Friday Five with Derek Chen of Council

Derek Chen is a furniture designer, with experience as an engineer and management consultant, who founded Council as a way to add an American spin on contemporary design. Working with a host of international designers, Council manufactures a massive collection of American design while making sustainable choices whenever possible during the manufacturing process. San Francisco-based Chen continues to design for and head the company, always using his keen engineer’s eye to put out a blend of designs with a handcrafted feel and a modern aesthetic. Let’s see what keeps this multifaceted designer inspired in this week’s Friday Five .

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Friday Five with Derek Chen of Council

The Craft of Thread Wrapping by Anton Alvarez

Swedish-Chilean designer, who happens to be based in London and Stockholm, Anton Alvarez has developed a line, and technique, that wraps various materials with thread to form objects. The line of furniture consists of wood components that are joined together with only a glue-coated thread, no nails or screws. Along the way he built the Thread Wrapping Machine , which helps produce the line while still relying on a hands-on technique that results in this new craft, the Craft of Thread Wrapping . Using this building method on materials like wood, plastic, or steel, new objects can be formed and constructed, all without relying on traditional joinery methods

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The Craft of Thread Wrapping by Anton Alvarez

Modern Lighting from Supergrau

German design studio Supergrau , which has three designers at the helm, has launched a series of lighting designs that continue their tradition of sustainability and their desire for people “to love, to buy, to preserve” good design. All of their retro/futuristic designs are handcrafted in Germany and the collection is now being carried by design showroom Mondo Collection . The Furore Table Lamp is crafted from recovered marble, blown glass, and copper.

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Modern Lighting from Supergrau

The High & Tight Stool by Curtis Micklish

High & Tight is a new stool from Curtis Micklish that was inspired by the teeth of a hair comb. Its cantilevered look is actually a well-designed and structurally sound seating design. Seven individual steel plates make up the floating seat, which are then folded back to create legs. Solid black walnut then meets these steel members to complete the piece.

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The High & Tight Stool by Curtis Micklish

6 Different Ways to Easily Energize Before Your Busy Day

Getting back into the swing of things after a long Fourth of July weekend can be exhausting! Here are a few ways to easily energize in the morning before your busy day.

Peppermint Oil or Lemon Oil

Add 1 drop of lemon or peppermint oil in a diffuser for a uplifting aroma. You can also dab a little peppermint oil or lemon oil on your wrists, ankles and forehead as well. The oils are absorbed through the skin and can help to energize and rejuvenate you.

Green Tea

A refreshing cup of green tea is a great way to start your morning. It is a healthy alternative to a cup of a coffee. With caffeine and antioxidants, green tea provides many uses such as an increase in energy, immunity and can help to support weight loss.

Morning Yoga

Morning yoga is an excellent way to stretch out those sleepy muscles. Yoga is far less strenuous than other morning exercises and it will leave you feeling revitalized throughout the rest of your day.

Caffeinated Soap

Save on coffee and time with caffeinated soap! Use this soap during your morning shower and allow your skin to absorb its uplifting effects.

Blueberries

Scoop a handful of these succulent berries for your morning snack. Blueberries boost energy and promote brain function.

Fun Morning Mugs

Smiling and laughing when you first wake up can leave you feeling good all day long. This fun mug wakes up with you when you pour hot liquid into it.

These are just a few quick morning pick-me-ups, what other ways do you energize in the morning and throughout your day?

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Summit Nesting Tables by Moving Mountains

Summit Nesting Tables is a minimalist design created by Brooklyn-based design firm  Moving Mountains . As the company name suggests, Moving Mountains is an industrial design practice that wants to move beyond its boundaries to the convergence of design, art, and fashion. The studio prides itself on creating a diverse range of domestically-made products focused on a refined sense of simplicity and functionality. With that being said, all furniture pieces are made by hand, and crafted with solid wood. The nesting tables can be stacked to build a mountain, or nested to create plateaus

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Summit Nesting Tables by Moving Mountains

Open Book Chair by TILT

TILT , who brought you the collaborative furniture we recently posted about called Quiet and Call , has also released another chair as part of that collection called Open Book. While this isn’t the first bookshelf chair we’ve seen, this chair goes the extra mile in terms of function. In fact, it goes so far as to combine chair, bookshelf, lap desk, side table and magazine rack all in one, while at the same time giving you a little bit of privacy on one side. Whew. Photos by Patrick Quayle

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Open Book Chair by TILT

Zemayesh: Eli Chissik Furniture Art Exhibition

As of July 4th, Periscope Gallery in Tel Aviv is hosting Zemayesh , an exhibition by Eli Chissik of colorful, artistic furniture from scraps which he has called “wood-con-fusion.” Using raw materials and offcuts from carpenters, the artist creates rich, new hybrid furnishings that cross over from furniture to sculpture. Assembling random MDF plates, colored Formica, and solid wood, Chissik builds texture and paint and layers into graphic elements, which soon become functional objects. Through personal interpretation, Chissik revives iconic elements characteristics from different periods, and gives an abstract interpretation to the past under names such as “Dada”, “Bauhaus” and others. Photos by Efrat Kooper.

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Zemayesh: Eli Chissik Furniture Art Exhibition

Happy 7th Birthday, Design Milk!

Tomorrow Design Milk will turn 7. We are officially elderly. Please enjoy these llamas in party hats. Thank you to all of you out there who read our site every day

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Happy 7th Birthday, Design Milk!

Cartocci Paper Clay Objects by Paola Paronetto

Italian ceramicist Paola Paronetto’s  Cartocci collection of paper clay objects has grown over time and most recently with new, oversized bottles and bowls. The line gets its unique texture from adding paper pulp and fiber to the ceramic mixture, giving each piece a delicate and tactile quality that screams fragile.

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Cartocci Paper Clay Objects by Paola Paronetto