Designer of the Day: Sophie de Vocht

Sophie de Vocht is a young Dutch designer.

She has designed a number of different creations from clocks to furniture to plastic frogs. (I'm crazy for her frog.)

For the Italian furniture company Casamania she designed this lounge chair.

The Loop Chaise Lounge features a metal frame constructed with gigantic woven yarn.


She was inspired by the technique of tufting.

The seat and back are tightly woven, the weave gradually becomes looser spilling out on the floor.

The concept is an object that works as both carpet and furniture.

What triggers your thoughts?

Crochet pot holder from the 70s?

Beautiful 18th-century dress with a fitted bodice that explodes into a skirt?

Or disemboweled intestines?*


do not google
image these words. i anticipated to see woodcuts from the middle ages,
but this horrendous practice apparently still continues in some parts
of the world.

Images from Sophie de Vocht, Casamania and designboom

Item of the Day:: Planter Table by Emily Wettstein

I'm not getting any exercise. After the terribly long and cold winter, I made myself promise to run several miles a day. Now that spring has arrived, I still haven't upheld this declaration. I've been walking. Slowly. There are too many glorious tulips to see. Cut tulips don't seem to last that long and there isn't enough impact when potted for the indoors. And then I came across this:

Emily Wettstein's Table.

The 25-year old Brooklyn resident created this reclaimed timber and metal dining table she designed for her graduate school application.

A pair of reclaimed walnut planks raised in 1/4" sheets of steel. The sinuous, elliptical shaped opening between the planks reveals a Lucite planter underneath -- very unexpected. (And very feminine.) I love the rough rigid rusted steel sheets (very masculine) juxtaposed by the warm patina of the curving wood, and then finished off with the textural lushness of the grass. This is where I'd plant my tulips. See more of her stuff HERE ; (all images from her site). Down, down kitty!

Inga Sempé (b.1968)

A French furniture designer who created a small, compact sofa to work in proportion with smaller apartments. This design caught my eye when I was craning my neck to read the Financial Times House & Home Section over the shoulder of someone sitting on a plane. The sofa is light and airy. Made from a beechwood frame, it is upholstered in a sort of quilted duvet with cross-hatching of interrupted seams. She named her work: Ruché.


Although it looks as if a comforter cover was simply thrown over a stiff frame, the construction of the sofa is much more complex. It similar to a mattress and has a combination of layers of memory foam for comfort and sprung steel grill for stability. Sempé wanted her sofa to appear uncomplicated -- raised from the ground by a simple structure supporting a comfortable seat. The legs terminate in beveled feet which lends to more of a refined shape.
The height of the armrests is the same as the back. And if the thought of nestling yourself in a duvet cover while watching your favorite BravoTV show wasn’t enough, the armrests are mounted on elastic webbing which allows you to lean back comfortably while you sip on some wine and munch on white cheddar cheese flavored popcorn.



Ruché also is available in a one-arm settee version with an integral table surface at the end so you can conveniently place your bottle of wine without having to wait to get up during the commercials to pour yourself another glass.


This is a great idea for a narrow room or a small space -- a sofa and table all in one. Made for Ligne Roset, Ruché marries the unusual and the traditional; comfortable and practical. You can choose from a few velvety colors and stained or natural wood finish.



Her former employer? The design doyenne Andrée Putman.



Sempé pictured above (love her tights). See Sempé's site with many more great designs: HERE.

(images from DesignBoom and Sempé's site)