Cool Hunting

Fang Studio's Nesting Matryoshka Chair
Dutch designer Danny Fang, having recently made the transcontinental leap from Amsterdam to Hong Kong to set up his own studio, is one to watch. Just launched, his first design under the Fang Studio label, the Matryoshka Chair, was inspired by the traditional Russian dolls that fit perfectly inside one another. “The poetry of the Matryoshka dolls is their resemblance to people; they are...

Milan Design Week 2008: Day One
While today marks the official first day of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the crowds were already chomping at the bit yesterday afternoon in the Zona Tortona, a satellite exhibition area that has taken on as much importance as the sprawling Fiera Milano designed by Massimiliano Fuksas. The weather on Tuesday was incredible, the sky an immaculate blue, and the press drifted in...

The Rolling Bench
Why do public benches never seem to dry? A simple solution to an age old problem, The Rolling Bench ensures you'll have a dry pad to sit on no matter the conditions. Designed by Korean firm Sungwoo Park and friends, the bench is built on a rotating axle. Just turn the hand crank to unveil the dry side of the seat so you can...

Visual Reference's Thermal Stool
Visual Reference Studio's Swamp Collection takes its inspiration from the depths of the Mississippi marshlands where their studio is located. With the Cypress Stool, Duckweed Lounge and Swamp Bench/Lounge from the collection, design team Nuno Gonçalves Ferreira and Erin Hayne have taken Frank Lloyd Wright's original vision of nature-inspired designs to a whole new level. The organic shaped thermo-chromatic furniture uses heat sensitive crystals...

Fung + Blatt Lawnchair
More than just a clever play-on-words, LA-based architects Fung + Blatt's Lawnchair melds conceptual art with outdoor comfort for those who don't mind a few grass stains. Upholstered with rolled sod, a built-in "moisturizing" system helps irrigate while avoiding run off. When in production (prototype pictured), the literal lawn chair will be lightweight (at least under 25 pounds) and shipped ready to assemble. Fung...

Joris Laarman's Bone Chair
Debuted earlier this month during the Art Basel Miami Beach events, Joris Laarman's Bone chair takes its inspiration from the efficient way that bones grow (adding material where strength is needed and taking away material where it's unnecessary). Made using a digital tool developed by GM that copies these methods of construction, Laarman says the ironic result of his biomimetic technique is "an almost...