Best of CH 2011: Five Conceptually Driven Designs

Numeric shelves, refrigerator chairs and shape-shifting vases among our look back at 2011 conceptual design

From ICFF to Art Basel, 2011 delivered a flurry of design objects for the home that while highly creative and concept-driven, didn’t compromise their utilitarian duties. From recycled plastic chairs to roman numeral inspired book shelves, the following are five of our favorite pieces of sculptural design that could just as easily pass as pure art objects. As a brilliant example of unconventional thinking, Dirk …

Bootleg Objects: RE-BO

$15,450 width=”300″ height=”300″ class=”none” /> $15,450 Bootleg Objects: RE-BO A “representative of the era of the music cassette,” the RE-BO is Bootleg Objects’ interpretation of Jacob Jensen’s Beocenter 1400, which he designed for Bang&Olufsen in 1973. This cleverly updated version now houses a smart card reader in place of the cassette slot, a DVD drive and a 16:9 TFT display. Bootleg Objects for $1,200 width=”300″ …

Kin Coda

Art and design collide in a thought-provoking show that encapsulates the beauty of brotherly collaboration

A project four years in the making, Kin Coda comprises a range of 25 uniquely crafted keepsake boxes, each an assemblage of art by the diverse design collective We-Are-Familia. Since graphic designer Jennifer Garcia began the project in 2007, several of the first 11 boxes have been featured in galleries or snapped up by discerning collectors, debuting at Colette and then coming stateside to Open …