Here’s a look inside the Thonet furniture workshop—apparently a place where hands-on is the only thing happening. This makes sense, as Thonet bills itself “The World’s Most Tradition-Rich Furniture Manufacturer” (probably sounds better in German: “Wort und Bild zum traditionsreichsten Möbelunternehmen der Welt”).

These photos are from a book entitled The New Essence and give insightful peeks at wicker seat material being woven, things being lathed and, most impressively, wood being turned into beautiful curvy creations. “[These] clearly demonstrate how every single piece of Thonet furniture combines a wealth of attention to detail with the highest quality requirements.” No argument here. (the189)

Photography by Mirko Krizanovic

More looks after the jump…

Vitra turn to filmmaker Florian Böhm for this video, a short story centered around their classic pieces, lived in and used in this fictional family set up. An innovative means of presenting their amazing pieces, Florian comments “Today everyone has a camera, and they take pictures everywhere and any given moment. The aesthetics of this trend are repetitive and nothing surprises us anymore, especially in advertising. In order to bring these spaces back to life, I suggested that we move from reality to fiction and present the furniture as part of a mise-en-scène.” Press play and check the Vitra blog for more info. (NC)

More news from Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy: Mercedes-Benz unveiled their first collection of furniture, part of their “Style” collection designed and co-produced with Formitalia. As M-B’s head of design mentions, “The various pieces of furniture reflect the progressive, dynamic design idiom of our current show cars and concept vehicles, offering an exclusive, emotional experience outside our vehicles as well.” The design of their furniture with Formitalia are inspired by the lines curves of the Mercedes-Benz automobiles. the collection is expansive and includes furniture for all rooms. Living areas include sofa, a chaise longue, a dining room table, various chairs, a sideboard, a shelf unit with integrated home theatre system. The bedroom is also represented with a new bed frame and drawer chest. The collection is now on display at Mercedes-Benz Center Milano, Via G. Daimler 1 at the corner of Via Gallarate 450, Milan. See more of the collection on the following page.

A look at Alfredo Häberli’s April Tables, designed for Finnish Furniture company Nikari. Part of a project inviting designers to create pieces based around Nikari’s favoured material wood, the Swiss designer produced oak, ash, and birch platforms seemingly floating above their heavy curved bases. A portion of the profits from this collection, currently on show at Salone del Mobile in Milan, will go to rainforest charities. A superb effort.

Moncler joins in on the Salone del Mobile fun. For Milan Design Week, they teamed with French architects, Gilles & Boissier on a one-off couch for the show (he duo knows Moncler well having developed the layout of their shops).

“Sit on my Doudoune” uses a technical nylon covering with goose down padding and boudin quilt design for a solid couch/arm chair in a clean sanitized white finish – with the look and feel of a Moncler jacket.

A larger view on the following page.

It’s Nice That point us towards this incredible Simpsons chair set, a rare example of novelty furniture that makes us smile rather than grimace. Newcomers on the design scene 56th Studio, a Bangkok based multidisciplinary collective, deal in “quirky design and cutting-edge graphical matters”. This Simpsons family chair set is part of their ‘Caricature’ series, creating minimal interpretations of well known pop culture figures, translating their distinctive features into furniture design.

“We believe that objects possess power of communication; therefore, we decide to take a tongue-in-cheek look at investigating Pop and Hollywood Culture in tangible forms, in hoping that it would make the line that separates Graphic from Furniture become thinner. The result is, just like caricature drawing, a collection of chairs that is graphically sarcastic, animated in its details, and meticulously unique in the craft of upholstery.”

Some looks from the Stone Island showroom installation for Milan Design Week 2012 aka Salone Internazionale del Mobile. A few notes on the elements seen in the photography: the Silver Tank was designed by Stone Island in-house creative, “Heliocentric System by John Alfredo Harris… Perfetto Imperfetto Perrero DP by Sergio Perrero.” On display at Via Savona 54 – 20144 Milan from now through April 22.

Many more looks at the Stone Island Installation at Milan Design Week on the following page.

Jens Risom, Danish Don. At 95 he’s the last remaining member of Playboy’s much reblogged 1961 ‘Furniture Design Pin-Ups’ image, along with the usual suspects – Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames, George Nelson and Co. One of the greats, his is the name to drop when talking chairs with bespectacled furniture snobs. Of course the era was littered with great designers who remain hidden in the shadow of these midcentury stars, but it’s hard to argue with Risom’s position among the masters. Scandinavian goodness at its best, this video from Design Within Reach is a joy to watch. Hit Dwell for a run-down of the basics, Londoners might want to check out Rocket Gallery for some close-up business.

A triple effort on this one. New York Textile company Maharam, Furniture manufacturers Fritz Hansen and Paul Smith join forces to create some incredible pieces of furniture. Point by Paul Smith, a range of textiles based around Fair Isle techniques – 7 geometric patterns in total, have been applied to classic chairs such as the Egg, Swan and Grand Prix by Arne Jacosen and the Alphabet Sofa by Piero Lissoni. A play on Smith’s unmistakable multicoloured stripes, this intricate fabric brings something new to this collection of furniture design icons.

Images:Fritz Hansen

Daniel Ostroff’s new book, Eames + Valastro: Design in the Life of an American Family is at the impact of Eames furniture on the life of one family, the Valastro’s. James and Kenneth Valastro are interviewed in the 80page hardbound book on what it was like to grow up around the furniture of Charles and Ray Eames furniture. Photography also helps tell the story. Available in Europe from 189 and Amazon elsewhere.

Photography: 189

More looks inside the Eames + Valastro book our gallery…