Tactus aims to help combat loneliness

Sweden-based industrial designer Alexander Lervik has recently developed solutions to help combat isolation and loneliness caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic, especially amongst the older members of society. 

Lervik’s glass, ergonomic, pebble-shaped Tactus Lamps come in pairs linked via WiFi – they are white when dormant, but both of them glow red when one is stroked.

“When the lamp gifted to a loved one who is alone or isolated glows when stroked, it shows you are thinking of him/her. Stroke your lamp for longer and both will begin to pulse like a heartbeat and warm up as a small, internal heater is activated,” says Lervik.

The designer was motivated by his own personal experience of living apart from relatives in Sweden.

“Often you don’t have time for a phone call or a video chat but feel guilty for not communicating at all. The Tactus Lamps send a simple message that’s more emotional than a text. I launched the Tactus Lamps at an exhibition during Stockholm Design Week, and a few older people who tried them out started quietly crying when the lamps started to glow.,” says Lervik.

To illustrate the emotional response to the Tactus Lamps, Lervik created a piece of video art depicting an older woman whose face lights up with joy. The video was displayed on an LED screen in a new lift that Lervik had designed for award-winning Swedish lift manufacturer Aritco.

Nodo ... a suspension chair from Circu.

Creating fairy tale settings for kids

PORTUGUESE brand Circu has boosted its collection of “magical furniture” with the launch of the Nodo chair. With its velvet upholstery and stainless steel, this suspended chair will enhance the style and elegance of homes.

“This chair will bring you the warmth and comfort found in a bird’s nest and the sense of freedom by its floating sensation,” says a spokesman for the company.

“Also, if you aim to create your own special corner in the living room, our new Nodo suspension chair was designed just for you. Whether reading a fairytale to the little ones or just seating in its comfortable fabric, it aims to add style while being practical,” he adds.

For the living room, the company also offers the Toy Box, built of wood with gold finishes, which is a useful storage solution for kids’ toys and secret treats.

Circu was set up with a dream to allow children to live their own fantasies and create a magical world for them. With its hand-crafted and hand-tailored pieces made with the finest materials, the company claims it delivers only the highest quality furnishings that turn children’s dreams into reality.

From airplane beds and rocket armchairs to a crib inspired by a hot air balloon and its cloud collection, its pieces create moments and experiences between children’s real-world and their fantasies.

Brushed Rose Gold ... one of the six new finishes from Ritmonio.

Ritmonio taps the appeal of design finishes

Italian bathrooms specialist Ritmonio has enriched its collection of faucets with six new refined and timeless design finishes.

These finishes enhance the company’s Glitter, Pois, Haptic, Taormina, Reverso and Diametro 35 series, creating countless possible configurations, it says.

The six new colours include Rose Gold, Frosted Rose Gold, Brushed Rose Gold, Brushed Dark Bronze, Frosted Black Chrome and Frosted Champagne.

“This extends the number of finishes available to 16, which have been obtained with special processes in new-generation systems with low environment impact that are technologically advanced,” says a spokesman for the company.

He continues: “Until a few years ago, the classic chrome was an almost obvious choice for taps, however, today colour and finish define the bathroom environment.”

Thanks to Ritmonio’s stylistic research, the taps are combined with the chromatic choices of the entire interior project, interpreting their trends and becoming a coordinated piece of furniture, the choice of which is essential for the final aesthetic result. The new finishes enhance residential settings as well as contract and hospitality.