Stuart Melrose + Puff & Flock = playful furniture creatures

When Stuart Melrose approached us to design a few pieces of furniture together, mixing our respective creative universes and technical skills, we were instantly thrilled. We had on our mind to extend the family of character furniture, that Elisabeth and Amelie had started with Sofa So Good a couple of years ago. This was the perfect occasion. On Stuart's initiative a great collaboration was born.

The pieces are on show at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke, UK until the 23rd of July, if you want to go say hello. They are really friendly furniture creatures, just like Stuart and we are, and especially designed for children.

Designed and crafted by Amelie Labarthe, Elisabeth Buecher and Melissa French.

“Medusa” is an inventive way to quickly hide your mess or yourself! Decorative yet practical tentacles hang down from a handy wall cupboard enabling mess to be quickly swept under and hidden from unexpected guests or parents. If you need to hide from an annoying big brother or sister, then quickly dart through the tentacles to a safe den. Survival supplies not included! Tentacles are removable enabling you to keep up with the latest colour trends or to suit your mood.

“Phil Me In”, a chest of drawers with homely helpful arms to pick you up and give you a helping hand to tidy up the mess and put away your clothes. Don’t be fooled by their tough appearance, these gentle biceps are friendly creatures.

Look out because this is not just the end of it, we might plan a little invasion rather soon, in anyway these fellows are open for adoption. Be in touch !

Check out Stuart Melrose's design work, yes you will be impressed but it's nothing compared to meeting the man ! Thank you Stuart for your wonderful spirit and energy.

The Smths Shop

You know, in some TV series there are sometimes "spin offs" being born from one of the character's story...

Well at Puff & Flock I am getting my own spin off, it seems : The Smths Lab, that I started this year with Matteo Oliverio, a brilliant toy designer and person. Both having a passion for playful things, we launched in Milan Design week last April showcasing our new collection of soft toys, textiles, toy-jewels, and a selection of vintage toys. This Studio works in the field of “play and learn” by designing contemporary creations and using characters as a means of empathetic communication with the user. The Smths’ projects range from industrial design to public art and academic research, and is directed to people of all ages, from children to adults who recognize in the play activity a cultural and artistic value.

After some months of hard work, we are happy to present you the Smths Shop !

Inside the online shop you will find 24 brand new products designed and produced by us + a vintage toys page for those of you who can't resist the old school flavor.

Long life to the Smths :)

Spread the word to the world !

Amelie Smth

Femke Agema

I have to say I am usually not so much into fashion, unless it really strikes me with a rare spark of simplicity and originality… Femke Agema (NL) is a designer whose work I discovered recently, and felt very excited about. As collection outcomes, colorful simple shapes, with the right hint of humor, inspired by observations of social behaviours, relationships and the "image" we want to give… Here are a couple of projects I especially like for their simplicity, effectivity and the very relevant choice of materials :

ODE (above) :

Is a mini collection made for the multidisciplinary art festival Skipper Boetlek.

The festival took place in Hoorn, the place where she was raised. "Memories of her childhood gave her ambivalent feelings: on one hand she felt very warm and safe, but on the other hand this same safety was sometimes oppressive and stifling."

HIDEOUT (2007) (below)

With the Hide Out collection Femke wanted to criticize the huge influence of advertising and television programs. In a playful way she came up with a 'solution' for the problem: Let's all hide out for the advertising-monster!

Femke started the concept with amazement by all those television programs that stimulate us to change: cars are being transformed, interiors are being redecorated, bodies are getting make-overs, etc. Products are being sold by the quote: 'It's gonna change your life!!' In a awful way this sells: it puts the consumer down, longing for the product,

By the cause of stress and the hectic daily life, we don't see the things anymore we have already achieved, but only the things we didn't achieve yet. By coming up with a playful solution for the problem of dissatisfaction among people, as a result of living in a consumer society, Femke tried to draw attention to this issue.

The collection is about feeling safe and hiding. The place where she feels safe, and comes at ease is her bed. She used characteristics of a sleeping bag, which is a mobile bed: light materials filled with fibrefill and stitched compartments.

Materials used are soft fleeces and light synthetic fabrics (filled or not with fibrefill or feathers). Big forms are chosen, and you can see often exaggerated and enlarged details. In this way, together with the use of colour, the collection draws the attention of the viewer. Some garments can be worn in different ways: hiding or not. Other garments are obviously very comfortable thanks to the soft materials and stuffed parts around the head.

Due to the big, clear forms, and the use of colours, it became a fresh, playful, theatrical collection.

Big Fan

The PlayceBetween: playful design for the home

I just came back from the Playce Between, an exhibition by artist & designers Will Gurley and Pernille Snedker Hansens that brings a serious bit of peps and fantasy to the Copenhagen Design Week. They designed a series of playful and refreshing objects for the home from jigsaw tables to marbled parquet. It is a pure delight recommended from 7 to 77 years old. I would strongly encourage you to pay a visit to the blog they created at the occasion to discover this bubble of positive energy : the Playce Between