Swiss designer Andreas Saxer has designed a colection of furniture and lighting inspired by photos he took while living in East Asia.

Called Made in Asia, the collection includes a clothes rail called Chop Stick, made of four wooden pieces held together by an aluminium bar (above).

With Shining lanterns (below) the designer intends to pay homage to traditional Chinese paper lanterns.

Here's some information from the designer:

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MADE IN ASIA

A selection of photographs taken while the designer lived in East Asia served as a starting point and inspiration for four designs in furniture, lamp and accessories design. Using new manufacturing techniques for traditional goods and in close interaction with Taiwanese craftsmen, Andreas Saxer developed four prototypes called Snow Blossom, Tofu, Shining and Chopstick. The four objects reflect the author‘s personal view of East Asian styles of living and are a tribute to preserved local handcrafts.

CHOP STICK wardrobe edition 4 pieces

Chopstick is a wardrobe inspired by traditional Japanese wood joinery methods and the daily-used chop sticks. Four wooden sticks are loosely connected with an aluminum profile. The loose system gets very stable by the weight of the clothes.

Material: aluminum anodized, American oak

SHINING lantern, prototypes 3 pieces

Shining is a series of lampshades and renders homage to Chinese paper lanterns. The double-sided fabric appears different when lit.
Material: ceramic, white glaze, cotton textile

Above: the photograph that inspired the Shining lamps

When Andreas Saxer considers form and evaluates materials for a new furniture product, his background in product and fashion design comes to the fore, with the worlds of the catwalk and showroom fusing together and complimenting each other in his work. “I always saw my degree in fashion design as a basic education in carpentry and as a way to increase my creativity and spatial sense”, he explains, “but, maybe because of my fashion background I very often choose tactile and sensuous materials”.

Above: the photograph that inspired the Chop Stick clothes rail

Preferring to set himself challenging specifications before the start of a new project, one recurring theme in his work is the notion of evolution - taking a common item and reworking it into a still recognisable but aesthetically altered object. As well as creating novel design solutions, Saxer, who started his own business in 2003, is attracted to the idea of mobile and improvised furniture. His coat rack “chop sticks was inspired by traditional Japanese wood joinery, “I want to reduce things to their minimum but not work as a minimalist. The process and the theoretical part behind a product have always been very important in my work of telling stories through shape and material.