Dezeen Magazine

Hans J Wegner The Round Chair

"Fakes wouldn't exist if design wasn't so expensive"

Comments update: issues surrounding replica furniture design were a hot topic this week after we reported that Norwegian authorities had destroyed 100 copies of Danish designer Hans J Wegner's Round Chair. Read on for more on this and explore our comments page to keep up to date with the latest discussions.

Search and destroy: the replica Wegner chairs, ordered by a restaurant owner for his business, were seized by authorities and destroyed at the individual's expense – a decision that angered some readers.

"Fakes wouldn't exist if design wasn't so expensive," argued Karl. "Everyone should have access to good design."

"Destroying someone's property just because it looks like someone else's property is sick," added a guest commenter. "Protecting design rights is nothing about protecting design and all about protecting someone's stream of revenue."

Other readers expressed their support for furniture brand PP Møbler, which owns the rights to produce the design, and the Norwegian authorities.

"This is amazing news!" exclaimed Sarah. "Being from Denmark, and growing up in a home that cared a lot about the design and the quality of furniture, it breaks my heart when replicas are manufactured." Read the comments on this story »


Airbus Stacking Aeroplane Seating Patent
Airbus files patent for two-storey aeroplane passenger seating

Double-decker Airbus: news that plane manufacturer Airbus has patented a seat design system that would see passengers stacked on top of one another shocked commenters.

"The comfort of passengers wasn't a consideration in this design," responded John. "Perhaps the final version will surprise us if it's ever built."

Many readers took the opportunity to ridicule the mezzanine design, while one likened it to the horrific 19th-century plans for human cargo slave ships.

"I appreciate that Airbus might file hundreds of patents per year, but on this evidence they obviously don't have any sort of quality check before they go out of the office," wrote Fraperic. Read the comments on this story »


New-London-Architecture-winners_Baca-Architects_Buoyant-Starts_dezeen_sq
NLA unveils 10 winning designs in ideas competition addressing London's housing crisis

Housing London: ten competition-winning ideas for addressing London's housing shortage were unveiled, but commenters couldn't foresee any of the proposals becoming reality.

"I'm almost certain that these will not be implemented," said Silvie. "The real issues are not being tackled at a legislative level and until there's a desire for change coming from powerful people, it'll simply be left to the inflated market forces."

"There are some great ideas here but I don't think there's a vested interest for affordable houses in London," agreed Lucus.

"These are much-needed ideas that serve to keep a solution within reach," retorted a commenter calling themselves Londoner. "We have to keep applying political pressure as voters to get the best of them built." Read the comments on this story »


Cardboard Origami Car by Lexus
Cardboard Origami Car by Lexus

Cardboard cutout: a fully functional vehicle made entirely out of cardboard by Japanese auto brand Lexus was one of last week's most-discussed stories, but not everyone could decipher the project's aims.

"Conceptually I don't understand this project at all," wrote one guest commenter. How is laser-cut cardboard a 'celebration of human craftsmanship'?"

"Saying this is inspired by origami is like saying any marble facade is inspired by Michelangelo's David," agreed Andersei. "Origami is about the technique of folding paper into shape, this is simply carved from cardboard." Read the comments on this story »