B Fora 花瓶 by Nicolau dos Santos is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 银奖 in 家具设计 Competition Category.

银家具· 2021

B Fora 花瓶

by Nicolau dos Santos

Client: Iammi

A' Design Award 银奖 Winner in 家具 Category

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The Design

About B Fora 花瓶

B Fora 是一款为家居空间设计的陶瓷花瓶。其造型重新诠释了经典的希腊双耳瓶（amphora），并加入了曲面形态与两只直立把手。设计师对比例进行了细致推敲，使花瓶脱模之后仍能保持平衡。瓶体内部浸涂有光泽的结晶釉层，使花瓶具备防水性能，可安全盛装液体。B Fora 既可用于盛放饮品、插放花卉，也可作为装饰摆件。该花瓶采用白瓷陶土，通过注浆成型工艺制作而成。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 银奖

B Fora 花瓶是 A' Design Award 银奖得主，这是授予顶级、华美而令人印象深刻的设计的极为崇高的认可。银奖得主是极其卓越、极具创造力的作品，展现出其设计师杰出的专业技能、才华与敏锐。预计B Fora 花瓶将成为一件出色的典范之作，兼具非凡的专业性与深刻的创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 银奖的设计是一项备受瞩目、令人钦佩的发明，造福并拓展艺术、科学、设计和技术的边界。B Fora 花瓶是一件令人羡慕的创作，它唤起渴望，带来积极的情感，并激发惊叹与赞叹。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The idea is to redesign the classic greek amphora into a modern piece that perfectly fits our home interiors. A b side has been offered to an amphora to become a B fora. The curvy curves that characterize the vase and the two straight handles have been carefully designed to keep the vase in perfect balance once extracted from the mold. With the waterproof coating on his internal side, the vase can contain liquids inside.
Dimensions & Packaging: B fora

Material: Whiteware ceramic

External finish (depends on the edition):
Skin: acrylic coloring
My friend: transparent matte finishing
Special: depending on the artist choice

Internal finish: dipped it in the crystalline glossy and waterproof coating

Size: 165 x 120 x h.350 mm

Weight: 1200gr.

Packaging

Dimensions: 210 x 400 x h.150 mm

Material: white recycled cardboard with white shaped foam layer
Tags: vase, ceramic, interior, greekstyle, homedecor, amphora
Production Technology: The B fora is born in the atelier of the Italian master ceramist Michele Puzzo. After realizing the render images and technical draws of the B fora, the vase has been craved on a plaster cylinder using the traditional pottery lathe and sculpting the femminile curves with an accurate handwork.
The production of the vases has been made with the slipcasting technique.
The shape of the vase has been carved inside the packaging into a layer of foam that prevents the vase from being knocked during the shippings.
Design Challenge: Finding the right balance between the aesthetic of the vase and its possible realization on a production that uses the slipcasting technique.
In particular, the challenge came out during the drying phase, after the vase was taken off from the mold. The narrowest parts of the vase have been designed several times to reach the right balance and avoid the collapse of the vase due to the weight.
Research: History: the vases have always been connected to the femininity because of their qualities of receiving and containing liquids. The pregnant woman who carries the baby in her lap protecting, feeding, and giving him/her everything needed can be a clear example of it.
Subconscious: in psychology also, the vase has always been associated with women. According to Freud, the vase symbolizes the woman and the relations with the opposite sex.
Alchemy: finally, in Medieval literature we find the Holy Grail, the vase which contains the elixir of life, an image that immediately suggests the woman gift of life.
Inspiration: B fora is born from the desire to combine the beauty and harmony of Greek conception of body perfection with our contemporary graceful female body silhouette.
Combining the Greek and the modern canons of beauty, a new side has been revealed: the B side. This new amphora is not just a piece of furniture, but a way to talk about the modern beauty as the ancients Greeks did.
Project Duration: The project idea came in March 2019 after a personal study on ancient greek art. We started working on the shapes for more than 3 months, trying to combine the idea of the beauty perfection of ancient greeks with our contemporary conception. The prototyping phase started in June and took 3 months to reach the right shapes. From September till December we realized the production of the 70 vases, the packaging, and the gadgets connected to the product. Everything took place in Milan, Italy.
Operation Flow: B fora is a vase that can be used for serving beverage during your meals, for contains flowers and for interiors decor. In the documentation that can be found inside the packaging, there is a sticky hand toy, to spank the vase when it deserves it.
Team Members: Designer: Nicolau dos Santos
Art director: Stephanie Blanchard
Image Credits: Image #1 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #2 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #3 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #4 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #5 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.

Video credits: Tania de Pascalis, B fora skin edition catalog, 2020.