Springing forward

Text and photos by David Lasker

Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition

More than 175 entries poured into the sixth annual Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition. The sleek Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner Museum Restaurant featured fancy martinis, such as Mumbai Breeze (Bombay Sapphire gin shaken with lychee juice and muddled pomegranate and lemon peel, garnished with lychee fruit).

Teknion pre-launch in the Distillery District

In April, Teknion flew in big-name designers, clients and journalists from around North America and Europe to the Distillery District’s Fermenting Cellar, in Toronto. The occasion marked an ambitious triple product launch preview before the official unveilings at Chicago’s NeoCon in June and Toronto’s IIDEX in September. Building a buzz were Marketplace, the world’s longest-span worktable; District, a desking system that somehow simultaneously evokes the cozy, intimate feel of residential furniture and Russian Constructivism; and Optos, a full-height glass wall system.

Bang & Olufsen’s product launch

Bang & Olufsen, Denmark’s world-known consumer electronics company, is a case study in the branding power of good design. Back in 1983, B&O wowed audiophiles with its state-of-the-art Beogram 8002 turntable, with its straight-line-tracking tone arm. With the demise of vinyl, the company’s mission seemingly changed. The Toronto B&O store recently hosted the Canadian launch of BeoVision 7, B&O’s premier 40-inch LCD widescreen television, with built-in DVD player, surround-sound integrated amplifier and centre-channel speaker. The event confirmed that the Scandinavian firm “owns the position,” as they say in marketing-speak, in pricey, good-performing, gorgeously stylish home-theatre gear with a friendly ergonomic interface.