Pure Talents Contest at IMM Cologne 2015

Earlier this week we brought you a wrap up of the recent IMM Cologne 2015. Today we bring you one of our favourite parts of the event – the Pure Talents Contest – an internationally renowned competition aimed at students, recent graduates and up-and-coming young designers.

Out of hundreds of entered project, 20 international designers and groups behind the winning entries were invited to Cologne to present their ideas for furniture, lighting and furnishings. This is the 12th annual show of it’s kind (previously known as D3 Contest). Here’s an overview of some of the participants and products showcased this year.

Passage Wooden Carpets by Esther Jongsma // The essence of a carpet is that it defines a space – it creates borders without walls. But should it always be made from fabric, and can it only have two dimensions? Passage is a carpet that plays with these notions – the moment you walk across it, the pattern starts moving, making you aware of your own movement and your interaction with the object. The slatted design is made from wood, using an old technique for creating patterned wooden floors. Photos by Lisa Klappe.

Landscapes Within by Wiktoria Szawiel // Patterns of woven natural fibres emerge from this milky resin furniture by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Wiktoria Szawiel. The furniture pieces capture different ephemeral qualities of a landscape in physical objects where material, colour, technique and shape all link back to the notions of different qualities of a landscape.

Nonno by Jeannette Hojer Hansen // Nonno (refers to grandfather in Italian taking a nap on his rocking daybed) is a combination of the designers fondness for a hammock and its rocking motion – which led to a rocking daybed.

Exploded View by Sam van Gurp // Sam van Gurp has created a series of lamps representing different approaches to movement and dimming. Cumulus, which dims through layering / Eclipse, which keeps the light contained or sets it free / Lunar which plays with reflection.

Unfolded Cones by Jule Waibel // Cones is a continuation of Jule Waibel’s interest in pleated fabric. The pleated poufs are crafted from 100% wool felt and folded to point like a cone at the tip. The plush seats echo the round form of a boulder and are dyed a variety of earthy colours.

Shift by Fabian Kolpack // The shelf ‘shift’ designed by Fabian Kolpack consists of two laminated adjustable shelves, made of waxed ash.

Stab im Brett by Leonard Aldenhoff // ‘Stab im Brett’ exudes lightness and purism. Due to the design of the board, only the 4 mm fine front edge is apparent from various angles, which lends the shelf an extremely delicate appearance. The circular rod mounted on the side serves as a support and even ensures it can withstand large loads. The shelf bottoms are secured to the wall by means of two plug bolts.

Grid System by Ying Chang // Grid System is a minimalist design created by England-based designer Ying Chang. The project is set to challenge the automatic and habitual reaction to our everyday object’s forms and functions by re-examining aspects of the domestic environment, with a particular focus on the surface. The unconventional form deviate from convention by introduce unfamiliar patterns of usability, which require the user to readjust their expectations and invoke encounters to find a way to relate to them in a personal and unique way.

Abyss Desk Lamp by Tobias Nitsche, Manuel Amaral Netto & Cesare Bizzotto // Third prize was awarded to Tobias Nitsche, Manuel Amaral Netto and Cesare Bizzotto who created the LED desk lamp, Abyss, made from white bisque porcelain. The composition of basic geometric forms accentuates the beauty of the material, while combining sculptural aesthetics with functionality.

Viewpoint by Jasmina Grase & Nils Chudy // Viewpoint is a mirror with a light panel. While you slide the mirror above the pattern – you can decide if you want to see yourself or prefer that your reflection dissolves into the white.

The Woody Wool Wall and Floor by Kihyun Kim & Sukjin Moon // The designers intended to emphasise the wool’s natural values and highlight the already known qualities, thereby rediscovering this familiar material for the wide industrial use.

Covered Identity Side Table by Pascal Howe // Just as in the case of silhouettes, the textures of the materials in the collection ‘Covered Identity’ are masked, causing them to lose their natural identity. This offers room for new interpretations of the surfaces, which then emerge apart from the object and therefore reflect an entirely foreign identity, thus revealing its own.

The Buffoon by Ana Jimenez Palomar // The Buffoon is one of five pieces in the collection ‘Los Enmascarados’ which is inspired by iconic Mexican masks. The collection embraces the unexpected and often surreal beliefs and behaviour embedded in traditional Mexican culture – then bridges it with a contemporary context of a modern country.

Waffle Sideboard by Britt Rasmussen, Sarah Cramer Anders & Engholm Kristensen // Waffle Sideboard is a flexible storage unit designed to be aesthetic and approachable from all sides. It refers to the classic sideboards for the 50’s but can be used as both a room divider or as an ordinary sideboard depending on the users needs.

Angry Lamp by Xinyu Weng // Angry Lamp is a human-like floor lamp with character. It monitors how people use energy and reacts by turning itself off. If the environment exceeds a certain amount, or a second lamp is suddenly turned on, Angry Lamp will pull its switch. Brilliant!

Solid Spin Lamps Collection by Johanna Tammsalu // The collection grew out of series of experiments made with everyday objects; shoes, glasses, keys etc. The designer was fascinated by the strength of solid shapes and decided to look for new substance by spinning objects around their own axis. “I tested objects by themselves in groups where they were stacked on top of each other. This resulted in endless possibilities for revolutionary shapes with a soothing outer detail and a unique individual character.”

The Cooking Table Moritz Putzier // Graduate designer Moritz Putzier has integrated gas burners into the centre of a multi-purpose wooden dining table to bring the kitchen into the heart of the home. When designing the Cooking Table, Moritz Putzier wanted to remove the “fancy tools” and electronic equipment used in contemporary kitchens and reimagine the act of preparing food as a social ritual.

The Body by Kirsi Enkovaara // ‘The Body’ is Kirsi Enkovaara‘s graduation project from the Design Products course at London’s Royal College of Art and was designed to encourage people to reevaluate how they sit. The six-metre-long ribbed structure can be transformed into any shape and retains its position so the sitter can perch or lie on it in any way they find comfortable.