Living With Nature – Design by Maxime Bellaunay
Just like the famous modernist architects who wanted to ‘live with nature’, I am very much enjoying these objects by French designer Maxime Bellaunay who also has a similar concept of combining nature into his design work. Maxime uses the raw material as his first point of exploration, looking a
Bue & Kloss – Brushes by Poppy Lawman
Poppy Lawman, a British designer based in Oslo, Norway, creates these brush designs that are a wonderful fusion of form and function. The two series that I’m highlighting here today are the Bue and Kloss series. The Bue series is especially striking and is comprised of flowing, fluid forms tha
Journey of Light – Yasuke Lamp by Studio Brichet Ziegler
Studio Brichet Ziegler is an innovative design firm founded by French designers Caroline Ziegler and Pierre Brichet. Their goal is to create functional objects that bear both a technical and a poetic nature. For more than a decade the duo has been developing minimal-looking furniture and lighting pi
Potential of Light – SOZOU Lighting Design
Founded by Melbourne-based designer Kohtaroh Colwell-Matsuura, SOZOU studio specializes in the production of minimal-looking metal lighting pieces that create a Zen-like ambiance. Next to being connected to eastern and western philosophies, the studio’s geometric lamps bring to mind the legacy
Maker Profile – Metalworker Ruka Kikuchi
Ruka Kikuchi, also known by his nickname Lue, makes utensils and accessories out of brass in the Japanese city of Setouchi. Born in 1983 in Soja, a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Ruka trained to be a metalworker under his father Masaaki Kikuchi in early 2000. After a six-year apprenticeship, he
Free Guide – Our Top 10 Locations in Japan
Japan was where my journey began when I started OEN in around 2007. By supporting Japanese artists and highlighting their unique work online I have been lucky enough to travel to the country a few times each year since, which in turn has enabled me to visit many inspiring locations. This free guide
Playful Design – Everyday Objects by Ashley Corbett-Smith
Can everyday objects be functional and fun at the same time? Australian designer Ashley Corbett-Smith creates playful-looking monochromatic functional objects made with long-lasting and sturdy materials like bronze or brass. His designs normally stem from a conceptual analysis of the emotional conne
Microscopic Forms – Glass Objects by Kari Mølstad
Norwegian artist and designer Kari Mølstad creates organic-looking functional and decorative glass objects that mimic nature’s tangible and microscopic forms. Kari’s practice is characterized by her ongoing experimentation with different glass blowing and cutting techniques, including her innov
New in the Shop – Lacquerware Reimagined by SEKISAKA
In the Kawada district of Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, where Echizen lacquer ware is produced, product brand SEKISAKA has been in the lacquerware industry for more than 300 years. In response to the changing times, SEKISAKA produced the series titled STORE with their intent to match our modern life
Reinterpreting Family Keepsakes – In Tangibles by Stine Mikkelsen
How can we rethink the art vs crafts debate? The transdisciplinary practice of Copenhagen-based artist and designer Stine Mikkelsen seeks to uncover new ways in which design, art, and craft can interact with each other. With this intention in mind, through her minimal, monochromatic, and texturized
Beauty Behind the Void – Maung Maung Mirrors by Nina Cho
What is it about mirrors that fascinate and obsess us? Detroit-based artist and designer Nina Cho explores the sculptural and creative possibilities that mirrors can have when being thought of as objects that bear both a functional and almost transcendental nature. Cho’s mirror pieces are as much
More than Meets the Eye – Composite Glass Objects by Joshua Kerley
Nowadays, the centuries-long tradition of glassmaking is being rediscovered and redefined by young artists and designers who are challenging the boundaries of this medium. Such is the case of Joshua Kerley, who creates minimal and colourful kiln-formed glass sculptural objects and a range of functio
