The Caret lamp reimagines the green-shaded "bankers lamp" that sits in many public libraries and gives it a clean, contemporary form.
The Caret lamp is made of lacquered steel and comes in either dark burgundy or silk grey
Fogale designed it to suit environments that blur the line between work and home and named it after the proofreading mark used to indicate the additional insertion of text.
"I love the idea that this is exactly what this portable lamp is meant to do – to be added to your bookshelf in between your books or sat on a table in between people," Fogale said.
Its form is based on the classic "bankers lamp" often seen in libraries
Caret is made entirely from lacquered steel and comes in dark burgundy or grey silk.
Fogale describes the colours as elegant, and says they will endure the passing of time and trends while complementing both dark and light wood tones.
Available from the end of February, the Caret lamp is one of two products on Dezeen Showroom launched by &Tradition as part of its New for Spring launch. The second is the Margas lounge chair.
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.
Furniture designer Mari Koppanen has resurrected a suede-like material, historically made in parts of central Romania from hoof fungus, to upholster a rotund stool and matching bench.
The Fomes range was designed in homage to its titular fungus, which is also known as fomes fomentarius and grows mushrooms shaped as a horse's hoof. Its wooden legs are made from the same birch trees on which it commonly grows.
These are topped with fluffy wool seats and enveloped by sheets of amadou, a leathery material derived from the fruit of the fungus that craftsmen in the region of Transylvania have been using to fashion alpine-style hats and other accessories since the 1840s.
The Fomes collection includes a stool and bench
By reimagining it for use in contemporary furniture, Koppanen hopes to preserve this dying skill as well as exploring the material as a substitute for animal leather.
"The craft is in danger of disappearing as the number of families practising it has reduced noticeably during the past decades," said Koppanen, who is researching amadou as part of her doctorate at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
"It is a unique craft and the material could have big potential in the future," she told Dezeen. "Compared to leather, it does not require killing an animal or heavy processes of soaking, tanning and dyeing. The material is fully biodegradable, cruelty-free and natural."
The stool's base and bench's four legs are made from birch wood wrapped in amadou
Koppanen started learning how to work with amadou for her master's project four years ago, spending a week with some of the families who have been practising the craft in the eastern Transylvanian village of Corund since the 19th century.
Although few practitioners remain, she says the tools and techniques are the same as they were almost 200 years ago.
"The knowledge is transferred from mouth to mouth and has been passed from one generation to another," the Finnish designer explained.
Fluffy wool upholstery covers the plump seats
The process starts by using a sharp sickle to peel away the hard, crusty outer layer of the hoof fungus.
This reveals its spongey insides, which are trimmed into shape and carefully stretched and flattened out by hand using small circular motions before being left to dry.
"It looks easy but requires lots of practice and knowledge," Koppanen said. "You will also have to know which fungi to pick by looking at their age, colour and shape. I got my tuition from the experts but I'd definitely need 10 more years to master it."
Amadou is wrapped around the base of the stool and the legs of the bench
Traditionally, pieces of amadou are connected using a glue made from animal bone collagen. But Koppanen has instead opted for a vegan bookbinding glue, sourced from a small shop in her native Helsinki.
The mushroom leather itself has a texture and warm brown colour that is reminiscent of suede, although its fibres are shorter and slightly less durable.
Amadou has long been used as kindling and scraps of the material were found on the mummified remains of Ötzi the Iceman, who died in the Alps more than 5,200 years ago.
But amadou's spongey texture also makes it highly absorbent, with dentists using it to stem bleeding before the advent of medical cotton.
"The material seals the liquid inside itself and has an anti-inflammatory effect," Koppanen said.
"The fruiting body of this fungus can grow for up to 10 years, which is a long time for a mushroom, so it produces antiseptic enzymes to defend itself from different threats such as insects and larvae."
The material has a suede-like finish
Koppanen has used amadou as a substitute for animal leather in a range of contemporary design pieces, including bags and vests.
But large-scale adoption of the material is limited by its supply, and according to the designer should always go hand-in-hand with an appreciation of its history.
The material is made from the flesh of the hoof fungus
"Tinder mushrooms grow widely in Europe and North America but they require quite a specific environment and circumstances to grow the soft and flexible layer needed to make amadou," she said.
"It is a limited resource, not only geographically but also because you have to be a talented handcrafter to know which mushrooms to pick and how to process them," she added.
"I don't believe amadou offers a direct alternative to harmful textile and leather mass production – at least not yet," she added. "But it offers us a great direction to strive for."
The fungus is peeled using a sharp sickle. Photo is by the designer
Mushroom leather has become a buzzword in the fashion industry in recent months, as major brands including Hermès, Stella McCartney and Adidas are experimenting with using the material as an alternative to animal hides.
Rather than relying on a traditional craft process like amadou, these are generally produced in labs by biomaterial companies and make use of the root system of fungi, known as mycelium, rather than their fruits.
Dezeen promotion: architectural manufacturer Kawneer has launched a premium service named Kawneer Collaborative to help architects achieve "bold architectural visions and specific requirements" for aluminium building systems.
Kawneer Collaborative guides architects in the creation of bespoke aluminium wall and glazing systems using Kawneer's products.
This includes the "ideation, costing and design, through to visualisation, specification and realisation". It offers a tailored experience "taking off-the-shelf products and customising them to bring bold visions to reality".
Global logistics company Kinaxis has used the system. Top image: University of Washington's Life Sciences Building
"Kawneer Collaborative can help architects, contractors and building owners to meet every individual requirement, from inspiring iconic designs to driving performance and sustainability," said Kawneer.
Kawneer Collaborative assembles a team of experts to overview all aspects of the design and delivery process. BIM 360 software is used to create a digital model that becomes central to product development.
The design team are then able to explore different solutions to help find the most suitable approach. Afterwards, the production team manages everything, from extrusion and finishing to fabrication and assembly.
"Guiding customers from ideation, costing and design, through to visualisation, specification and realisation, the unique process takes them on a custom journey to achieve the pinnacle of construction," said Kawneer.
The system allows architects to create customised aluminium building systems. Image: Lindberg Station parking Deck, Minneapolis Airport
One project that has taken advantage of this service is the 14,000-square-metre headquarters building for global logistics company Kinaxis, located in Ottawa, Canada.
Designed by McRobie Architects + Interior Designers, the building features a customised version of Kawneer's 2500UT Unitized Curtain Wall System to create a facade that combines ribbon-like windows with metal panels.
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Kinaxis's headquarters is located in Ottawa, Canada
The bespoke solution also helped to create a more efficient construction process, thanks to a comprehensive package of drawings and workflow instructions produced at the design stage.
"Allowing the BIM model and shop drawings to come from a single source added value to the schedule by saving post-approval time, ensuring stakeholder alignment and reducing risk," added Huffman.
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For more information about Kawneer Collaborative, visit its website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Kawneer Collaborative as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership contenthere.
Architecture studio Kengo Kuma and Associates has built a pavilion with a textile roof supported by bamboo stalks on the grounds of a temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Named Kyoto Yudo Pavilion, the structure designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates was built in a bamboo grove within the temple site.
Kengo Kuma and Associates designed the Kyoto Yudo Pavilion for a temple in Japan
The studio used Tyvek, a synthetic fabric made from polyethene fibres, to weave a geometric pattern of diamonds that is supported by the living bamboo.
"When I saw the beautiful bamboo forest, I wondered if I could use the bamboo as a pillar," said Kengo Kuma and Associates founder Kengo Kuma.
"By leaving as much of the living bamboo as possible and using it as a support, I was able to eliminate the vertical element," he told Dezeen.
"By weaving the Tyvek into three dimensions, I transformed a simple flat surface into a three-dimensional work of art."
It stretches across an outdoor spa area
The fabric was tied to the bamboo stalks that surround the opening in the grove while an outdoor bath was placed at the centre of the clearing to form a spa-like area.
Inside the Kyoto Yudo Pavilion dappled light filters through the grove and the white oscillating fabric.
"The material was selected because it was the closest to Japanese paper, which transmits light, in a material that combines water resistance, tensile strength, and light weight," said Kuma.
The pavilion was designed to be an intimate space for guests that invites its visitors to connect with the serene and calming surroundings.
"The method of using the surrounding live bamboo as a support for the cloth is 'defeated architecture' itself, and the white cloth sways as the wind blows," said the studio.
It filters light into the opening of the bamboo grove
"A bathtub was placed underneath this 'fabric architecture' to create a semi-outdoor bath where visitors could play with the hot water in the filtered light," the studio continued.
"We believe that softness is necessary for buildings that are inserted into nature. We want something softer than wood, we are very interested in the possibilities of fabrics."
In 2020, Japanese architect and practice founder, Kengo Kuma collaborated with artist Geoff Nees to create a circular pavilion from timber collected from Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Danish studio Tableau and designer Ari Prasetya have filled the Connie-Connie cafe at the Copenhagen Contemporary art gallery with chairs created by 25 designers from leftover wood.
Tableau and Prasetya designed the cafe as a new addition to Copenhagen Contemporary, an international art centre in a former welding facility in the city's Refshaløen area.
Above: various wooden seating designs decorate the cafe. Top: the designs were made by 25 different designers. Photo is by Marco van Ritj
As the cafe is located within the gallery, Tableau, which created the overall spatial design for the 150-metre-square space, wanted to explore how furniture can also be art.
"We really wanted to showcase how furniture can become functional pieces of art and also how a spatial design can be dictated by a material and a direction involving multiple designers, artists and architects," Tableau creative director Julius Værnes Iversen told Dezeen.
Ari Prasetya designed the cafe's bar
The studio worked with Australian designer Prasetya, who was in charge of the design and manufacturing of the bar as well as a number of other furniture pieces in the space.
They collaborated with 24 other creatives to create seating for the cafe. All the seats were made from leftover wood from Danish flooring brand Dinesen.
Designers, architects and artists made the chairs from leftover wood
"We chose to work with Dinesen offcuts," Iversen explained. "I have always been fascinated by the company and especially the quality of their material."
"The offcuts are leftover material from their plank production, so we also made use of a material which has little usage normally," he added.
The 150-square-metre cafe is in an art centre
Tableau aims to works with a large number of artists, designers and architects on its projects, as the studio believes that diversity in design and art produces the most interesting result.
For Connie-Connie, the only parameters the studio gave the designers was the size of each seat and the requirement that it should be comfortable.
Participants were given the freedom to design what they wanted
"We curated the participants being very aware of which type of designer, artist or architect we wanted to take part," Iversen said.
"So the finished result showcases quite well how we curate in Tableau in general. We like a large variety of directions."
Prasetya, who created three of the chairs, said working with just leftover wood didn't pose any difficulty.
"For me, it’s more dependent on the material choice, where you have many different ways to work with specific species of wood," he told Dezeen.
"Obviously strength and construction is very important, so being aware of which part of the tree, grain direction all have to be considered."
Prasetya's red chair Stine's Desire (right in picture) towers over the others
Prasetya's three chairs for the space include the asymmetrical Genno and the more classic Armmi as well as Stine's Desire, which he describes as a "phallic reflection and expression."
"A play on size, scale, that demonstrates societies constant idea of 'the bigger the better', Stines chair was created through humorous banter about desire and a mention of the false perception of always wanting more," Prasetya said.
The cafe takes its colours from the packaging protecting the wood
The interior of the Connie-Connie cafe was painted in a green colour that contrasts against the clean natural wood colour on most of the seating and also nods to the furniture's origins.
"To make a cohesive spatial design with an eclectic collection of furniture, we chose to colour all floors and walls in a monotone green color," Iversen said.
"A color we found from the packaging of the Dinesen wood planks when visiting the production in the south of Denmark together with the artists," he added.
"Normally their planks are delivered with this significant colored cover to protect it from rain and moist."
The material was leftover from Dinesen's wooden flooring
All of the pieces at Connie-Connie will be sold either as singular originals or reproductions.
