Mouvement and senses in solid wood by Novak-Mikulic and Ruzic

Notes

April 2, 2013

Mouvement and senses in solid wood by Novak-Mikulic and Ruzic

Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic have created their first collection of furniture in solid wood for Artisan. In conjunction with their clear inspiration by organic forms, which they have skilfully translated into the materiality of solid wood, designers have developed an extra dimension of experience which is made possible by a masterly treatment of the surface.

Designers Rudjer Novak-Mikulic & Marija Ruzic.

Rudjer Novak-Mikulic and Marija Ruzic are clearly the representatives of a new design expression in Croatia, which character I’ve called Tactile within the exhibition Solid Acts – Design from Croatia, that’s going to be held in Milan at Superstudio Più – The Temporary Museum for New Design 2013 (Zona Tortona) from April 9 to April 14, 2013.

Chair Neva (Artisan, 2013) by Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. The character of the Neva chair derives from the poetics of the wave, suggested by the continuous line that moves from the front leg to the arm and from the armrest to the back. And like a wave, the chair is totally fluid and rounded, soft in its transitions. Photo: Domagoj Kunic.

Chair Neva (Artisan, 2013) by Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. Photo: Domagoj Kunic.

For Artisan they’ve developed the collection consisting of a chair Neva, table Luc, coffee table Bloop, floor lamp Shift and various carpets presented already at IMM Cologne this year.

Final treatment of the Neva chair surface in Artisan.

Final treatment of the Neva chair’s surface is made by the experienced artisans from the Artisan. Photo: Marija Ruzic.

Neva chair in the production process (Artisan). Photo: Marija Ruzic.

Poetics – Tactile

In conjunction to their clear inspiration by organic forms, which they have skilfully translated into the materiality of solid wood, designers Novak-Mikulic and Ruzic have developed an extra dimension of experience manifested through a masterly treatment of the surface.

Total experience of the table Luc (Artisan) is acomplished by touching its surfaces. Design: Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. Photo: D. Kunic.

This is used to create an ever-fuller overall interaction with the natural sensitivity of the wood, while the designers point up an aesthetic of fluid forms.

Table Luc (Artisan) by Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. Photo: D. Kunic.

The Bloop collection of low tables is the result of the decomposition of the classic circular table with a central leg turned on a lathe. By shifting the axis of rotation of the three basic elements of this kind of table (base, leg and top) an unconventional spatial composition is achieved.

Bloop coffee tables (Artisan). Design: Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. A composition of several tables in a space in two different heights provides associations with the poetics of the ripples that spread regularly over the surface of water after a pebble has been cast in. Photo: D. Kunic.

Bloop coffee tables (Artisan). Design: Novak-Mikulic & Ruzic. Photo: D. Kunic.

Detail of the joints on Bloop coffe table (Artisan). Design: Novak-Mikulic and Ruzic. Photo: D. Kunic.

Shift is a lamp that in a very simple way, without advanced technology or complex mechanisms, meets the requirements of both directed and background lighting.

Floor lamp Shift (Artisan). Its structure is ascetic, devoid of all extraneous elements. Design: Novak-Mikulic and Ruzic + School of Design Zagreb. Photo: D. Kunic.

Shift lamp consists of three wooden struts that the user self-assembles into a spatial construction, and a shade that slides along one of the struts, supported on the other two in various positions. The shade is made of perforated metal sheeting covered in cloth, in order to be strong enough lean on the wooden struts, and light enough to be simple to use.

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All the products are avaliable in oak, walnut, elm, maple, pear or cherry. The Neva chair comes with a wooden or upholstered seat (leather or fabric).

Tatjana Bartakovic

Editor in Chief of Design Agenda. Works as Design curator and writer but mostly living from the work in public relations, branding and content marketing.

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