Sometimes beauty is in what you don't see. Cutout designs have made negative space a hot commodity in the home, from laser-cut tables to paper doll-like curtains.
For that, thank science: High-pressure water jets were originally conceived as an efficient, eco-safe tool in the lumber industry, but the technology was quickly adopted by other industries to cut steel, glass and plastics.
Design firm orange22's founder Dario Antonioni sees the technology as an efficient way to produce new furniture. His Botanist series of steel tables and benches are produced in three sizes. When an artist presents a concept, "we customize them with colour and graphics using this wonderful computerized technology."
At the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, Antonioni debuted the Blank Canvas series, wherein eight designers conceptualized tables that are now being produced and sold, with a portion of each sale going to the charity of the designer's choice.
Jewelry designer Melissa Borrell's distinctive pop-out Tree Lace powder coated stainless-steel necklaces and earrings are hot trends among the fashionistas on both coasts. She now creates installations for commercial and residential spaces.
With degrees in both textile design and engineering, Liora Manne has patented several manufacturing processes in her pursuit of new ways to create rugs. The Dimensions series are solution-dyed felted acrylics in patterns that resemble folk art or lace doilies, while others have a more graphic flair.
"I always liked the idea of playing with negative spaces and creating the right rhythm between the positive and the negative," Liora notes.
