Leibal

Maruni Collection 2018 is being unveiled at Salone del Mobile with two new chairs designed by Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison. The Roundish armchair designed by Naoto Fukasawa is characterized by the backrest, the arm and the seat being in a unified shape. A single piece of laminated plywood has been twisted and bent in three dimensions, and the person sitting in it can feel the nice comfort like they are being enwrapped. The Fugu chair designed by Jasper Morrison is a solid-wood chair that is full of the warmth of the amply used wood. With the cutting technology that is the pride of Maruni Wood Industry, the detail of the curved surface is beautifully and finely expressed.

House H is a minimalist residence located in Houthulst, Belgium, designed by dmvA Architecten. A simple detached house, designed on an orthogonal grid of 9 squares with a central patio next to a covered terrace, as a response to the streetside-south orientation and the large scale surrounding apartment buildings. To preserve privacy, all windows can be covered outdoor by floor to ceiling aluminum sliding shutters, referring to the typical rural barn doors.

Constellations is a minimalist coffee table series designed by Milan-based studio Nichetto Studio for Kristalia. The design of Constellations coffee table aims at the essential through the juxtaposition of shapes and materials. As a tribute to the professional and personal encounter between Alexander Calder and Joan Miró squares, semi ellipses and circles can be freely combined to create compositions of surfaces with various thickness and textures. Available in a variety of colors and materials, the tops sits on a metal structure in different sizes so discreet to appearing invisible, giving the effect of an abstraction of levitating objects.

Prop is a minimalist shelving system designed by Lausanne-based studio BIG-GAME for Karimoku New Standard. Prop is a line of shelving and storage units consisting of low boards/ TV boards and sideboards in different sizes. The design is build on the bold, L-shaped side modules that give the shelf great stability while reducing its component parts and creating its characteristic appearance. The well-conceived proportions and details, with easy to use, removable sliding doors, make PROP well suited for storage and display in living rooms, hallways and offices. Prop is crafted from sustainably sourced Japanese oak wood and looks as beautiful from the back as it does from the front.

Profana is a minimalist light created by Brazil-based designer Pedro Paulø-Venzon for Matter Made. According to Giorgio Agamben, to profane is to bring into the human realm that which was only devoted to the gods. This discussion about inversion is the point of departure for Profana, an illumination piece that results from a contemporary rereading of the Brazilian Colonial apparatus, from the order of blurring and from mestizoness. Designed according to a delicate balance, it intends to cause a disruption to Latin American discourses on architecture and religious syncretism, and notes the existence of the cultural drama still in transformation.

PH Thames is a minimalist residence located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, designed by Alonso & Crippa. The original building is over a century old, and is situated in a historic residential neighborhood. The area is slowly transforming into a commercial zone, with shops occupying the ground floor. The home has an internal courtyard that provides abundant natural lighting within the space. Each window has a specific condition – either to frame a view of the exterior, to incorporate light, to provide ventilation or to create an interior-exterior connection.

Solista is a minimalist coat rack created by Milan-based designer Giuseppe Arezzi. A valet stand: no name was more suitable to describe an use. This involves a humble, clearly functional typology, made to serve more than to represent. In fact, it works to support clothes, to fold shirt and trousers, to prepare the evening before what will be worn the next morning, even the small accessories or jewels that complete the daily wardrobe. However, Solista is a valet stand that has detached itself from the choir. It realized that he had his own personality and that he could sing his solo. It becomes aware that it is not invisible and servile, but also beautiful and worthy of being appreciated when it is undressed. And then – like every good soloist – it knows how to return to the chorus of the domestic landscape and give its silent contribution.

Marian is a minimalist house located in Ullastrell, Spain, designed by Carles Marcos. The house sits on the southeast slope of Ullastrell, a tranquil village about 45 minutes from Barcelona. An old concrete mass wall contains the inclined terrain, which is 4 meters high above the street. We chose to preserve it and reinterpret it as a plinth for the new building. The wall becomes the base on which the new house is set. The house, for a couple, must be comfortable, economical and expandable in the future. We propose the program as an addition to rooms that are juxtaposed parallel to the direction of the street, thus occupying as little space as possible on the ground. Built with load walls, the house is projected in two directions. Longitudinally, the sequence of rooms dilutes the general limits of the interior space, emphasized at the same time by the continuous structural rhythm of the unidirectional slab. In the transverse direction, we looked for maximum permeability from the outside through each of the domestic spaces, to promote the entrance of the sun, cross ventilation and the constant visual relationship with the environment. The main rooms of the house make sense as a sum of small spaces, where each room is complemented with other spaces of size and proportion suitable for its use. The outer space, partially inclined, takes shape as a result of the position occupied by the house on the ground and especially its relationship with the boundary defined by the large existing wall.

gré is a minimalist home located in Shizuoka, Japan, designed by Suzuki Architects. This combined home and business sits on the skirts of Nihondaira, a hilly area just outside central Shizuoka City. The neighborhood is a mixture of large old farmhouses, tea fields, and new housing developments, with small shops nestled into the laid-back surroundings. The streets curve slightly as they climb gently toward the hills as if they were built on top of the old paths between fields. They lead, too, to openings where Mt. Fuji suddenly comes into view. It is in just such a spot that this house is located. The first step toward ensuring a smooth coexistence between the house and its surroundings was to think about how walls could be used to provide a sense of separation from the neighborhood and modulate the residents’ level of privacy.

House in Machida is a minimalist home located in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Roovice. The residence is situated on a narrow sloping corner lot. The building sits atop a concrete foundation that is cut away at the lower level to provide space for parking. The interior is characterized by a pegged climbing wall which allows the residents to customize their climbing experience. A portion of the space utilizes corrugated metal to partition the programs, resulting in a industrial yet clean aesthetic. Custom cabinetry and storage were produced in plywood, bringing down the overall cost of construction.

LCX is a minimalist chair created by Switzerland-based designer Florian Hauswirth for Winkler. LCX is a new kind of cantilever chair out of five pieces of bended wood. A fundamental difficulty in furniture making is the transition from the vertical to the horizontal direction. The connections make the main character of this chair. Steam bended wood has a very high consistence and the wood keeps its flexibility. New constructions are possible. In the specific bending technique, solid wood can only bended in one direction. For this reason the LCX chair is made out of U- and L- shapes. The overlapping X stabilizes the chair and effects a compact structure that works like a framework. The individual parts are arranged in a way that the leg structure is interwoven with the back and creates a seating area. Because of its flexible construction cantilever chairs are ideally for dynamic seating. Traditional handicraft aptitude meets modern unconventional design.

T Lamp is a minimalist light designed by Seoul-based studio Atelier Sohn. The designer reinterpreted figurative characteristics of the capital T into a unique mood lamp. People can lean the T lamp against a wall or place it on the floor in a living room or anywhere they like as a mood lamp. Cylinder shape of bottom part helps to stand up stably by providing an appropriate weight. Also, the cylinder part beautifully balances with a top shape. The lamp is made through traditional techniques such as laser cutting and welding powder coated.

Air Lids is a minimalist kitchenware collection created in collaboration between nendo and Daikin. Daikin produces fluoroelastomer which is made from the same raw material that makes substances used in its air conditioning systems. Fluoroelastomer is a high- performance rubber which is commonly used in the automotive industry. This material has outstanding heat, oil and acid resistance and excels in preventing changes in color and shape over a long period of time. This fluoroelastoemer, which is made from the same raw materials that assist in supplying pleasant air to people, has a silkier touch than regular silicone rubber, mimicking the same “airy” quality as if directly touching something materialized from the air itself, which normally cannot be touched. In order to best express the material’s characteristics and properties, a variety of functional kitchenware lids were designed each showcasing different possibilities.

New Sculptural Minimalism is a minimalist collection of designs created in collaboration between Maria Bruun and Pernille Andersen. Set designer Pernille Andersen and Furniture designer Maria Bruun join forces in the series ‘New Sculptural Minimalism’ to show their vision on giving danish design a new direction by adding a more bold yet minimalistic and playful feeling to their design. They are drawn towards new design horizons – to break free from old traditions and dogmas, using their own conceptual approach. They wanted to strip everything down to a minimum by using the non-space and very few materials. The photographic layout was essential to ad character and space to the story. The concept of the white sheet is a dream about creating everything and nothing out from “it”.

Rise Bookstand is a minimalist bookstand designed by Brooklyn-based studio Sun at Six. Sun at Six works with families, artisans, and traditional joinery masters from Guangzhou, China, some of whom we’ve worked with for 20 years. They specialize in ancient Chinese woodworking technique, continuing a long history of craftsmanship with our work now featured in the Forbidden City. They make their furniture using classical Chinese joinery, a fading traditional art-form passed down from generation to generation, which uses intricate, interwoven joints to create furniture without the use of any nails or screws. Rise Bookstand is a floating stand for books, records, and display. Wide panels showcase the natural grain of white oak, and tung oil is hand rubbed.

Degree is a minimalist kitchen system created by Copenhagen-based designer Cecilie Manz for Reform. Cecilie Manz has designed a kitchen based on simple principles; balancing functionality and a hospitable atmosphere. The steel countertop is a practical and raw expression that is balanced with warm shades of the cabinet fronts; the golden Oregon Pine and rich painted grey. The wood grain of the Oregon Pine is laid at a 45 degree angle, softly contrasting with the horizontal and vertical lines of the kitchen. The geometric notch handle is placed in the corner of each front and adds a graphic element to the kitchen. The simple details and honest materials create a classic but modern look. A comfortable backdrop for everyday life.

Tempo is a minimalist series of lighting archetypes built into a single system designed by Barcelona-based studio Lievore Altherr for Vibia. Tempo is the result of a challenging idea: different Lighting Archetypes built into a single system. We analyzed and defined archetypes from different cultures and regions, concentrated on three, reduced these to their most essential expression and finally brought them together into a system of fixing elements such as hanging versions and different arms. The challenge was to make it work as one single system, but maintain the identity of each archetype – finding a common balance within a family of individuals. Lightness, the interplay of opacity, translucence and transparency, and atmosphere are central themes for the Tempo collection. Three different glass shapes offer varied lighting effects – one like a classic bulb under a reflector meant to send light to the floor; one like the classic opaline globe reinterpreted with a soft shape and blurred effect that mixes general with floor oriented light; and another is a reduction of the angular opaline lamps offering a diffuse general light. All of them respond to different expressions and lighting situations, and can be used with diverse pendant and arm solutions. The structure can be interpreted in graphite black, broken white, matte gold and a soft grey-green. Together with the lamp shades the system allows endless interpretations.

Tunbridge Winter Cabin is a minimalist cabin located in Tunbridge, Vermont, designed by New Affiliates. A small painting studio on 65 acres in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The structure was designed and built in eight months, a quick project as an informal getaway while we work on a larger house on the same property. The design is based on Vermont’s strange aggregate structures: where barns, houses, and sheds all grow on and around each other–clustering, it almost seems, for warmth. The studio is set off-angle from the living area, and windows throughout present picturesque tableaux of the landscape.

N01 is a minimalist chair created by Tokyo-based designer nendo for Fritz Hansen. Launching for Milan Design Week, the chair will be the first since Arne Jacobsen’s Grand Prix model to be constructed entirely of wood for Danish brand. The structure of the chair will be constructed entirely of wood while the seat and seat back produced in a layered veneer, utilizing Fritz Hansen’s plywood forming technique. The joints are combined in a way to appear as though they are not touching, producing a refreshing contemporary aesthetic while maintaining the traditions of the brand.

Two Apartments Across the Park is a minimalist apartment located in Chiba, Japan, designed by SO&CO. The exterior consists of a raw concrete facade with a triangular staircase leading to a small alleyway entrance hidden from view. The interior contrasts against the exterior by utilizing warm materials and light wooden floors. For each loft, the wooden floors extend upward to the wall furthest from the entrance.

Shift is a minimalist shelving system designed by London-based studio Layer, spearheaded by Benjamin Hubert, in collaboration with Really, an initiative in partnership with Kvadrat. ForewordReally’s second exhibition at Milan’s Salone del Mobile 2018 showcases projects by seven designers using Really’s first new materials made from upcycled end-of-life textiles. As well as demonstrating the potential of Solid Textile Board and Acoustic Textile Felt for use in furniture and interiors, the designers explore the changing narrative of textile resources and the massive changes and opportunities of the shift to a circular economy where end-of-life will become the start of a new life. With his design for Shift, Benjamin Hubert also plays on the idea of transformation. In its closed state, Shift is a flat acoustic wall panel. Using an elegantly minimal mechanism, panels unfurl like fabric to create an active shelving and storage unit.

House SE is a minimalist home located in Melbourne, Australia, designed by Walter&Walter. An early Victorian workers cottage has a familiar and specific spatial quality. The project embodies concepts that support small footprint living while also revisiting spatial traditions of the original house by exploring alternatives for the organization of small spaces. Focusing on the qualities of individual rooms a home has been curated out of separate yet connected spaces. Allowing activity to occur in both a horizontal and vertical direction, creating space for play, for both children and light.

Custom Brass Desk is a minimalist desk created by Los Angeles-based designer Brian Thoreen. Thoreen creates furniture, architectural installations, and unique design objects that gather their ethos from the integral nature of the materials within the application. The drawers of the desk are constructed of walnut, contrasting nicely against the brass framework. On the surface of the desk, there are two cord organizers.

Museum Princessehof is a minimalist space located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, designed by i29. This anniversary was the motive for a major renovation of the museum, with the goal of increasing its appeal and accessibility to visitors. i29 interior architects created a surprisingly modern interior in the monumental buildings, which date from the 18th century. The design features an entrance hall including the museum store and tearoom, the museum square and exhibition areas for the vast collections. The 18th century in 2018 The main challenge was to create a welcoming and contemporary entrance area in the rather closed monumental buildings. A timeless interior that matches the museum as a place for inspiration and surprise. In addition, the museum wanted to reorganize their comprehensive collection with the goal of having a clear and surprising experience.

O.E Side Tables is a minimalist collection of side tables designed by Berlin-based studio D´ STUD´IO. Open Ending is a design concept that is based on adaptability to fulfill the intension of the user rather than producing a predetermined product for a specific use. This concept is based on various connecting components and stiffening elements that attach semi-finished pieces in various ways transforming them into a diverse series of potential objects. The result is a product that is not stagnant, but always open to change with us. Every component that is utilized in the product can be easily disassembled and reconfigured into new forms.

Panorama Chair is a minimalist chair designed by Berlin-based designer Geckeler Michels for Karimoku New Standard. Panorama is a plain, universal chair, made of sustainably sourced Japanese oak wood, that complements Karimoku New Standard’s iconic range of high-end wood crafted furniture. It offers high versatility with a focus on professional applications from meeting rooms, lecture halls to restaurants. The generously dimensioned and elaborately bent plywood seat and backrest have a striking, unique linear look, that evokes sheets of paper. The chair family features versions with compact yet comfortable armrests and with runners that allow a forward tilting sitting position for active working environments. Karimoku New Standard introduces Panorama in the new color Night Blue.

Aesop Jiyugaoka is a minimalist Aesop store located in Tokyo, Japan, designed by ciguë. The space features a raw aesthetic, comprised mainly of concrete and the use of fiberglass laminated resin mounted on vibrated aluminum for the product display shelves. The resin not only has an earthy appearance, but is also semi-transparent as well. The fiberglass can be produced with curved features, thus the shelves and the structure itself are softly curved. The checkout and sink counters are constructed in terrazzo.

Musa is a minimalist lamp designed by Stockholm-based studio Note Design Studio for Vibia. Musa is a lamp of organic qualities that attracts the eye due to its lighting function. A delicate and elegant design where a symbiotic interaction is established between the small hand blown opal glass-sphere and the dish that holds and reflects it. The distinctive composition of two circles, one of light and the other of support, marks its balanced formal expression and its functional performance as a lamp. The slightly textured concave aluminum base captures the light from the simple diffuser and amplifies it smoothly. It’s made in three color options: white, salmon and mink grey, that adds to the warm quality of the lamp.

House in Porto is a minimalist residence located in Porto, Portugal, designed by João Vieira de Campos. The project presents a single-family home divided in two separate volumes – main house and external supporting facilities – arranged in order to confer a rational balance to the diversity of uses to the surrounding outside spaces. The house has two floors. The ground floor has a garage for two cars, a kitchen and a living room with a small home office. The 1st floor has four bedrooms, toilets and a laundry room. The exterior spaces are divided into two groups; access to the main house – gray entretons – and garden spaces which have direct relation to the living room, kitchen and balcony of the rooms. The refined texture of the concrete in the walls and exterior ceilings, metals and glass are the main constructive elements.

MWP15 is a collective housing complex located in Chiba, Japan, designed by SO&CO. The property is situated on a deformed site facing the elevated Kesei Line. The architects wanted to create to L-shaped volumes that would be arranged to have a small courtyard in the middle. In order to expand the interiors, the architects decided to use thinner wall insulation through the use of a steel wall refractory. The interiors feature light wood and concrete flooring to clearly delineate the internal programs.

Apartment #114 is a minimalist apartment located in Tokyo, Japan, designed by G architects studio. This is a renovation project of a side corridor-type multiple dwelling house, first sold at the end of 1970s. The original layout was for a rather small three-bed room apartment, which was typical for a condominium apartment during this period. The original layout was designed to optimize the economic efficiency and functionality from the developer’s point of view – taking into account the standard lifestyle of the 1970s Japan. The layout was so clear that it was obvious as to where to put certain furniture in the living room, for example. However, such an “optimized” layout somewhat forced occupants to live the standardized life of the era, which seemed to limit the way they lived, and was experienced as rather suffocating.

House Touguinhó III is a minimalist residence located in Vila do Conde, Portugal, designed by Raulino Silva Architect. On the site, that was being used as a planting field, we found the typical granite walls, a stone pit, some fruit trees and bushes. Those walls were recovered and the trees, the bushes and the stone pit were kept in their original place, in order to preserve the identity of the site. The strong slope of the topography of about 5 meters between the street and the top of the site defined the planning of the house in two floors, nevertheless it was sought that both floors had direct connection with the outside garden. In the lower floor, which occupies half of the implantation, we have a porch that allows car parking but can also be used for other activities, like children’s parties. From this space, we have access to the laundry, to a toilet, a storage room, the technical area and to the atrium that allows access the upper floor through the stairs.

Bue Stool is a minimalist stool created by in collaboration between Noidoi and Visibility. Sharing a common interest in the idea of mindful living, Noidoi and Visibility set out to design an object that inspired a more thoughtful approach to everyday life. Where they landed was Bue, a stool initially inspired by a 1940s Swiss prayer knee-rest; an object solely characterized by its emphasis on mindfulness. Through a continuous dialogue, the form was refined and the stool’s characteristics began to take shape- namely a linear wooden frame and a channeled upholstered seat, which take great care to produce but emanate a familiar simplicity. More than its physical value, it refers to the process of understanding each other as design studios through creating a common ground where new ideas can evolve. To highlight this encounter, the product merges two main materials: American Oak and Norwegian wool, representing each of the two countries of origin.

Blue Notes is a minimalist house located in Northcote, Australia, designed by Golden. This period-style home was updated with new joinery and furniture for a six-piece, music-loving family. The updates – all minimalist lines, bold shapes and grand scales – offer modern counterparts to the original Edwardian architecture. Music threads through the house with clever, custom joinery accommodating oft-used instruments in the music room; and in the television-free living room, his-and-hers reading chairs and an oversized Molteni sofa accommodate sprawling listening-sessions around a cherished vinyl record player.

Iradug is a minimalist residential building located in Balzers, Liechtenstein, designed by Schneider Türtscher. The home is situated within a picturesque mountain landscape between Austria and Switzerland. The interior utilizes herringbone wood flooring with large glazings to provide ample natural light. Below each window is a custom-built wooden ledge that provides additional storage and seating.

New Wood Plan is a minimalist furniture collection designed by Barcelona-based studio Lievore Altherr. The Barcelona-based studio specializes in product design & development, strategic consulting, creative direction, art direction, and ephemeral architecture for internationally recognized design companies. For this particular project, nature meets technology. The warmth of wood, without the maintenance. Inspired by the simple gesture of a wooden bench built to stand the test of time, New-Wood Plan introduces a new material that retains the tactile feel and luster of wood grain, but that will not diminish over time. Made from 100-percent recyclable, sustainable natural fibers.