-
Corniches by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra : Corniches are no ordinary shelves, but a new way to use a blank wall and a unique storage solution for smaller items. They are described as "individual, isolated protrusions in the environments we make". -
Future Primitives by Muller van Severen : This collection of shelving units comes in various shapes and sizes, including a deck-chair configuration with a tall lamp attached. -
Gravity Stool by Jolan van der Wiel : A "magnet machine" was specially developed to mould these chairs. The magnetic fields above and below a container of polarised metals shape a stool, with the help of gravity. -
A-Collection by Ronan and Erwan Bourellec for Hay : This collection was inspired by an old wooden university trestle chair, and is figured out of the finest oak and beech wood. -
Medici Chair by Konstantin Grcic for Mattiazzi : Three types of wood - thermo treated ash, walnut and douglas - are used to create these unconventionally shaped chairs. -
The Sea Chair by Studio Swine and Kieren Jones : This chair is created entirely from plastic recovered from the ocean floor. -
Re-imagined Chairs by Studiomama (Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama) : The idea behind these chairs is that society needs to readdress its relationship with waste, and to encourage relooking at the unwanted. -
Liquid Glacial Table by Zaha Hadid : The powerful fluid dynamic of this table creates the appearance of the legs pouring from the flat horizontal table top like frozen water. -
Well Proven Chair by by James Shaw and Marjan van Aubel : The Well Proven Chair is made of the sawdust, chippings and shavings waste from wooden furniture production. Using bio-resin, water and temperature the waste is turned into a porridge that is moulded into the seat. -
Tié Paper Chair by Pinwu : The design studio’s second paper chair is inspired by Yuhang Aper Umbrellas - the shell is made from irregularly shaped rice paper sheets, and the shape echoes the classic Chinese horseshoe-back armchair. -
Engineering Temporality by Studio Markunpoika : Using small circular tubular steel to half-cover cabinets and chairs, Tuomas Markunpoika then burnt away the sculptural mould, leaving the charred steel structure behind. -
100 Chairs by Marni : Marni designers reworked the patterns and colour palettes of traditional Colombian chairs woven from PVC threads to create a desirable, one-off range produced by Colombian ex-prisoners.
The London Design Museum have announced their shortlist for Design of the Year 2013. From Zaha Hadid’s Liquid Glacial Table to the Bouroullec’s Corniches, as well as two paper chairs and a stool created using magnetic fields, all 12 of the furniture finalists show a radical use of materials, engineering and form.
Which is your favourite?
See the 22 product designs and 17 architectural designs that are finalists for Design of the Year. See all 90 finalists here or visit the exhibition in London from 20 March to 7 July.
