Tag

Peter Stathis Archives - JOBY Blog

JOBY | Peter Stathis at Propeller

By | JOBY|Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration | No Comments

For the month of September, San Francisco plays host to the Architecture and The City Festival, a festival dedicated to exploring how progressive design and creative problem solving can address society’s current challenges and lead to a more sustainable future. The festival features a variety of lectures, films, tours and discussions all centered around the theme “Architecture of Consequence” with the goal of demonstrating and discussing the positive impact architects and designers have on our communities.

Last night,  Propeller Modern—a home design store that features local designers in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco— hosted the JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration lighting line and designers Peter Stathis and Phillip Wood in a discussion about the unique design culture of San Francisco and green LED technology. Peter Stathis is a wonderful speaker with quite the sense of humor. That coupled with his deep understanding of realities of designing today made for a very interesting lecture. I enjoyed the discussion and wanted to share with you some of Peter Sathis’ comments.

Designing Today vs Designing Yesterday

Peter Stathis has been part of the design community for 25 years. He began his career in New York and about 10 years ago moved to San Francisco. 

Previously, designing in the US was linear and limited. You could only design what you could make.  But, with the disengagement of manufacturing and distribution, the playing field has changed. There are opportunities out there, space for collaboration across borders, across countries. Design is global again.

East Coast vs West Coast

New York doesn’t make things. New York makes ads for things. There is real opportunity in San Francisco. The scope of what you can achieve is phenomenal because of the culture and the community here. What three to four people can achieve here in San Francisco, it would take 20 to 30 people to do in New York. San Francisco is very permissive, less structured and traditional. It is an incredible place with highly collaborative people and advanced technology. Having that at your fingertips is fantastic. There is also a sense of trust here that is unique—people take bigger leaps.

The JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration is a perfect example of  this permissive business culture, this collaborative spirit. The way we worked together was not traditional. It was very dynamic. The products we created in just 18 months could not have be possible without collaboration.

On the Trapeze and Obus

The Trapeze and Obus are simple in appearance, but made with very sophisticated technology. They are designed from the inside out. The LED light panels are remarkably efficient, but the design is also playful and self-evident. We wanted to take light and put it anywhere, similar to what JOBY offers with its GorillaPod line.

On His Design Philosophy

I’m into aesthetics. I spend a lot of time making my products as simple looking as possible. There is not a lot of shenanigans going on. My products are built for efficiency, durability and to be intuitive—like a tool. But, I also understand that there is a level of engagement beyond sheer function. There is an emotional engagement, and the outward appearance of the product taps into that. It is magic—hiding very useful and sophisticated technology in a simple appearance. I want to offer a new experience to the people that purchase my designs.

On Green Design

Being green is not first in my mind when I design, but the objects that I design are green. I design as simply as possible — there is nothing superfluous to remove from my designs. I am also designing to last. My products are durable. They are meant to be around for 15 to 20 years, not just a few seasons. I also use recyclable materials; the LEDs in my products are extremely efficient in terms of energy use. For example, the Trapeze is made of  90% recyclable materials, the LED light panel has a life span of 20 years.

A special thank you to Peter and Phillip from JOBY for such an interesting discussion! If you are in the Bay Area and would like to attend other Architecture and The City events similar to this one, the festival guide is available here.

Trapeze is a Finalist in CA Home + Design Hit List!

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

We are excited to announce that our Trapeze LED Table Light is a finalist in the California Home + Design 2011 Hit List!  The Trapeze is a collaboration between JOBY and famed industrial designer Peter Stathis and a new product that we are extremely excited about.

Readers of CA Home + Design nominated 2011’s most stunning and innovative products, places, websites and design. The nominees were then narrowed to 21 finalists by the editors. Our Trapeze is among those top 21.  And now, it’s time to vote for your favorite! (We’re secretly hoping your favorite is us). Voting is open until September 10th and you can vote once per day.

The winners will be featured in our November/December 2011 issue and we’re aiming to see our Trapeze printed on those glossy pages!

Friday Finds: Frame X Frame Rises and the JOBY|Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration Gets a Warm Welcome

By | Contests, Frame X Frame, Friday Find, JOBY|Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration, Press | One Comment

Happy Happy Friday Friday!

 

What a week it has been!

The Stop Motion Addict Contest is in full swing  – so be sure to post your best videos!

 

 

And while we are talking about Frame X Frame, we have received some great coverage from the likes of Stuff and T3 among others.

Love this T3 shout out to the best in stop motion animation:

So if you want to create your own Wallace and Gromit, you can move your characters slightly every few seconds, or you can take a picture of, say the different stages of the moon every night.

JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration

JOBY was in NY this week to launch our previously mentioned new lighting line. We have been thrilled by the coverage we have received from the New York Times to Fast Company to Apartment Therapy and beyond. Check out some noticeable quotes:

New York Times:

The table lamp is laid-back, and no wonder. Created by Peter Stathis, a San Francisco industrial designer, for Joby, a San Francisco consumer products company, Trapeze has the easygoing affect of a Bay Area windsurfer on a fair-trade coffee break.

But don’t be fooled by its relaxed demeanor. Trapeze has a serious side — it’s good for the environment, too. Introduced at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which ended on Tuesday, the lamp has 102 LEDs embedded in its ultra-thin head; a diffuser softens and spreads the light so that it resembles the warmth of (boo, hiss) incandescent bulbs. Another bit of patent-pending wizardry allows Trapeze to bend like a Cirque du Soleil gymnast because no wires run through its jolly, bulbous joints. The current somehow manages to flow anyway.

Apartment Therapy:

Of all the cool stuff at ICFF this week, these new lights by Peter Stathis stood out by a mile.

 

Friday Finds: JOBY at ICFF with JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration

By | Friday Find, New Product Launch | No Comments

JOBY has arrived en masse in New York this week to celebrate the launch of the JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration. ICFF opens on Saturday morning, and just to kick it up a notch, we are going to mark the send-off of the new lighting line at CITE -131 Greene St on Friday Night from 6 PM – 8 PM.

The new line of lighting products will be unveiled at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). The JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration includes two movement–infused, sculptural lights that are engineered from the inside out and made to instantaneously engage the user by combining function with a sense of play.

Trapeze LED Table Light

The Trapeze LED Table Light presents a revolution in lighting. Ignited by LED technology and patent-pending 360º pivot movement, it is available in two sizes: small and large. With sweeping, fluid motion that works across three-axes, the counterweighted design allows for precise positioning.

The cutting-edge flat-panel LED technology, pioneered and developed by Stathis and his group for the last several years, is the thinnest and most efficient flat-panel LED light engine currently on the market – allowing for the illumination of large areas with brilliant, perfectly even, warm light.

Obus Indoor/Outdoor Light


Obus magically transitions between ambient and directional light to illuminate spaces indoors and out. A unique accent to any contemporary interior, the sculptural organic form produces even, warm ambient light. Once lifted, the portable Obus throws a concentrated beam through its base to direct light where needed.

The new lighting products are designed for JOBY by Peter Stathis, winner of the Editors Award for Best Lighting two of the past three years at ICFF, and highly-decorated industrial designer and principal at Virtual Studio.

Born out of the progressive business culture of California, the JOBY | Peter Stathis Venture Collaboration presents new strategies for design and development, and has created a rule-breaking vision on where American Design is headed.

FOJ (Friends of Joby) – Rewarded at International Contemporary Furniture Fair

By | delightful design, FOJ, Friends of Joby, Office | No Comments

Last month the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) which seeks to be a global summit of what’s best and next in design took place in New York City. Capping off the event of fabulous and innovative design was the ICFF Editors Award. This year the ICFF proclaimed panel of the “hippest and most in-the-know U.S. and international editors” included;  Arlene Hirst, Anniina Koivu of Abitare, Jessica Johnson of Azure, Stefano Casciani of Domus, Sam Grawe of Dwell, Gilda Bojardi of Interni, Chantal Hamaide of Intramuros, Susan S. Szenasy of Metropolis, Benjamin Kempton of Wallpaper*.

We were thrilled to see some of our closest friends in the design community take home top honors. It doesn’t hurt that two of them in particular have been integral to making our new office space so amazing. Last year, the brains and skill behind our great white table; Council Design, took home top prize for furniture design. This year, Joby friend and designer of the wonderful orange lights that illuminate our space, Peter Stathis won for the lighting category.

Congrats!

Our Brands