images next to the strange presence of branches and trunks, like in the reality of the world.” - Andrea Branzi

Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi melds metal and nature in his latest series of shelving, Trees. On exhibit now through May 16th at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris, the seven functional art pieces are sold in editions of 12.


above: artist, designer and architect Andrea Branzi

press release: In a short time, Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris has already treated us to a regular and rich demonstration of Design Art: in March Andrea Branzi was given space to express himself as a free and committed thinker with this new collection, « Trees ».


above: Tree 1, 2010, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 100 / L 120 / W 27 (cm), H 39.37 / L 47.24 / W 10.63 (inches)

above: Tree 8, 2010, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 205 / L 140 / W 35 (cm), H 80.71 / L 55.12 / W 13.78 (inches)

In a space that was once the Galerie de France, a place where contemporary art flourished, Catherine Thieck will come back to pose a few objects from her own collection on the shelves of Andrea Branzi. Works by Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brancusi, Méret Oppenheim and Rebecca Horn will fill the shelves of an artist whose personality and preoccupations have remained consistently at the avant-garde of the architecture and design world.


above: Tree 3, 2010, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 80 / L 165 / W 27 (cm), H 31.5 / L 64.96 / W 10.63 (inches)

The Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi, born in 1938, was ahead of his time in Florence in 1966 when he set up Archizoom associati, the first, internationally renowned avant-garde group. In order to define this remarkable character, one must use the vocabulary of projects: theoretical research, new design, experimental laboratory, leeway, mass creativity, new organisation… He also knows how to share his battles, he coordinates and curates exhibitions, he regularly exhibits his personal work, publishes manifestos, teaches generations of students and participates in conferences all over the world. In fact, multiple spaces would be needed to cover all angles of the man: a screening room, an auditorium, a museum and more than a few metres of shelf space.



above: Tree 9 (closed and open), 2010, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 252 / L 140 / W 35 (cm), H 99.21 / L 55.12 / W 13.78 (inches)

Andrea Branzi is passionate about the morphology of urban space; he breaks down the accepted codes and vigorously shakes the foundations of the ever-present conventions. Today more than ever, this insatiable troublemaker continues to disrupt the status quo and places humans and nature at the centre of his thinking.


above: Tree 2, 2010, Anodized aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 100 / L 120 / W 27 (cm), H 39.37 / L 47.24 / W 10.63 (inches)

« Trees » represents a continuation of his thinking on architecture. He creates a minimalist space of shelves, veritable pieces of micro-architecture made from aluminium that spread out in neo-plastic bursts like a Mondrian. However, through the splits in the frame, Andrea Branzi introduces trunks and twigs gathered in the wild. This strange encounter that began in the eighties with « Animali domestici », questions the duality of the nature-culture relationship.


above: Tree 5, 2010, Brilliant polished aluminium, Birch wood, Edition of 12, H 300 / L 200 / W 27 (cm), H 118.11 / L 78.74 / W 10.63 (inches)

With « Trees », he adds a dimension, an extra slice of soul, as nature becomes art, a contemporary icon, an emotional window linked to the knowledge of the vital importance of this precious, common heritage.



Pieces on show:
Seven shelves, in different shapes and formats, in aluminium (annodized and polished) and birch wood.


ANDREA BRANZI / TREES
PARIS / SATURDAY 10 MARCH - 16 MAY 2012
OPENING/ SATURDAY 10 MARCH / 4 - 9 PM
carpentersworkshopgallery.com
54 rue de la Verrerie Paris 75004

The Eigen Coat Stand. Stunning In Its Simplicity and Formidable In Its Functionality.

This elegant Eigen Coat Stand by designer Leonhard Pfeifer (shown above with his creation) was just awarded a 2012 Design Guild Mark from the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers in London which recognises excellence in design, use of materials, manufacture and function.



As functional as it is beautiful, the wood coat stand looks great empty or laden with coats, hats, umbrellas or canes.




Leonhard describes his Eigen Coat Stand:

While many “designer” coat stands are available to the contract market, there is a limited selection of affordable contemporary coat stands for the domestic market. I was drawn to the geometrical strength of the design and to the practicality of the vertical elements with horizontal joining members, both of which act functionally to provide areas to hang coats, scarves, bags and the like, but which also form strong design elements. The proportions minimise the footprint for compact entry halls, while ensuring a sufficient base to maintain stability.

The brief required a wooden coat stand with a sculptural appearance made from wood - the finger jointed solid oak is certified FSC and is sourced from sustainably managed forestry resources. The Eigen Coat Stand has already launched with John Lewis in the UK and will be available shortly in France, Switzerland and Italy. The home assembly aspects of the coat stand are an important consideration and we have clear step-by-step instructions. The design also flat-packs very economically, producing a compact package that can be carried home by car or public transport.

The Eigen Coat Stand is manufactured by European furniture brand Woodman. Designer Leonhard Pfeifer was born in New Zealand and established his studio in London in 2003 from where he works with furniture manufacturers internationally.

See more of Leonhard's work at his site.

The CUBEBOT Robot Lounge by David Weeks, Quinze & Milan and AREAWARE.

Cubebot (2012), qm foam, 250 x 160 x 180 cm

David Weeks, the award-wining American-based designer, Quinze & Milan, the innovative Belgian design company and AREAWARE, the New York City based producer of unusual design objects, have joined forces for MOST.




At twenty times his original size, the lounging Cubebot sculpture in QM FOAM will put a smile on your face and provide a comfortable spot to take a break.






David Weeks' sustainably harvested wood Cubebots for AREAWARE:



MOST SALONE BY TOM DIXON
MOST is a new destination instigated by Tom Dixon which will turn the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan into an ambitious environment for innovation and culture. MOST delivers a diverse group of leading global brands and young designers who will be located in the extraordinary historic spaces of the museum. This collision of technology, culture and design is set to be one of Milan's highlights during Salone del Mobile 2012.

The Drink Chair, By Ingid Michel & Frederic Pain, Holds Your Butt and Your Booze.

above: the Drink Chair by Ingid Michel & Frederic Pain, France

The sculptural fiberglass and wood Drink Chair by Ingid Michel and Frederic Pain of Binome Design is perfect for the stylish imbiber. With an extended armrest that is cast to include three imprints, sized perfectly for a bottle and two glasses, the modern looking chair is the combination of comfort and convenience.




The molded resin and fiber glass seat perches on 4 wooden branches which serve as the legs. The varied shapes of the wooden legs lend an individual character to each chair, no two can ever be exactly the same. Selected from the branches of the Robinia tree, the wood is extremely hard, resistant to rot and prized for its durability.






The chair body is UV resistant, making Drink the perfect choice indoors or out. Handmade in the Binome studio in France. 

Materials: fiber glass, laquered resin, robinia wood
Options: standard colors red, black, white + all RAL colors made to order
Buy it here at the fabulous Outdoorz Gallery

About Binome:
Since their meeting in 1994 Ingrid Michel and Frederic Pain have collaborated with artists, sculptors and architects on projects in areas as diverse as cinema, design and contemporary art.

Graduates of the prestigious Ecole Boulle, Paris, their focus on traditional wood sculpture is the base which has allowed them to confidently use wood in a contemporary context.

In 2008 they created their own studio under the name Binome. Each piece created by the studio is crafted by hand and retains a singularity as no two are exactly alike. Design which is both visual and tactile, the aim of Binome is to create furniture which retains its sculptural essence.

Binome studio is located in Saint Pierre le Moûtier, France.