Onoffice magazine

Riga is on the radar when it comes to office architecture and design. Earlier this year onoffice covered the DnB Nord Banka building by Audrius Ambrasas Architects (onoffice 49), a slick corporate HQ north of the Latvian capital’s old town. This new project, by architects Open AD, although equally 
eye catching, is at the opposite end of the scale – a 
rich, colourful, retro-looking interior for advertising 
agencies McCann Erickson Riga and Inspired. (The two agencies share the same parent…

The Soheimi Chair is a design concept developed by Karim Mekhtigian. The chair is inspired by the patterned wood of Mashrabeya screens, which can be found in houses in Egypt and is designed to allow light to pass through and create a play of shadows. Combining an interesting motif with a contemporary form results in a charming and continuously changeable item. www.alchemy01.com

Orishiki is a hybrid Japanese word of designer Naoki Kawamoto’s own invention. It is derived from ‘Origami’, the art of folding paper and ‘furoshiki’, a large handkerchief folded to provide endless functions such as carrying objects or as an item of clothing. The furoshiki’s versatility inspired the way that Orishiki works. You open Orishiki by unfolding it to create a flat surface onto which specific clothes and other necessities are affixed and organized. Orishiki could be used for luggage, a…

Ergo is a unique six-piece cutlery set comprising of a knife, fork, spoon, soup spoon, tea spoon and meal tongs, all made from advanced ceramic. The ceramic pieces are less fragile, lighter and easier to clean. Each individual piece has been inspired and designed with specific functions in mind, and all the pieces aim to achieve the same core objective – to be more convenient for the user. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled…

Bjorn Christian Aarum is a Norwegian design graduate from the University of Plymouth. His simple products, range from lighting to magazine racks and rugs. Pictured is his collection of knitted and naturally dyed, 100% wool pillowcases. Inspired by the PC, they simulate keyboard buttons such as Ctrl, Alt and Del, and measure 50 x 50 cm in size. www.aarumdesign.no

SOFttILES created by Elena Goray are deliberately made to surprise - the initial impression is that the tiles are soft, but with a play on senses the tiles reveal a hardness like ceramic. The surface structure of Goray’s porcelain tiles gives the illusion of organic skin and is inspired by the patterns created on a leather Chesterfield chair. The tiles are unexpectedly affective as you have the irresistible urge to touch them. www.elenagoray.wordpress.com

The Klara couch, designed by Kim Klelund, is made of a solid timber frame with turned legs. It is finished in a rich purple lacquer and covered in a Gocken Job’s fabric, Rabarber – supplied by Swedish textile company Jobs Handtryck. The cushions add comfort and are inspired by the settle couches of the Gustavian period, a reflection of Klelund’s Scandinavian roots. www.kimklelund.com

The Druzhba4 table is an unexpected paring of materials – wood and concrete. The legs of the table are made of plywood finished with wax, while the tabletop features the solid presence of fibre-concrete. The mixing and matching of volumes of the materials offer a uniqueness in design: the softness of the table legs, inspired by the rounded forms of Ottoman architecture, and the brittle harshness of the tabletop, influenced by Soviet architecture.   www.designapparat.eu

Rupert Bevan and Adam Hely-Hutchinson, best known for their commissioned designs, have now used their talents to create a collection of furniture which has been entirely designed to their own taste and specifications. The Collection comprises 14 pieces, each in two colourways, inspired by the designs of the 1930s and 40s. The Obi cabinet pictured, is one design from the collection.   www.bandhh.com

The Mont Blanc sideboard, pictured, is from a collection of furniture designed by Rupert Bevan and Adam Hely-Hutchinson. The Collection comprises 14 pieces, each in two colourways, inspired by the designs of the 1930s and 40s. The designers have used traditional construction and finishing techniques.   www.bandhh.com