Crystallizing Philippe. Better Design Through Chemistry.

Above: The Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck and a Quartz Crystal covered version by Uri Shapira

Most designers are familiar with Philippe Starck. And of those, several are aware of his iconic chair, The Louis Ghost Chair. Starck transformed the classic Louis XVI chair into a modern version with his transparent design for Kartell in 2002:



Since its inception, the Louis Ghost Chair, made of polycarbonate, has been produced in several transparent colors, three solid colors, a child-sized version (The Loulou Ghost Chair), a limited edition Barbie version, and with four possible design icons printed on the back:



It also spawned an armless version (the Victoria Ghost Chair) and bar stools.

But none is as unusual as "Crystallizing Philippe", the quartz crystal covered version of the Starck-designed chair that was a project for Caesar Stone, a manufacturer of Quartz surfaces, by Israeli designer Uri Shapira. Artificially grown quartz crystals cover every surface of the chair, turning into a piece of art rather than a piece of furniture:









H 90 cm X L 60 cm X W 60 cm. *Limited Edition \\ Made to order

If you are interested in purchasing the "Crystallizing Philippe" chair, contact them here.


Uri Shapira is a promising new artist that has recently stepped out of the academy. His aesthetic perspective comes from a contemporary dialog between nature and man. Uri creates artificial crystals using the wonders of chemistry. He does not have a website, but is represented by Talents Design of Tel Aviv.

Wacky Wooden Spinning Chair For Kids And Grown-Ups By Jaanus Orgusaar.

Designed by Jaanus Orgusaar, the Spinning Chair Accelerator was inspired by the Cern accelerator [the world's largest particle accelerator].



Made of lacquered bended birch plywood with leather handles, the spinning chair is the opposite to the rocking chair. When the rocking chair calms and puts you at ease, the spinning-chair energizes and stimulates. The vibration from the spinning of the metal ball inside awakens your spirit and renews your cells.




After 6 spins, you end up where you started. It is a hilarious and playful ride for both kids and grown-ups.


Dimensions: 1400 x 1400 x 700 mm, 20kg
Materials: 4mm bended birch plywood, 2mm plywood, cable pipe, metal ball, leather handles
Finishing: matte lacquer

Price including VAT, shipping not included: 1.200,00 EUR at designspray or £ 1075.00 GBP here at Bouf

You'd Better Sit Down For This One: Magali Jeambrun's Unusual Chairs

Magali Jeambrun is clearly more than a furniture maker, she's an artist. Creating original unusual and stunning chairs that combine traditional shapes and silhouettes with contemporary designs, fabrics and materials, she has created pieces used in some of the hottest restaurants and retail establishments around.

Despite being written up in every hot design and interior magazines at some point or another for her chairs or mirrors, her pieces are very hard to find outside of France. IOn addition to her stock pieces, she also sells some one of a kind unique items.

She is described on her own site, www.etc-creations.fr, as such:

Neo-retro is obviously the keyword for Magali’s creations.
Rich in knowledge and artistic sensibility, she can create unexpected synergies between classical styles and modern design. The result is an amazing mix and transformation of the styles and matters that gives this particular characteristic to all Magali Jeambrun’s works of art. Like Cocktail dresses, casual suits or fashion dresses, all these products dress their new environment: some unique jewels for your interior.

The Be Flower Collection (click to enlarge):



details of motifs:



Unique materials, colors and combinations thereof along with etching and stencils make her chairs unmistakable.

The Capiton Collection (Noir, Bleu, Rose & Ivoire):




The Duo Collection (Skai and Croc):



Duo Barstools:

For central kitchen bar chair or standard bar chair, DUO line (papered base / clear Plexiglas back) gives way to bar chairs, available in two base heights 65 or 80 cms, with or without moldings.

Shining united vinyl, colored in black, white, red, tangerine, chocolate, silvered and soft gold for the Duo Skai. Imitation croco vinyl, colored in black, white and brown for the Duo Croco.

The Duo Lux Collection (Broc, Duchess & Cecilia):



The Impressum:

The Laser Butterfly Chair and pouf:


The Junior Collection are her chairs for children's rooms which incorporate plush teddy bears and toys:



All her chair frames are built in Northeast of France using traditional, centuries-old methods and are fully hand made without any mechanical support. The wood used for the chairs comes from the communal forest of Liffol-le-petit and benefits from quality and environmentally sensitive harvesting methods. The trees are cut down by employees of the workshop, sawed up in the communal sawmill and dried on site.

A little bit more about the artist/designer:

Magali Jeambrun was born in 1981 in Besançon and grew up in a family of four children where she was exposed to a variety of artistic activities from an early age.
This quite naturally led her to complete a baccalauréat in Applied Arts.
From that point on, her course was eclectic.

Between various experiences with trompe-l’oeil, faux marble, jewelry, sculpture, set design, hat creation, etc., she obtained a BTS in fashion design at the Lycée La Martiniére Terreaux in Lyon. But her desire to express forms and colors in other fields remained intact. She thus trained as an interior decorator in Strasbourg, then got into the Olivier de Serres school of art and design in Paris where she obtained an arts diploma, specializing in synthetic materials. She naturally gravitated towards customization as a result of her thesis subject: the corset through the ages, revisited using synthetic materials.

She later expanded on this “revisiting” approach, spending an entire year hunting for objects at flea markets which she then transformed, dyed, dressed up, etc. She now has a large collection of unique pieces, each highly original.

You can purchase some of these chairs at the Coliseum Shop

Contact info:
MAGALI JEAMBRUN
5, rue de l'Helvétie
25120 Maîche
FRANCE

Tél. : +33 3 81 64 26 96
Fax : +33 3 81 64 30 28
etcmagali@yahoo.fr