Saving Grace by Adrien Rovero @ Droog
A line from the bio of Adrien Rovero states that he observes “everyday life with humour and distance” and that he “captures iconic situations and infuses them with poetry.” If so, the Swiss-based designer couldn’t be more perfectly suited for working with Droog, the masters of quirky and thought provoking Dutch design [whose name incidentally means “dry” in Dutch, cheekily referring to their sense of humour].
Dry, indeed. A humour that I’ve been appreciating for years, ever since falling head over heels for their 85 Lamps fixture during my studies at Parsons. I was tempted to sneak that industrial masterpiece into every project I worked on, but I did restrain myself and used it only once… and then opted for many of their other playful pieces. I could have been a Droog sales rep in design school — either that or Karim Rashid’s publicist. My architect professors know how much time I spent admiring both.
Of course, I’m now waiting for Rody Graumans to come up with an eco-friendly version of 85 Lamps — perhaps radically pared down and completely outfitted in energy-saving CFL’s. A mini eco version would be sweet.
For now, I’m more than happy to fill my Droog quota with Adrien Rovero’s Saving Grace collection, a series of clever lampshades that are actually shaped around the contours of CFL’s — both the lightbulb and tube versions. They’re made from sandblasted glass and emit a soft, warm glow.
Rovero explains that his goal was to “take advantage of these bulbs and their amazing shapes”, allowing us to “discover the form of the tube through the glass.” A successful case of form following function, but with an eco twist. Who says green can’t be quirky?
.:Karim Rashid, with one of my fave design quotes…
…and a good antidote to Philippe Starck’s “Design is dead” statement.
A quote from Philippe Starck, during what I hope was a momentary crisis, caused by the utter exhaustion of being one of the design mega-superstars of the world.
Ahhh, Philippe, mon chéri. You and Karim Rashid have always been my post.modern faves, but now you tell me that “Design is dead?”
I still adore you and your sheer wackiness [even after suffering horrendous food poisoning from your gorgeous Bon in Paris] and I can see your point about materiality, but design being dead? …mais sérieusement, mon ami, this time you’ve gone too far.
![Grobal Self-Watering Pot by Karim Rashid + Treg Bradley.
It’s ironic that Green Design Girl is lacking a “green thumb” [believe me, I’ve tried]. Blame it on constant travel and 14 hour days on set, those gifted plants just didn’t stand a chance. So when I saw these stylish self-watering pots and read “Grobal is planet care evolved; no green thumb necessary”, I was sold. Of course, it did help that they were designed by one of my all-time fave designers, Karim Rashid.
Rashid created these fun and biomorphic designs for the Grobal, which was cleverly conceived by Treg Bradley, the organic planting expert behind Botanicare. The Grobal is described as a self-watering “techno-organic” base for growing plants in the digital age. It basically draws water and nutrients from a reservoir up into the Grobal Soil in the upper chamber [see next post for diagram]. It’s also easy to know when your little friend needs watering, with its handy water level indicator on the exterior.
As for its smooth and organic shape, Rashid explains “The iconic egg-like object functions as the foundation for new life - it is a material visualization of digital and sensual technology and nature synthesizing”. There just might be hope for my green-deprived thumb after all.
::more self-watering pots here::](http://25.media.tumblr.com/JEVcJTTe66e19zdzhzzo3ywK_500.jpg)
Grobal Self-Watering Pot by Karim Rashid + Treg Bradley.
It’s ironic that Green Design Girl is lacking a “green thumb” [believe me, I’ve tried]. Blame it on constant travel and 14 hour days on set, those gifted plants just didn’t stand a chance. So when I saw these stylish self-watering pots and read “Grobal is planet care evolved; no green thumb necessary”, I was sold. Of course, it did help that they were designed by one of my all-time fave designers, Karim Rashid.
Rashid created these fun and biomorphic designs for the Grobal, which was cleverly conceived by Treg Bradley, the organic planting expert behind Botanicare. The Grobal is described as a self-watering “techno-organic” base for growing plants in the digital age. It basically draws water and nutrients from a reservoir up into the Grobal Soil in the upper chamber [see next post for diagram]. It’s also easy to know when your little friend needs watering, with its handy water level indicator on the exterior.
As for its smooth and organic shape, Rashid explains “The iconic egg-like object functions as the foundation for new life - it is a material visualization of digital and sensual technology and nature synthesizing”. There just might be hope for my green-deprived thumb after all.
Grobal Self-Watering Pot by Karim Rashid + Treg Bradley.
The inner workings of the clever Grobal.
