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December 2005Productsphere

Nature’s Bounty

An explosion of new products that take cues from the world around us.

By Paul Makovsky

Posted November 21, 2005

Nature has long inspired designers and artists. However, products that draw upon biological forms and processes are currently more popular than ever. Some are ecologically sound, as in the case of PIE’s handcrafted Spacehog rattan chair. Others are uniquely beautiful, such as Lene Frantzen’s Slice cushions, which resemble tree rings. And a few—like Eelko Moorer’s hand-casted rubber bearskin rug—are just plain fun. Herzog & de Meuron’s teardrop lamps, Asprey’s botanically inspired dinner services, and Jette Vogt’s handmade porcelain brooches that resemble sea creatures are just a few examples of designs that reference the larger environment while enriching our interior surroundings.

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1. Prestel’s Art Forms from the Ocean by Ernst Haeckel
This paperback reproduces the original 35 plates from biologist and painter Ernst Haeckel’s 1862 monograph on radiolarians, which are one-celled ocean-dwelling organisms with intricate geometric skeletons. www.prestel.com.
Courtesy Prestel
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