Design for Children

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #269

To date, this column has always focussed on design for adults, be it the visual communications us adults consume, the furniture we sit on, the lights we read under or the events we attend. But it's not just the older and taller members of society that use design, and with the recent Children's Books Ireland (CBI) conference in Light House Cinema, it seemed apt to take a closer look at design for children. In fact, when we consider the importance we place on instilling a love of reading, or sport, or music, or nature at a young age, should we not be doing the same with well-considered, attractive design too?

Summer Wish List

London-based website Blog and Buy Sale aims to shine a light on independent designers and makers creating great products and selling them online. They do this in a number of ways, including interviews and daily blog posts and have just launched this year's Summer Wish List, showcasing a host of products they think you should know about. I'm chuffed that they've selected TILEWATCH to be included this time round, along with I Like Local favourite Fun Makes Good with a range of placemats and coasters. Other highlights for me are some of the more triangle-oriented products on show: a tote bag designed by Kirsty Thomas for tote touters Totes Amazed (pictured above) and the Spear Luin brooch by London-based architectural students Triptych Designs (below). There's plenty to browse through in BBS' Summer Wish List, all linking to each designer's online shop. Happy hunting!

MAKLab

MAKLab, based in The Lighthouse in Glasgow, is Scotland's first public digital fabrication studio, allowing low-cost access to otherwise quite costly equipment (along with the training and support to make the most of it) to designers, makers and inventors. Set up with a view to helping people turn ideas into objects and hopefully profit, MAKLab couldn't come at a better time. Since its founding in 2010 the UK has seen continued and significant levels of youth unemployment, but facilities such as MAKLab can help and encourage young people to make new products and develop new businesses. To this end, MAKLab was a finalist for Google's UK Global Impact Award and received £100,000 in prizemoney, which will go towards further developing MAKLab in Glasgow as well as possibly opening MAKLab facilities in other UK cities. Scroll through for more images of their facilities and visit their website to book equipment, events and more.

Here's the Heads Up #16

Designgoat at the opening of Making Things Better as part of Design Intelligence at the National Craft Gallery. Photo by Pat Moore, courtesty of the NCG

IRELAND

Tuesday 18 June: NEWNOWNEXT, Tatiana Bilbao
Samuel Beckett Theatre, TCD, Dublin 2
The latest series of talks presented by the Irish Architecture Foundation (and supported by Arup) is entitled NEWNOWNEXT, bringing exciting young architects from all over the world to Dublin - some for the first time - to speak about their work. The series kicked off with Jeanne Gang and booked out in no time: keep an eye on the IAF's site for free tickets to hear architect and urban advocate Tatiana Bilbao of Mexico speak about her diverse portfolio of work.

Tuesday 18 June: Urban Knights
Science Gallery, Pearse Street, Dublin 2
If you'd prefer something else on the 18 June, Science Gallery's Urban Knights series of talks from people in Ireland and abroad making changes in cities continues with presentations from John Lynch of the Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design, founder of Rothar Anne Bodes and others.

Lamps by Vicara

Portuguese company Vicara produce a small range of lamps and tabletop objects in a variety of materials such as cork, ceramics and even cardboard by a number of different designers. Their latest lamp Nata comes from Gonçalo Campos, whose work has been featured here before. Nata cleverly repurposes ceramic tableware moulds to make a cup-shaped lamp that sits on its handles. Another of their highlights (no pun intended) is Cartonado, a flatpacked cardboard lamp designed by Fábio Afonso - scroll down for images of both and a short video of Cartonado.

Make Works

Though I was aware of the existence of Make Works for a little while, it wasn't until I read an interview over on Sync with founder Fi Scott that I realised just how cool a project it is. Aiming to help designers and artists make work, Make Works will be a directory of manufacturers all over Scotland, connecting creative people with materials, processes and prototyping opportunities so they can produce their ideas right here in Scotland. The Make Works team (Scott, fellow designer Vana Coleman and friends from the Edinburgh Film Company) are currently planning a summer-long road trip. Taking a VW van equipped with all the writing and recording tools they need - plus surfboards - they will travel all over Scotland visiting manufacturing facilities of all types and sizes, gathering information on each. Through interviews, blog posts and videos Make Works will ultimately gather an online directory of places and ways to make in Scotland, giving manufacturers an online presence and giving creative types the gift of clear, useful and usable information about how and where to make their work.

Deskstructure by Héctor Serrano

Italy's Seletti has long been producing ceramics with character, and one of its more recent ranges comes courtesy of Spanish-born London-based designer Héctor Serrano. Deskstructure is a set of ceramic containers for your pencils, pens, paperclips and all those other items that need storing and sorting on your desk. It comes in three varieties - a ship, a city and a warehouse - each glazed in white with a brightly coloured stripe around the bottom. The Deskstructure set can be configured in a number of different ways, giving you the chance to build your stationery city whichever way you want!

Nautical Designs by Donna Wilson

I first came across the work of Scottish textile designer Donna Wilson a couple of years ago via online-based design shop No Fixed Abode (here's a super brief post on the subject). It's really great to return to her website some time later and see how her own range has grown and expanded, as well as to read about some exciting collaborations she's taken part in, including with furniture manufacturer Ercol and fair-trade rug producers Node. Some of my favourite products of hers right now have a nautical theme, with boats, sails and waves making appearances. Pictured above is her knitted Sea Boat cushion, and below you'll find more knitted beauties, along with an illustrated glass tumbler continuing the sea-faring theme. Ahoy!

Foldability

Foldability, founded by Scottish designer Kyla McCallum, is a studio which uses origami and other paper folding techniques to create a variety of products and installations. Pictured here are a few pieces from the Sonobe collection, handmade lampshades made from folded paper. These shades are incredibly exact, and must take a great amount of patience and skill to make. The folds also create wonderful layers at different points in the shades, giving a wonderful variety of light quality across the objects themselves. See below for more images of the collection, and see them in the flesh in The Lighthouse, Glasgow, where the Sonobe collection will be on display later this year (opening 16 May).

Ceramics by Estudio BIS//CUIT

Estudio BIS//CUIT is a homewares brand established by Portuguese ceramic designer Carla Santiago in 2010, having come to ceramic design through her father - a Portuguese tile maker! Combining geometric shapes and patterns with a sense of playfulness, Santiago has created a range of plates, bowls, mugs and most recently salt and pepper shakers that are clean, crisp and fun. The shakers in particular are inspired by robots, but look nothing like machines - they're warm, tactile and really appealing to us humans :) BIS//CUIT's Mu salt and pepper shakers are pictured above and below, while their Patterned Smile plates are at the bottom. For now at least I think Estudio BIS//CUIT's work is only available in Portugal, but keep an eye on the website for more information.

Designs on 2013

Parlour Lighting, image courtesy of I Do Cartwheels

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #267

2012 is over and a new year has begun, and ‘tis the season for making plans, reviewing past projects and kicking off new ones. With that in mind I spoke with a number of designers, collaborators and curators to get a sense of what they’re planning and hoping for in 2013. Some have kicked off the year with major projects, others are putting the wheels in motion for events later in the year, but it’s clear from all who I spoke to that 2013 will be filled with much design activity.

Fun Makes Good

On a recent trip to Glasgow I made a quick stop in the CCA, Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (here's a blog post). Since I last visited they've given over much of their reception space to a design shop with a really great range of products, textiles, stationery and more. One of my favourite finds there was the range of textiles and tabletop products by Fun Makes Good. Based in Glasgow, Fun Makes Good started out as a studio specialising in textiles, breathing new life into old furniture with bright contemporary upholstery. Employing geometric shapes and patterns, their range has since expanded to include printed fabric cushion covers and ceramic ware, but my favourites are their pouffes and coasters, each employing brightly-coloured triangles to great effect.

Ovis Tables

Another find at the recent Showcase was Ovis, a new product designed by craftsperson Jamie Lewis and industrial designer Ben Harris. Teaming up following workshops led by the Malthouse Design Centre, they've developed a table made of felt with a wooden top and bottom. Thick undyed felt is rolled into a short column and stitched together using brightly coloured rope. As it's hollow in the middle this table can also provide a little storage. You might be forgiven for thinking a hollow felt column isn't so sturdy, but that's not the case. These tables can support the weight of an adult (as demonstrated by Ben and Jamie below), so the table can double up as an extra seat if it's needed. And with the brightly coloured cotton rope providing a nice visual detail, the tables look minimalist but fun! Keep an eye on ovisdesign.com for information about when and where the tables are available to buy.

Tricot by aforestdesign

I came across Portuguese clothing line aforestdesign while still living in Lisbon and was really impressed by their range, in particular their casual wear that employed a pattern reminiscent of cable knitting, but that pattern was usually printed or sewn on, not knitted - see an image of their 'flat knitted' limited edition sweater below. Just before Christmas aforestdesign teamed up with Portuguese textiles company Piodão to create the Tricot rug, a rug employing that same cable-knit style, but this time in hand tufted New Zealand wool. The result is great: a simple but beautifully-textured rug that brings some sartorial style into your home :)

Irish Folk Furniture by Tony Donoghue

I came across this video over on Twitter last week, and was instantly charmed by it. Directed by Tony Donoghue, produced by Cathal Black and funded through the Irish Film Board's Frameworks animated short scheme, Irish Folk Furniture is a short stop-motion animation which takes a look at the restoration of a total of 16 pieces of Irish traditional furniture. It's a lovely film, and it's great to see a film exploring design, craft and traditional furniture get support from the IFB, RTE and the Arts Council. Made not only with respect to traditional furniture, its production, restoration, and place in rural homes, the film is also made with consideration for the environment: second-hand equipment is transported by bicycle around the small area where all furniture and interviewees are found, keeping the wastefulness Donoghue has witnessed in filmmaking in the past to a minimum. The film debuted at Sundance Film Festival last week and it was announced today that it has one the prestigious festival's Best Animation Award. Be sure to take 8 minutes out of your day to watch this well-deserved winner, and head over to Film Ireland for a recent interview with Donoghue on the making of the film.

Postscript: At the time of writing, this post contained the full video, but as that's been removed, you can now watch a clip which comes via Alan Eddie who was involved in the making of Irish Folk Furniture

Alljoy Design

Alljoy Design is a studio run by Chinese couple Ling and Jiawen Xu in Dublin, specialising in fantastic laser-cut creations. The first piece of theirs I came across was their intricate Dublin map (pictured at the bottom), a large laser cutting in coloured card of the city's iconic buildings and winding, meandering streets. Much of their work since then has been more crisp and pattern-based, with a range including tabletop objects, stationery and greeting cards. Perhaps my favourite of Alljoy's products are their felt placemats and coasters (which include some Christmassy ones I got my mum this year). The brightly coloured patterny goodness is not only attractive but functional too, as felt is highly heat-resistant making it the ideal material to use between your table and hot dishes and mugs. Sometimes grounded in geometry, sometimes inspired by botanic forms, the range is always bright and fun.

Klickity

It may not seem it as I haven't posted about it so far, but I've been admiring the work of Irish design studio Klickity for quite a while now. They kicked off their range with a number of products cleverly using lightweight easy to process materials such as polypropylene and cardboard, but more recently they've been doing some interesting things with wood and other materials.

Frida Kahlo Dolls

I spent some time at the recent Christmas Cracker in Smithfield hawking TILEWATCH to whoever I could. When not selling my ware (singular) it was great to take a look around the many stalls and see what fantastic food, clothing, accessories, furniture, books and Christmassy stuff people had to offer. One of the coolest things I spotted was the range of Frida Kahlo dolls made by textile designer Guadalupe Cabrera. Cabrera had a whole range of pieces handmade in Dublin, such as quilted and appliqué cushions, baby bonnets, Christmas angels, wall-mounted pieces and more, but it was the Kahlo dolls that shone above all others. Made to include the bright colour, floral headdresses and monobrow associated with the Mexican artist, the dolls are such unique objects, and ideal for any art-lovers out there :)

Per Dozen Design

Per Dozen Design - by Kilkenny-based Catherine Keher - comprise a range of brightly illustrated ceramics depicting intricately drawn animals amid colourful triangle-filled patterns. Keher's illustrative work tends to find its way onto plates - usually whole sets of them - with sections of the picture spilling out from one plate onto others. There's a wonderful balance struck between the very masterfully-drawn animals and the playful and naive patterns that seem to flow from the animals like speech bubbles. They're quirky and totally charming: click through to see a selection, and you'll find more at Per Dozen's Etsy store or in the flesh at this weekend's Christmas Flea Market in Smithfield.

Stacked Bowls by Adam Frew

I first came across Adam Frew's ceramics at the recent design pop-up shop presented by the Irish Design Shop at the Irish Architectural Archive. Based in Portstewart, Frew works primarily with thrown pottery, creating functional and decorative vessels glazed in a calm colour palette and sometimes featuring great drawn elements scratched into the surfaces. My favourite pieces of his are his four tier stacked bowls, pictured here. Four shallow bowls stack one on top of another with a flat lid on top: align them all correctly and you'll see the clouds on the lid spill rain down the side of the bowls. Simple elements, all beautifully proportioned and perfectly curved, come together to create something with charm and character.