Glass Light

on the cover+

elemente’s photo-shoot foray mixing high fashion, design and architecture. Shot at Inform Interiors in Vancouver the shoot required 12 people, with 5 set changes over a 12 hours period.
Look for it on page 86 of Issue 10

Coat by Evan Biddell
Silk Pooled Skirt & Bustle, MaraGottler.com
Gloves by Ports 1961
Shoes by Manolo Blahnik, Browns

Bocca chair by Studio 65, Heller

Building by Niels Bendtsen & architect Omer Arbel

Bicycle di fantastico

Realized by the Industrial Design Department of Alberto Del Biondi Industria Del Design in Italy, this avant-garde concept plays on the latest bicycle materials and technology. The new design is a minimalistic play on the typical city bike, using the concept of less is more to an extreme degree. Lines are simple yet dynamic while the overall design is an exotic concept that stimulates the imagination. The shape is extreme, flying in the face of classic bike iconography. The bike’s makeup is primarily carbon based allowing for maximum weight reduction in the finished design. Although carbon requires great expertise in modelling, in this scenario it allows Biondi the freedom to work the non-traditional design in order to retain key flexibility characteristics and strength qualities. The model is considered a ‘premium city bike’ for commuting and inner city touring. The design provides a platform for an extensive rider base while maintaining extreme styling and innovation.
www.albertodelbiondi.com

Living Roof in Bloom

The more typical black tar-and-asphalt building rooftop leads to a phenomenon called the “Urban Heat Island” effect. The endless swath of black rooftops and pavement trap heat, causing cities to be 6 to 10 degrees warmer than outlying greenbelt areas. One-sixth of all electricity consumed in the U.S. goes to cool buildings. The Academy's green rooftop will keep the building's interior an average of 10 degrees cooler than a standard roof would. The plants also transform carbon dioxide into oxygen, capture rainwater, and reduce energy needs for heating and cooling.
http://www.calacademy.org/academy/building/index.php

Alpha Coffee Table

$899.00
www.crateandbarrel.com

This one-of-a-kind conversation table was inspired by a Paris flea market find, then designed exclusively for us by a London graphic designer with a penchant for, and a large personal collection of, antique printers' blocks. Iconic top is carved from one single piece of wood with raised letters and numbers painted in 10 different colors. Vintage crackled finish varies slightly from table to table and adds to the "as found" charm. Top is protected with tempered glass and framed modern in a soft black powdercoated steel base.

•	Sustainable plantation-grown shesham wood
•	Clear protective lacquer
•	¼" tempered glass top
•	Steel base with soft black powdercoat finish
•	Felt floor protectors on base
•	See dimensions below

One Piece of Paper

Mens et Manus II
"Best MIT-Themed Model", 2006-7 MIT Origami Contest.
"Best Original Design", 2006-7 MIT Origami Contest.
folded from an uncut square
designed by Brian Chan
October 2006
"I have always wanted to redo the Mens et Manus logo, the first version looked nothing like the real MIT logo, and the posture, expression, 3D-ness was very low-quality. But at the time, I had a very limited knowledge of origami."

Dima Loginoff

Neobarocco, the lamp.
Made from Crude, Gypsum, LED, Gold. Design Debut Awards 2006: Best design for "Neobarocco" Crude Lamp


Brushwood rug made from felt.
Design Debut Awards 2007, Grand Prix. What if your rug is Brushwood... The nature itself inspired by Dima Loginoff. Touching the pile, the sensation takes you away to the depths of an autumn forest. All parts of the carpet are cut out and hand-sewn together of quality felt while no detail of the pile repeats another.



The C-Lounge is a new seating option from Dima Loginoff. Acrylic Interior

JivJiv

Designed & built in Québec, Canada. Made from natural aluminum. Let JivJiv soar on your doors & walls. Hand them your keys, bags, clothes, jewelry and more. Sustainability features include reclaimed packaging and a waste-minimizing cutting pattern.
www.salendro.com
The JivJiv pair of bird hooks is available online for 29.50 US$.

11 the beautiful game

Fooseball table designed by GRO design and developed by TIM model makers. Exhibited during the 2008 Milan Design Week. Players are machined from solid brass with the weight of each rod requiring the right bearing mechanism to allow the players to rotate smoothly. Chrome finished with ink filling for numbering. Game on!

www.11thegame.com

Pop Dome

The Nomad Yurt, designed by Ecoshack founder Stephanie Smith is a fully-enclosed, eco-luxurious, portable outdoor room. It breaks down and pops up in under a half hour, and instantly gives you 20 sq.ft. of peaceful, shady, cozy privacy, with a light sturdy bamboo floor and weather MAX covering. Great for spa resorts, luxury campsites and hotels.

www.thenomadyurt.com
$9,700 CDN

Ewok hut or Acorn?

Designed and built in Canada, by Tom Chudleigh the Free Spirit Sphere is an eco-friendly pod-like living quarter that nestles and co-exists with it’s environments. The 3.2 metre spheres are made of Sitka spruce and can be hung from the trees or any other solid object like a building or rock face. Wood spheres are made of two laminations of wood strips over laminated wood frames. Fiberglass shells are also available.

www.freespiritspheres.com
Wood $100,000 CDN
Fibreglass $25,000 CDN

Myto Cantilever Chair

Designed by Konstantin Grcic for Plank. The official launch of the MYTO chair took place during the “Salone del Mobile di Milano”, April 2008. These colorful plastic stackables are not only comfortable, but fun to sit, bounce and play on. These Cantilever chairs are entirely made of BASF Ultradur High Speed plastic.

www.plank.it

Sande ‘Wave’ Table

Inspired by the flow of water this eye-catching table flows from one layer to the next creating space for books, cd’s, remotes… It is part of a new line utilizing a sustainable eco-friendly, hardwood from Equador -- Sande. The sinewy forms in this collection take their cues from nature and are made to order by hand.

www.dbfurniture.com
$1800 CDN

The Slacker Lowrider Lounger

The 80-90’s Nintendo-generation are entering adult life. Work, life and stress makes it harder for them to waste their days like they could when they were teenagers. The design is made by Fredrik Olsson and Sam Sihvonen. Produced in a very limitied edition.

www.slackerthrone.com
$3200 CND

Havana Lights

Design worthy of a spot in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent design collection, the Havana Outdoor Pendant Lamp creates a hot Havana nights ambience. This outdoor lamp light casts ample glow for large spaces, but with a diffused light that integrates perfectly into the landscape of a garden. Also available in a staked version with an underground electrical box.

www.YLighting.com
$550.00 CDN

DIAL “S” FOR SUN

If you’re looking for something a little more stylin’ than a garden gnome, this elegant sundial will bring sophistication to any backyard. The German-made Ralph Londermann sundial by Blomus, harmonizes form and function, bringing a modern accent to the garden scene. Stands 25.6” high, 14” in diameter and constructed of matt-brushed stainless steel and glass with precision-quality mechanical keys.

www.nova68.com
$754 CDN

A Real Swinger

A modern twist on the classic garden variety, the VITEO Swing combines design and quality for the ultimate in outdoor relaxation. The pendulum design and ball bearing construction guarantee a gentle ride. A unique removable backrest-system means the swing can be used as both a sun lounger or with a seat. This modular interpretation of the outdoor favourite boasts a hand polished stainless steel frame paired with a Teak or Thermo Ash paling surface.

www.spencerinteriors.ca
$10,210 CDN

Bloke and his bloxes

Lego lovers, give the kids their toys back. The Blox system, designed by Andrew Wilson and Aza Raskin of Chicago, is the grown-up way to satisfy your childlike urge to build. Bloxes’ unique design allows would be architects to interlock each blox on all sides, allowing for limitless creations. Bloxes’ finished forms create structures strong enough to sit or stand on, yet remain lightweight. Connect them as unique space dividers, extra seating or simply a sculptural art pieces, the possibilities are endless.
$59.95 CDN / pack of 20
www.bloxes.com

Spiderlamp

Vancouver’s Peter Rainier is constantly looking for new ways to explore functional art in one’s environment. His Spider Lamp, a life sized, bio-morphic design appears to elegantly climb the wall while lighting its surroundings. Ranier’s philosophy of ‘the difficult art of simplicity’ embraces many of his creations. Inspired by his son’s pet tarantula this geometric wall lamp creates a warm ambience through a sculptural and unconventional design. $700 CDN
www.rainierdesignstudio.com

Leaningshelf

Designed by Lime Studios out of the UK, this leaning wall shelf system works to address the problem of screws, space and do-it-yourself apathy. Using LG Hi-Macs Arctic White as the back material, along with five colour toned shelves, the system is put together by simply sliding-in and locking each shelf into place. The design provides a quick, easy and moveable domestic storage solution for any home, condo or apartment.
www.limestudio.co.uk

the Napshell

We’ve all heard the benefits of the power-nap; higher productivity, lower absentee rates, less desk drool incidents. The solution, the German-designed Napshell. Developed around extensive ergonomics studies of the human body this futuristic cocoon was designed and shaped to be comfortable for a wide range of napsters, regardless of body type or height. Visual and acoustic effects within the capsule were designed to provide maximum relaxation while an optimized reclining area helps to relieve back stress and facilitate the most relaxing sleep position. Napsters unite!
One example of the success of the power-nap comes from the lower Saxon city of Vechta. City administrators introduced a power-napping program into their employees regular work schedule. The result: it’s 100 employees are healthier, happier, more productive, and less absent. So the next time your boss yips off about how you’re arse is making a permanent imprint in the Napshell’s mattress, tell him to talk to the mayor of Vechta. After that its smooth napping until 3:15…oh yeah.
$15,500 CDN ($9,900 €)
www.napshell.com

On Edge Rocker

The Brothers Dressler continue to explore the endless usages of plywood with the addition of their Onedge rocker. Constructed from a single sheet of sustainable baltic birch plywood, the rocker consists of four repeated elements, turned on edge, which are then bolted together. The design provides form, structure and comfort with its cantilevered design allowing for movement and flex. The Onedge rocker is fabricated with as little waste as possible, and even extraneous materials are reused in other projects.
Sans arms $1690 CDN With arms $1840 CDN
www.greenrooms.ca

Splinterbench

Breaking up isn’t that hard to do, at least thanks to Matthew Kroeker’s Splinter Bench. This Canadian design perfectly evokes the peaks and valleys that come with spring-time romance. Designed as a figurative representation of the ebb and flow of relationships, the award-winning Splinter is comprised of two individual chairs each with uneven slats along one side. When pushed together the Splinter chairs unite to become a bench suitable for two. Made from plantation-grown teak and polished stainless steel, Splinter will be equally at home indoor or outside.
$1750 CDN / set
www.hutj.ca

Singin’ in the rain

Vancouverites rejoice and lighten up thanks to the world’s first environmentally-conscious umbrella. The Brelli, a fresh take on rain gear, was conceived by New York’s Pam Zonsius after finding discarded, broken umbrellas littering the streets following a heavy downpour. The Brelli, a beautiful, sustainable alternative that biodegrades in less than 5 years was designed using bamboo and a patent-pending biodegradable plastic canopy which enables it to withstand gusting winds and heavy rainfall. Chic and functional the Brelli offers a bright, evolutionary step forward from the traditional.
$28 CDN small // $38 CDN large
www.thebrelli.com

Alpha Sphere

A combination of sound, light, and space provide an out-of-this-world relaxation experience thanks to the Alphasphere’s holistic design. The heart of this multi-sensory space is the blue lounger complete with special sound structures that provide tailored recordings by ‘sha’ which are felt throughout the entire body. The deep monochromatic shade of blue, the gentle warmth and the light rocking motion have far reaching effects: decreased stress, enhanced creativity, and a supposed increase in perception. It’s out of this world.
AlphaSphere stand-alone $6270 CDN
With corresponding room $9450 CDN
www.sha-art.com

Time Block

Jonas Damon has deconstructed the alarm clock into its most basic components in this fully functional LED version. Created as part of his Open Edition line, it consists of four cubes, each containing one glowing number. Place the cubes in order, and the clock displays the correct time. Stack them, arrange and re-arrange them, and the time becomes abstract or at the very least, your own little secret. It may not help you find more hours in the day, but it makes a playful addition to any desktop.
Priced from :: $90 Cdn
Available through :: www.charlesandmarie.com

It’s Showtime!

Up-and-coming Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, brings us a series of chic side chairs from his second Showtime furnishings line, aptly named Act II, for Barcelona Design. Drawing inspiration from wood, lacquer, wool, nylon and metal, Hayon’s desire was to create a simple form that could be accessorized in several ways, much like a car. The ability to choose between a high or low seat back, four types of upholstery in a myriad of colors, optional armrests, wood or lacquered finishes and two leg structures, ensure this side chair is at home in a variety of settings, as it blurs the line between classic and modern.
For purchasing information visit ::
www.hayonstudio.com