Materia develops and manufactures products that shape and support the dynamics in future-oriented organizations. This paper bin changes its shape and thereby clearly show when its full or empty. Virtual reality in real life.

Just under $10,000, the lavish Polder sofa made its US debut recently at Moss. This is one of those designs where the name peaks our interest. Polder, in fact, “refers to the artificial land reclaimed from the sea by means of dikes and drainage canals.” How interesting. Said sofa comes in five different colors. The movable armrest contains sand for added weight and each one is upholstered with fine fabrics matched with a particular high-tech thread, prescribed by designer Hella Jongerius for Vitra.
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This lovely ‘cut lamp‘ issues from the genius of designer Flavia Alvez de Souza; it’s a holey ceramic square that creates radiant splashes which flicker like the Northern Lights against the walls. It’s calming for OCD folks, great fun for youthful aesthetes, and a perfect fixture for anyone looking to spice up their lighting scheme. After all, one can never have too many incandescent cubes. Take your pick from five glazes: coral, yellow, orange, apple green, and powder pink.
www.marioni.it

If you’re looking to mod-ify your digs with a pouty edge a la Edie Sedgwick, this mirror is a cool cat’s staple. An alluring addition to any environment, it displays the moody, petulant-but-vulnerable glamour of iconic model Twiggy. A brushed metal frame rounds out the basic design—it’s perfect for either a quick glance at yourself before heading out the door, or just as an all-purpose masterpiece. Available from Hive Modern.

Origami lovers, take note: John Christakos of Blu Dot has created the perfect chair for you. The molded-plywood Buttercup lounge chair resembles a crazy flower or insect, with some retro schoolhouse grain thrown in for good measure. The bent plywood seat is designed to cradle your bum and let you settle back into a swiveling recline. The name’s fitting—because you’ll feel like butter as the chair cups you.

The Fatback easy chair and sofa system from Swedish Blå Station was recently presented at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2006. A new add on section that can be used either as a sofa or a chair. A whole circle of these sections consists of 20 pieces, so to make a 90 degree corner you need 5pieces. Designer: Fredrik Mattson
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Around here, we’re accustomed to lighting that resembles exotic ephemera on the ocean floor—while Jelle Nijdam’s Sol de la Flor light shade isn’t quite as outrageous, it too resembles something out of this world. A stunning globe with 20 interlocking modular petals, it’s as illuminating as it’s shapely, which is why the descriptor “Sun of the Flower” makes sense. This ethereal gem can be used as a pendant or table lamp—and unknown to most customers, was mathematically inspired. Nijdam knew that a globe can be constructed entirely from equilateral triangles, which is how he got to work on the Sol de la Flor. So it’s a product that’s both intelligent and beautiful—what more could you want? Available from Dutch by Design.

These lovely pieces make up the Star MO-BI-LE-O, which instantly adds character to any room in your house. It’s the latest craze in home décor: whimsical 12″ antique brass stars are a perfect alternative to Chinese screens that are often used to close off a spacious room. Though they can hang individually, they also go together in order to create a lovely backdrop against a wall. Each set contains six stars.

Katja Sävström, Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken and Anna Lindgren are the hottest names on the Scandinavian design scene ever ‘Design by Animals’. Four very committed provocateurs who turn accepted concepts upside down and inside out, sometimes just leaving the outcome to chance. They are now going one step further, giving unlimited space to humour and playfulness when materializing their ideas for Materia. Which only proves that the quartet’s mind-boggling ideas can be put into production! Hook is the World as we know it turned upside down

Design company OFFECCT recently launched eight new products at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair. Spline, the result of collaboration with Norwegian design trio Norway Says, is a new range of chairs with a transparent, functional design which works equally well indoors or out.