Slow → articles in Craftsmanship

Together

A chair is made for sitting

A few years back we’ve featured Koen Tossijn’s work on his Wardrobe project, a contemporary menswear brand bringing high quality basics. Koen was always charmed by simple things, things that don’t scream for attention but balance between presence and absence. The things he makes reflect the beauty of natural materials and deep knowledge of the best craftsmen in their field.
Recently he shifted into furniture design together with Studio the Future and Sugi Kojo in Ukiha, Japan, in a projected called ‘Together. A chair is made for sitting’ where he designed a chair and a table. [ Continue reading ]

Task Light

by De Studio

Last year we met with Tim Hooijmans from De Studio, a Dutch design studio focussing on ‘honest objects with more attention and consideration for the world around us.’  Designing products that have nothing to hide, completely stripped down, relentlessly honest, to the core of what that product should be. In a believe that things can be simple, undecorated, raw and even imperfect they created their first product, the Task Light. [ Continue reading ]

Abel Green Cedar

When Texan forest meets Moroccan mountain.

We’re proud to announce the launch of Abel’s new fragrance, the Green Cedar.
With its sixth all-natural fragrance into the vita odor collection, the Green Cedar reflecting a rich scent profile of its hero ingredient, as well as a nod to the sustainable credentials of wild harvested cedarwood.  [ Continue reading ]

Aesthetic Memories

A NewWerktheater Edition

As one of the last features of this year we wanted to share this special project we did at NewWerktheater. Parallel to our collaboration of last month with Lennard Kok, the Fallen Bird, we’ve been busy in our other role at NewWerktheater and …,staat to work on another collaboration we’re extremely excited about; Jupe by Jackie x …,staat.

The idea behind NewWerktheater Editions is to explore disciplines beyond those that are generally our own. To create great things with great people. To see what we can get from the ground and where we could end up if we walk a road unknown. 'Aesthetic Memories' exemplifies precisely this. This body of works took us somewhere we never could have imagined beforehand. We were drawn to the mastery required for this ancient technique. First, we fell in love with the craft, then we met the person behind it and fell in love all over again. Meeting Jackie was one of those instant clicks. You know the type.

When we started discussing designs, deciding on form, translating our inspiration for color, we soon found ourselves entering the territory we set out to find – challenging tradition. Hand-embroidery is traditionally decorative, traditionally representational. But, what if we worked with abstractions? What if we clashed the intricacy of the handwork with geometric elements? [ Continue reading ]

Patcharavipa Spring/Summer 2017

in collaboration with Lena C. Emery and creative studio OK-RM

We recently encountered the beautiful work of Bangkok- and London-based fine jewelry designer Patcharavipa Bodiratnangkura through her Spring/Summer 2017 campaign in a remarkable collaboration with Lena C. Emery and Oliver Knight's and Rory McGrath's creative studio OK-RM. Patcharavipa officially launched her eponymous label in 2014, after graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London, but with the most recent photographic series she really took it to the next level. Next to her role as a designer that holds her heritage in high esteem, the Thai-born Patcharavipa is also a certified gemologist, which make up the two core elements one finds in her sensual creations — beautifully juxtaposed with sculpted forms and the shapes of nature in the imagery of the campaign, creating a super exciting dialogue with Patcharavipa's pieces, resulting in a remarkable visual synthesis that continues to fascinate. [ Continue reading ]

WHERE I END AND YOU BEGIN

We've been appreciating the ambitious German bag and accessory label TSATSAS since their Aesthetic Habitat collaboration with our friend Ramon Haindl. This month, after presenting it for the first time during Berliner Mode Salon 2016, they return with a new inspirational artistic project named WHERE I END AND YOU BEGIN, which will be on display at the TSATSAS atelier in Frankfurt am Main through the end of January 2017. In every single one of their designs Esther Schulze-Tsatsas and Dimitrios Tsatsas, explore an object’s boundaries. Their bags and accessories, produced using precise patterns, are made up of countless individual pieces which are assembled using in a complex production process to create a coherent piece.

In the project, the color of the leather becomes a medium for highlighting the transitions within the bags and accessories. Until this moment all TSATSAS leather designs have been monochrome, hiding the fact that the products are made up of different sections. Using different colors for the various elements highlights that diversity, rendering the boundaries suddenly visible. Boundaries, either called for by the design, as with the LUCID tote bag, where different shades of leather come together in the front and back, or are set by the basis of aesthetic considerations, as with the HAZE clutch bag. The space in which the subject is addressed and the designs presented is a solid cube lined with leather. Other pieces that were involved in the project are the iconic FLUKE, cardholder CREAM TYPE 2, clutch bag HAZE and two other bags, LINDEN and LUCID, all featuring two contrasting shades of high-grade natural leather, which with all TSATSAS products is tanned in South Germany. The pieces created for WHERE I END AND YOU BEGIN are one-offs and do not form part of the collection — very inspirational stuff! [ Continue reading ]

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound

The last time we were excited about a speaker lays some years behind us, but last week a new piece of elegantly designed technology was presented to the world, which we really appreciate. Beside the Unmonday Model 4.3 in 2014, which had a more sturdy (heritage-like) design, Danish technology frontrunners Bang & Olufsen first hit the right nerve with us when they released three new additions to their BeoLap series in 2013, of which —to this very moment— the subwoofer still forms one of the most elegant creations in its sort. Last week, Bang & Olufsen returned once again with a new release, this time with a series of (one of the two wireless) speakers named the BeoSound 1 and BeoSound 2; being one of those scarce moments in which an applied technological object truly rises beyond its pragmatic function and aesthetic discours into something excitingly new.

The futuristically sturdy (for instance perfectly fitting recently created interiors like Voyager Espresso or the redesigned Siam Discovery — hopefully indicating a new trend in design which we really appreciate), yet elegant aluminum design profile of ‘BeoSound 1′ and ‘2’ forms a promising new chapter and remarkable step forward in its field. Through its conic shape they can be placed anywhere, allowing the remarkable, sculptural forms to be very much part of the interior: on a shelf, floor, by the coffee table or even outdoors. The iconic bodies hover slightly above the ground, letting the thumps of the bass units out beneath. They are slightly open at the top for acoustical reasons, but apart from that with a uniform expression on the aluminum surface.

With function also on the highest level, as with all B&O's creations, we are super inspired by how a totally new silhouette was created, paving a incredible new path in speaker design very likely to be followed by many in the years to come. [ Continue reading ]

HASAMI X HAKUDO

We discovered the inspirational creations of Berlin- and Tokyo-based olfactory platform AOIRO when they released the ceramic coal dripper set under their HAKUDO label, which comes in an incredible Powlownia wooden box. It was the elegant container that caught our attention in the first place, but what comes in the box, next to the scented woodwick candle that was released in the same series, forms a small but fine collection of remarkably well-balanced scented products. The scent of the HAKUDO line is inspired by the invisible layers of the mountain ground - the earthy and green-velvety moss, the soils that are rich in organic material, and the roots that distribute their lives deep beneath. Its profile offers dark and rich impression, dry and moist temperament with a hint of smokiness in the background.

Recently the German-Japanese brand introduced a perfect addition to the HAKUDO line with a remarkable new container for the scented candle: the Hasami Porcelain Edition. Created out of distinct Japanese Hasami porcelain (from the town of Hasami) the collaboration was formed in the pottery and atelier of porcelain craftsman Kyohei Baba after a visit by AOIRO founders Shizuko Yoshikuni and Manuel Kuschnig. The remarkable new container that resulted out of the dialogue that followed is directly based on the Yunomi cup, traditionally used in Japan to welcome guests and express gratitude when serving tea. An elegant and sophisticated gesture that is easily abandoned nowadays, which became the direct source of inspiration to breath new life into the almost forgotten item and revive the subtle yet contentment in the form of the scented candle. [ Continue reading ]

Stephen Kenn x Longjourney

We've been celebrating the inspirational rugged designs of Los Angeles-based designer Stephen Kenn since the inception of his label about five years ago. While perfecting the fundament he has created with some of the most interesting minimal luxury furniture designs on the market, over the last few years Kenn has kept busy finding interesting creative partners in search of elegant variations of his existing aesthetic design vision. In 2014 he joined forces with fashion designer Simon Miller which resulted in an incredible indigo canvas collection of his sofa and armchair. Last month, on the 21st of April, Stephen Kenn returned with another impressive creative collaboration at the JF Chen gallery in Los Angeles: this time standing shoulder along shoulder with Longjourney menswear founders Alonzo Ester and Alex Carapetian. In their shared project repurposed motorcycle jackets and vintage sweatshirts are getting a second life. The collection includes a pair of black leather armchairs upholstered with panels from motorcycle jackets, and a sofa with a black nickel frame and cushions covered with strips of waxed vintage sweatshirts. Instead of the usual lack of aesthetic relevance of up-cycling projects, this collection truly marries both ethics and beauty, showing what a strong palette Kenn has created for different variations which we one by one really appreciate.   [ Continue reading ]

The ROADS of Africa

We continue to immerse ourselves in the wonderful world of the finest fragrances on the market and last month we stumbled upon another incredible brand which proves to be very inspirational for us. The Dublin-based ROADS was founded in 2013 by Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduated Danielle Ryan, granddaughter of Ryanair founder, Tony Ryan; debuting with a collection consisting of 10 fragrances, each named after its direct inspiration or a fictional background story. After its foundation ROADS also introduced a book-publishing arm and documentary film production house under its brand, which all seems to make sense because of the extremely cohesive visual language and represented emotion in all branches. Last month, ROADS showed its continued leading creative energy with the introduction of 4 incredible new perfumes, this time inspired by the rich source being the African continent, both in scent as the commissioned art that decorates the packaging, adding great new depth to its already remarkable collection. [ Continue reading ]

D.S. & Durga

As we are immersing ourselves in the fascinating world of luxury (niche) perfumes at the moment, working on an incredible project which will be revealed in a couple of months, we have encountered several impressive new brands which have set challenging high standards in the still quickly evolving field. One of those standouts perfume houses is the New York City-based D.S. & Durga, creating perfumes, colognes and scented candles in small batches, strictly using premium-sourced raw materials. All of their elegant scents are created exclusively in-house, with inspiration to be found in outdated herbal wisdom, native ritual medicine, lore and legends, historical movements and Americana. The different D.S. & Durga scents tell different stories of prospectors, gentry, trailblazers, frontier women, drawing rooms, workbenches, cowboys - fragments of half remembered legends, movements, events, and foreign lands. [ Continue reading ]

NUORI

Many modern skincare brands label themselves natural, but if you look closely at their ingredients almost none of them actually live up to the claim, mainly to guarantee a long shelf life. Motivated by how empty the signifier 'natural' has become in modern cosmetics, the newly launched Danish cosmetics brand NUORI has made it its mission to actually deliver what it claims. The brand only uses ingredients of natural origin and when they add actives to their formulations, only naturally occurring compounds such as vitamins and amino acids are chosen - resulting in a maximum shelf life of 12 weeks after which one has to start using new products. With its bold approach - which we love - of only using natural ingredients, the NUORI products are fresher than any other and form a unique addition to the market, available in Amsterdam at 290 Square Meters and in Paris at colette amongst others. [ Continue reading ]

Steinbeisser‘s Experimental Gastronomy

Upcoming 9, 10 and 11 October, two-Michelin-star chef Edwin Vinke from restaurant De Kromme Watergang is going to serve an exclusive dinner in the Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam as this year's edition of the super inspirational Steinbeisser‘s Experimental Gastronomy initiative. The dinner is entirely plant-based (vegan) with all ingredients from biodynamic or organic agriculture sourced in the Netherlands. Edwin Vinke is since 1993 owner and chef of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant De Kromme Watergang. Pleasure, passion and perfection form the basis of Vinke’s kitchen for which he was awarded “Chef of the Year” in 2011 by Gault Millau. For this edition Edwin Vinke will feature historical and curious flowers, herbs and vegetables. A special challenge for a chef that takes his inspiration from the Zeeland waters. [ Continue reading ]

OPPERMAN Vallance — Naturale Collection

With its slim profile, the Vallance briefcase by the London-based OPPERMAN brand is both elegant and sharp. Featuring one open compartment and one slim pocket on the side, the model can hold everything the modern man needs, making it one of the more desirable briefcases on the market since 2012, when the brand was founded. Last month a new version of the Vallance saw light, being our favorite edition of the briefcase till date. The so-called 'Naturale Collection' is made with a vegetable-tanned leather from the renowned Belgian tannery Masure, which has been operating since 1873. The leather used in the 'Naturale Collection' is uncolored and unfinished, meaning it is very sensitive and will develop a beautiful patina quickly. The leather will darken after a few days in the sun, and after years of use the hue will resemble a cognac color, showing amazing character one only gets from natural leather. [ Continue reading ]

TÊTE À TÊTE incendere

In recent years the field of elegant artisan fragrance products keeps growing stagnantly - whether its with perfume, cosmetics or our favorite; scented candles. Sydney-based TÊTE À TÊTE incendere is the latest addition to our list of young fragrance brands to watch. It was conceived in the winter of 2013, when creator Vicki Kim - a Parsons graduate who has worked with companies such as Cartier and Bulgari - decided to capture a cinematic moment from the classic The Graduate into a scented candle. This month, with the just released imagery the brand seems ready for the next level. Since the initial launch, TÊTE À TÊTE incendere has grown to contain four signature fragrances, each taking inspiration from a cinematic moment. The films Great Expectations, Raise the Red Lantern and The Blue Lagoon proved to be other great inspirations. Working from this beautiful concept and executed in the way the first candles were done, we look forward to more cinematic moments by Vicki Kim and her TÊTE À TÊTE incendere. [ Continue reading ]

REE PROJECTS

We recently became familiar with the Amsterdam-based REE PROJECTS, a young fashion brand developing collections for a women's wardrobe with a main focus on pure, refined timeless pieces with an edge. Having just stepped out in the world with a sharp and clean breakout collection which we really like. The brand has been inspired by a 'lost & found' suitcase found at the Dutch railway station many years ago. The suitcase and its contents - a stranger's wardrobe - are the conceptual starting point for both the REE PROJECTS brand and each individual design, be it now or in the future. The suitcase symbolizes the brand's journey and the new collection of bags is the first step. We really like REE PROJECTS highly potential debut collection and accompanying imagery and look forward what the future will bring us from this new name. [ Continue reading ]

Peter Bellerby the Globemaker

Following on from last year’s inspirational 'American Craftsmen in Britain' profiles, which we really liked, Shinola and Jocks&Nerds have collaborated again in a series named 'Community of Craft', which resulted in a unique series of pop-up events in Shinola’s London shop. Over the coming months, five craftspeople will set up their own shops within the Shinola store. Members of the public can watch them work, learn what is involved in their craft, and purchase their own bespoke items. The third profile in the series focusses on Peter Bellerby, the London-based artisan globemaker of Bellerby & Co Globemakers. From the stand, to the artwork, the painting and map-making, each of the globes is expertly crafted using traditional and modern globemaking techniques, and is lovingly produced in their North London studio. The globes by Bellerby & Co have been used in Hollywood movies, in BBC and ITV productions as well as by established artists. Next to receiving customers from around the world searching for only the finest when it comes to globes. [ Continue reading ]

ODE TO A

We recently became familiar with a fascinating new brand named ODE TO A, which was started in London and currently is based in Amsterdam. The startup design label founded by designer Sabrina Kraus López and brand manager Noëlle Maxine Tierie, took form after the piloting project Made in Patacancha, where Sabrina travelled to Peru to learn from and work with the remote weaving community of Patacancha. With growing industrialisation, traditional crafts, particularly in rural communities, are at risk of disappearing, ODE TO A aims to collaborate with diverse artisan communities to create limited edition collections that will showcase practiced skills in sleek modern designs, creating a new aesthetic and value in traditional craft. We are particularly drawn to the incredible collection of six rugs which are released under the ODE TO A label. Commissioned by the the British Council in partnership with Anou, the collection is the result of over an one month period in which Sabrina Kraus López worked with six artisans from the Anou community to create the Common Thread, a highly appealing series of bespoke hand woven rugs. [ Continue reading ]

Astier de Villatte

Astier de Villatte has been making handmade ceramics in Paris since 1996, following in the tradition of the great 18th century Parisian ceramic studios. The most famous Parisian manufacturer, Pont-aux-Choux, produced thousands of ceramic pieces in the 18th Century, right in the heart of the Latin Quarter, with other ceramic studios subsequently prospering in the Paris region in the 19th century. Successor to these famous manufacturers, Astier de Villatte is now the one and only major studio to keep the tradition of artisanal ceramic production in Paris alive. In 2008 a distinct addition was made to the output of Astier de Villatte in a collaboration with one of Takasago’s star perfumers, Françoise Caron, and her team of young perfumers. The result is a collection of an Eaux de Cologne, hand care products and our favorite: 33 scented vegetable-wax candles, each with a delicate scent that is never overpowering. Delectable both unlit and burning, the candles are encased in effervescent glass pots as well as signature Astier de Villatte white ceramic goblets. In our eyes, this makes Astier de Villatte one of the most interesting modern brands through their extraordinary skill to reinterpret techniques and aesthetics from past. [ Continue reading ]

Close Up And Private x Mismo

After introducing the CUAP shirt in December of 2014, this month our good friend Sergei Sviatchenko has introduced a new addition to the collection of his Private Classicist label, slowly evolving into a complete range of products created from the roots of his signature Close Up And Private art/style platform. Sergei found another perfect like-minded partner - sharing a sincere passion for modern classics and clean aesthetics - in the Danish accessories specialist Mismo. A company which has been a favorite of ours since we first encountered their beautiful products in 2009, and we have been appreciating their output for years, making it a dream collaboration. A very limited capsule collection of 25 pieces of 2 designs, created by Sergei and Mismo out of one of the most iconic styles by Mismo; the M/S Shopper. The Mismo staple piece was adorned with a photography and a collage artwork in signature Close Up And Private style, applied on an incredible Blue/Black and a Grey/Cuoio version, individually embossed with numbers. We can't wait for more incredible Private Classicist pieces. [ Continue reading ]

KOHEZI presenting the Y studio pens

Last month a very interesting new Amsterdam-based platform for craftsmanship and design from all around the world was officially launched by its founder Tico Oudhuis - who's also one of the founders behind VANOUDS, known for their beautiful handmade walnut tables. The new project named KOHEZI searches for beauty in the ordinary, finding inspiration in - as they state it themselves - clean design, dirty streets, nature life, city hectics, fresh flowers and old bricks. The first products available through KOHEZI are the fine Vørding gin, which is distilled in Amsterdam, jewelry by Berlin-based Simon&Me and finally the extraordinary pens by Y studio from Taiwan - which are incredible. The Taiwanese studio creates fine artifacts which can be used for a lifetime, and passed down from generation to generation. Their beautiful stationary collection is made from pure copper and brass, with a simple, minimalist design combined with elegant, pristine materials. The line includes two rollerball pens, a ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil, a sketching pen, a pen container and a pen case.  [ Continue reading ]

Atelier des Martyrs

Since the very moment we stumbled upon the first imagery by coincidence, we have been fascinated by Atelier des Martyrs. The New York City-based and French made brand was erupted to create beautiful products to fragrance the home, and is now searching for final funding via Kickstarter to start their journey and get the first series of products produced. Following an extensive but unsatisfying research in the landscape of scented candles, founder Matthieu discovered the deficiency in simple, well designed, gender neutral, and above all natural and cruelty free products. In order for Atelier des Martyrs to become all the things mentioned and more, an entire suit of olfactory products were developed by Matthieu and his team, prototyped to absolute perfection. All candles are handmade using mouth blown glass, cotton wicks and only pure natural Rapeseed wax for the candles, resulting in a line of ecologically friendly products of the highest quality. [ Continue reading ]

Cloak

The Basel-based company Cloak, which was founded last year by Samuel Ruckstuhl, is a highly specialized carpet company dedicated to architects and interior designers. With the Ruckstuhl family legacy of more than hundred years of carpet weaving in Switzerland, the young company uniquely combines this ancient craft of carpet making with a contemporary design approach. With the New York subsidiary Ruckstuhl USA the mother-company has been serving industry leaders such as Apple, Calvin Klein, Frank Gehry, The Guggenheim Museum, Louis Vuitton and Vitra - with the new creative outlet building on this rich heritage, but aiming for areas and aesthetics beyond the formerly known. The fine rugs and carpets are produced - partly in The Netherlands - from naturally luxurious raw materials, which are handled with such reverence that they lose none of their extraordinary properties during the production process - with a focus on undyed wool and if, colored with eco friendly vegetable dyes. Cloak specializes on bespoke sizes, color accuracy and outstanding longevity, making their pieces some of the most appealing ones out there. [ Continue reading ]

Maison D’Amore

The brainchild of Australian creatives Hayley Bonham and Nadia Rosa, Maison D’Amore was born out of the ambitious desire to create a range of candles that would rival the world’s best. Partnering with one of the most respected French perfumers and created under art direction of Jo Cutri, Maison D'Amore is an Australian-designed Parisian-made luxury fragrance house, producing fine perfumed candles explicitly for him and her - which still sets them apart in a field which slowly sees its gender borders come down. The Maison D'Amore's packaging features a minimal elegance using black and white design, which was debuted to the world in 2012 with two candles. The first is 'Fleur & Rhubarb', a feminine scent comprised of jasmine, magnolia and grapefruit, along with keynotes of rose, rhubarb and peony and the subtle scent of mimosa musk. The second is 'Feuille de Tabac', a smoky, gentleman’s fragrance made of tobacco leaves and elemi wood, with base notes of cinnamon, honey and vanilla. [ Continue reading ]