Hot or Not – Olympic Furniture

It’s no surprise that the 2008 Olympics are filled with western marketing ploys. The big interior design news is that Staples will be the official furniture provider for the international games. Staples has been much more low key about their Olympic involvement than fellow sponsoring giants McDonalds, but leaked information claims they are coming out with a Special Olympic Edition line of furniture, which brings us to abominations like this Olympic Web Cam.

The Olympic games may be magical, but that doesn’t mean everything they spawn is golden. There’s a fine line between spirited conversation pieces and tacky dust collectors. Staples hasn’t gone public with their Olympic line of furniture yet, but word is it will feature unique table and chair sets inspired by the five ring colors and the steel architecture of Beijing National Stadium (FYI: disillusioned stadium designer Ai Weiwei has a lot to say about the Chinese government).

There’s no telling how this furniture will look, but I think one should purchase furniture pieces that last longer than the next international sporting event. Buying furniture inspired by traditional Chinese design movements, like lacquered chests or shelving, might be a much better way to design with the spirit of the Olympics in mind. Buying a piece of furniture featuring specific 2008 Beijing Olympic themes could get old fast… really fast.

This solid rosewood Mahjong table set is classic and high quality. It would be a great personal reminder of the Olympics and it’s a piece that would last a lifetime.

Real Talk Design Verdict

Even though we haven’t seen it yet, we’re going to assume that Staples sponsored Olympic themed furniture is going to be more gimmick than substance, it’s definitely NOT something to purchase.

I hate to end on a negative note, the internet is filled with enough hate already. So I’ll leave you with this…

The most stunning example of interior design in the Olympics is the wonderful new subway designs created by Professor Song Xiewei, which now grace the Beijing Olympic subway branch line.

Hot or Not – Taxidermy

Interior design can communicate feelings and emotions that are hard to explain with mere words. This is a quality I think modern politicians should take advantage of. However, while pursuing this thought process I became helplessly stuck. I thought, “What aspect of interior design could possibly transcend the social and economic boundaries needed to unite voters under a single leader?”

It hit me so suddenly I felt like a deer running across the highway

Taxidermy!

No one would look away from the television while Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union with the head of a Liger mounted on the wall behind him, and thinking about John McCain running his campaign with two majestic grizzly bears posing at his side gives me the chills.

The power of taxidermy was recently exhibited in Dubai, when Pakistani Artist Huma Mulji unveiled her display, “Arabian Delight,” at this year’s Art Dubai festival. The piece was inspired by the smuggling of contraband items through personal luggage and featured a stuffed camel squashed tightly into a suitcase. The piece stood out at the exhibition, and after the first night the display was removed because it portrayed a sacred animal in Indian culture in an offensive way.

Luckily, America’s most valued animals gain their stature by being the tastiest, so I think it’s safe to say that the majority of American’s would have no problem with steer heads mounted in the oval office above McCain’s desk.

If McCain begins a full taxidermy campaign, Obama will have no choice but to counter with an equally powerful strategy. Perhaps he could take Katy McColl’s advice and begin working with New Jersey road kill, which state officials have recently decided to stop collecting off the road. I’m not implying that Obama should don a fluorescent orange vest and scrape deer off the highway… but it couldn’t hurt.

The full power and influence of interior design has yet to be tapped in the realm of politics. I don’t know who will be the next President of the United States, but I do believe that a strong campaign focused on interior design, and specifically taxidermy, could decide Democracy’s next leader. Spread the word America, the future is staring you in the face.

Real Talk Design Verdict

Taxidermy is hot. Get it stuffed or get out.

Trying to decide what dead animal looks best next to your latest Minjun piece? Discuss at the RealTalkDesign.com forum.

Hot or Not – Downloadable Designs bring new meaning to DIY

This is the first post in our weekly Hot or Not Roundup, where we find interesting projects from the design world and decide if they are destined to burn brightly or doomed to fizzle into oblivion

Absolut and TreeHugger have teamed up to demonstrate a new trend: downloadable design. The name really says it all. Customers can download designs from home and have them assembled by local manufacturers or build it themselves. Downloadable Designs make designer furniture more accessible to the average person, and are much more affordable than normal designer work. Downloadable Designs allow home decorators with budgets the freedom to be inspired—and not just by what’s in stock at the Pottery Barn.

This innovation brings new meaning to idea of DIY projects, but who has time to build their own furniture? Hiring a local carpenter is an option, but these custom jobs can get costly. While taking a more active role in the production of your living room furniture reduces carbon emissions by keeping things local, it’s no easy task. So is it worth it?

The design for this versatile and playful laptop table, created by an Interior Design grad student, can be downloaded on the Treehugger website. It’s cute, but cute enough to build yourself?

THE REAL TALK DESIGN VERDICT

Downloadable Designs are hot, check them out before every kid on the block has one. Building it yourself is just part of the adventure.

Have something to say about our decision? Visit the RealTalkDesign.com forum and let your voice be heard