100% Vitra

Posted on 10th September 2015 by Andrew

It’s London Design Week very soon where Vitra will be hosting a series of events across several venues:

At 100% Design, Vitra will demonstrate the benefits of flexible workspaces by transforming its stand layout at intermittent intervals, to highlight interchangeable work modes – namely Education, Work & Hospitality. Each mode represents activities regularly found in today’s offices yet are tied to a different need for the furniture – group seating for an audience, workspaces for varying project teams, or comfortable seating supporting social gatherings. The stand will feature the UK launch of Hack and Allstar by Konstantin Grcic, Workbays / Workbays 90 by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, and Super Fold Table by Jasper Morrison.

Vitra’s Head of Research and Solution for the Office, Raphael Gielgen will attend the stand at 100% Design on Thursday 24 September at 6.30pm, hosting a seminar on ‘The Purpose of the Office’, followed by a guided tour.

www.100percentdesign.co.uk

Meanwhile at designjunction there is the UK launch of the Belleville family, Vitra’s new collection designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.
Belleville is the name of the vibrant Paris neighbourhood where the Bouroullec studio is based. Classic French bistro furnishings and the lively atmosphere of this Parisian quarter give visual references for this new collection.

thedesignjunction.co.uk

Also in conjunction with designjunction, Vitra will be hosting ‘A Child’s Dream’ a charity project raising funds for Teddy’s Wish to aid research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), neonatal death and stillbirth while supporting grieving families.
21 world-renowned designers and architects have been invited to re-interpret the iconic Eames Elephants, showcased at Victoria House.

thedesignjunction.co.uk

Finally, the ‘Timeless Design’ Exhibition at Harrods will bring together leading international brands to showcase previously unseen archive and limited-edition pieces as well as exclusive launches. At the exhibition, Vitra will focus on the works of Charles & Ray Eames and their important contribution to the past, present and future of furniture design.

www.harrods.com

Focus on Verpan

Posted on 4th September 2015 by Andrew

Verner Panton (1926-1998) was one of the true rebels and pioneers of mid-20th century design. Born in Denmark, he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. After serving his apprenticeship with Arne Jacobsen, Panton set out on a two-year furniture design odyssey across Europe in a VW camper van equipped with a drawing office!

Establishing contacts with many furniture manufacturers Panton’s first production design was the Bachelor chair produced by Fritz Hansen in 1965. Many other innovative and futuristic designs followed including the Cone Chair, Living Tower and the S-chair product line from which developed the famous Vitra Panton Chair.

As well as furniture, Panton created a series of textiles (many still manufactured) and a series of modern lamps. Panton was interested not only in the lighting itself but in how it should interact with and influence its surroundings. His lighting designs often include multiple reflective or metallic surfaces. Fun (1964), is an almost ‘bling’ design featuring small metal or mother of pearl articulated disks that sparkle and throw reflected light wonderfully around the room.

Danish company Verpan has for many years continued the appeal of the works of Verner Panton. Beginning with Panton’s lamps they have now recently introduced a new collection of furniture and rugs from the Verner Panton archives. From the System 1-2-3 to Panto Pop and the Cloverleaf, the often sinuous and fluid designs have a sense of fun, brought to life by Verpan with a degree of opulence. It’s testament to the timelessness of the original designs that there is still great interest in these designs 40 or more years on.

Verner Panton was an inspirational and colourful personality. A unique person with a special sense of colours, shapes, light function and room.

www.verpan.com

Physix Conference – Available Now!!

Posted on 3rd August 2015 by aj427

The Physix Chair was designed by Alberto Meda in 2012 and has had an exceptionally positive response as an office swivel chair. To meet the demand and continue to broaden the ever growing product line, Vitra have launched the Physix Conference which has a four star base compared to the five star base of the original Physix chair. The four star base means the Physix Conference has an even lighter and more elegant appearance.
The structure of the Physix is based on the idea of creating a continuous seat shell by stretching a single textile panel between two side members. Alberto Meda orchestrates an interplay of three elements to create a new dynamic sitting experience: a flexible frame construction, an elastic cover and a stabilising mechanism. Together these three characteristics form an ingenious construction that explores new possibilities of dynamic sitting through the interaction of flexible and rigid elements.
The characteristics of the Physix conference mean the chair can now be transferred to conference and meeting venues as well as waiting and visitor areas, in addition to the Physix model for task chair applications.

Available to order now!

New options for Eames Plastic Chairs

Posted on 22nd July 2015 by aj427

‘What works is better than what looks good. What looks good can change, but what works, works.’ Ray Eames.

Vitra has adapted the seat geometry and height of the Eames Plastic Chair to today’s requirements, and also expanded the colour selection with six new shades.

The Eames Plastic Chairs created by Charles and Ray Eames are counted amongst the most important furniture designs of the twentieth century, being the very first plastic chairs to be produced using industrial methods. Launched in Milan this year and now on display in our EC1 showroom are the exciting new EPC colours and seat heights ready for summer.

Since the introduction of the chairs the average height of humans has increased worldwide by nearly 10cm over the past 60 years. Therefore the seat height of the chairs was raised by 20mm. In addition six new colours (Ice Grey, Moss Grey, Navy Blue, Classic Green, Oxide Red & Classic Red) were added to the collection, the expanded colour range emerges from the continued collaboration Vitra have with Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. With 14 shell colours and 28 upholstery shades the EPC collection now offers around 400 possible combinations.

New Alcove Plume Contract

Posted on 30th January 2015 by aj427

Vitra have introduced a new product to the Alcove safe family – the Alcove Plume Contract bringing the comfort of the home to the office environment and public spaces. Designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the cubic shapes of the Alcove range serve as architectural elements that can be used to structure interior spaces. Available in a high back or low back version, the Alcove Plume Contract dispenses with visible legs and the tubular steel frame, creating a minimalist sculptural appearance. In contrast to their linear contours, they offer the soft comfort of a lounge sofa and bring a sense of familiarity and cosiness to offices and public spaces. The combining of the low seat height of the Alcove Plume sofa with high side back panels creates an effective visual and acoustic shield.

The generously proportioned seat cushions are available in two upholstery types, Laser and Credo, with differing degrees of firmness. Both provide great comfort, and ensure that users do not sink in too deeply. The Alcove Plume Contract Highback with its high back and side panels create an inviting place to withdraw, while using two facing Alcove Plume Contract sofas create an additional meeting area to which an Alcove table can be introduced.

Vitra Alcove Plume Contract

Slide down to Vitra Campus

Posted on 27th June 2014 by aj427

The Vitra Campus has gained a new attraction: the more than 30-metre-high Vitra Slide Tower – an artwork, observation platform and slide tower in one – was inaugurated in mid-June. In 1984, Vitra founder Willi Fehlbaum received a sculpture from his children for his 70th birthday called “Balancing Tools” by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. 30 years later, the Vitra Slide Tower by German installation artist Carsten Höller marks the expansion of the production site in Weil am Rhein. It is located at the equally new Álvaro-Siza-Promenade, which connects the VitraHaus by Herzog & de Meuron with Zaha Hadid’s legendary Fire Station.

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Going Out?

Posted on 23rd June 2014 by aj427

Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in 1951, Vitra’s new outdoors version of the classic Eames DKR Wire chair is ideally suited for outdoors, due to its new powder coated finish. In addition the Bistro Table designed in 2009 by Rowan and Erwan Bouroullec in a solid core laminate version completes the set for the garden environment.

Vitra Wire Chair

Hella Jongerius expands the Vitra Colour Library

Posted on 10th June 2014 by aj427

‘The story of Hopsak is about creating something new not only by interweaving two different colours, but also by linking design history with today’s sensibility and by uniting the industrial world of the office with the softness of the home.’ (Hella Jongerius)

Hopsak fabric has been exclusively manufactured for Vitra since 1971. The expressive flat-weave material made of durable polyamide was originally offered in a palette developed by Alexander Girard for the Eames and Nelson collections. Over the years, Hopsak has been regularly updated and refined to meet changing technical requirements and colour preferences and is the reigning classic in the current portfolio of Vitra fabrics.
In collaboration with Hella Jongerius, Vitra has now completely revised the palette of Hopsak shades and expanded the selection to a total of 28 colours. The new palette of colours adds an inviting touch to the Eames Aluminium Group and other Vitra classics and opens up the fabric to new uses and contemporary designs.

Learn more at Vitra.

Zaha Hadid – from Vitra to the Olympic Stadium

Posted on 20th September 2013 by aj427

The announcement has been made and Tokyo is the winner of the bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and with it the confirmation that Zaha Hadid Architects will create the brand new national stadium of Japan that will act as a venue for sporting events, as well as the opening ceremonies and closure.

2013 also marks the 20th anniversary of Zaha Hadid’s first public building commission – the Vitra Fire Station on the Vitra Campus at Weil am Rhein. The Fire Station consists of spaces for fire engines, showers and changing rooms for the firemen as well as a conference room and a kitchenette. Although Vitra decided to disband its fire brigade a few years later, the building is still used for events and exhibitions held by the Vitra Design Museum.
The sculpture-like building was cast in concrete on site. Positioned alongside the angular features of the neighbouring production facilities, it has the effect of a frozen explosion. Its lack of colour and right angles provides visitors with an unusual spatial experience.

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