Skip to content

Sphere-spotting: NY NOW

By Cathy Schneider, Sphere Trending Trend Futurist, Director of Color Theory

Another dispatch from New York – this time with a focus on the tradeshow, NY NOW, a leading event featuring brands and makers.

The unbreakable tableware from Japanese Studio Aras is made from a unique blend of recyclable resin and glass, designed to last a lifetime and reduce waste. Aras chooses to present values ​​that contribute to society. “The Sustainable Collection began with the question of whether we could reuse natural materials that had become industrial waste, such as “cedar bark” and “seawater,” and convert their value into materials that enrich the food experience. The Sustainable Collection is a proposal for the tableware of the future.” – Project Manager Mizukami from the Eras Team. The traditional Brown from the Cedar Bark Series expresses the vitality of plants in a deep, dark forest, while the Black expresses the scene of a cedar forest lined with rows of cedar trees.  The Seawater Series depicts the traditional Mineral White, a Marine Blue which depicts the clear, vivid blue sea of ​​the south, and Coral Pink which depicts the sea dyed pink by the setting sun.

Next up? Our team is headed to Paris and Berlin. Follow along for more dispatches from our travels! We have a lot more coming in September so don’t miss out! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.

Sphere-spotting

Emily Siwek, Sphere Trending Trend Futurist, Director of Architectural Design

As future thinkers, we are always on the lookout for trend indicators – patterns and groupings that feel fresh and relevant. Lately, we’ve been seeing sphere popping up everywhere (and just in time for the total solar eclipse)!

Sphere Trending was founded to ‘connect the dots’ between big picture macro shifts, consumer engagement, and design and product implications. The sphere shape is close to our hearts and minds and reminds us to think ‘outside the circle’. Here are a few of the recent spheres we’ve seen popping up!

New from Hansgrohe, the ‘Sphere’ pictured below stands for “wellness and waterless regeneration.” A new sensory experience for the bathroom that takes the place of a long soak while providing the same sense of relaxation and refreshment.

The Hansgrohe ‘Sphere’

At the Toronto Pearson airport, an art installation titled “Tilted Spheres” by the late Richard Serra creates space with curved steel walls creating a striking visual effect but also creates a more intimate acoustic area buffering the noise from the surround spaces.

Tilted Spheres, Toronto Pearson Airport

The ‘A’s baseball team in Las Vegas have revealed plans for a new stadium shaped like a “Spherical Armadillo” in Las Vegas, designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group. The playful structure will include a 33,000-seat park enclosed by a roof with “the world’s largest cable-net glass window” letting in natural light and providing a city view.

Lastly, the Las Vegas ‘Sphere’ has become a new iconic element in the city, projecting visuals across a seamless dome. We recently saw it up close and in person at the CES and IBS/KBIS tradeshows and love how the immersive venue shakes up traditional entertainment.

The Sphere Experience, Las Vegas