Milan 2013: Swiss designers Big-Game will present new products including a coat hanger, a tray and a hammer in Milan next month.
Called Everyday Objects, Big-Game's show at Galleria 70 will feature Cargo, a collection of items for Italian brand Alessi that were inspired by the aesthetic of Swiss toolboxes from the 1930s. There's a pair of small trays for storing anything from tools to stationary, plus a hammer with an ash handle.
For Japanese brand Karimoku New Standard, the designers have produced the Castor table to match their earlier Castor chair and stool.
The Castor tables come flat-packed and once assembled can be easily stacked. The round legs sit level with the tabletops at each rounded corner, so the tables can still be placed side-by-side.
Also on show at the exhibition will be Beam, an aluminium and ash coat hook that borrows its form from the peg rails in American Shaker houses. Beam is designed for Danish brand Hay.
Previous Big-Game projects featured on Dezeen include a series of cork toy boats launched in 2011 and the Bold chair from 2007 (below), which will also be shown as part of the Everyday Objects exhibition. See more design by Big-Game on Dezeen.
Everyday Objects will take place at Galleria 70, Corso di Porta Nuova 36/38, from 9 to 14 April.
Photography is by Michel Bonvin.
Here's some more information about each product from Big-Game:
BIG-GAME presents new everyday objects for Alessi, Hay, and Karimoku New Standard.
BEAM coat hanger, prototype for Hay
We were always fascinated by the peg rails found in American Shaker houses. Instead of hiding the mess, they somehow make it manageable. So when we were asked to think about something that could be in entrances, we readapted this idea with a metal profile. You can slide in the amount of hooks you want. It can be short or long depending on where you want to put it. You can also leave a note on it.
CARGO box, prototype for Alessi
A while ago, we were asked by Alberto Alessi to design "anonymous Swiss objects". As a reference, he gave us the classic 30’s Swiss metal toolboxes.
Our idea was to make some universal plastic containers with a wooden handle, bringing the functionality of toolboxes to the home. The CARGO boxes can be used to store all kinds of things, from stationery to sewing gear, tools to kitchen stuff.
CARGO hammer, prototype for Alessi
As a part of the series, we also made a simple hammer (everybody needs one at home).
CARGO catch all, prototype for Alessi
Along with two boxes and the hammer, the CARGO series also includes a circular catchall tray inspired by the traditional Japanese wooden carrying boxes called okamochi.
CASTOR chair, product for Karimoku New Standard
To design the CASTOR chair, we were inspired by the ergonomics of the wooden chairs that you find in old Swiss cafés that are famously very comfortable. It's made in Japan from solid oak by a company called Karimoku New Standard. The wood comes from trees that have irregular shapes and generally end up as paper pulp. The company's motto is: An object made of wood has to live at least as long as the tree it was made from.
CASTOR tables, prototype for Karimoku New Standard
Part from the chair, the CASTOR family also includes a stool, a bench, a shelf, and two tables. The tables are designed to be flat packed. Even though the feet are on the outside, the round edge has just the right dimension so you can put two tables together. We made them compact, as we wanted them to fit into various sized interiors, as well as cafés and restaurants. The tables stack, and the rectangle is twice the size of the square, so it’s easy to assemble them in various configurations.