Swiping in all shapes and sizes

[Byrne]

Shuanghuan Automobile, the Hebei-based carmaker whose name literally means “pair of rings,” is facing legal challenges from BMW and Daimler, as the BBC reports. The striking similarity of Shuanghuan’s models to those of the German marques as well as Honda and Toyota has been going on for years, the difference now is that Shuanghuan is starting to make moves toward exporting them. Here’s a roundup of photos. what do you think?

[Byrne]

At the Dafen art village, across the border from Hong Kong in Shenzhen, assembly line artists sit before easels and reproduce just about any Old World or contemporary masterpiece. Buyers pay a pittance, and get the reproduction at whatever dimensions they want.

An art gallery in Zurich, Switzerland, is now advertising an alliance with the art village in which buyers can turn up at the gallery with an image of what they want reproduced. In a few short weeks, they get the reproduction. Cost: Roughly $450-$900, frame included

[Byrne]

I'm not very interasted in furniture but i found this one and thought i would share it as well.

At what point does furniture "inspired" by midcentury design classics cross the line to outright mimicry?


Left: CB2's Tornado Table ($119); right: Warren Platner's 1966 Side Table ($662 at Highbrow Furniture).


Left: West Elm's Scoop Back Chair ($79); right: Arne Jacobsen's 1955 Series 7 Chair ($394 at Retro Modern).


Left: West Elm's Wire Mesh Occasional Chair ($229); right: Harry Bertoia's 1952 Side Chair ($483 at Hive Modern).