The range, named A Quartet of Expressions, introduces four new neutral upholstery options for the Beetle chairs, which GamFratesi first launched in 2013.
Suite NY has launched a limited-edition collection of the Beetle dining chairs
"Conceived in 2013, the chair instantly became a modern classic, undisputed in its sophisticated, minimalist elegance," said Suite NY.
"We are thrilled to announce the launch of A Quartet of Expressions, a brand new collection of Beetle Chairs in a stunning assortment of four limited-edition upholstery variants."
There are four new upholstery options
The four new upholstery options are all neutral shades and include a dusky grey velvet and textured off-white fabric.
According to designer GamFratesi, the aim was for each one to offer "different moods and ambiences" to suit various interior spaces.
The chairs can be made with black or brass-coloured legs
"We always knew the Beetle Chair was a versatile piece of furniture, but it has been really interesting to see just how well these four editions evoke such different moods and ambiences just by deploying different materials, colors and textures," GamFratesi explained.
A Quartet of Expressions is now available to purchase in the US exclusively through Suite NY and can be made with either black and brass-coloured legs.
About Dezeen Showroom:Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
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Tesseraux & Partner's BetteAir shower tiles were designed to create a shower that blends into the floor and are among seven new products featured on Dezeen Showroom this week.
The BetteAir tiles are made to seamlessly blend glazed-titanium steel shower trays into bathroom floors. The tiles, which are available in eight sizes – including 900 to 900 and 1,400 to 1,000 millimetres – are easy to clean and durable.
BetteAir tiles were featured on Dezeen Showroom this week, alongside products including a surface material made from recycled paper and an oak step stool.
Read on to see the rest of this week's new products:
PaperStone by CDUK is a service material made from recycled paper and petroleum-free phenolic resin. It is designed to appear like natural stone and can be used for surfaces, furnishings and bathroom products.
The surface material comes in two sizes and three thicknesses of 6, 13 and 19 millimetres. It is available in 11 different colours.
Altura is a step stool for Case Furniture designed by Patricia Perez to have a "sleek yet sturdy design".
It has two-stepped tiers to allow a person to reach high places in the home, and can also be used as a side table and plant stand. The stool comes in oak veneer and is available in a natural or black-stained finish.
Italian designer Lapo Ciatti has designed the Loomi armchair for Opinion Ciatti with a plump padded seat and wide backrest to ensure comfort and privacy.
A 180-degree swivel table, meant to hold books, laptops and tablets, can be added to the chair. The chair comes in leather or fabric, and its solid oak table can be finished in clear lacquer or black.
Vives has launched Anti-Bacterial Ceramics, which is intended to give its tile range permanent hygienic protection. The brand says that the ceramic product reduces bacteria reproduction on surfaces and eliminates viruses.
ABIC can be added to a number of Vives' porcelain wall, floor and exterior tiles, including all of the terrazzo-inspired Pangea collection.
Tylko has increased the number of colours within its Type02 range of customisable storage units, including bookshelves that can be arranged into various patterns.
All products in the range, such as chests of drawers, vinyl storage, shoe racks, bookcases, wardrobes, sideboards and TV stands, are highly customisable through the use of an online configurator.
Dune Ceramica's Terrazo, a multicoloured and hexagonal-shaped tile, is described by the brand as putting an "urban and colourful" take on terrazzo.
Similar to classic terrazzo, it has a neutral base with colourful spots. The tiles are designed to complement all the hues in Dune Ceramica's Chicago collection.
About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience.To launch a new product or collection at Dezeen Showroom, please email showroom@dezeen.com.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
Dezeen promotion: curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and other industry experts came together to discuss the ways in which architecture and design can be utilised to create restorative spaces that improve mental wellbeing.
The talk, hosted by Therme Art, was titled Art and Architecture as Healing: Shaping a Mental Health Economy and took place during this year's Design Miami/Basel.
It comes as part of Therme Art's Wellbeing Culture Forum, a series of online and offline events examining how urban environments can be more connected with nature and, in turn, improve our health.
Therme Art's CEO, Mikolaj Sekutowicz, paired up with Obrist, who is artistic director of London's Serpentine Galleries, to moderate the panel.
They presided over five other speakers, including designer and meditation professional Franziska Kessler, artist Precious Okoyomon, neuroscientist Olaf Blanke, artist Torkwase Dyson, Lonneke Gordijn, who is co-founder of Studio Drift.
Studio Drift's Shy Synchrony installation was the backdrop to the talk
Gordijn suggested that indoor spaces can become more nurturing by making use of technology that is able to simulate the rhythms of the outdoors.
Studio Drift's recent Shy Synchrony installation, which served as the backdrop to this Therme Art talk, explores similar ideas – it is made up of several textile "shylights" programmed to hypnotically rise and fall in a motion that's reminiscent of blossoming flowers.
The work invited visitors of the Design Miami/Basel to become active participants of their built environment by observing the soothing effect of the artwork on their body signals, using Therme Mind's new MYND technology.
The technology is a collaborative project with digital neurotherapeutics platform MindMaze, and creates digital solutions, which interact with users' mind-body functions to promote mental and physical wellbeing.
"Technology can make something that comes close to feeling natural," said Gordijn. "Maybe that sounds weird because you could just take a walk in a forest – but not everyone can do that."
"Our studio uses technology as a learning tool; we try to figure out at what point you can respond to technology in an emotional way, in a way that brings you to a feeling or emotion that you're looking for because you're not getting it from the current environment," she continued.
Hans Ulrich Obrist moderated the talk alongside Therme Art's CEO, Mikolaj Sekutowicz
Kessler went on to propose that busy, high-pressure spaces like offices should include rooms where staff can regularly come together to practice mindfulness or do calming breathing exercises.
"When we have meetings in hostile environments, the energy in the room tends to exhaust itself," Kessler said. "We often forget the fact that we all came together to create something in the first place."
Okoyomon, meanwhile, spoke on the mentally restorative effect of green spaces and how this has come to influence her own artwork. Earlier this year she created a luscious, foliage-filled garden installation for the rooftop of the Aspen Art Museum.
"There are so few spaces where you're allowed to grant yourself a moment of rest and peace because of the constant ferocity of the world and the way it moves," Okoyomon said. "I'm always trying to think of portal spaces where you can find yourself in the world, but also out of time – for me, a garden is one of those."
Speakers included (from left) Franziska Kessler, Precious Okoyomon and Lonneke Gordijn
Therme Art is the cultural incubator of Therme Group. It works to help creatives across the globe realise their large-scale and long-term art projects.
Named after a lighthouse in Perez's hometown, the Mouro lamp features a disc-shaped LED light held within a rectangular frame that doubles as a handle.
The Mouro lamp has a 360-degree adjustment mechanism so it can point in any direction
The central light source can be rotated by 360 degrees to offer directional illumination, while three brightness settings allow the lamp to suit different moods and requirements.
Mouro is portable and can be recharged via a discreet USB port at the bottom of the disc element.
There are three brightness settings to create the desired level of lighting
The compact light has a steel frame that can be powder coated in black, white, grey or blue.
Mouro can be used both indoors and outdoors, although it needs protection from moisture.
About Dezeen Showroom:Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
Vin Varavarn Architects has used local materials and construction techniques incorporating bamboo and soil to design an agriculture learning centre in Thailand's Pak Chong District.
The PANNAR Sufficiency Economic and Agriculture Learning Centre is located on a formerly arid 14-acre (5.7-hectare) site that has been transformed with reservoirs and farming areas, based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and New Theory Agriculture of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The learning centre was designed by Vin Varavarn Architects
Thai studio Vin Varavarn's design, which has been shortlisted in the cultural building category of Dezeen Awards 2021, intends to promote how these ideas of self-sufficiency can apply to construction in rural areas, and not just be confined to traditional building types.
Under a large faceted steel-framed roof clad with local bamboo shingles, the centre comprises a two-storey activity centre with meeting rooms for seminars and workshops, offices and a kitchen alongside an external canteen and gathering spaces.
The building has a folding, geometric roof that was clad in bamboo shingles
"The Activity Centre is placed as the landmark among the vast agriculture fields, designed to facilitate flexible usage with natural light and natural ventilation," explained the studio.
"Local craftsmanship and materials can be transformed to create modern designs which are attractive, well-suited for present-day ways of life, durable as well as achieving harmony with the environment."
It was designed to become a landmark across large agricultural land
Spaces are arranged in the central structure as stacked blocks cantilevering outwards into the covered external spaces. Large windows benefit from the shade provided by the roof and a series of terraces look across the landscape.
Its distinctive orange-brown colour was created by using a local technique of mixing soil with the plaster that was then used to cover the redbrick structure.
The bamboo for the roof was treated by soaking it in one of the canals on the site in order to improve its durability, before cutting it into the required shapes.
With its faceted form, the roof structure is designed to direct water into small channels close to the structure, which in turn lead to the reservoirs on the site to be used during drought season.
The gathering spaces below are finished with concrete floors and no fixed furniture, meaning they can be entirely flexible to suit a variety of uses.
Open-plan spaces beneath the canopy roof meet the agricultural land
"The activity centre reflects the belief that architecture is a living science that must transform and grow with new developments in technology in response to evolving human needs and behaviours," said the practice.
"By valuing local wisdom and encouraging local craftsmen and producers to upgrade their capabilities, the project has served as a bridge between the knowledge of the past and the process of transformation to a more sustainable future for the community."
