A design blog from the creative capital of the world

PUBLISHED 1 Feb 2011 - 8:32pm
AUTHOR: William Shaw
The front page headline in tonight's Evening Standard is all about designer furniture. And not in a good way. "SPENDING WATCHDOG SPLASHES OUT £900 A CHAIR". The Standard breaks the story that the soon to be axed Audit Commission has been criticised by ministers for buying four Kinnarps Omni Swivel chairs at £854 each, plust a pair of Naughtone Hush chairs at £840 each. "It is a shocking waste of money for a spending watchdog to have have shelled out so much on designer chairs," froths Aiden Burley, MP. Of course they're right. It is shocking for a government to be spending those sums on a... More
2 COMMENTS
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says:

A chair is at least an investment, generating sales and jobs. Compare it with a parliamentary question from a backbench Tory MP. This involve clerking in the House of Commons, staff time in the department to which it is addressed, then all the time spent in finding and delivering an answer. We're talking several hours of bureaucratic time, at an opportunity cost of possibly several hundred pounds. What does the nation need more: well-designed chairs or tendentious stirring by under-employed parliamentarians?

William Shaw says:

Agreed. Well said. 

PUBLISHED 10 Sep 2010 - 2:23pm
AUTHOR: William Shaw
This is the centenary year of the birth of the great Eero Saarinen, making this event at Knoll a catch-it-if-you-can. The creative relationship between Knoll - the furniture maker - and Saarinen - the architect - was profound and productive and there's no one better placed than Saarinen expert Brian Lutz to unpick it. It was Florence Knoll who was instrumental in bringing architects to the company to design furniture. She had studied architecture under Saarinen's father, the great Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, who himself had collaborated with and influenced American furniture makers... More
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Recent comments

I love the textile field, especially after walking and standing 4 hours in the V&A. I'd love to see it stay, and possibly with a few more vibrant colours added to the palette. Mian

sam:

I went to John Pawson's exhibition at Design museum last year.
His sophisticated works were very impressive and inspiring.
I am looking forward to seeing this installation very much.

I like it very much!
It is much easier to find an exact place and information.
I will surely use this calendar for LDF this year!

It collaborated very well with installantion of Ron Arad called curtain call at Roundhouse.

Guest:

I love this calendar - it's really comprehensive and completely relevant. It's the first place I go when looking for something to do at the weekend. Thanks LDF! 

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