Swedish Furniture and Product Design in Chelsea

The annual off-site design event Downtown is held at the landmark Chelsea Hotel, where participating design companies and product manufacturers recreate the hotel suites to present their products and lines.  

Thoms & Nilsson, one of this year's featured Swedish firms, consists of industrial designer Jens Thoms-Ivarsson and stone sculptor Mats Nilsson.  They work primarily in stone, wood and stainless steel to create products of serious craftsmanship and simple functionality, all originating in three core values: form, craft, and experience.  Their innovative litterbin design is pictured at the top right of this page.

Lyx Furniture and Light, also featured at Downtown, consists of designers Michael Malmborg and Jonas Wannfors.  Their philosophy is rooted in the simple designs of the 1960s and 70s, with a dash of extravagance and a 21st century twist.  Among their unique handmade furniture designs is the Wing lounge chair, made of teak and visco elastic memory foam, the first and only chair ever to be certified by The Space Foundation, tested and recognized by NASA.

Downtown
New York City's Alternative Design Show
Chelsea Hotel
222 West 23rd Street
May 15-17, 2004
11 am - 7 pm each day

For more about Downtown, visit www.designdowntown.com

The Swedish textile design firm and carpet manufacturer Kasthall is displaying its products at ICFF, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York.  The trade show is open to the public on one day only, on Tuesday, May 18, from 10 am to 4 pm.

For more about ICFF, visit www.icff.com

Photo: Litterbin PK01, © Thoms & Nilsson