No, this isn’t an AP Calculus graph brought to life. It’s the Parabola Chair by Los Angeles-based designer Carlo Aiello, one of the dozens of quirky seating options we saw at ICFF this week. In fact, this sculptural chair, constructed from a lattice of chrome-plated steel, won the prestigious 2013 ICFF Studio Award. For good reason: “The challenge was to achieve a single surface that serves as seating, arm rest, and backrest supported by a minimal structure,” says Aiello. We’re impressed.

Although the Parabola exhibits curvatures in two directions,  all its components are straight (imagine assembling a model out of Pick-Up Sticks), and thus easy to manufacture. And—for those of you who doubt the comfort of a metal chair—you haven’t tried this one! “In order to achieve perfect comfort both curvatures were carefully calibrated to hold the body in the best position,” the designer said in a statement.

A true objet d’art, the Parabola is currently on display at Bergdorf Goodman windows in New York City. More photos below!

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We spotted OMA‘s new furniture line for Knoll, Tools for Life, a few weeks ago in Milan, but couldn’t quite figure out where the architecture firm’s radically customizable coffee tables and chairs would fit in. The ever-shifting and totally adjustable designs suggest a new kind of lifestyle and work environment—a challenge to the status quo of sitting still. These pieces aren’t furniture as much as GIFs that you can sit on. But it has finally dawned on us: If anyone would ever want to sit on a GIF it would be David Karp—and what cutting-edge office would need OMA-designed Knoll furniture but the newly cash-tumescent Tumblr? More GIFs after the jump!

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After a long day, there’s nothing quite like the sensation of collapsing onto a couch (that is unless you own one of these). A soft horizontal surface seems welcome in seemingly any circumstance, whether you’ve been on your feet all day or you’ve just spent the past several hours slouched in a chair with the light of a computer screen burning your retinas. It’s no surprise then that Hong Kong-based designers David Koo and Zheng Yawei have likened the couch to a cloud, the ostensibly soft, fluffy, cotton-ball-like mass of floating water vapor that seems so delightfully light and airy that it has also become the term for the immaterial data space in which we store digital information. In keeping with this metaphor, Koo and Zheng have conceived a way to levitate their Cloud couch off the floor with the help of magnets. More after the jump.

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Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design’s Sugamo Shinkin Bank in Tokyo — nicknamed the Rainbow Bank — is what one might call an instant architectural icon. Since the project finished construction in 2011, its facade of polychromatic, shifting planes, which seemingly dematerialize the volume within, has made the bank a landmark in Tokyo’s Shimura neighborhood (as well as an A+ popular choice winner this year). Now, Emmanuelle Moureaux has taken her distinctive experimentation with color and space further by scaling the concept down to a set of vertical storage units. More after the break.

Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design’s Sugamo Shinkin Bank (Shimura Branch)

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Lighting has never held a prominent place in popular architectural discourse. Probably owing to its immaterial nature, lighting rarely strives to be iconic in itself; unlike a distinctive building or chair, it can change and even completely dissipate in a flash.

It can, however, completely alter the presence of a building. The world’s most famed skyscrapers rely on their glowing, nocturnal appearances to leave lasting impressions, the Woolworth Building and the Eiffel Tower being just two examples. Interiors, perhaps all the more so, depend on the right lighting to pull together their intended effects, be it a fluorescent-lit modern office or a dimly lit bar.

Lighting is thus often an unsung hero in architecture and design. But the Forms in Nature chandelier, an audacious hanging light fixture by artists Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz, sheds some light, if you will, on the space-altering power of light. More after the break!

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These days, when we can just 3D-print any shape that comes to mind, basic geometry has lost a bit of its prestige. The squares, rectangles, and circles that ruled classicism remain but vague guiding lines for minimalist design, while curving, “organic” volumes continue to dazzle us. But design and architecture firm D*Haus has restored a bit of faith in the power of basic geometry with its D*Table, a project that recently surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal. Described as a “fully functioning 3d puzzle that translates its form into a flexible and adaptable low/coffee table,” the D*Table takes a century-old arithmetic anagram and uses it to transform a simple square coffee table into eight different, multi-functional permutations. Click through to see more.

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For design enthusiasts, New York City is like candy land at the moment. Exhibitions, studio tours, panel discussions, book launches, ICFF, the A+ Awards gala, and an endless stream of cocktail parties—we’ve ruled out sleeping for most of the week.

For those in town for NYCxDesign, here’s something you should add to your calendar: WantedDesign, a fair held this Friday to Monday at the historic Terminal Stores building in Chelsea. Now in its third year, the event features installations, workshops, film screenings, a “Conversation Series,” and more.

We’re especially psyched to scope out Launch Pad, where 28 emerging designers from around the globe will showcase market-ready prototypes of furnishings and decor (including the Giacomo Rocker by Michael Yates, above). Their goal: to find a manufacturer or distributor. Who knows—the next Charles and Ray Eames may be discovered here! To get a sneak peak, click on through…

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These days, you can practically work your entire desk job from the 2-by-4-inch rectangular screen of your smartphone. You can also use the same device to rent workspaces and cars, hire people and employ services, and share documents, photos, books, music, and movies in an instant. In a sense, technology has freed us from traditional material constraints; we can do practically anything from anywhere. However, what has remained a colossal pain-in-the-ass in this peripatetic digital era is the task of moving itself — relocating all the furniture, clothing, books, and miscellaneous knick-knacks that we still can’t beam up into a “cloud.” Having sensed this growing demand for mobility, Brazilian firm Oboio Design Studio created the Nomad Closet, an on-the-go wardrobe, dresser, and shelf hybrid that makes up-and-leaving all the easier.

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We know you can’t get enough of Zaha Hadid, so let’s crack open another complex piece by the designer. Last month, among other Zaha designs revealed at Salone del Mobile, she unveiled this indigo-colored chair at the Sawaya & Moroni showroom in Milan. Like origami or the fortune cookie that comes with your (American) Chinese food, the chair is constructed from a single, circular plastic sheet, creased and folded at the right places for your seating needs. True to her style, Zaha brands this piece of furniture with scored bands that follow its curves and swirl around paisley cutouts. By the way, your fortune says, “You will read another Zaha story soon.” Click to see more pictures!

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At the Salone del Mobile in Milan this week, Daniel Libeskind unveiled six new objects as a part of his recent foray into the world of product design. Created for top design firms, the new products include the PARAGON lamp for Artimide, the FLOW spa for Jacuzzi, the WING mirror collection for Fiam, the IDEA door collection for Tre P-Tre Più, the NINA door handle for Olivari, and the NEW YORK ROOFTOP serving ware collection for Alessi. The six pieces were created by Milan-based Libeskind Design, an offshoot of Studio Daniel Libeskind that opened in 2012 to meet the growing demand for objects that reflect the architect’s style. The studio has developed products for companies around the world including Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the US. Read more.

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