Dezeen Showroom: graphic designer Peter Saville has created a collection of colourful textiles called Technicolour for Kvadrat, comprising three rugs, two curtains and upholstery fabric.
Technicolour, Saville's first-ever textile collection, was informed by the multicoloured sprays used by farmers to distinguish their sheep, which the designer likens to "rural graffiti".
Peter Saville has created a colourful textile collection called Technicolour
"I am excited by how the collection brings the industry of the land, in raw form, into the living environment," explained Saville.
"The collection elements offer an experience of texture and colour, ranging from the expressionistic to the subliminal."
It includes iridescent curtains
Though designed to the same theme, the different Technicolour products each have distinctive textures.
The rugs, which are either handwoven or robot-tufted, have a coarse shaggy finish with bright spots of colour, while the curtains are sleek and iridescent through the use of woven Trevira CS yarns.
The upholstery fabric is available in 11 colourways
The upholstery textile, which is available in 11 colours, has a coarse texture crafted using wool sourced from British sheep.
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PriestmanGoode has unveiled Air 4 All, an aeroplane seating system that will allow powered wheelchair users to remain in their own wheelchairs for the entire journey.
Developed by PriestmanGoode in a consortium with campaign group Flying Disabled and aircraft safety company SWS Certification, the concept is designed for commercial flights and is currently being developed into a prototype.
The aeroplane seat folds up to accommodate a wheelchair in the Air 4 All concept
The concept design looks like a standard airline seat, but the bottom flips up when required to make room for a wheelchair, with a guide track to help position the chair and an attachment system that securely fixes it in place.
If no wheelchairs require access, the seats function as regular airline seats.
PriestmanGoode says Air 4 All will allow airlines to give powered wheelchair users equal access to safe, comfortable and dignified air travel, while letting the companies retain their seat count.
The concept design would allow the Air 4 All seat to be used as standard seating when no wheelchair users require it
"The biggest barrier in the past has been that giving greater space to passengers in wheelchairs would have reduced seat count and resulted in a loss of revenue for airlines," said PriestmanGoode chairman Paul Priestman.
"Air 4 All solves this problem and has the added benefit of enabling airlines to retain the design of their cabin on every seat, ensuring brand consistency and a cohesive brand experience for all passengers," he continued.
"Air 4 All will facilitate a smoother boarding and disembarking experience for PRMs [passengers with reduced mobility] and will also significantly reduce the number of wheelchairs that are damaged through poor handling."
The system could accommodate any powered wheelchair that is certified and has the correct attachment mechanism
PriestmanGoode's vision is for Air 4 All to work similarly to the Isofix/LATCH standards for child safety seats in passenger cars, with various wheelchair models becoming certified for flying.
Both the airline seats and wheelchairs will need to be fitted with the consortium's patented installation and attachment system for Air 4 All to work.
Another partner on the project, wheelchair manufacturer Sunrise Medical, will undertake the task of creating powered wheelchairs that are fit to fly, as well as retrofitting old models.
Eventually, the system will be opened up to all airlines and wheelchair manufacturers.
"In the same way that child seats for cars can be made by many different manufacturers and used on any type of car, our aim for Air 4 All is that it's universal," Priestman told Dezeen.
"At PriestmanGoode we design many trains, trams and buses and for all these modes of transport there are strict requirements to provide positions to allow people to travel on board whilst seated in a wheelchair."
Another appealing factor for airlines is that the seating design could be adapted to conform with their branding
"It is wrong that currently onboard aircraft there is no such provision," Priestman continued. "I believe the Air 4 All system has provided a solution that will at last correct this and allow wheelchair users to travel as they should like everybody else."
PriestmanGoode expects to have a prototype of Air 4 All ready in December 2021.
The initial design is for a narrow-body aircraft with two rows of two seats. It converts the front-row seats and creates a capacity for up to two wheelchairs per row.
PriestmanGoode says it is working with a subsidiary of a major airline to bring the product to market, and the long-term vision is to extend the system to other modes of travel such as rail and metro.
Flying Disabled founder Chris Wood has been campaigning for accessibility in aviation since 2015 and said the consortium was "actively working with all the necessary parties" to ensure its solution was harmonised and fit for purpose.
"Air 4 All is the first system that has been developed jointly by a design agency, a certification body and with input from the disabled community," he said.
"With a leading global wheelchair manufacturer as well as the subsidiary of a major airline on board to develop the product, it's a truly collaborative project."
HW Studio has created a sunken home in the forests of Morelia, in central Mexico, with a vaulted concrete living room that opens out to the site's lush surroundings.
The project, nicknamed "The Hill in Front of the Glen," was completed as a family home outside of Morelia, where HW Studio is based. The low-slung building is partially dug into the ground, lending it its name.
The Hill in Front of the Glen is located in a Mexican forest. Photo is by Dane Alonso
The home's structure is made from concrete, which was left exposed in the interiors. The living spaces are organised beneath the long structural vault, which defines the interiors and helps the building integrate into the landscape.
"This project generates a continuity in the beautiful living surface around the land, forming a new hill in a place already surrounded by many," said HW Studio in a project description.
A corridor flanked by concrete walls leads to the entrance. Photo is by Dane Alonso
Two concrete walls form a corridor leading to the entrance, which is a few steps down from the area's grade. Along this passageway, an existing tree prevents direct views to the front door.
"The path is wide enough to walk comfortably alone, yet narrow enough to discourage accompaniment," said HW Studio.
"Visitors are cast into a pilgrimage of solitude that leads to an old tree with such a significant presence that it was necessary to distort one of the walls with a gentle curve to be able to pass next to it," the firm added.
Concrete walls also feature inside the house
Upon entering the home, this passageway becomes a corridor, which separates the 250 square-metre home's three bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, from the open-concept kitchen, living, and dining areas.
"Public areas on the left side of the house are completely exposed to the wooded ravine, and on the right side are open more timidly to a courtyard with treetop and sky views," the architects explained.
On either side of the home, full-height glass walls bring light to the moody interiors and provide access to the outside.
According to HW Studio, the vault is evocative of protection and shelter and recalls the childhood sensation of snuggling beneath a blanket.
"Pulling a bedsheet over ourselves is a very elemental act that alludes to the most basic part of the self; a bed sheet hides, protects, wraps, and creates a space beneath it that is so safe and intimate as to keep away any spirit, ghost, or demon that may be surrounding the room," said the designers.
The house's curvature can be seen in every room
This curvature is visible in every room of the house and its outline defines the height of the windows, further reinforcing the home's connection to its natural surroundings.
On the interiors, the architects sought to not leave any material exposed besides concrete, wood and steel. "It was very important for the client to preserve the rough and primitive atmosphere of being in the mountains," the architects explained.
The sunken house rises up from the ground
HW Studio was founded in 2010, and is led by Rogelio Vallejo Bores and Oscar Didier Ascencio. It has offices in the Mexican city of Morelia as well as in Valencia, Spain.
The photography is by César Béjar unless otherwise indicated.
Project credits:
Lead architects: Rogelio Vallejo Bores and Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro. Team: Sergio Antonio Garcia Padilla, Jesus Alejandro Lopez Hernandez, Alberto Gallegos Negrete. Construction company: ARGA Constructora
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.
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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.
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