Core77

The Best of WantedDesign 2018

By Core Jr - May 29, 2018

Kumiko by Kaneka OLED + Michiru Tanaka at WantedDesign Manhattan These wall tiles can be arranged in various configurations to light a space in a more interesting way than typical lighting. 1 of 89

Lexan Series by Phaedo Design at WantedDesign Manhattan Phaedo Design created this table out of Lexan. 2 of 89

Lexan Series by Phaedo Design at WantedDesign Manhattan When you take a closer look, the edges of the Lexan shapes are painted a deep blue shade. 3 of 89

Venus Table by Concrete Cat at WantedDesign Manhattan The surface of this Venus table is cast and cut from "Chaos stone," which is a material born out of Concrete Cat's experiment to use remnants from recycled home decor to create something new. 4 of 89

Venus Table by Concrete Cat at WantedDesign Manhattan Learn more about Concrete Cat's eclectic work here. 5 of 89

Shower Light by Shinya Ito & Kaori Yamamat WantedDesign Manhattan oto Tokyo-based design duo Shinya Ito and Kaori Yamamoto were inspired by water falling from the shower when designing this piece. 6 of 89

Shower Light by Shinya Ito & Kaori Yamamat WantedDesign Manhattan oto The lighting feels ethereal, almost like a jellyfish. 7 of 89

Chair by Filipe Ramos at WantedDesign Manhattan This chair uses a rope material that's suitable for both indoor and outdoor placement. Learn more about Ramos' workhere. 8 of 89

Chair by Filipe Ramos at WantedDesign Manhattan 9 of 89

Mzamla by Maryam Turkey at WantedDesign Manhattan Mazamla is a water cooler inspired by traditional Middle Eastern Terracotta water coolers. The fired clay naturally keeps the water cool, so no electricity is needed. The wall fixture serves as a shelving unit, a planter and water cooler all in one. Learn more about the project here. 10 of 89

Mzamla by Maryam Turkey at WantedDesign Manhattan Traditional water coolers are pointy in the bottom so that when the water leaks through the terracotta (which is expected) it leaks from one place and it is the bottom part. Therefore Mzamla has a suspended planter that gets watered by the leakage that happens through the bottom part of the cooler.? 11 of 89

UKB Chair for Base 10 Furniture at WantedDesign Manhattan This wooden chair is designed by Jennifer Yoko Olsen for Base 10 Furniture. 12 of 89

UKB Chair for Base 10 Furniture at WantedDesign Manhattan The chair was designed using traditional Japanese joinery techniques but is inspired by the landscapes of LA - where both Olsen and Base 10 are located. 13 of 89

UKB Chair for Base 10 Furniture at WantedDesign Manhattan 14 of 89

UKB Chair for Base 10 Furniture at WantedDesign Manhattan 15 of 89

UKB Chair Joinery Demo at WantedDesign Manhattan Olsen gave us a quick demo of the main joinery technique she used for the UKB chair. 16 of 89

Wool Lighting and Accessories by Hayoung Lee at WantedDesign Manhattan Lee used wool and resin to create an interesting effect that can be most clearly seen in the following images. She takes individual tufts of wool then coats them in resin to make it appear as if those pieces had exploded. 17 of 89

Wool Lighting and Accessories by Hayoung Lee at WantedDesign Manhattan 18 of 89

Wool Lighting and Accessories by Hayoung Lee at WantedDesign Manhattan Check out the result of the technique we mentioned at the top left of the forefront light. 19 of 89

Wool Lighting and Accessories by Hayoung Lee at WantedDesign Manhattan 20 of 89

LAYERS by UAU at WantedDesign Manhattan This project is a collection of everyday products designed to be home manufactured using desktop 3D printers. Learn more here. 21 of 89

LAYERS by UAU at WantedDesign Manhattan The objects in the project are all made with 100% biodegradable PLA filaments. 22 of 89

The Datalogue by SVA MFA Products of Design at WantedDesign Manhattan For WantedDesign, SVA MFA Products of Design students created a four-part machine that emulated the system of data collection. The exhibition transformed the invisible act of data mining into a visible, experiential process for visitors. 23 of 89

The Datalogue by SVA MFA Products of Design at WantedDesign Manhattan Visitors first encountered a giant hamster wheel for humans. Each participant was prompted to select an image from the inside of the wheel. The selected image was then transferred into a shape that was punched into your personal card. Each station's result was recorded in a similar fashion, combined and turned into a set of personal data that was eerily accurate. Learn more about the project here. 24 of 89

Tapermoon at WantedDesign Manhattan This Modular Lighting System by Toronto-based studio Tapermoon combines the delicate nature of paper lanterns with the strength of chunky, geometric shapes and solid materials like wood.Learn more here. 25 of 89

soft-geometry at WantedDesign Manhattan This collection by soft-geometry designers Utharaa L Zacharias and Palaash Chaudhary explores unique ways to rest tables and chairs on the ground. 27 of 89

soft-geometry at WantedDesign Manhattan These two chair's textures can easily be changed by swapping out the fabric for cushions or a new type of fabric. 28 of 89

soft-geometry at WantedDesign Manhattan This chair wins our "Most Enticing to Sit On" award at this particular show. 29 of 89

soft-geometry at WantedDesign Manhattan 30 of 89

Estudio Brana at WantedDesign Manhattan The Caña chair by Argentinian architect Agostina Branchi's Estudio Brana intertwines three circles to form its shape. The circle that serves as the seating part is covered in sheep's leather. The legs are made from the native "Palo Blanco" wood. The whole chair is designed to be completely detachable. 31 of 89

Estudio Brana at WantedDesign Manhattan 32 of 89

Estudio Brana at WantedDesign Manhattan Here's a look at Estudio Brana's Folka chair, which sat next to Caña on the shoe floor. This one is just two interlocking circles, but the beautiful simplicity of the form drew us in. 33 of 89

Button Ottomans by Kelly Harris Smith at WantedDesign Manhattan Learn more here. 34 of 89

Kikkerland at WantedDesign Manhattan This year's Kikkerland Design Challenge featured selected works by design students from Design Academy Eindhoven in partnership with Belgian outdoor company A.S. Adventure. The challenge is put on in an effort fo the fun-loving brand to constantly seek out new design talent. 35 of 89

Kikkerland at WantedDesign Manhattan "Stick It" by Revekka Evers is an outdoor construction set for kids 6 and up. The set consists of a sharpener and twenty silicone construction blocks. Collect sticks, sharpen with the sharpener and insert them into the blocks to build anything. 36 of 89

Kikkerland at WantedDesign Manhattan The One Pillcase by Leandra Eibl is a reliable case designed to carry one pill. It can slip onto a keychain so that a dose is not missed on the go. It is also useful for vitamins, mints or aspirin. 37 of 89

Kikkerland at WantedDesign Manhattan Slide these Shoe Skunks into your kicks for lasting freshness. 38 of 89

Surface and Depth at WantedDesign Manhattan Multi-disciplinary design studio Electric Coffin designed this curious installation promoting the Interior Design Show, which will be happening later this year in Vancouver. 39 of 89

Possibly Tools by Yuko Nishikawa at WantedDesign Manhattan Nishikawa describes this project best: "I saw a group of stone and clay artifacts displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are "possibly a handle for a vessel to carry water" or "probably religious idols". We know how we use objects today and can imagine how people used to live. In this collection, I want to leave it up to the viewer to interpret the clues I leave." 40 of 89

American Design Honors: Home Studios at WantedDesign Manhattan This year, Home Studios took over a large piece of real estate at the show to display Homework | HW08 - HW15 as part of WantedDesign's American Design Honors. 41 of 89

American Design Honors: Home Studios at WantedDesign Manhattan Here we have the Bench HW13 in polished steel, leather and denim. 42 of 89

American Design Honors: Home Studios at WantedDesign Manhattan The mirror lamp HW11 made a strong statement from the corner of the set-up. 43 of 89

American Design Honors: Home Studios at WantedDesign Manhattan clothing rack HW08's squiggly rack and soft sphere bases were a fun display for simple white button-down shirts. 44 of 89

Istanbul Design Collective at WantedDesign Manhattan stanbul Design Collective featured the work of 9 contemporary designers from Istanbul. 45 of 89

Steelcase at WantedDesign Manhattan We finally got to experience Steelcase's SILQ office chair up close. Learn more about the chair's design process here. 46 of 89

Steelcase at WantedDesign Manhattan A mood board displaying some of the inspiration behind SILQ. 47 of 89

WantedDesign Manhattan 48 of 89

WantedDesign Manhattan 49 of 89

The Antigua Project at WantedDesign Brooklyn The Antigua Project is an exhibition of hand-fabricated furniture and textiles created in collaboration with Guatemalan artisans and Pratt design students. 50 of 89

The Antigua Project at WantedDesign Brooklyn Students involved spent two weeks in Antigua, Guatemala to collaborate with local artisans, weavers, woodworkers, leatherworkers, shoemakers, welders, seamstresses and silversmiths. 51 of 89

Biodesign Challenge: Myotomato at WantedDesign Brooklyn These projects made by schools in conjunction with Biodesign Challenge pair up design students with biologists to help develop future applications of biotechnology. Myotomato by students at SVA is a speculative project that proposes bioengineering edible plants like a beefsteak tomato to produce myoglobin, a nutritious protein normally found in meat. The team's installation includes a vision of future branding of protein-enhanced tomato products. 52 of 89

Biodesign Challenge: Growapair at WantedDesign Brooklyn Growapair is a project where designers Arianna Wong, Dylon Shepelsky, and Dani Esposito, created a pair of shoes with a grown mycelium base and a microbial "leather" upper made from manipulated scoby culture often used to create kombucha. 53 of 89

Biodesign Challenge: Algiknit at WantedDesign Brooklyn Developed by Tessa Callaghan, Aleksandra Gosiewski and Aaron Nesser of FIT, AlgiKnit is a materials research group that created a biomaterial from an algae-based biopolymer paste that can be knit, woven, cast as films or 3D printed to product sustainable textiles.
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Appalachian State University at WantedDesign Brooklyn A chair made by ___ of Appalachian State University made entirely of paper pulp. 55 of 89

RIT Hope for Honduras at WantedDesign Brooklyn Several models for exam tables at the Rochester Institute of Technology booth, which features projects made by a group of students in conjunction with Hope for Honduras.
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RIT Hope for Honduras at WantedDesign Brooklyn This wrap designed by Kaia Bolland encourages skin to skin incubation with mothers and babies while also allowing for full coverage. 57 of 89

"COULEUR" at WantedDesign Brooklyn This exhibit titled "COULEUR" is just one facet of Oui Design, a design exchange program organized by Wanted that included talks and workshops, featured the work of up and coming French designers Pernelle Poyet, Julie Richoz & Ionna Vautrin 58 of 89

"COULEUR" at WantedDesign Brooklyn A number of fun, comb-shaped candles designed by Ionna Vautrin. 59 of 89

"COULEUR" at WantedDesign Brooklyn An organizer designed for Alessi by Julie Richoz 60 of 89

"COULEUR" at WantedDesign Brooklyn Works in glass by Pernelle Poyet 61 of 89

"COULEUR" at WantedDesign Brooklyn This series of objects by Pernelle Poyet won her the grand prize at Villa Noailles- this project, called "Alphabet", is a design proposal meant to visualize a series of objects that can be used together to create different furniture and object forms.
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"Working with the World" at WantedDesign Brooklyn In an exhibit at Wanted that highlighted different studios of artists working in Industry City (the same locale as WantedDesign Brooklyn) called "Working with the World: Creative Studios of Industry City", Matthew Pliessnig's "Wrapped Thonet No.18" sits on display at the very front, an artistic ode to the iconic chair. 63 of 89

"Working with the World" at WantedDesign Brooklyn An installation that cross-pollinates product and process, this piece of manta rays by ATH Studios demonstrates how the polyurethane sculptures were cast in a fiberglass mould, tangentially referencing easily recognizable furniture like the Eames's molded plastic chairs. 64 of 89

"Working with the World" at WantedDesign Brooklyn Furry Puppet Studio has the job many designers never even dreamed was possible—they develop and design puppet characters for television. Pictured here is the undeniably adorable Blobby the Blobfish. 65 of 89

"Working with the World" at WantedDesign Brooklyn This vase made by Bardo Industries is produced used porcelain cement—as described in the installation, this piece is a part of Bardo Industries' offshoot called Bardo Playground: "Playground is a laboratory where [experimental] ideas become reality, resulting in the product of housewares and objects that illustrate the studio's haptic, play-focused approach to design" 66 of 89

"Working with the World" at WantedDesign Brooklyn This immersive installation features the work of Liz Collin, an artist and designer inspired by the structures and patterns of weaving. 67 of 89

"The Sausage of the Future" at WantedDesign Brooklyn Designer Carolien Niebling was onsite to share with NYC x Design visitors her now well-known project "The Sausage of the Future". 68 of 89

"The Sausage of the Future" at WantedDesign Brooklyn For this project, Niebling collaborated with molecular gastronomy chefs and butchers to redesign the sausage to increase it nutritional efficiency and potential for flavor variety. 69 of 89

"The Sausage of the Future" at WantedDesign Brooklyn Niebling brought with her several experimental sausages, including a mortadella embedded with vegetables, a "lean" sausage made up of pieces of meat like the heart and liver, and even a sausage made entirely from fruits and nuts.
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François Azambourg and Douglas Vase 10th Anniversary at WantedDesign Brooklyn On display for Wanted was French designer François Azambourg's Douglas Vase, which was made in an attempt to revolutionize the mold, a key tool for serial vase production. The designer marked the vase's 10th anniversary by collaborating with glassmaker Leo Tecosky and Brooklyn Glass Studio to create a new series of Douglas vases. 71 of 89

SVA "Radical Futures" at WantedDesign Brooklyn SVA's exhibition "Radical Futures", which included speculative work that postulates on design's role in the future was an entertaining project called "Baby Gym" by Andrew Schlesinger. This humorous project serves as a stepping stone to start a deeper conversation regarding the taboos around fathers bonding with their infants. 73 of 89

Central Saint Martins at WantedDesign Brooklyn Mess is the Law is a collection of projects from Central Saint Martins school in London. 74 of 89

Opposites by Zhen Jiang, MA Industrial Design, Central Saint Martins at WantedDesign Brooklyn This collection of objects opposes tradition: a mirror that is not flat, a table that lacks a single surface, a wonky photo frame and trash can placed on its head. These objects operate on a balance between fantasy and practical design. By altering our perspectives and archetypes, they invite new behaviours and patterns of use. 75 of 89

LifeCycle by Sasha Bruml, BA Product Design, Central Saint Martins at WantedDesign Brooklyn LifeCycle is a 3D-printed bike saddle designed for comfort, and adjustability. The surface of the saddle is supported by hundreds of branches that are adjustable using data on the riders sit bones, weight, and riding style. This project received the MullenLowe YOURNova Award. 76 of 89

Familia by Elena Gomez, BA Ceramics Design, Central Saint Martins at WantedDesign Brooklyn Familia is a collection of objects for children to help develop their emotional intelligence and help them express difficult feelings. Every animal is made with 4 emotions: fear, anger, sadness and happiness and kids can mix their faces to create new characters. 77 of 89

Meriwether's Soaps by Elizabeth Boyd at WantedDesign Brooklyn These soaps are a giftable fun surprise. Each bar is customized by the buyer, you pick the color, finish, scent and most importantly the message. The words are not visible until the soap has been used a few times, so you can get creative with the message the recipient will find in the middle of washing. 78 of 89

Fabric Bowl by Dan Gabber, BFA Industrial Design RIT at WantedDesign Brooklyn Fabric Bowl explores the relationship between fabric and ceramics. It was made by draping cloth in a slip casting mold so that the fabric would be embedded in exterior of the bowl. Then when it's fired, the fabric burns away leaving just the shape and pattern. 79 of 89

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at WantedDesign Brooklyn Second Lives | After Bottles, created by studio at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is an experimental shelter prototype assembled from custom-made interlocking plastic bottles intended for water supply in the event of a natural catastrophe. 80 of 89

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at WantedDesign Brooklyn 81 of 89

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at WantedDesign Brooklyn 82 of 89

Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn A collection of projects from students at Drexel University. 83 of 89

Squigg Lamp by Ignacio de Socarraz-Novoa, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn Made of bent steel tube, spun metal, and blown glass, Squigg Lamp inspires a sense of joy from its playful form and interaction. 84 of 89

Sound Scouts by Erik Stefans, BS Product Design, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn Sound Scouts are a series of electronic instruments that allow musicians to compose music by experimenting with sound and interaction. Artists manipulate samples by flicking a windmill, sliding a cylinder, percussing pads and activating sensors. 85 of 89

Mobu by Laeticia Estévez, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn
Mobu is a modular system of furniture that encourages play and creativity. 86 of 89

Mobu by Laeticia Estévez, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn 87 of 89

Folding circuitry by Nicholas Dejesus, BS Product Design, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn 88 of 89

Folding circuitry by Nicholas Dejesus, BS Product Design, Drexel University at WantedDesign Brooklyn 89 of 89

This year, WantedDesign Manhattan and WantedDesign Brooklyn once again showed a selection of high-quality projects by designers and design students from around the world. Design students may have had the most speculative, thought-provoking projects at each show, but the professional work held its own, making use of unexpected shapes and modernizing traditional products (and even foods!) that haven't been updated since their conception.