Like the saying, "if these walls could talk," the same could go apply for furniture. Imagine what words have been exchanged across the table at the cafe or who has sat on that couch in the lobby. Well, these chairs by Tabisso will never spill those juicy secrets but they can definitely talk. The French design company has created lounge chairs in the shape of every letter of the alphabet and all ten numerals as well as lamps in the shape of punctuation marks to really get the point across. Set up "H," "E," "R," and "E" chairs in a row to make it the spot to rest and accent it with an exclamation point-shaped lamp. Products are made to order and completely customizable to express your true feelings. Y-E-S-!

Karen Sze

With a degree from the Design Academy Eindhoven, tutelage by Tom Dixon, a collaboration with Hermés and commissions for Cubique Fair and Vienna Design week this year under his belt, Canadian designer Philippe Malouin's is set to go very far indeed.

In his third serious display of works at NextLevel Galerie he reveals new designs from his Gridlock 2series, among other projects. An industrial designer in the truest sense of the word, Malouin's latest expansion of Gridlock has taken furniture back to the most basic and necessary components of construction: concrete and metal.

Shelves, lights and a desk take form in a world that is seemingly free from physics - the weighted concrete floats above the delicate lattice; the lattice traces the edge of something more solid but is in fact hollow.

Following in the footsteps of works by other concrete connoisseurs - think Arad's Concrete Stereoand Amanda Levete's Drift Concrete, the pieces seem to evoke Brutalism at its best (or worst depending on your line of thought). Gridlock is where furniture meets architecture, reminding one that every object, no matter how simple or complex, shares the same principals of structure and design.

And while Malouin's pieces seem to have been built in situ, Gridlock is entirely assembled by hand, solidifying the young Québécois' belief in the durability and adaptability of an object. The thoroughness of thought Malouin has placed in to his products cover ever base, from assembly to purpose.

Other works displayed include the highly-praised YachiyoMetal Rug, again showing the designer's esteem for geometry and the simplest of building elements, and large scale installation Time Elapsed, a collaboration with J. and L. Lobmeyer glass-makers revealed during Vienna Design Week in September this year.

NEW WORKS: GRIDLOCK 2

Until 24 January 2012, NextLevel Galerie, Paris

Without Ilse Crawford, doyenne of British design, many of us would be literally in the dark when it comes to great lighting.

One of a number of great talents designing for Swedish lighting company Wästberg, we were happy to learn that during the London Design Festival two new models were launched to grow her existing collection for the brand into a veritable family of characters - meaning the award winning design now comes as a floor lamp, a wall lamp, a table version and a desk lamp.

And they're all illuminatingly lovely. In addition to Crawford Wästberg has also collaborated with up and coming Alvaro Catalan de Ocon, Foscarini and Tomas Alonso.

wastberg.com
studioilse.com
foscarini.com
catalandeocon.com/
tomas-alonso.com