26-10-2010 Bruut. furniture collection by Ruud van Oosterhout

As a response to the decadent era we live in bruut. makes a conscious choice to create a limited strong collection. The emphasis is upon high quality; no concessions are made on the specific wood selection, the excellent craftsmanship, and attention to the consumer.

“The pieces of bruut. furniture are statements for your interior,” says Van Oosterhout, “they are objects with a certain dominance in their volume, colour, class and self-evidence.” Thanks to soberness and strong shapes, the collection blends in easily in different interior styles.

bruut. is specialised in customised production. Most models can be individually adapted to the wishes of the consumer.

With the pure products, bruut. aims to align contemporary aesthetics and innovative design with environmental awareness. “We use only wood from forests that have been certified as sustainable”, claims van Oosterhout, who is dedicated to providing gorgeous design, in which sustainability is an indispensable aspect.

26-10-2010 SICIS The Art mosaic factory

The Art Factory. When we tried to summarize the traits of our identity, expressing and highlighting SICIS’s boundaries compared with its interlocutors and the rest of the market, we chose two essential mainstays, the tracks that SICIS’s undertaking and promise have been running along since the very start of its journey.

If the word “Factory” immediately recalls a sense of outstanding production skills, the rhythm and strength that allow inspiration to translate into action, the word “Art” is worth a little more attention.

When we talk about Art we go beyond the sense of specialized craftsmanship - in our case that of the mosaic – and we also go beyond the meaning that is still associated with art: an intensification of time and space, inconsistency of everyday life.

We have always interpreted Art well beyond its form of expression, deep down, completely, throughout the whole process in which it can complete itself: this is where “Art” and “Factory” meet.

And this is why corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability are not regarded as a lost value to be recovered, and least of all as a banner to be shown off far and wide.

Because this is also a component of our nature, of our way of ‘doing’ Art, in mosaics, as everything that is up and downstream of it.

To state the fact that SICIS has never used child or illegal labour, is like stating that a mosaic is the product of a great many fragments. It is obvious. Everything that takes place in SICIS is created by the hands of master artists in our laboratories. We do not believe in outsourcing. Instead, we use local resources, ensuring we always comply with the strictest standards in terms of health and safety at work and protecting the environment. Always, at all costs, true MADE IN ITALY.

There is nothing exceptional in having Man and Nature at heart.

It is simply quite natural that this is the way things are. Indeed, it could be no other way for those intending to work with Art and looking to shoulder our responsibilities.

01-09-2010 Modern Log Cabins

This rectangular wooden home by Masaaki Okuno sits in Minami-Alps City, Japan. Making use of one of the area’s abundant natural resources this two-story single family dwelling is constructed out of a multitude of wooden 2x4 planks.

The planks are treated, but largely left au natrual and also make up the house’s floors and walls giving the interior texture. The simple structure is slightly reminiscent of woodsy log cabins albeit with a modern twist.

01-09-2010 DIY Wine Tables

Have an abundance of used wine bottles invading your space? I have just the solution! Revol-Design’s Wine Tables are a great way to get rid of those used bottles after a long night of partying. Plus, this DIY table is fun to make and it looks great too!

The very best part about Revol-Design’s Wine Tables though, is that they are eco-friendly and allow you to make something cool while still helping the environment.