Interior Design Sense

We met Benjamin Hubert at last year’s Electrolux Design Lab event and although familiar with his work, came away with even more respect. Born in 1984, Benjamin studied ID at Loughborough University graduating in 2006.  A year later he founded his own studio that includes a diverse range of furniture and lighting products. He’s laid back and has an awesome sense of humor so we decided to play 20 questions.

Designer: Benjamin Hubert

Benjamin Hubert, what do your friends and family call you?

Ben….I have a university nickname some of my friends call me but I’m not telling you that.

Who do you admire?

My family, my girlfriend.

If you weren’t an industrial designer, what would you be doing?

Maybe an artist but I like the idea of being a chef, I love food.

You have your own studio, why go solo?

To have control of the whole process.

What’s your favorite color and why?

Different colours work best in different situations.

What are you most proud of?

Forming my own studio and making it into a working business.

What was your most recent moment of inspiration?

A trip to Marrakech.

If you weren’t Benjamin Hubert, which other industrial designer would you be?

I wouldn’t be another industrial designer.

New project at hand – do you plunge headlong or move with control and caution?

We have lots of new projects on the go for launch in 2011 and 2012, it’s a combination of planning (caution) and going headlong with a vision.

Something about you most people wouldn’t expect?

I worked for 4 large industrial design consultancies before and whilst setting up my studio.

Do you ask for critique during work in progress or wait for the reveal?

Yes lots of critique throughout the process is healthy.

Your ultimate goal?

Happiness.

Where would you be if you could pick up and go right now?

Tibet.

What animal would you be?

A shark.

Strangest question you were ever asked?

Some of the questions on this interview…

Are you a good dancer?

I think I am when I have had lots to drink.

Can you sing well?

NO!

Favorite quote?

Don’t have one.

Favorite number?

Still don’t have one.

Sage advice in seven words or less.

Never give up.

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The EOps P Series is a multi-functional protective carrying case for the iPad. The polycarbonate hard case provides protection while the fabric shell folds back to provide a platform for the iPad to rest on. The contrasting red strap keeps things together when closed and doubles as a document holder. Simple and elegant.

Designer: Michael Young

EOps 0utercover P series for iPad from Flwrider TV on Vimeo.

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Just three days into CES, the buffet foods, complimentary candies, sleepless nights, coffee and energy drinks are taking their toll on everyone, everyone but me because I came prepared. I’m dressed to the nines, rocking my freshly knitted tabi boots, constantly sucking on my Water Bobble, here to bring you part 3 of our coverage.

Exhibition: CES 2011 Part 3

While everyone is drooling over the super thin LED TVs, InnVision Lab’s HoloAd Diamond has my full attention. It’s kind of odd looking but the tech is proof in the pudding. Not exactly sure how, but the system is able to convert 2D video into some kind of sudo-holographic 3D image. That puffer fish was almost as real as those seashells.

Samsung showed off it’s latest wares in super thin, flexible displays. The 4.5″ AMOLED prototype carries a 840 x 480 resolution. Barely 0.3 mm thick, it’s quite “bendy” but the image never distorts. It’s incredibly sharp and other than cost, I can’t see why we shouldn’t see it mass produced soon.

The Motorola Xoom is by far the best in show in the tablet category. Android 3.0 Honeycomb, 10″ display, HD resolution, dual-core processors, front and rear facing cameras, 10 hour battery, and it’s its own mobile hotspot providing Wi-Fi access up to five other devices. The hardware is beautifully designed – basic and utilitarian.

The X100 is Fujifilm’s entry into the pro-sumer camera market. All of the tech inside makes it comparable to other compact SLRs so they’ve opted to go retro in industrial design. I’m not usually partial to retro styling but this thing was damn fun to use. The new Fujinon 23mm f/2.0 pancake lens produced some awesome pictures on the 3.0 screen. Expect it in March.

WheeMe is a palm-size robot that gently massages and caresses as it moves slowly across your body. Embodying a unique tilt sensor technology, it automatically and silently steers itself over your body without falling off or losing its grip. It’s no Swedish massage but I was tickled. Yea.. I’m getting one.

Our best buddy Bluelounge had a booth at CES to unveil the Nest iPad stand and StudioDesk XL. As usual they’ve come up with the simplest, smartest solutions for everyday problems. The Nest props the iPad up multiple ways and has a built-in caddy to store tchotchkes. The StudioDesk XL is a gorgeous mahogany table designed to hide all those unsightly cables. Totally drooling for one. Both are available this Spring if not sooner.

And yea… I’m the one wearing knitted tabis. Hey, a unicorn herding ninja has got to stay warm somehow.

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This year’s CES sees incremental improvements, nothing revolutionary. However Ford has the distinction of being the first automotive company to reveal a new car outside a major automotive press event. Hit the jump!

Exhibition: CES 2011 Part 2

Say hello to the Ford Focus Electric. 100 miles on a single charge that takes less than 4 hours on a 240 volt outlet. That’s 3 hours faster than a Nissan Leaf. It’s loaded with pretty much every tech doohickey out there but the icing is MyFord Touch which takes in-dash user interface design to a new level. The accompanying MyFord Mobile lets you check charging status, adjust climate settings, locate and even start the car. I totally have a crush!

The iRobot Scooba 230 is so fracking cute! Hard to tell from that picture but it’s barely 4″ tall. It’s a lot smarter than previous models and the diminutive size works to your advantage because Scooba can now get under furniture and tables. It cleans up after itself and self-charges too. Tentatively will retail for $300.

You know 3D will be big in 2011 when companies start marketing the technology in consumer lineups. The Sony Handycam was one of several 3D video camera on display but its compact size stood out. Spec-cally (my made up word for specifications), the HDR-TD10 shoots 1080p that can be viewed on the optimized display. Of course if you want to take it off the camera, you’ll need one of those new fangled 3D TVs.

The Quirky Perch is an iPhone speaker dock. The detachable speaker has its own kickstand and connects to your phone via Bluetooth. Simple idea, gorgeous design.

I saw the Moshi Moshi MM03i at a booth and immediately made a b-line for it. It turns your iPhone into a landline, at least aesthetically. The base is quite heavy and charges the phone. All phone functions are then transferred to the wireless handset. You can even Skype on it. It’s beautiful. This picture doesn’t do it justice. $150, get it!

Sifteo cubes are 1.5 inch computers with full-color displays that sense their motion, sense each other, and wirelessly connect to your computer. You, your friends, and your family can play an ever-growing array of interactive games that get your brain and body engaged. Sifteo’s initial collection of titles includes challenging games for adults, fun learning puzzles for kids, and games people can play together.

When you have Lada Gaga has your creative director, “magic” will happen. A lot of people here at CES think Polaroid have lost their mind but I admire the company for doing something different and the industrial design is quite sexy. The GL30 Instant Camera does exactly what it says but the GL20 glasses have people scratching their heads. The shades have a built-in camera with 2 small LCD’s covering the eyes… and Gaga continues to expand her empire. Both available later this year. I’m sure all her little monsters will be lining up for them.

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In cooperation with Triumph Motorcycle, Omni-Bang was designed for motorcycle enthusiasts. Music is a major element for people who like to march to their own beat. Omni-Bang is a high performance speaker with digital dock. the down-shot speaker design creates 36oº of sound. It’s a little retro and a whole-lotta rebel, totally fetch.

All products and show information by Beverley Neilsen.

Designer: Chang Sung-Ching

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The Tree House (awarded with honorable mention by Susdesign and a subsequent exhibition at Centro Cultural de Belém) is a project created under the premise of innovation and sustainability made entirely of cork. Cork is rich in thermal insulation characteristics. The main difference from other materials, besides being 100% free of dangerous chemicals, is that it’s not environmentally detrimental. It’s lightweight and quite portable too.

Designers: Ana Correia, Vasco Lopes, Vera Gomes and Bruno Guerreiro For Dideia

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If you thought Apple couldn’t possible simplify the aesthetics of the MacBook Pro line any further, take a look at the HIDE laptop. The ultra minimalist design hides all ports when closed. Aside from the small hinge and indentation to help lift the cover, it just looks like a solid aluminum block. It’s naive and utilitarian. I really like it.

Designer: Youri Hong

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Shift Hybrid is a watch based on automotive engineering featuring elements like disc brakes, speedometers, seat belts, and gear shifts. The materials used are also found in cars. Parts like aluminium, carbon fibre, stainless steel, rubber, and glass. Take a look after the jump and see if you can spot all the automotive influences.

The design utilizes both analog and digital parts. All the gears, rotors and needles are analog but they are controlled digitally to precisely keep time right down to the millisecond. Quite impressive.

Designer: Menghsun Wu

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Remembering phone numbers is hard and although we have contact lists to assist, it can become quite cumbersome navigating huge lists. The Depict Phone lets you associate an image with a contact. Just draw a name or pictogram of who you want to call. Useful? meh. Fun? Yes!

Designer: Jang Jaeho

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Losing packages suck and if commercial couriers aren’t going to do anything about it, we as consumers should be able to do something to prevent it. The G.P. Stamp is a small stamp-sized electronic chip with a built-in battery that keeps tabs on your shipment. All critical information is sent wirelessly in real time to keep you in the loop.

The stamp uses advanced printed electronics to stay slim and on one side is a layer of flexible 0.2-millimetre-thick GPS circuit board. The other side features a flexible 0.4-millimetre-thick battery cell. You can get larger stamps with more battery life for longer shipment transits.

Too bad it’s only a concept. I’d so use this for my next parcel shipment.

Designer: Ho-Tzu Cheng

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