brastilo

Natural algorithms

Nothing inspires us more than nature.  From the banana leaf hanging lamp to the hand-carved monkey head, Brastilo is very much driven by the environment that's made Brazil famous. 

Which is why we were all so taken by these fantastic jewelry pieces from Nervous System.  As Metropolis Magazine explains, the design duo, both graduates from MIT, base their jewelry designs on patterns found in nature.  Metropolis states:

"Rosenkrantz...first conceived of the line while laser-cutting a building model with a facade of shifting hexagons for a class project. Architecture and jewelry, she realized, both like pretty patterns. Those hexagons became the basis for the Radiolaria line, named after the sea creatures whose gorgeous cellular structures influenced Buckminster Fuller."

And these pieces really are amoebic in quality (or are they more like paramecium....my 10th grade biology is failing me).  Just take a look at the stunning necklace below, part of their Radiolaria line.

It's both web-like and floral, feminine and stark.  It's a wealth of contradictions but still organic.  It's a fascinating way to create jewelry.

Even better are the pieces from the Dendrite collection.  Nervous System describes the line best, saying, "This is a series of necklaces, each featuring a unique pattern. No two are alike, only one of each pattern is produced. We generate the patterns by aggregating tiny circles of varying sizes into complex configurations that mimic the natural forms of corals and seaweeds. These are then etched in one piece from durable stainless steel."

Because the forms are derived from natural algorithms, that means you can have your very own, unique necklace.   They're gorgeous, as you can see below, and remarkably inexpensive.  And they're a great way to bring a little bit of nature to your staid, jewelry collection.

There's truly nothing better than well-designed pieces.  Thank you Nervous System, for helping nature inspire us at Brastilo yet again. 

Superuse, the superhero of eco-design

Bored by staid design?  Tired of wasting useful resources on stupid things?  Have more trash than you know what to do with?  Superuse to the rescue (cue superhero music)!  It's described as an "online community of designers, architects and everybody else who is interested in inventive ways of recycling."  Truly amazing.  This site highlights just how important eco-friendly design has become to consumers and designers.  And some of the designs featured definitely require superhero strength. 

Quite possibly the coolest thing I've seen thus far on Superuse is a woman who recycled a defunct plane and made it her home. Look at the image - hanging amidst the trees.

via Superuse

It's truly a sight to behold and a great way to make use of something that would otherwise make a ton of waste.  And, to top it off, it cost a lot less than a typical house!

Superuse also links to a site called Airport Journals which has a whole article about planes that have been recycled into homes.  It's funny, it seems so bizarre.  But with the Dreamliner in the air and AirForce One decked out with beds and a press corps, is it that hard to imagine retrofitting a plane for your home?  I can totally picture the interior of my old Pan Am - mod wallpaper, the Brastilo Swivel Arm Chair, and, my absolute favorite piece, the Brastilo Bench with Moveable Tray.  Of course, there would have to be a disco ball and a lava lamp too. 

But seriously, all hippie/disco fantasies aside, we are obsessed with inventive ways of recycling.  And we love finding new inspiration for our designs, our philosophies, and our own personal lives.  We already sell 2 pieces that are made from recycled goods - the Blue Paper Bowl made of recycled newspapers and the Banana Leaf Hanging Leap made out of banana leaves.  But the possibilities, as Superuse has proven, are endless - and we love the challenge.

So go forth and inventively recycle!

Via VSL

The Architectural Digest Round-Up

This past weekend Brastilo was on location at the Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC.  Our booth rocked (don’t you love the mock Portuguese mosaic?), and we had tons of visitors. 

And, true to the beauty of a show like this, we heard some wonderful feedback about being able to touch our pieces and see them in real life.  People really liked the Blue Paper Bowl, and they were impressed by the details of the 2-Door Pine and White Lacquer Cabinet, including the wood veneered wheels.

 

The show was attended by people who are in the furniture trade, architects, interior designers and, of course, consumers. It’s always great for us to interact with our consumer and we really appreciate everyone who visited our booth.  We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you!

So what else was on view?  Quite a bit actually, and it ran the gamut from contemporary to old-fashioned.  One trend I noticed was repurposing wood for flooring.  There were a number of booths that seemed to focus on the use of reclaimed wood, and we’re in full support of the many environmentally friendly ways to source wood.  Despite the plethora of flooring booths, one in particular stood out.  The Mountain Lumber Company specializes in antique flooring sourced from old mills.  Founded in 1974 in Virginia, Mountain Lumber scours the depths of the world to find the best wood that can be re-used for commercial and residential purposes.  The best example?  They’ve reclaimed wood from handcrafted vats once used in the Guinness factory in Ireland.  That’s right, folks – all you Guinness drinkers can now have Guinness on your floor, and not from simply spilling it.  The wood is gorgeous.  Grainy, grey, with a healthy layer of patina to boot.  I fell in love with this idea and I hope you do too.

One of the weirdest things I saw at the show was the EcoSmart Fire.  The fireplace is very contemporary looking and is “fuelled by a renewable modern energy (Denatured Alcohol), [that] burns clean and is virtually maintenance free”. It also doesn’t require a flue and is therefore able to be placed anywhere in your home.  The versatility of this fireplace really is something and, as a city girl, that’s definitely appealing.  I have to admit though, while I love the idea of an eco-friendly fireplace, there’s something romantic about a brick fireplace with wood a-crackling.  You snuggled up under a blanket with your big bushy dog and a hot cup of cocoa.  Sigh.  But, seeing as I can’t build a fireplace in my 60 year old building in my one apartment on the 4th floor, the EcoSmart might have to suffice.

Finally, one of the most amazing organizations I found at the show is Green Demolitions.  In short, the program allows you, the consumer, to donate any of your old architectural elements – be that a full kitchen, a generator, an HVAC system, or simply some antique furniture.  The organization will come in and remove everything, if you so desire, at a discount.  Then, they bring everything to one of their 3 stores in the Northeast and sell everything back into the community.  And then, and this is the part that amazes me the most, 89% of all profits made in the stores are donated to Recovery Unlimited “whose mission is the sustaining and expansion of the All Addicts Anonymous program.”  89%.  Astounding!  So, in short, the organization does great things for the environment by preventing you from trashing your wonderful kitchen cabinets that you simply decided to change because those orange lacquer things are so last season.  And then, to top that off, it donates almost all of the profits it makes from reselling those orange lacquer cabinets to help people in need.  I don’t know about you, but I suddenly feel great about my fellow man. 

That’s the round-up everyone.  Hope you enjoyed it and we can’t wait to see you all at our next show...ICFF, perhaps?

Playing with the mobius strip

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve hopefully come away with the insight that good design is fun, be it furniture, aircrafts, fashion, or simply a great Web site.  Brastilo is a big proponent of good design that’s fun.  We like to think (and hopefully you agree) that our furniture adds a sense of playfulness to a room.  I’m particularly thinking of the staggered shelf bookcase and the hidden drawer side table.  And, our accessories are really fun too.  You all know how much I love our hand-carved monkey head.  So, as you can see, furniture design at Brastilo strives to be fun.

But, in all fairness to Brastilo’s fun design, nothing is quite as fun as a playground.  I adore playgrounds.  I love the running, the jumping, the screaming at the top of your lungs.  I love the turny things, and the climby things, and the other whoozawhatsists that have no known names but are oodles of fun to play around in.  I remember one playground by my house that was, literally, the best playground ever.  It had a tower you climbed up to and 2 slides, one which led to a rope bridge you’d fumble across which ended in some sort of jungle gym type climbing mechanism.  At any rate, this thing was amazing. 

So you can imagine my utter joy when I came across the following playground.  Admittedly, it might be a bit beyond a four year old’s intellect, but it is so cool.  It’s a playground designed in the shape of a mobius strip. 
via Landscape Structures

And for those of you who can’t remember what that is, myself included, Wikipedia calls it:  “a surface with only one side and only one boundary component.”  I really just remember it from that Escher sketch with the ants.
image via Physlink

But seriously folks, this thing is amazing.  It’s rock climbing.  It’s sliding down poles.  It’s racing your annoying older sister and finally beating her to the finish line because you are the true goddess of mobius climbing.  It’s your parents explaining to you at a young age the complicated math behind this thing (which, in all honesty, I’m still not sure I totally grasp).  It’s educational.  It’s physical.  It’s fantastic! 

All these wonderful benefits for children aside, one of the main reasons I love this playground is because it’s actually attractive.  Unlike those yellow and blue plastic playsets you see nowadays, this thing has style.  It has class.  And I wouldn’t hate it if it were sitting in my backyard.  And that, dear readers, is the beauty of good design.  It’s functional, playful, and attractive. 

Hats off to the fellas at Landscape Structures for creating this wonderful toy.

Birdhouse with a soul

I remember being in elementary school, pasting those giant-sized popsicle sticks, the ones that seem to make up every craft project, together to create a birdhouse.  I remember bringing it home to my mother, proud as can be, and her taking one look at it and relegating it to a dark corner of my room, where not even I would be forced to look at it, let alone a bird.  Okay, so, I'm no Oscar Niemeyer.

Well now, I can be proud to bring home a birdhouse for my mother, only this one I'll have to buy (I think we can all acknowledge it's probably better that way!).  German design shop Raumhochrosen created gorgeous modernist birdhouses, based on several famous architectural masterpieces located in the remote Vorarlberg state of Austria.  There is a strong architectural history in Vorarlberg, an isolated state where the residents actually speak a dialect closer to Alsatian or Swiss than Austrian (don't say I didn't teach you anything!). 

These birdhouses are 1:33 scale replicas of actual houses, made using the same wood as the originals. 

And, in a sort of idealistic fashion, the architects of these birdhouses believe that children gravitate towards birdhouses at a young age and, in using these modernist replicas, these same children will then grow up with a greater appreciation for modernist architecture.

This is precisely the sort of thing that jazzes us up here at Brastilo.  It's not just that these birdhouses are contemporary, modern, different, and interesting, but the ideas behind the design - the idea that something as simple as a modernist birdhouse can change a perception.  That's what good design is all about, and it's something we hope we can achieve with what we sell.

But, in all honesty, these birdhouses are just really cool.  I sincerely hope those bluejays appreciate the beauty of what they're going to be eating from.

Via swissmiss/Notcot

The next generation recycles

As you've probably all gathered by now, Brastilo loves design.  You might even go so far as to say we're obsessed...and you'd be right.  Because well-designed products and inventions are becoming increasingly important.  Not to sound alarmist (or like an Al Gore disciple), but our planet is in need of some well thought out design, the kind that won't add to the crippling amount of waste it's currently facing.  On this blog, we've congratulated ourselves for our eco-friendly accessories, such as the Blue Paper Bowl.  We're extremely proud of our commitment to using sustainable wood in all of our furniture.  And you're probably all familiar with our strong design heritage by now, which is inspired by (and sometimes sourced from) local artisans.  Well, enough about us!  Because this post is about the next generation of designers, the ones that will have to live with the earth we're all going to leave behind. 

The "Trash to Treasure" competition, which is partially sponsored by PBS's "Design Squad" - a show dedicated to teaching kids about engineering and design - is encouraging the future designers of America to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  From the press release:

"The Design Squad Trash to Treasure contest will challenge kids of all ages to take everyday discarded or recycled material and re-engineer it into functional products. The product can move things or people (Mobility), protect the environment (Environmental), or be something kids can play with inside or out (Play).

"Some of the repurposed materials kids might use in their innovative designs are fabric, paper, plastic, small electronics, wheels, clamps, springs, batteries, hardware, wood, bike parts, string, rubberbands, cardboard, kitchen gadgets, etc."

The winner of "Trash to Treasure" will win $10,000 and the chance to create a complete protoype of their design.  This is truly an inspiring event.  Not only are kids being inspired to think outside of the proverbial box, but they're going to do so in an environmentally-friendly way, driving the message about the importance of sustainability at a young age. 

And I have to say, I'm a bit jealous of the protoyping portion of the prize.  That goes way beyond what could otherwise be the invention category at your local science fair.  What child or teenager do you know that has seen their designs and inventions actually get produced?  Can you imagine how exciting that will be?  If only I were 10 years younger...and, you know, talented.

The competition doesn't begin until April 1, 2008 but have no fear - we'll keep our eyes out for you. 

In the meantime - take out that ratty cardboard box in the garage, those stacks of old magazines, and that bag of recyclable bottles and get to work!!!

Via Core 77

The Return of the Dirigible

Brastilo, as a manufacturer and distributor of contemporary furniture, is always looking forward.  All of our designs are grounded in history, but we combine this with our Brazilian design sensibility, providing you furniture that is versatile, interesting, and modern.  Well, maybe modern is a bad word.  We like it to have a modern aesthetic, but really, we want to provide you something that’s forward-looking, if not entirely futuristic, providing you with designs that are inspiring, innovative, and a little bit ahead of the times.

Well, if we’re not futuristic, this new “Manned Cloud” is.  Do you remember watching movies that took place in the 40s (I’m specifically thinking of Indiana Jones), and you’d see people enjoying flying in a blimp?  Remember how, when you were a little kid, you thought that was so cool and the “wave of the future”?  If all goes well for Jean-Marie Massaud, we may soon be able to travel, sleep, and exist in one.  That’s right, the dirigible is making a comeback, and how awesome it is!  I’m just going to let the folks at Supertouch do the talking because they describe it so well,

"Developed in conjunction with French national aerospace research body ONERA, the massive designer dirigible combines the early 20th century trend of Zeppelin flight with the futurism of modern design to create a new form of luxury touring the likes the world has never before seen. Set to accommodate up to 40 passengers and 15 staff members in the utmost of luxury, the white whale would act as a sort of heavenly cruise ship, ferrying tourists across countries for a bird’s eye view of the planet."

My mouth is salivating – I honestly cannot wait for this to actually make it into production.  Talk about luxury travel, this will be truly amazing. 

And look at how beautiful it looks against the sky! 

There are truly no words.   

The Brazilian Catwalk

At Brastilo, we are always looking at other industries for inspiration.  Whether that be the new Virgin America plane interiors (which are spectacular, from what I hear), or the NASA’s noble attempt to create a book of the night sky that makes it visible to the blind, we like to look at these other areas to see the possibilities that are out there for great design – design that solves problems or makes people’s lives better/easier/different/more beautiful.  This is precisely why we love monitoring Sao Paolo Fashion Week, in which, we’re proud to say, our Blue Paper Bowl was once featured. 

Fairly new to the couture scene, these shows celebrate Brazilian design, which is becoming ever-more popular in the fashion market.  The perennial favorite, Alexander Herchcovitch, maintained his reputation for creating beautiful, wearable pieces – but this time he did so for Zoomp as well as for his signature line.  Personally, I love his dresses.  They’re just conceptual enough to play with standard forms, but also totally accessible – like something you might wear to a friend’s fancy dinner party. 

Alexander Herchcovitch


Zoomp

Another designer, Ellus, did amazing things with scarves, stuffing old toys to create these 3-dimensional looking neck art objects.  I love it when designers get just a little bit crazy!  I also love Ellus’ jacket made of medals.  It reminds me of a sociological theory on which I once had to write a paper about how medals carry signals of stature that the rest of society knows to read as “important” or “impressive”.   Wow - I almost made fashion boring, just then.

   

Thanks to the revival of punk, seen at Osklen, we don’t have to worry about fashion being boring!  This buckle dress is fantastic and truly innovative!

And then, revisiting Brastilo’s theme of recycling and being good to the environment, Cavalera recycled fabrics instead of merely creating couture gowns.  As Cool Hunting so gracefully points out, the site of the shoot on the Tiete River “raised conscience about the pollution and trash that we collectively produce.”  For a first-hand account of the show, and to see just how relevant it actually was, read Diane’s post.

 

These are only a taste of what’s coming out of Brazil’s fashion houses.  As Vogue points, Sao Paolo Fashion Week is wacky, fun, and conceptually bizarre.  But, it’s put the city on the fashion map and shows just how spectacular and creative Brazilian design really is.

Light-emitting wallpaper

There is nothing I like better than efficient design.  The wall-clock that’s also a piece of art.  Using my toaster as a breadbin.  “A combination hookah and coffee maker…also makes julienne fries.”  Okay, so that last one is from the movie Aladdin, but it would be nice, right?

Efficient design becomes truly spectacular when it’s interesting and beautiful.  And also prevents my clumsiness from breaking yet another lamp!  That’s why Jonas Samson’s light-emitting wallpaper is so amazing.  Created to replace those boring old lamps I can’t seem to keep on my dresser, this wallpaper creates a different kind of ambience in your home.  And with interesting graphics, it serves as beautiful wallpaper with or without the light (yes, you can turn it off to conserve energy). 

Jonas Samson is a pretty interesting designer, too.  Perusing his Web site amasses a slew of conceptual thinking, including the nutcracker dishrag - a dishrag printed with nutcracking instructions, creating a totally separate product in the process - and the gorgeous coat hanger designed to hide hooks.

Only time will tell if Samson’s innovative technology catches on.  Given the blog chatter surrounding this wallpaper, it’s only a matter of time before we see this at home shows and in television shows.  We love that this is contemporary technology coupled with a natural aesthetic.  We also love that it creates an almost 3-D effect, delighting your senses.  This is exactly what Brastilo’s furniture strives for – to create contemporary furniture that draws your eye from every angle, never leaving anything unfinished.  This is clearly a direction home design is moving towards, and we like it quite a bit.  And, finally, my dancing around the apartment with a broom won’t prove deadly. 

(Via Josh Spear)

The joys of a customizable home

If I walk from one corner of my apartment to the other – a task that, in NYC, should only take about 5 steps total – I’m struck by the way furniture can define a space.  I know which part of my tiny room is to be the “work” section – there’s a desk, a chair, a computer.  It’s obvious the part of my room that comprise the entertainment section – there’s a TV and a stereo.  Each of these elements is highly designed (even if it’s design from a decade ago).  The elements that weren’t immediately customizable through the manufacturer (such as the color cover on my old PC) have been customized by either me or the slightly more talented - incorporating fun bumper stickers or etchings (such as the awesome engravings being done on Zune players).  My tiny little room is filled with personality and spunk, making seemingly banal objects like a desk, appear awesome and inviting.

And then you walk into the kitchen.  At least here, in New York, the kitchen is the bastion of New York City funkiness, and I don’t mean that in a kitschy way.  The cabinets don’t stay shut, there are gaping holes between the oven and the fridge large enough to attract piles of dirt but not wide enough to actually clean.  And the fridge is usually a monstrosity – a relic from 1945, when the so-called pre-war building was built.  Even if you own your home, it’s hard to stay contemporary with such a massive piece of equipment.  It requires a major financial layout and usually a malfunctioning fridge. 

Perhaps this is why it’s so much easier to make the bedroom or living room look more personable.  At least in these rooms we can buy furniture that is moveable, malleable, conformable.  We also tend to have more options.  If we don’t like the staid look of a PC, we can buy a Mac.  If we don’t like those boring bookcases from cheap, flat-pack stores, we can get a fun looking one from…oh, I don’t know…Brastilo.   But in the kitchen?  You’re forced to decide between another banal white fridge or a sort of high-tech silver number that looks like it belongs on Star Trek.  Okay, so maybe if you’re a hipster living in Brooklyn you’d buy a Smeg.  But let’s be real – that avocado color went out of style 40 years ago for a reason!

The solution?  Customize your own fridge.  That’s right folks.  Brazilian fridge manufacturer Brastemp is allowing you to create your very own fridge using different color combinations with all sorts of doo-dads like water filtration systems and fruit trays.  The new line is called “You” and was featured on the Josh Spear blog last month.  Unfortunately the site is in Portuguese, but it’s still lots of fun to play with the “over 19,000 possible combinations.”  You can even choose which way the door should open and how to organize the inside shelves.  As customization grows throughout various consumer products, we can expect to see similar items at Home Depot in no time.  With something like a fridge, however, we have to remind ourselves that we’ll have to stare at this thing for a long time.  And it’s a bit more expensive than those Nike Free sneakers we bought that one time in Magenta and never wore again.  Or that Zune player we got with an engraving that now reads, “Dara loves Menudo”.  So even though magenta is the color of the season, it may not translate onto a fridge 20 years from now.

But still, Brastemp has me salivating for my own place for which I can purchase a well-designed fridge to match my new MacBook and fancy LCD television (and that darned Zune player I can’t seem to unengrave).  I can see my dream fridge dancing before my eyes; turquoise on top, black on bottom, hinged on the left with a water-filter on the front door - a tool I’ve dreamed of owning since I was a little girl staring in envy at my best friend’s fancy new refrigerator.  I love that one day I’ll be able to fully customize everything in my home, making it truly reflect my tastes, aesthetics, and sense of kitsch, and that with the same products, we can all have very different looking homes.