AWID Members Gallery - Sophie Demenge

In French, lubie describes the whimsical or spontaneous thoughts or creation. The lubie collection of ceramic serving pieces is one of designer Sophie Demenge's playful and sophisticated contributions to the r+d line.

The somi family of tables derives its name from co-creators, Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan.
The somi and isom tables are light in appearance for their remarkable strength. They were tested to withstand 274 lbs. (the combined weight of both designers).

Drawing on her mother's Native American roots, Sophie Demenge chose Wabigon - or flower in Ojibwa for r+d's latest lighting design. wabigon's stem provides an architectural detail while its bulb diffuses warm ambient light upwards.

The Three Bears' Nesting Chairs in steel communicate r+d's modernization of the childhood story and the designers' response to the space constraints of urban living. A clever contribution to the realm of nesting products, the chairs appear as one elegant unit until the onset of guests into ones' home or garden solicits smaller chairs to be withdrawn as needed. Each piece mimics the parent chair in proportion as it decreases in scale.

Michael Ryan's segmented Worm Bench acted as a catalyst for conversation and inquiry during its first public appearance at the ICFF in May.
Nine feet in length, brilliant green in color and segmented in form, the Worm Bench was inspired by a fieldtrip to the bio-diversity section at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The Bench marks a return to nature, playfulness, motion and interaction reminiscent of childhood toys. Its configuration follows the whims of the users and desired experience, be it close conversation or comfortable distance.
The Worm Bench is targeted for the inner child of users ages 7-77.