Brilliant details in an elegant sofa design

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Carl Hansen & Son is relaunching a 1965 Hans J. Wegner sofa design that combines clean lines and soft shapes in an elegant, stylish silhouette. As a typical feature of Wegner’s designs, the sofa transforms functionally necessary elements into unique details.

 

Hans J. Wegner designed the CH163 sofa in 1965.

Delving into Hans J. Wegner’s vast archives, Carl Hansen & Son found a sofa design Wegner created  in 1965. The sofa’s design simple design features vertical and horizontal lines that are softened by cushions, which work with the frame’s angling to ensure a comfortable sitting posture. Carl Hansen & Son is re-launching the sofa in a new range that comprises two-seat and three-seat versions titled CH162 and CH163.

“The sofa range was originally known as the ‘Down Cushion Sets’, because cushions filled with feathers were an innovation at the time. Wegner chose feather cushions to create a soft and inviting look – a style that broke with the standard practice of using cushions of fixed upholstery. Another example of Wegner’s unconventional approach to furniture design that makes him unique. We are proud to manufacture his furniture and bring his ever-relevant treasure trove of designs out into the light for everyone to see and enjoy,” says Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Son.

 

The sofa’s legs have four equal sides that grow wider at the front when they reach the armrest, creating a triangular shape. An enlarged wooden plug in the middle of this triangle not only becomes the sofa’s most characteristic detail, but also hides a screw that makes reupholstering much easier. It is this innovative approach to giving functionally necessary elements unique expression that is particularly characteristic of Wegner.

 

When the sofa is viewed from the side, one can see that rather than following the sofa’s front edge downward, the upholstery slants inward on its path down towards the side rail, breaking the stringent lines in the simplest way.

The series will be available in oak, walnut and ash with a variety of finishes, and the textile options will include many colours and fabric styles. Recommended retail price from £3,033, excluding VAT. The sofa range will be in shops from September 2012.

www.carlhansen.com

 

 

 

 

Top Japanese architect Tadao Ando to design for Carl Hansen & Son

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Danish craftsmanship will meet Japanese design when Carl Hansen & Son joins forces with the eminent architect Tadao Ando. The partnership was officially announced at the furniture fair in Milan, where Carl Hansen & Son presented the prototype of the chair Tadao Ando has designed as a tribute to Hans J. Wegner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tadao Ando and Carl Hansen & Son have formed a design partnership

Carl Hansen & Son has formed a partnership with world-famous architect Tadao Ando. The agreement is part of the furniture manufacturer’s efforts to extend Danish design to a wider audience.

“We are thrilled about our new design partnership with Tadao Ando, who is an obvious choice for us. His minimalist, innovative and functional style is a perfect match for the Scandinavian design philosophy. So we expect a lot from this alliance, which will help Carl Hansen & Son expand its international design platform. It is also a great honour and extremely inspiring for us to work with an architect of his calibre,” says Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Son.

The autodidact architect is known for giving the Japanese design tradition a modern, western expression. Clean in line and simple in form, his architecture is known for its stringent, geometric look. His strong personal design philosophy, with its minimalist and exacting solutions that merge Japanese architecture with western modernism, has garnered him international acclaim. Tadao Ando embraces clean, organic design, perfectly mirroring Carl Hansen & Son’s design philosophy.

 Tadao Ando has expressed great respect for the Danish designer Hans J. Wegner, whose work constitutes a significant part of Carl Hansen & Son’s product portfolio, and has used Wegner’s famous Wishbone Chair in many of his projects. So it is a matter of course that Tadao Ando’s first design for Carl Hansen & Son is a new chair, whose prototype was presented at this year’s furniture fair in Milan. Tadao Ando describes his work as a tribute to Wegner.

The outcome of the partnership is expected to be available in 2013.

Learn more about Carl Hansen & Son at: www.carlhansen.com

 

Classy Garden Seat now available in Green

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The popular all weather Belvoir sofa from Lloyd Loom of Spalding is now available in a subtle Tea green as well as in Whitewash. A complement to the Belvoir chair, Canterbury and Bistro table which were launched last year.

The All Weather Lloyd Loom collection is woven from Rehau Cord.  The furniture is fully UV resistant, weather proof and can be used inside or outdoors.  Many  of the customer’s favourites from their original range are now available in the All Weather Collection.

“We believe that our manufacturing process is unique. The sofa and chair frames are produced from high quality aluminium or galvanised steel. The Lloyd Loom look is achieved by weaving together strands of synthetic material to emulate the twisted paper of our traditional material . Each vertical strand in the warp, also contains a stainless steel wire just like the traditional Lloyd Loom material” explains Julie Davenport, owner of Lloyd Loom of Spalding.

Belvoir sofa retails at £679.00

Belvoir chair retails at £315.00

Bistro Round table retails at £399 or £535 with glass

 www.lloydloom.com

01775724358

DOG SAVE THE QUEEN

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To celebrate the Jubilee Holly&Lil have proudly created this limited edition Queens Head Coin collar to celebrate the Jubilee 2012!  

It is a limited edition and created on a Holly&Lil Black Patent Calf front and Black Calf back charm collar.  

With Red, White and Blue beading!

Sumptuous and perfect to catch the glint and twinkle of all the cameras who will want a piccy of your dog in this collar!

The collar will be available on the web from 21st April 2012 to honour the Queen on her Birthday!

Prices from £70

http://www.hollyandlil.co.uk/jubileebrdog-save-the-queenbrlimited-editionfont-size1prices-from-915-p.asp 

For high resolution image contact  Elaine – 07811 715 452 or email her at collars@hollyandlil.co.uk

www.hollyandlil.co.uk

Nordic Elements teams up with GertsenPR

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Nordic Elements has appointed GertsenPR to handle their public relations with immediate effect. Helle Moyna, owner of NordicElements said: “We are pleased to be working with GertsenPR who has specialised in Scandinavian Interiors for many years”.

Nordic Elements, which was founded in 2008 by Helle Moyna, is the home of contemporary Scandinavian designed and inspired products for the design conscious family.

The majority of the collection is sourced in Scandinavia from a unique selection of companies with focus on design, quality and practicality. The products are timeless and will fit into most lives and homes of the 21st century family. Now and again products from other origins, but with a Scandinavian feel, are added, to compliment the collection.

 Nordic Elements are also UK AGENTS for By Nord Copenhagen, RoomMate, Neon Living, Casalinga, RosenbergCph and Fabulous Goose

 www.nordicelements.com

Rococo founder and owner, Chantal Coady, and her daughter Milly Coady-Booth are cycling to Paris

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Milly, aged 12, explains: “I was really inspired to cycle from Paris to London because last year in the summer my brother and mum cycled from London to Paris for a charity (Build Africa). It is a really good challenge and a chance to meet new people or consolidate old friendships. It’s a really good way to get fit and to challenge your limits!  I also loved when we were training for the big ride, that we got to see so much of the English countryside and when we’re there in Paris some French scenery! I chose Arts 4 Dementia because Judy Greenwood is a really good friend and when we heard about Arts 4 Dementia helping people with art I was so inspired to help and because I love the arts so much! We will carry all our own things, and mend our own punctures – we are not camping, so the load could be worse! The route is from Paris to Dieppe, some of it on the Voie Verte, which is part of the anticipated Avenue Verte http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_Verte and then to Newhaven and back to London on the Cuckoo Trail … Every penny of your donations goes straight to Arts 4 Dementia, as we have funded the trip with our own money”. 
www.rococochocolates,com

SO MUCH MORE FUN THAN BUNTING!

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 To celebrate The Olympics in London 2012 Holly&Lil have expanded their Fly the flag range to feature more collars from around the World.

A unique occasion demands a unique dog collar for your unique dog!

All are handmade to order in London – so plan ahead and order soon, as they can  take 4-6 weeks to create.

Some of these collars are the finest in our design and creation – works of art that a dog can wear everyday!

See http://www.hollyandlil.co.uk/fly-the-flag-collectionbr-76-c.asp

or in our shop in London – 103 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XB

Prices from £83

 

High Resolution Images available from our Press Site – please contact Elaine Jones on 07811 715452. 

You can also e-mail us at collars@hollyandlil.co.uk 

www.hollyandlil.co.uk

DAY Home Pops up in Liberty

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Icons of Denmark is pleased to announce that a pop up DAY Home shop will open on April 13th to August 10th at Liberty in the central atrium on the 4th floor  .

 

A great selection from the Spring Summer 2012 collection will be on sale as will the DAY Home furniture. The DAY Home Collection is designed by Marianne Brandi. The SS collection is DESERTED SHADES  and Marianne’s inspiration came from a quaint village house on the brink of the Nile.

 

Marianne Brandi is the creative spirit and head of design behind the interior and lifestyle collection DAY Home. Having worked with interior design all her professional life, Brandi joined the DAY family in 1997, where she was initially responsible for all visual communication and interior decoration of DAY¹s showrooms, trade fair stands and shops across Europe. In 2005 she took a creative leap and launched the DAY Home collection, characterized by inviting, natural and Scandinavian designs with a hint of international bohemia.

 

http://www.iconsofdenmark.dk/day.html

  

www.iconsofdenmark.dk

 

 

 

The Prince of Wales toured Copenhagen furniture workshop

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Danish furniture-maker receives Royal visit

– The Prince of Wales toured  Copenhagen furniture workshop

Today, Rud. Rasmussen’s furniture workshop in Copenhagen hosted a distinguished guest when His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales visited the factory to take a closer look at Danish design icons within handcrafted furniture.

 

The Prince of Wales is demonstrated the making of The Faaborg Chair together with Foreman of The Hand Joinery (left) and Malene la Cour Rasmussen, Sales Director at Rud. Rasmussen (right)

In connection with an official Diamond Jubilee visit to Denmark by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales visited Rud. Rasmussen’s furniture workshop in Copenhagen today.  Rud. Rasmussen has a rich joinery tradition and is well-known for producing beautiful Danish furniture by Kaare Klint and Mogens Koch. The company has had their headquarters in the heart of Copenhagen, for more than 140 years.

 The Prince of Wales expressed a personal desire to visit Rud. Rasmussen as he has a special affection for the traditional crafts. ”“The Prince of Wales is known for his genuine interest in and commitment to design and architecture, and it is therefore a complement to Rud. Rasmussen’s contribution and hard work that our joinery methods and traditions have caught the eye of His Royal Highness. The visit testifies to the international appeal of Rud. Rasmussen,” says Knud Erik Hansen, who is CEO and 3rd-generation owner of the Danish furniture manufacturer Carl Hansen & Son, which acquired the reputable joinery workshop last year.

 The Prince of Wales was keen to share his vast knowledge of Danish design and craftsmanship on his tour of Rud. Rasmussen, which included the machinery, joiner’s and upholstery workshops as well as the furniture showroom.

 Rud. Rasmussen Sales Director Malene la Cour Rasmussen says: “We are extremely proud of the attention the Royal visit has given us. It was a pleasure to give His Royal Highness a tour of our workshop, which is full of craftsmanship and history.”  She concludes: “The sustainable element of the qualitative production, the celebrated materials and the fine craftsmanship, but also the sheer surprise that this type of company can be found in the heart of Copenhagen, are what has captured the interest of the prince.”

Carl Hansen & Son is a Danish-owned furniture manufacturer established in 1908. The company is headquartered in Aarup, Denmark and currently has a staff of around 120. Carl Hansen & Son is one of Denmark’s oldest manufacturers of high-end furniture and the world’s largest producer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner. With solid roots in Danish cabinetmaking traditions

and an understanding of the latest in production technology, Carl Hansen & Son creates furniture that lasts for generations.
Designer furniture from Carl Hansen & Son is sold all over the world. See more at www.carlhansen.com.

 

 

Organic Chocolate Company to Make History

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Grenada Chocolate Company and FairTransport Team Up To MakeFirst Ever Carbon-Neutral Trans-Atlantic Mass Chocolate Delivery

 Organic Chocolate Company to Make History

By Shipping  three Tons of Dark Chocolate Sustainably

 

London, UK — This spring, Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, a Grenada-based tree-to-bar organic chocolate cooperative, will set out on a pioneering voyage to become the first chocolate maker to ship a mass quantity of chocolate sustainably.  Green has teamed up with Netherlands-based shipping company FairTransport to ship five tons of his award-winning organic dark chocolate from Grenada to New York, London and Amsterdam on the trade wind-powered sailing vessel Brigantine Tres Hombres. The voyage, taking place between this March and June, marks the first ever carbon-neutral trans-Atlantic mass chocolate delivery.

An insulated cool room has been built on the ship, powered solely by wind and sun energy, where the world-renowned dark chocolate bars will be stored. A small part of the chocolate cargo will be the special Gru Grococo, made with one harvest of a small batch of beans from the “Grococo” Farm. The farm is a 50/50 joint venture with cutting edge chocolatier Rococo in London. Green will be part of the sailing crew on board of the Tres Hombres, and he will also be monitoring the cooling system throughout the trip.

The Brigantine Tres Hombres is a 32 meter brigantine square-rigged sailboat that can hold up to 35 tons of cargo.  The boat has no engine and follows the winds across the Atlantic.   The crew of twelve has picked up Green and his chocolate from Grenada on March 25th 2012 and their first stop will be a delivery of the first batch of chocolate to Portsmouth UK half of May (the exact date of arrival will depend on the winds).

Green, is also the subject of Kum-Kum Bhavnani’s new documentary film, “Nothing Like Chocolate,” which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2012.  For more information on the film, or to watch the trailer, please visit http://www.nothinglikechocolate.com/.  

 For more information about the Grenada Chocolate Company, please visit http://www.grenadachocolate.com/. For more about FairTransport and the Brigantine Tres Hombres, visit http://svtreshombres.com/.  

For all inquiries, images and interviews requests, please contact Caroline Lubbers at info@chocolate-tales.com or T +31 6 18256651.

For all Rococo enquiries contact Britta Gertsen at  GertsenPR@aol.com 01227 456801

Notes to editors:

Grenada Chocolate Company

Mott Green, one of the most respected chocolate makers in the world, started the co-operative Grenada Chocolate Company in 1999, which to this day makes some of the finest chocolate in the world in ever larger quantities. The extraordinary exertions behind this enterprise reflect Mott’s commitment to ethical and ecological values…. He fell in love with Grenada first, and then chocolate, and considered it iniquitous that the islanders who grew and harvested some of the best cocoa in the world were deprived either of enjoying it fully processed, or sharing the financial and social benefits accruing to the producers.

So he built a micro factory to process the chocolate, and organic cocoa fields, controlling the whole process from tree to bar… the first world’s very first artisan chocolate producer making chocolate where the cocoa grows, adding value for the local economy… this turned out to be a mammoth undertaking, requiring the design and construction of many small scale industrial units…

The factory is also run on solar power, and has survived two hurricanes! The bars the factory produces are hugely popular in the island; both among locals and with tourists and sailors and what is left is exported to North America and Europe, where the brand has established a high reputation for excellence.

 Mott’s eco-consciousness however has always fretted at the excessive carbon footprint required to ship the chocolate from Grenada. He has recently teamed up with a group of Dutch eco- entrepreneurs who have built a brigantine to sail cargo across the Atlantic. Next March/April the first consignment of 11 tons of Grenada chocolate will sail from the West Indies to Portsmouth UK and Amsterdam NL. Mott will be part of the crew, continuing the adventure!

“Grococo” is the joint venture Cocoa Farm owned jointly by the Grenada Chocolate Company and Rococo Chocolates (see below).

Fair Transport

The 32 meter schooner “Tres Hombres” has been sailing since December of 2009. She will maintain a shipping route for transport of cargo between Europe, the Islands in the Atlantic, the Caribbean and America. In addition to her capacity for 35 tons of cargo she has accommodation for a crew of five professional sailors and 10 trainees.

The brigantine Tres Hombres is the prototype vessel for breaking open the market for sailing cargo transport.

The ship with which we are the first to be pioneering in the new sailing cargo transport market is the Tres Hombres a name inspired by the cooperation of the three friends who took the initiative for this project.

It is a pilot project aimed at opening the market in which we find ourselves, proving the feasibility and creating goodwill for cargo transport using sail powered vessels.

 Rococo Chocolates

*Coady graduated in Textile Design (Camberwell School of Art & Crafts) in 1981, and went on to complete an MSC Small Business Course. Armed with a little knowledge, a dangerous passion for chocolate and a belief that there was room for a radically different approach to chocolate, she decided to open a shop in the King’s Road (Chelsea, London). 3 decades later, the author of five books about chocolate and another on the way, Coady still pushes forward to boundaries of Ethical Luxury in chocolate retail with 4 shops: 3 in London – the flagship store is at Motcomb St, in the heart of Belgravia, and now in outside London at The Chester Grosvenor.

 Other awards

Lifetime Achievement Award 2008
Chantal Coady: Changing the way people think about chocolate

Winner, Best Chocolate Book Gourmand Awards, for REAL CHOCOLATE

Shortlisted for Best Cookery Book Guild of Food Writers

Winner Walpole Brands of Tomorrow 2010

Winner “Outstanding Service to the Chocolate Industry” FCIA 2011

Winner Academy of Chocolate “Chocolatier of the Year” 2011, 2012

Blue Butterfly Award for sustainability from Positive Luxury

 GROCOCO:

In 2007 a small cocoa farm came up for sale in Grenada, offering the perfect opportunity for a joint venture between Rococo and the Grenada Chocolate Company to produce fairly traded “ethical” chocolate. All of the chocolate is made on the island, ensuring that maximum value is retained by the community that grows and makes the chocolate.

 This plot of land, which we call GROCOCO, is now the ‘home farm’ which supplies 100% of its harvest of fine flavoured organic Trinitario cocoa beans to the GCC where they are made into fine chocolate. It was also one of the founding farms that make up The Grenada Organic Cocoa Farmers’ Cooperative. Seven years after their first taste of Grenada chocolate, Rococo is mixing Grococo beans into their Rococo Organic House Blend and is currently developing a range of organic chocolates under the Grococo name.

 www.rococochocolates.com