january-2012

FRONTLINES
Stumped for sound
Gadget ■ Indoor acoustics
These days, just add the
prefi x ‘i’ to anything and
you have yourself a market.
Take the iTree. This is an
iPhone docking station made
out of an entire tree trunk.
Customers can even go on a
forest jaunt in Austria, where
designers KMKG are based,
to select their own tree. The
trunk is then hollowed out
“to produce optimum sound
quality”. This will set you back
about €11,000. Can also be
outfi tted for an iPad or sound
system. See kmkg.org.
Skate seat
Design ■ For the boardroom
Jumps, fl ips, plunging down a half-pipe at top speed;
skateboarding embodies all the wreckless abandon of
having bones young enough to regenerate quickly after
accidents. If you love the lifestyle but have left your days of
swift regeneration behind you, Skate-Home offer a colourful
compromise with furniture designs based on skateboards.
10 Holland Herald
Art for audio-lovers
This chair is
made from four
Canadian Maple
skateboards and
is available in
ten colours. See
skate-home.com.
Handmade in Holland
Wheels ■ Modern heritage
If you like your bike spokes bespoke, check
out the Primarius Artisan. Dutch company
Primarius stands for a century of quality
cycle making. Now, design team Signiatura
has revitalised the brand to create a new,
handmade bicycle that combines top-notch
craftsmanship with modern design and
materials. Only available as a limited edition,
cycle fetishists will have to move fast to get
their hands on one of these highly exclusive
models. Prices around €2,995. See primarius.nl.