tune in and bug-out.

from one part of the world to another designers continue to be inspired by the natural world and this time round they have been turned on by none other than bugs and insects of all sorts. the matriarch of conceptual retail, rosanna orlandi showcased “schwarm”  – wonderful and oversized entomological ceramic vases by R.a.R for thomas eyck as part of her presentation for milan design week. the collection consists of 63 different glazed porcelain beetles in a limited and numbered edition of 40 pieces each. the coccinela is my favourite as seen below but love them en masse also – what a great entrance a wall of bugs would be?

also as part of milan design week, ingo maurer presented “spirits flying high” included in the installation were “biotope” and “johnny b. butterfly”. biotope  – a vibrant green structure constructed of natural sponges hanging over 4 metres tall seems full of life and invites the viewer to discover elements within – mostly hand-made insects and butterflies seemingly living within the light organism.

the incredibly detailed insects created for biotope gave birth to another lighting project with more of a focus on the insects themselves – johnny b. butterfly shows a small series of light-hearted light pendants where butterflies and dragonflies dance around the bulb without getting burnt.

dinosaur designs – an old favourite of mine from the sunny outpost of sydney has just launched their latest offering of hand-crafted resin, metal and ceramic accessories for the body and home entitled simply as “insects”. a more tropical take on our many-legged friend, dinosaur designs dishes out great plates and oversized knuckle-dusters as always and super-bright incarnations of butterflies, beetles and the scarab – especially good in gold. creepy crawlies – coming to a home near you SOON.

images from designboom, dinosaur designs + wallpaper magazine with thanks.