From the category archives:

Design Special

A one-stop solution

Homes may be castles to some, but occasionally even a castle needs a new kitchen, or a bout of renovation, even full-fledged restoration. It can be a bit complicated, what [...]

Read the full article →

Ballistic bottle

The new Sigg water bottle, designed by James Rizzi, presents enthusiasts with the true zenith of pop art: a commercial item reflecting a commercial item. Rizzi’s choice of the image [...]

Read the full article →

Nouvelle cuisine, literally

Isaac Newton discovered gravitation when he realised that an apple was being pulled to earth. And Denis Papin allegedly had his eureka moment while looking at steam push up the [...]

Read the full article →

Swiss design, SWISS client

While design of clothing, furniture, watches, and other items of la vie quotidienne are regularly recognised for innovation and logic, scant attention is paid to the intricacies of design for [...]

Read the full article →

Sofa, so good

Innovation in furniture doesn’t always work, as even such a genius as Thomas Alva Edison found out, when he tried promoting furniture made of a special light cement. But the [...]

Read the full article →

Funky fiddling

One of the reasons why freelancers do not work too well in big organisations is because they are self-motivators. Having bosses standing over them worrying about bottom lines is about [...]

Read the full article →

The paradox of beautiful things

If there ever was a leitmotiv for creativity that connects the centuries, it is that great works of art, be they in music, literature, plastic and visual arts, or even [...]

Read the full article →

Illumination factor

Lighting is the ultimate design effect. Paradoxically, though, the best interior lighting effect is not even perceived. Because light is all around us, it is often taken for granted, as [...]

Read the full article →

Mind and matter

“Design is not decoration,” says design historian Alexandra Midal, freelance curator, professor and Head of Master Design programmes at the HEAD – Geneva University of Art and Design. “Design is [...]

Read the full article →

Out of the cocoon

Artists and designers sometimes have to wait a long time before achieving recognition. But so do schools, like ECAL, the Ecole Cantonal d’Art de Lausanne, which spontaneously globalised. There may [...]

Read the full article →