Thursday, August 13, 2009

Reflective design

The Juicy Salif, designed by Philip Starck in 1990 for Alessi, is considered one of the icons of industrial design. Originally made of cast and polished aluminium, on its tenth anniversary 10,000 gold-plated versions were made. However, citric acid in a lemon discolors and erodes the gold plating. Starck is rumored to have said, "My juicer is not meant to squeeze lemons; it is meant to start conversations".

The DNA staircase, designed by Ross Lovegrove in 2003, looks like a strand of life itself. Lovegrove likes to say DNA -- design, nature, art -- lies at the heart of his work. This staircase is made out of fiberglass and unidirectional carbon using a contemporary manufacturing technique called bladder molding.

Possessing celebrity-designed objects like these can be a reflection of what types of products we enjoy being seen with us or the class we want people to associate us with (and obviously shows how much disposable income we might have!).

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