Green Design Girl

In The Round by luflic at Interior Design Show ‘09 and Radiant Dark by MADE.

I’ve been trying to catch up on posts from the first half of 2009, during which I attended several design events and exhibitions that blew my mind [and overloaded my camera!].

luflic, creatively directed by Industrial Designer Brent Cordner, is one of the Toronto design companies that immediately caught my eye at the massive Interior Design Show and the cutting edge Radiant Dark exhibit by MADE.

First off, a mention about the company’s unique and clever name: “Luflic is the Old English word for ‘lovely.’ It is pronounced ‘loo-flick’. It was originally used to describe a desirable or attractive person. Over time it also came to describe material objects, suggesting some similarity in our feelings of attachment to both people and things.” Who knew?! Love it!

On to the company’s smart green philosophy: “Our primary environmental stance is simple: Make furniture that is desirable and durable so there is no reason to replace it or throw it away.”

“The longer our products last, the less we will have to remake things. But just as importantly, it is necessary that people cherish the things that we make so that they are cared for and they remain in use… [so that] They are just as much keepsakes as they are useful pieces of furniture. We are trying to bring back the concept that a piece of furniture can once again become an heirloom.”

In The Round takes its fitting name from the style of knitting that is used to create these signature pieces. Designer Cordner explains that the form “is derived from the use of circular knit as upholstery. The resulting form is a continuous loop, almost an outline of a chair that is composed of void as much as it is of solid.” Furthermore, “Each striped version of the chair is unique since it is made by hand which ensures that the size and placement of colours in the composition of the knit varies from piece to piece.” Thereby ensuring that each of these true conversation pieces is one of a kind.

The “high tech meets old tech” nature of In The Round’s manufacturing process is brilliant and an aspect of this collection that impressed me as much as its finished product. Cordner’s description is just too cool to not share with you here [those of you who love reading about the process will dig this]:

“The chair was conceived as one continuous line so that a single knit sock could be pulled over the foam cushioning. The unconventional appearance of the steel frame contrasts with the traditional craft of its felt covering. The frame is made by a Canadian automotive company to exacting standards with a computer numeric controlled bending machine. We make the felted wool knit ourselves with an eighty year old hand-cranked knitting machine of the type that hasn’t changed in design since the 19th century. These diverse ways of making things come together in the same chair to form a sensibility that is at once new and familiar; a ten thousand year old way of making material combined with a relatively new computer technology.”

A huge thanx to Brent Cordner for taking the time to provide me with such detailed information and for speaking with me about his work. As you can see from the above pix, he was kind enough to actually flip the tabletop to his In The Round Table at the Radiant Dark exhibit, so as to show me the fitting and dramatic “dark side” of his beautiful and versatile creation. This was met with great approval from the guests on opening night, who smiled and cheered Brent and his luflic partner David Kral on. Not an easy task to flip a heavy and fragile glass tabletop in the midst of hundreds of wine-sipping, design party fiends enjoying a rowdy weekend art prowl! We won’t soon forget it.

[note :: you can pause the slide show at any point to get a closer look]