Last year, Maxwell asked the question "Who do you think will be the Alice Waters of the home design world?" In today's New York Times, Penelope Green answers that question as she begins to define "Slow Design" as an off-shoot of the Slow Food Movement that incorporates and celebrates local craftsmen and artisans while being respectful of the environment...
The Slow Life Picks Up Speed looks at several people involved in the Slow Design movement. Featured most prominently is Natalie Chanin (below, in her home) who along with Butch Anthony, created Alabama Chanin. Formerly of Project Alabama, Chanin left when her investors moved the popular clothing production to India! Now, she and Anthony design and develop Slow Design furniture and home goods with artisans in their Florence, Alabama community.
Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma, meets all of her sheep before she uses their wool. We've posted her gorgeous wool poufs.
British designer Alastair Fuad-Luke, created this rattan basket that must be filled slowly to avoid toppling over.
Icelandic designer Thorunn Arnadottir's clock marks time by dropping a bead every five minutes.
London-based design firm Raw Nerve's Slow Design sofa:
"Above all it emphasizes slowness in the creation and consumption of products as a corrective to the frenetic pace of 21st-century life."
(Pics: Herman Wouters, Robert Rausch)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Oh, I do still LOVE those poufs. One day, one day...
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I need to make my own knitted pouf. I think that I can just take my romney wool top and spin that without drafting, and then felt it to make the yarn.
view J. Cipa's profile
slowLab and others have been defining 'slow design' for several years now. Unfortunately, while we curated most of the projects in the article, slowLab didn't get the mention it deserved. We'd love to hear more from this community.
http://www.slowlab.net
view slowLab's profile