ICFF Review: Creative Cutting

Graphic patterns made a resurgence a few years ago on furniture, wall covering, and even carpeting. While patterns applied to surfaces are still showing up, we saw lots of examples of patterns being created by cutting material away.

Orange22 launched a new project based on the Botanist table/bench they showed last year. The company collaborated with nine artists and designers allowing each to develop designs that would be water jet cut into the metal that form the piece. The result is called the Botanist Blank Canvas project. The project signals a significant new way of thinking about the interaction of design, philanthropy and commerce and marks an innovative approach to socially conscious entrepreneurial-ism. A percentage of the profits from the sale of each piece will be donated to the charity of the designer’s choice.

Molteni &C presented a seating line called SKiN designed by Jean Nouvel. The sofa and chair make use of a tubular aluminum frame for structure over which a leather covering is attached. Nouvel designed a pattern of geometric incisions to cover the seating area allowing the leather to breath and be more flexible.

LA based Arktura showed a barely there table called Strand. The table is constructed for a single sheet of material which is reduced to the final shape by laser cutting. The design is closely dependent on the technology as fabricating the table from individual pieces of steel would take considerable time.

While not as complex as the Strand Table, the Post Box from The Other Edge uses laser cutting for both aesthetics and communication. The clever design provides a separate space for both incoming and outgoing mail. When mail is placed in the covered box it is visible through the ‘Post’ text that is cut into the metal fascia.