Monday, August 20, 2012

A NEW GRAPHIC LANGUAGE LETS YOUR WALLS COMMUNICATE A TASTE FOR DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY

Design:
Norm

Materials:
Synthetic Felt, Wood, Aluminium

The starting point is a grey felt square. Although the shape and material is plain, the panels can be combined in a variety of ways to create your own, unique wall design to suit the overall character of your home.

The Felt Panels can become a natural and functional detail in your hallway, home office, kitchen/living room or anywhere else in your home. They can be combined to create decorative elements with a clean, graphic look. But the panels are very much intended to be used. Together they create a multi-functional system that serves many purposes.

The basic unit is a simple, grey felt square. It can be used as a small notice board or as a decorative element. Various needs have thus resulted in the creation of various types of Felt Panels; a clock, a mirror, notice board units, a coat rack, a key holder or a letter holder – the opportunities are endless.

The design of the Felt Panels also incorporates an acoustic aspect. Modern homes are often characterised by hard noise and the idea behind the soft felt panels was originally to create soft elements in the home. Felt Panels can thus help improve your home’s acoustics and create a better indoor environment, offering a design experience that is both visual and aural.

Nordic design and materials 
The designers behind Wall Panels are Jonas Bjerre- Poulsen and Kasper Rønn from Danish architecture firm Norm. The pair have drawn inspiration from Nordic nature for their material choices. The warmth of wood and the felt’s wool associations give their modern design an unmistakably Nordic identity. The design of the Felt Panels is strict and sparse. However, subtle roundness creates a softer look that balances the product’s masculine and feminine aspects.

“Our fascination with modular squares comes from the world of graphic design and we are inspired by the works of minimalist artists. Felt Panels are not just functional, they also add a graphic element to complement any stylish home. Just like the letters of the alphabet, the elements can be combined based on your wishes to create your very own, visual language. You can create your very own wall art,” say Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn.

 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

NORM BATH. CLEAN SHAPES FOR YOUR BATHROOM

Design By:
Norm

Materials:
Steel, Plastic

The designers behind Bath are Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn aka NORM. This style duo worships minimalism and functionality and endeavor to design products that meet real-life needs while at the same time pleasing all our senses. These ambitions are successfully combined in Norm’s new Bath series for Menu. All redundant elements have been stripped away, leaving only a clean look and straight-forward usefulness.

The stylish series comprises five items: a pedal bin, toilet brush, soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and a small box with a mirror. The items share the same shape and characteristic rounded base, giving them lightness without compromising on stability. All items stand firmly and securely in place.

Clean lines and simple functionality make the items easy to clean and use. For example, the brushed steel lid of the pedal bin opens easily, without hitting the wall behind it as most other pedal bin lids tend to do.

The toothbrush holder has a clever sieve in its base, allowing water to escape and leaving your toothbrush dry. The practical mirror in the container lid is hidden, yet always close to hand.

“Our work is firmly rooted in Scandinavian design tradition. When a recognizable form gets an original twist, the products seems more fun to use. This is the principle that we have incorporated in the bathroom, where cleanliness is of paramount importance,” explain Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn.





 









Monday, August 13, 2012

BLADE WINE SERIES BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOUR WINE

Design By: 
Designwright

Materials:
Stainless Steel
Plastic

English design company Designwright has created an idea that is as ingenious as it is simple: the leaf shape creates a large surface area, maximizing the wine’s interaction with the oxygen in the air. The front is transparent, allowing you to witness the transformation of the wine’s flavor and bouquet. Four small holes on the front allow the wine to come into contact with even more air, improving the wine’s flavor based on the patented Venturi principle that Menu has made well known all over the world.

The result is incredible; and highly noticeable. As we all know, wines release their true aromas when they come into contact with oxygen, significantly improving the taste experience. Blade adds 430% more oxygen to the wine. A result which no other decanting pourer on the market can match.

The decanting pourer has inspired an entire series of Blade wine accessories including the decanting pourer, a vacuum pump, waiter’s corkscrew and twist corkscrew. The series is aerodynamic as well as ergonomic and all tools are equipped with a rubber coated surface for good and comfortable grip.

Each of the tools has its own, unique and practical characteristics: The vacuum pump prolongs the life of your wine by quickly and easily extracting air from the bottle. The waiter’s corkscrew sits comfortably in your hand and its practical shape makes easy work of uncorking bottles. The twist corkscrew has a clever magnetic closure mechanism that automatically brings the parts back in position after use.

The Blade wine series has been created by Designwright, one of the UK’s most acclaimed design teams, which has been working closely with Menu since 2011. Brothers Adrian and Jeremy Wright have a background in industrial design and focus on both the visual and the technical aspects of their craft. Designwright has won several Red Dot and Design Plus awards and earned the recognition of the British industry organization D&AD.



Thursday, August 9, 2012

August 2012 NYIGF

Come visit us at the Menu booth 3840 at the New York Gift Show 
August 19 - 22. Below images from last show in February.