New Giddyup in Solid Ash
The Giddyup Rocking Stool has had a revamp with improvements to the design and the addition of a solid timber option in American White Ash. Yeehaw! Thanks to Saint Andrew Photography for the great pics.
Interior Magazine Article - Issue 12
An awesome article on the Kiwibank Project in the Interior Magazine this month. Tim Wigmore from Designtree was invited to contribute to the Kiwibank project early in 2013. Working with a selection of New Zealanders top furniture designers (Nathan Goldsworthy, David Trubridge, Jamie McLellan and Tim Webber) as well as closely liaising with Designworks, Kiwibank and Backhouse we developed a suite of furniture and lighting for the Kiwibank concept stores. Each designer developed a couple of designs (3 in Jamie’s case) with the result being a cohesive range of furniture in line with the Kiwibank branding.
Thanks to all involved, a fantastic experience to work with some amazing designers as well as with the teams at Kiwibank, Designworks and Backhouse. And a big thanks also to Interior for the well considered and comprehensive article.
Facet Light Diffuser and Desk Screens for Productspec
We’re continuing to work with the team at Productspec / Smartspec to develop their head office fit-out here in Wellington. The most recent additions are the bespoke Facet Light Diffuser and Facet Desk Screens that we’ve developed to work in with the Twist Tables we made earlier in the year.
Sleep Wake Research Centre
The lovely folks at Athfield Architects used some of our Frankie Pendant Lamps in their recent fit-out of the Sleep Wake Research Centre at Massey University in Wellington. Preferring the black cable over the red, the lamps compliment the client’s colour choices in the space. The accoustic qualities of the lamps will help to reduce echo and noise in the rooms - very important when you want to sleep!
Thank you Athfield Architects, Backhouse Interiors and the Staff at Sleep Wake Research Centre.
Meet Wellington
Last month Kirsten from Urbis published a great little article on Designtree as part of their Wellington special. You can check out the full article here.
Thanks Kirsten Matthew for the words and Jeff Brass for the photos.
Twist Tables for Productspec
Last month Rebecca and I had a meeting with the lovely people at Productspec / Smartspec who comissioned new work tables for the office they were soon to shift into. Working with the Productspec / Designspec team Designtree designed and produced 10 raw steel and timber work desks.
The Twist Table design incorporates 2 steel ribbons that twist around underneath the FCS certified laminated Beech timber tops to provide a stable support structure. At initial glance the legs look very simple, but as you move around the table the slight twist in each leg provides an interesting perspective and gives a clue as to how we’ve managed to triangulate the legs and provide a very stable structure from a few ‘simple’ bends.
Giddyup featured in new deNada autumn collection
We’ve had a long association with our friends at deNada having exhibited work at their Wellington store way back in 2007. Now Giddyup rides again in the store and appears to be a natural pairing for their new Autumn 14 collection ‘The Bronze Horseman’. The Giddyup was used as the main prop in their photo shoot for the new garments, and also in-store to promote their new Autumn range. Images courtesy of deNada.
Frankie Lamps available in New Zealand
Happy Days. The Frankie Pendant Lamps are now available and currently being specified for various exciting projects. In Auckland and Wellington the lamps are available exclusively through Backhouse Interiors, for other areas please contact us here at Designtree and we can direct you to the closest stockist in your area.
Pil Lamps featured in ‘Forever House’
A great little article by Stuart Harrison in Architecture AU showcases a suburban Melbourne home re-invigerated by WoodWoodWard Architecture. The kitchen proudly features 3 Pil pendant lamps above the kitchen island. Photos by John Gollings.
Pil Pendant lights up Bell Street Bathroom
Dave Nichol from the Australian architecture firm Robert Nichol & Sons just sent us through these beautiful images taken by Rohan Young of a slick bathroom they’ve created in Fitzroy.
Frankie pendants ready for pre-order
The Frankie Pendant’s are now available for pre-order through Backhouse Interiors in Wellington and Auckland. If you’d like to call in and check out the new range, there are some display models in the showrooms now.
Skandi style
Thank you to the fabulous women at Skandi for the loan of their gorgeous retro industrial desk for our photoshoot over the weekend. Rebecca and I had a scout through the Island Bay Skandi store and were like kids in a lolly shop, drooling over the Scandinavian retro pieces! See below for images of the desk with our Frankie table lamp.
Best Awards Winners Announced
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the Best Awards. One of the awards for best designed product went to Jamie McLellan for his sexy Kayak 1.
Also we totally loved the Monarch Table by Goldsworthy Studio, Milse Restaurant Design by Cheshire Architects, and far too many more to mention.
Smooth Crates
Designtree was recently commissioned to design a set of wooden crates for a local start-up company making fresh green smoothies and delivering them to local Wellington business’.
Designtree developed a simple crate made from recycled wooden weather boards. Each smoothie crate holds six glass bottles, and with the use of a simple carry handle, 2 crates can be carried in each hand.
Look out for these delicious smoothies and cute crates soon to be appearing around Wellington city and beyond.
Frankie Lamps finalists in Best Awards
Our new Frankie Table and Floor lamps were recently selected as finalists in the DINZ Best Awards, NZ’s industry design awards. We are chuffed to have others as enthusiastic about the designs as we are. Winners announced 11 October.
Photos of the Judges in action, photo courtesy of David St George and Designers Institute of NZ.
Sustainability Trust Wellington - Project Foresters
The Wellington Sustainability Trust found us late last year and engaged Designtree to produce a suite of furniture for their new offices and community space in Wellington city.
The brief called for a family of functional pieces that could be made quickly and economically using recycled pallet timber.
Click here to view more images of the work and details about the project.
Designtree at the ICFF New York
Back in May Rebecca and I packed up our new Frankie Collection into suitcases and took it to the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York City where we shared a booth space with talented Wellington designer David Hakaraia. During the 4 day fair we met some very cool people, saw some amazing and inspiring designs and drank a lot of coffee. The reaction to our new collection was super positive and we’re continuing to have some good conversations with some of the people that we connected with at the Fair.
We’ve taken on some of the suggestions made in regards to our work, and we’re now in the final stages of tweaking and getting the Frankie Collection ready for the first production run.
A big thanks to Creative New Zealand for their assistance in getting us over to New York.
Frankie goes 3d with Sayduck
Designtree has partnered with 3d visualisation company Sayduck to showcase their new 3d visualisation app. The Sayduck app is available free from Itunes. To view the Frankie Range and other products in your own space in 3d through your smart device, simply download and print the marker, then place the marker on the spot where you’d like to see your Frankie product. Point your smart phone or tablet at the marker and…. baam.
Frankie Range Photoshoot
Simplification and reduction of the Frankie designs has improved the Frankie table and floor lamps making them more elegant and refined. We’ve packed the whole range into the van and shuttled them down to our local film studio space (see images below) to be photographed. The photos from this photos shoot will be used in our promotional material for the ICFF in New York.