Hawthorne Blvd Law Office, Portland, OR.

Animal Lights - Salmon

3D salmon lights made of either porcelain or translucent plastic/resin.

lighting techniques

thin wood veneered extruded triangle that would light up at the top section
light concept of building model chandeliers. this one is a nod to corbu
animal light series. we are thinking of birds, schools of fish and of course the mighty buffalo

we are turning over lots of new leaves at the furniture gang shop. we have decided to join the land of commerce instead of just building furniture for ourselves. we have started working with a portland furniture shop on some new designs. see the images for our newest lighting designs.

rendertown usa

i just had to get on the rounded cube bandwagon. half swiss built-in bed and half future cube the micro pod bed box satisfies all the elements of a new kind of furniture design as detailed in the furniture gang manifesto:

"stuff is the new building block. we can satisfy our physchological desires by surrounding ourselves with the things we own, love and love to look at. the bed becomes a dresser that you sleep in. they combine like a bad genetics experiment. iconic furniture pieces (table, chair, bed) become volumous voids to stow your every possession. why? because fight club was wrong. i dont want to get punched in the face and you want a place to put your 87 copies of instyle magazine.

as these shapes combine they grow into objects that redefine the bland boxes that surround us. let the furniture germinate and produce an astounding array of new mixes and combinations."

ba

poditecture

see http://mrpixelcowboy.blogspot.com/2009/03/sketchy-stuff.html for more sketches

the house factory

mod_wall

Mod Wall is a system of integrated storage modules that can be arrange in numerous iterations to accommodate any sized living situation.  Mod wall can be arranged along an existing wall creating a storage, media area, or in the middle of a room as a dividing wall, with functions that can be engaged from all sides.  Potentially can include bed, kitchen utility and more.

gj

the sleaker model

same great styling as the previous model, but now with fins. there is something vaguely deli-counteresque but it provides that much needed storage for trashy scifi novels and deli hams and the beer can collection.

storage bed is a hit

this one is going in to production. bossman's cousin wanted a bed. i had it designed and sent to the joinery shop the next day. we are on the fast track and using all the tools of the era, 3D modeling, digital 3D files to the manufacturer and CNC production. now why can't this be done with the building industry?

1982 CB 750F

3D business cards

3d business cards

the idea is finally becoming a reality. they are getting printed as we speak to impress the folks at furnitex. it's time to show the design community how we roll.

beetle back enclosure

i had an image of a beetle form and decided it would make a cozy little pod. maybe it could have some sweet hydraulic pistons to open the shell. the cool form without the creepy bits.

i'll continue to post my ideas here and will continue to use the site for furniture gang events. feel free to post your ideas. i'll try to give feedback and continue to make this site a place for the exchange of ideas.
check back for:

-design your ideal workstation
-design your ideal office
-modern treehouse competition

tiny house

i just had to make a stab at a tiny house. if you are not familiar check out: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/. apparently people can't get enough of these mini houses/large doll house houses. it is also a sensible question to wonder how small a living space can be and still be enjoyable to live. this version is roughly 152 sq ft. i tried another version with 66 sq ft which i'll post later.

fatwall 2

this is an alternate of a theme, see pre-furnathon 08 post of australia inspiration. it is the idea of compressing all furniture into one space, sort of a fifth element/ sleeping in your chest of drawers concept.

ben allee, sydney

CLOSET PUZZLE

Closet puzzle: A sheet triplay pine 4'x8 '(3 / 4 ") again under the principle of zero waste.

By Inigo Ortiz Monasterio
iomonasterio@yahoo.com.mx

PIC-NIC PUZZLE

Picnic puzzle: In a piece of wood 3 / 4 "(4'x8 ') gives a picnic table under the principle of zero waste. The production is economic and simple.

By: Inigo Ortiz Monasterio iomonasterio@yahoo.com.mx

DINING PUZZLE

Dining puzzle: From a sheet of triplay 3 / 4 "(4'x8 ') yields a full dining room (1 table + 4 chairs ) under the principle of zero waste.

The production is economic and simple.

By: Inigo Ortiz Monasterio iomonasterio@yahoo.com.mx

SOF (Skin-on-Frame) Turtle Shell:

Multi-use, light weight; never leave home without your shell!
(click on image for higher resolution)

-The Big "O",
PDX

The Coffee Table:
Not a whole lot to say about it. I just like the "tapered structure" concept as well as the potential for a nice exposed joint there all the horizontal wood meets the vertical piece. Enjoy,

The Big "O",
PDX

Modular Chair

The Concept:
The Design:
Basically you could mass produce this module many times over. People can use them as a chair (2), love seat (4), or couch (6), or just an ottoman (1). If not against a wall the back can be used as shelves and under the seat you can store "stuff" as well.

Sorry for the late start; my sketchbook didn't have access to a scanner.

Alias: The Big "O"
City: PDX

Day three: Dinnerware and furniture, Ideas about BioPlastics.

I had another thought today about how to deal with the overcrowding in landfills (as it relates to furniture).  The idea came to me as I was eating dinner.  I bought food from a place nearby and I noticed that they had that nifty to go box that wasn’t just recyclable, it was biodegrable as well.  Basically if my dinnerware ended up in the landfill it would biodegrade within a few months.  But its pretty strong stuff, microwave safe,  just as good as the normal paper junk.  I also noticed that it was pretty strong and I could imagine if you had enough of the material it would be just as strong as plastic.

I found this online which explains about the material:

Bioplastics are a new generation of biodegradable & compostable plastics, derived from renewable raw materials such as starch (e.g. corn, potato, tapioca etc), cellulose, soy protein, lactic acid etc., that are not hazardous in production and decompose back to carbon dioxide, water, biomass etc. in the environment when discarded. Cornstarch is currently the main raw material being used in the manufacture of bioplastic resins. Mater-Bi (main component corn-starch), and PolyActide (PLA) (made from corn-starch as well) are currently the 2 main resins (raw materials), being used today in the production of compostable & biodegradable plastics and are certified for compostability under standards set by international organizations. However, other resins are coming into the market made from potato starch, soybean protein, cellulose etc. Most of these are currently not certified for compostability, though some are for biodegradability. The field of bioplastics is constantly evolving with new materials and technologies being worked on and being brought to market.

So why not use this stuff for furniture?  Especially the types of furniture that tends to be thrown away. Maybe things like childrens furniture?  Shelving? Maybe its best suited for smaller objects, I don’t know.

heres what the dinnerware looks like
and heres my well designed couch after being left outside for a few months

letterscape

i was listening to nina simone the other day and thinking about words and letters. i thought there were some interesting shapes and combinations. i have just limited myself to english but arabic, chinese , japanese, etc . might make some great combinations.

note: at this point i am unsure who is posting if you don't give some indication. name or alias and city might be helpful for everyone. thanks

ben allee, sydney

Day 2: Dont build another piece of furniture

the original
San Francisco (ork)
Public Transport (Copenhagen, London, New York tube)

I have had this thought for some time now and Ive done a bit of research on old furniture.  It turns out that a good chunk of our landfills are filled with furniture and appliances. 

Its clearly a problem.  Its really interesting that people discard well built furniture for new pieces made of particle board, that are of a lesser quality.  There are many reasons for this, like the older stuff looks like hell, or the upholstery is worn, or you get bored with it.. etc etc..  So I thought about how one could reuse the older furniture.  More particularly how to keep it out of the landfill.  

For one, I think we could stop accepting furniture at the dump.  Garbage collectors should refuse to take it.  (right now, I think its part of thier collection duty if you leave it near the trash bin)  Or we could start a supplementary collection, kind of like the recycling, or the once a month yard waste collection.  There are probably more ideas floating around the internet machine.

The opportunities for reuse are endless..  

Ive explored one solution.  The main idea here is that it is possible to tie together different structural differences with an common element.  In this case the upholstery.  Whole living rm/ dining rm/ bedroom/ sets could be developed using this method.  

This is one of those ideas that seems ridiculous or obvious, and maybe it is.  

structural storage wall

our walls have been lazy far too long. this approach serves the double duty of providing storage and support/division. the lattice structure could be doubled to allow for a gap for vision and sound blockage or a panel on the back face. a whole range could be developed with alternate shapes to cater towards an individuals geometric preference. shigaru ban had a similar idea with full height cabinets making up the structural support.

ben allee