Max Lipsey's Acciaio Series

Of the many reasons I wish I could have checked out Qubique, the new furniture fair that debuted at Berlin's decommissioned Tempelhof airport last month (and which Sally McGrane reported on through a slideshow here), one of them is this exhibition of young designer Max Lipsey's work, presented by the New York design shop Matter.
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Lipsey's previous designs for his Acciaio (Italian for "steel") series are priced from $800 (for a stool) to $2500 (for a lounge chair) and are currently available at Matter. But his "Stage 2" designs for the Acciaio series, which debuted at Qubique, are still in production and only available for pre-order at this point.

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Some of the "Stage 2" pieces on display at Matter's booth at Qubique.

According to Matter, "the inspiration for the series is the classic racing bicycle with a geometry that is strong, light and elegant... The perforated surfaces accentuate the works' lightness and use semi-transparency to obscure contents and surrounding space. The seed of bicycle geometry also leads to faceted surfaces and new angles that break away from traditional forms."

This is the Low Cabinet with Table.

This is the Low Cabinet with Table.

The cabinet opens up like so.

The cabinet opens up like so.

Lipsey was born in the U.S. and is currently working in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. He graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2007, and has since pursued independent projects, collaborated with other designers on group projects, and freelanced for Maarten Baas.

A closer look at the craftsmanship. Would you believe that the tan portions are leather?

A closer look at the craftsmanship. Would you believe that the tan portions are leather?

His work melds the industrial process with "elements of the human touch that are more often found in craft-based techniques," as a Matter press release puts it.

Here's a side table. I find this piece simultaneously ugly and beautiful... which means I can't stop looking at it.

Here's a side table. I find this piece simultaneously ugly and beautiful... which means I can't stop looking at it.

I think the mix of tan leather with perforated metal and lightweight steel tubing (borrowed from bicycle frame building) is quite compelling. What do you think?

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Jaime Gillin
When not writing, editing, or combing design magazines and blogs for inspiration, Jaime Gillin is experimenting with new recipes, traveling as much as possible, and tackling minor home-improvement projects that inevitably turn...

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