It’s more than taking time to stop and smell the roses. Now you can curl up with a good book and rest your head on a cushy pillow, right under your favorite flower or plant. Israeli design team Studio Libel bring the outdoors in with these unique pillow planters for your home.

Gives new meaning to the range of green or eco design options for your home – or perhaps just a more literal one… And now, starting at $40 USD, you can purchase a pillow (or two) from the Studio Libel Etsy shop. What a great, natural way to kick off this season’s Shop Israel Gift Guide! Hmmm, that gives me some ideas.. stay tuned for more

via::Inhabitat

The woman behind the design – literally, ha!

You see, Tarazi and helpers created this metal chair by dropping a 100kg (roughly 220 lb) female mannequin onto the metal, square frame. It’s a ‘free fall’ effect by which her weight and its impact, force not only the dummy to ‘sit’ into the chair but also the chair to conform to her.

Bizarro cover of Tom Petty’s Free Falling song aside, the slo-mo video below is actually a compelling demonstration. If you’re at all like me, you’ll find yourself cheering that moment of impact – or shall I say that moment of creation or design.

For more on Tarazi’s forward-thinking and thought-provoking designs: designboom

via Core77

If you don’t know about Designboom you should not only check out every category on their extensive site, but also sign up for their fascinating, daily or biweekly newsletters featuring thee roundup of today’s newsmakers from around the world in the field of design. Check out today’s example here just for a sample of all they have to offer.

I love so many things about Designboom – the writing, photos, comprehensive coverage, editorials, compeitions, workshops, the list goes on. But my top two favorites are:

1. Designboom welcomes artists and designers to submit their own works. Encouraging and enabling independent artists to take advantage of their enormous network is one of the most beneficial and generous relationships a website/ newsletter/ authority can offer budding young talent seeking exposure abroad.

2. Designboom seems to love Israeli design and designers – almost as much as I do! I am constantly finding new, known and always exciting Israeli designers on Designboom. Take Ronen Kadushin’s dicast chair above – straight off their blog!

For more about the chair above, including how it was made – hint there’s molten aluminum overflowing – click here. For more about Ronen Kadushin, visit his website here (English).

UPDATE: Even though it appeared yesterday on Designboom, Ronen Kadushin pointed out that the chair was made in 1999.

So to help shortcut design fans to the best of Israeli design, here’s the low-down on all the various events coming up (and fast). Please read through to the end since there are exhibition listings, seminars, workshops and more. And just to give credit where credit is due, all listings were taken from here.

Israel Design Week Holon
The Best of Israeli Design
May 06 – May 15, 2011
Exhibition
To mark Israel’s 63rd Independence Day, Israel Design Week Holon will be held at various locations around the City of Holon from May 5 to May 15, 2011. This initiative is a continuation of and an additional stage in the process led by the City of Holon to promote design in Israel and transform the city into a national design center, a process that began with the inauguration of Design Museum Holon. Israel Design Week Holon will present the achievements of design professionals in exhibitions and study days, as well as the achievements of local industry in general. These events will raise relevant design issues for professional discussion and address the direct connection between Israeli design and Israel’s ‘Made in Israel’ industry.

Exhibitions during Israel Design Week Holon include:

Designed in Israel 4 & Designers of the Future 4
Opening: May 6, 2011
Design Museum Holon

Designed in Israel 4 presents the achievements of contemporary Israeli design in the past year. The exhibition presents about 240 works from the fields of industrial design, graphic design, branding, interactive media, jewelry design, and so forth.

Designers of the Future 4, presents a selection of about 70 graduation projects by graduates from all the design schools in the fields of industrial design, graphic design, and jewelry design from the past year.
Additionally, a catalogue of the two exhibitions will be produced in Hebrew and English, which will serve as documentation of the practice and power of Israeli design and industry. The catalogue will be distributed in Israel and abroad as part of the international exposure strategy for Israeli design.

Made in Israel Expo – Designed and Made in Israel
Opening: May 5, 2011
Mediatheque complex

The event presents the “Made in Israel” industries that express national pride, and exposes products designed and manufactured in Israel in a variety of sectors, such as construction, food, electronics, jewelry, consumer goods, fashion, and so forth, and demonstrates the connection between Israeli design and Israeli industry.

Garbs of Creamy Goodness
Opening: May 7, 2011
HaMishkan Gallery, Beit Meirov

An exhibition presenting design duo Helena and Philip Blaunstein’s “Frau Blau” label – a new, colorful collection whose designs are inspired by the work of renowned graphic artist Gary Baseman.
“Frau Blau” was founded in Tel Aviv in 2002 by designers Helena Blaunstein and Philip Blau, and the concept behind the label is quality fashion with a humorous twist.
Gary Baseman lives in Los Angeles and is a star in the firmament of contemporary pop art. He is considered one of the most prolific and influential artists in his field, and has won a BAFTA award and three Emmys for the animated series Teacher’s Pet, based on which Disney Studios produced a feature film by the same name. He has worked with The New York Times, The New Yorker, Mercedes-Benz, Kodak, and Nike, to name but a few major firms. In addition to being a renowned illustrator, he also works in diverse fields, including animation, television, advertising, vinyl toy design, and fashion.

Profile Pictures
Opening: May 6, 2011
Holon Theatre Gallery

An exhibition of graphic designer Tal Spiegel’s work. Spiegel is a fourth-year student at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, who designed a new Facebook profile picture of himself every day in the course of a year. His face appears in each and every picture, while the background and context change. The project is mostly influenced by culture icons, everyday objects, and anything else that crossed his mind.

Stitches in Copper
Opening: May 7, 2011
Hankin Gallery

An exhibition of works by Nati Amoyales presenting garments made from copper. Nati has been working with copper for fifteen years and has experimented with numerous techniques to find her distinctive path with the material. She says: “I’d cover the whole world in copper”.
Her works are sculptural. The copper sheets are cut and sewn together by hand to create garments: corsets, bras, dresses, and trousers. The complex technique includes beating, making holes, embossing, enameling, and utilizing pleating and lace motifs to create the effect of soft material.

“Made in Israel” Posters Designed by Students
Opening: May 5, 2011
Mediatheque and Dov Hoz Blvd.

The Israel Community of Designers in conjunction with the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor “Made in Israel” Department will be holding a competition between the departments for visual communication at the various design schools on the subject: “Made in Israel”. The “Made in Israel” Department will award prizes for the top three designers. The judging committee comprises representatives of the “Made in Israel” Department and the Israel Community of Designers.

Israeli Book 2011
Curator: Ilan Hagari
Opening: May 6, 2011
HaChava Gallery

The exhibition presents about 40 books in three categories, artist’s books, exhibition catalogues, and research books on Israeli art, that have been designed by fifteen of the most prominent Israeli designers in the field.
Art books constitute a platform by means of which diverse techniques and printing materials can be used for each book, and provide an opportunity for the designer to present the new and original.
Alongside the works of prominent designers, the exhibition also presents a selection of projects by students and recent graduates from design schools in Israel.
Designers participating in the exhibition include: Michal Sahar, Gila Kaplan, Nadav Shalev, Kobi Levi, Kobi Franco, Noa Shwartz, Koby Barhad, Dan Alexander, David Tartakover, Ilan Hagari, Guy Saggee and Adi Stern, Anna Geslev, Noam Shechter, and Nirit Binyamini.

Three study days will be held during Israel Design Week Holon:

May 5, 2011 | A study day on Design as an Economic Driver: Developing Strategic Company Assets Trough Intellectual Property Management, focusing on emphasizing the importance of design as an economic/business driver for company development.

May 12, 2011 | A study day on Industrial Design, Graphic Design/Branding, presenting leading designers in Israel who will also be showing their work.

May 15, 2011 | A study day on Interactive Media, discussing the cultural difference between interactive designers and their counterparts from the world of interactive startups.

Two “Design Friday” encounters will also be held:

May 6, 2011 | A lecture by leading New York based industrial designer Dror Benshetrit and Raphael Navot Nevo, guests of Tollman’s.

May 13, 2011 | An encounter on the subject of books will be held on . In this event, which is associated with the book exhibition at the HaChava Gallery, leading Israeli book designers will present a selection of projects and conduct an open discussion with the audience on book design.

About the Israel Community of Designers:
The Israel Community of Designers is a non-profit organization that represents industrial design, graphic design, and jewelry design professionals in Israel. The ICD represents Israel in international organizations, and includes practicing designers, students, and recent graduates from all the design schools in Israel.
Further information on the ICD website: www.israel-designers.org

A two-legged table?! I know what you’re thinking, “can’t be!?” “why that’s impossible!” “are you outta your mind!?” Aha, but it can; and it’s not; and I am. (But that last part is unrelated).

Israeli designers Shay Carmoun and Ben Kilinger, collaborating as StudioVe here in Tel Aviv, have reinterpreted the traditional coffee table relying on asymmetrical, oak, wooden legs, positioned at the oblique corners to offset the table’s balance and stability. But what really clinches the deal is their use of a DuPont(tm) Corian(R) techno-surface. According to the press release,

The upper ends of the legs perforate the table top made with DuPont(tm) Corian(R) high-tech surface, conferring rigidity to the table. Further stability comes from the joints between the tabletop and legs. By perforating the Corian(R) tabletop, the legs appear to have the dislodged matter piled on top, incrementing the contact area of the joints and thus their stability. This refined detail is at the same time an aesthetic highlight of the table.

Thanks to the thermoforming ability of DuPont(tm) Corian(R) and the possibility to create invisible seams (even with other materials), the table features astonishing purity in terms of aesthetics and confers a touch of prestige to the smart and stylish design.

First marketed as a high-performance countertop for kitchens and bathrooms, DuPont(tm) Corian(R) has recently become a favorite of the architecture and design world for its malleable material and versatile applications – from indoors to outdoors, surfaces to walls. Moreover, it’s been certified by many green standards in the US, including the US Green Building Council, for its benefits to the environment.

All photos by Tamar Tal.

Special thanks to Design Milk, design blog gods, for this amazing roundup of the most current, modern and design-y menorahs (or chanukiyot) on the market these days – many available online for international or US shipping. With the first night of Chanukah starting tonight, start modernizing your ancient holiday traditions fast! Happy Chanukah – and holidays – to all!

Above: Last Match Menorah by Kathleen Walsh available at Unicahome.

Having met in high school, Erel and Ben Natan draw their inspiration from architecture, nature and everything in between, using ready-made and specially-constructed materials, to explore the impact of structure on lighting. Lightexture also strives to incorporate energy efficient principles while creative other-worldly atmospheres, all by hand, from their Brooklyn studio.

For more on this dynamic duo, including more on their creative process, check out the video below.

Sustainable design is popping up all over Israel, and we’ve tried to cover as many of these designers as possible. Our survey of ten sustainable Israeli designers who reduce, reuse, and recycle covers tons of green, innovative, and aesthetic projects ranging from rubber tire handbags (that are surprisingly chic) to old suitcases-turned-shelving units.

So we were very happy to find out about a Sustainable Design Seminar starting at the Israeli Design Center in Holon next week, because that means that not only is the trend continuing, but it’s hitting the mainstream as well.

The five session seminar, led by Adital Ella (photographed above) and Yair Engel, both of whom are sustainable designers and experts in the field of sustainable design and industry, begins Tuesday June 9th, and is intended for designers, students, and those interested in the field of sustainability. Topics include: a history of Sustainable Design, related materials and approaches and a screening of the recent film, Addicted to Plastic (see trailer below).

More about the seminar here.
And for more on green initiatives and news from the Middle East check out Green Prophet

Forget the eco-friendly lightbulbs. Arik Levy’s got a new solution: Teaming up with couture lighting company Saazs and other noted designers, the invention is light-emitting glass plates. Apparently something called “planilum technology”, which sounds like its straight from a work of science fiction or comic book, enables the glass itself to emit light. And cutting-edge designers like Arik Levy, Christian Biecher and Adrien Gardere have incorporated the glass into shelving units, tables and standing fixtures for your home or office.

Levy’s work, featured above, combined wood with the glass light reflecting his interest in creating points of contrast and innovation in the relationship between nature and technology. The beautifully soft and ethereal installations actually better serve the environment by: using a non-toxic gas (as opposed to mercury-infused neon bulbs); lasting approximately for 20 years of use (comapred to your average few months of your average bulb); and keeping 90% of the design recyclable (since it’s essentially based on glass).

{ Crossposted to Green Prophet }