Nancy and Niels visited a tiny store opened by British designer Jasper Morrison on their recent trip to London. The store is very tucked away, only a few visitors a day,  and is actually housed in an unused area of Morrison’s studio. The design of the shop is simple, wooden shelves are stocked with Morrison’s own designs and those of his peers such as designers Sori Yanagi and Naoto Fukasawa.

There is currently a really lovely display of items for the Super Normal book by Fukasawa and Morrison (pictured above left). The book is a compilation of 204 everyday objects in search of ’super normal design’.

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“The shop was opened because we had some extra space in our new office, and after the super normal exhibition (at axis gallery tokyo) I wanted a continuation of the contact that it provided me, with everyday, useful things. My feeling is that design which follows the current ‘entertainment’ model which attaches more importance to media exposure than to the real-life performance of an object has run its course, and that it’s time for designers to shape up and design things which have built-in long-term performance. The shop is an idealistic showroom for those things, rather than a commercial venture, though you may leave with less money than you arrived!”

– Jasper Morrison

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The only picture allowed to be taken inside the store.

The Jasper Morrison shop is located at 24b Kingsland road, London and is open Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm.

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Click here to visit Jasper Morrison’s official website.

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The Coca-Cola Company and Emeco have combined their most iconic products, the Coca-Cola contour bottle package and the famous Navy Chair, to create a new chair made from at least 111 recycled plastic bottles. The aptly named “111 Navy Chair” debuted earlier this year at the 2010 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, the top furniture trade show in the world.

“The 111 Navy Chair is a reflection of our commitment to sustainability, constant innovation and originality in design,” said Kate Dwyer, Group Director, Worldwide Licensing, The Coca-Cola Company. “This latest addition to our line of rPET licensed merchandise underscores the fact that Coca-Cola bottles are valuable recyclables. It is another step in our vision to recover and reuse all of our bottles and cans.”

Nancy and Niels are in London and have spotted the 111 Navy. Pictured to the left is a London retailer’s display, below is at the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel.

Modeled after the original aluminium Emeco Navy Chair (#1006) designed in 1944 for the U.S. Navy, each 111 Navy Chair contains a mix of 60 percent rPET plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic) and a special combination of other materials including pigment and glass fiber for strength. It is estimated that more than three million PET plastic bottles will be repurposed annually for the production of 111 Navy Chairs.

To commemorate the launch, Emeco has commissioned Wieden + Kennedy- a global brand strategist, Duncan Hamilton- a British ice sculptor and Peer Lindgreen- a Danish photographer- to create a startling image of the new 111 Navy Chair encased in a refreshing one-tonne ice cube.

Samantha Brookes, of the Wieden +Kennedy London office explains, “Emeco are launching their first plastic chair, the Navy 111, made from 111 recycled Coca-Cola bottles. This iconic moment within Emeco’s history needed an iconic image. So Wieden + Kennedy London cast the 111 Navy in a 1 tonne ice cube. Ice is synonymous with Coca-Cola; everyday billions of gallons of Coca-Cola are poured over ice cubes. This image not only celebrates the transformation of recycled plastic bottles into a classic chair, but the partnership between Emeco and Coca-Cola. It took two and a half weeks to cast the ice cube, and once the shoot had finished all that was left was a beautiful chair and a giant puddle. Now it’s onto Milan with a second giant ice cube.”

The 111 Navy chair is on display on the main floor of our 50 Water Street showroom for a limited time.

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Click here to visit the official project website, www.emecowithcoke.com.

Click here to purchase the 111 Navy from our online showroom.

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The founding of the Iittala company is said to date to 1881, when a glass factory was founded by Swede Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson. The first workforce had to be brought from Sweden due to the lack of skilled glassblowers in Finland.

Ultima Thule Series, 38cm Aalto Bowl, Aalto Premium Serving Tray, Kivi

In 1917, the company was bought up by timber refinery company A. Ahlström, who also owned the Karhula glass factory. These combined to become the Karhula-Iittala glass factory up until the 1950s. At first the factory specialized mostly in bottles for chemists and for holding lamp oil, though there was also limited  production of domestic items.

Entrance to Iittala’s ‘Into the Woods” exhibit, well used molds at the Iittala glass museum

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In the 1920s and 1930s, the company expanded into more experimental and artistic ventures, as well as producing more household products. One of the first major successes was the glassware designed by Aino Aalto(left), followed soon after by the glassware of her husband, Alvar Aalto.

Alvar Aalto made waves in the 1930s when the now iconic Aalto vase(above and right) was first presented at the Paris World Exhibition. With this mysterious form he made a revolutionary statement against industrial production that failed to meet human needs.

During the Winter War and the Continuation War, parts of the Second World War, production came to a halt due to shortages of materials and workforce. Production restarted in 1946, Iittala enjoyed continued success up until the oil crisis of the mid-1970s, when it had to cut back on its operations. Sales of their products in Finland were also continuously under competition from the ever growing import of foreign glassware.

In 1987, Ahlström sold Iittala to the Wärtsilä company, which owned the greater share of the Nuutajärvi glass factory in Urjala. Iittala was combined with the Nuutajärvi glass factory to become the Iittala-Nuutjärvi company. They were bought by the Hackman company in 1990 – and at the same time Hackman also bought other housewares manufacturers, Arabia and Rörstrand-Gustavsberg. Since 2007, Iittala is 97 percent owned by Fiskars, while its operative management holds 3 percent of the shares.

As well as producing some of the finest glass wares in the world, Iittala is able to outfit practically all items required for a great cooking and serving experience. Below are a few of the metal wares that they currently offer.

Neo Casserole, Collective Tools salt and pepper mills, Citterio 98 series cutlery, cast iron Tools Casserole

For a long time, Iittala has been part of an ongoing revolution. This is based on the belief that all human beings can make conscious choices in everyday life. Choosing objects that will last in design and quality will please our senses and create harmony in our everyday lives. Fortunately, this is also a choice for a more sustainable society, and against buying short-lived things destined for the rubbish bin._

Iittala factory in Finland

Less is more. Mies van der Rohe’s legendary statement has become even more relevant to our planet today. If it’s relevant to you, you might want to follow Iittala and refuse throwawayism.

Making your way to Iittala’s headquarters is well worth it if you’re in the area. The 9:19am train from Helsinki, arriving at Iittala at 10:49, has been selected as the most convenient departure. Travelers on this train will be met at Iittala by a guide, who will show them to the Glass Centre. There is a range of alternatives on offer here, including tours of the glassworks, a visit to the Glass Museum, to the Glass Fantasy special exhibition, to the Primitivism Exhibition or the local shops. Restaurant and café services are also available. The services of the guide at Iittala are free. Other services, such as the Glass Museum, require payment.

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Click here to visit Iittala’s website.

Click here to view Iittala products on informshop.