Everything already exists: all we have to do is put it together in the right way, so goes an architecture school maxim. A great combination of material and design can work like magic: the result is a product that looks effortless and easy. It seldom is, but it’s the process of transforming a material into a product that is interesting.
Our spotlight on design combinations looks at the work of Nir Meiri. The talented designer has produced a range of work that is a testament to the delicate process of turning material into design.
The Coconut Table Lamp is made of three different kinds of wood: Maple, Mahogany and Bamboo. In combination, the lamp’s exterior looks a little like a small forest, with the differences between the materials working to maximum effect.
In a simple proposal, the ‘19 pots chandelier’ is exactly that. Is a light fixture made of 19 re-used and disposable plant pots. Again, the combination is powerful, with a repetition of an everyday object transforming a pot into a piece of design.
Much of the designer’s work revolves around reuse of existing material, and usage of everyday objects. A lamp made of re-used shipping boxes from oriented strand board is an effective example.
A great piece is the marine light, clearly inspired by the sea. Seaweed is used as the main material for an indoors lamp. This design obviously plays with the preconception of what material is suitable for what purpose. The detailing that forms the cross-over between the metal base, supporting structure of metal wires, and seaweed shade, increases the tension in the design.
While still damp from collection, the seaweed is placed onto of the metal wire structure. As it dries, the seaweed shrinks to the size and shape of the lampshade. A preservative coating is applied to protect the finished lamp. And it is this kind of design thinking that makes for powerful objects and products.
Images copyright: Nir Meiri.