I'm starting to go through the DA directory to look for recent designs that will perhaps give us a spring board to try to begin to articulate what is going on right now in design. These cups by David Pier seem as good of a place as any to start. I bring the hypothesis of heavy modernism (i.e., de-ornamented, post-modern emphasis on surfaces using on modern form language that yields a sense of heavyness and solidity) to this discussion in hopes of either supporting it, or refuting it and replacing it with a more fitting description of what design is either consceiously, or unconsciously, about recently. I bring this to your attention, because it is easy when exploring such things through the lens I am proposing to begin to act like the man with a new hammer and view everything like a nail. I figure the learned and spirited council of designers here will minimize that risk. 🙂
Pier's cups seem to be quite emblematic of heavy modern to me. First, they are quite pleasing to my eye. They are decidedly spherical and suggest a hollow ball that has had the top quarter removed and the side pinched skillfully to produce a handle. The cups seem to set solidly in their saucers despite the rounded lower portions. Put another way, these cups do not float on their saucers. They are not about the space in the cup, or even the space around the cup, they are about the surfaces of the cup. Like so much in design these days, they evidence a "built-in" quality; in this case the handle itself. The curves of the handles take away some of the abstractness of the spheroid shape without deforming it. They leave the cups looking and feeling like an organic emergence of abstraction, if you will. I find them very interesting, but doubt that I would like them for coffee in the morning for one reason: I like my coffee hot and it seems that my fingers and knuckles would get too hot from touching the side of these cups.
The floor is now open for further observations. You don't have to support or refute my hypothesis either. Feel free to advance your own, if you wish.
I like my coffee hot and it s...
I like my coffee hot and it seems that my fingers and knuckles would get too hot from touching the side of these cups.
Then you need to go to a big thick mug that says "World best Dad" best golfer,best fisherman, best lover, etc.
Those mugs specialize in keeping the fingers from getting burned.
This cup is for when the company comes over to view the new modern House. and you wheel them out on The Alvar Aalto Tea Cart trolley
Colani s drop
Yep, good point HP. Allow me to put up a link to his "drop" china for rosenthal.
http://www.designandfun.com/luigi_colani_drop_teapot_with_milk_jar.htm
Modern mugs with influences
Hi Robert, long time no see. Yes, I think this modern designed cup also echoes lines that have been around for longer. I was bummed that the pic above (displaying cups as petals from a flower) does not give a good view on what the handle looks like from up close. So I went for some more zoomed in pictures (cf link to whole set of photos on designers page below). From up close, the curvature of the lines is vaguely reminiscent of jugenstil curls (although of course, much more restrained, smooth surface, wholly white, etc. : which makes it feel more clean modern). The rim from which to drink is curvy too I wonder whether this would feel comfortable to drink from ? I do not know, I never had the pleasure of finding out :o) Yup the organic form also matches forms that were made in the 60 (vase) and 70 (Colanis Drop) . However, I think it also fits in nicely with trendier recent mugs that made a feature of the handle as most prominent part of the form: I am thinking Ego cup by Stefan Lindfors for Iittala and (the in my opinion more flowing and cleavered lined) Ole Jensen coffee cup for Royal Copenhagen.
http://www.etabletop.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Cod...
The extra pics expand one's understanding of the form...
Well, from this angle, I can see that I don't need to worry about burning my knuckles on the side of the cup when its full of hot water. I also like the low spot for lip placement and sipping. All in all an even more interesting design than I first thought. But the photo above also makes clear this is an sophisticated improvisation on an old idea. Much good design is.
If you need any help, please contact us at – info@designaddict.com