Tinna Gunnarsdottir and Karen Chekerdjian have been friends and design comrades since their school days together at the Domus Academy in Milan. Each an independent industrial designer in her own right, the two women have developed a unique pattern of creative collaboration.

Their first project together, in 2001, began with a discussion about the power of images to create meaning and alter our perceptions of reality, and resulted in their whimsical furniture series, ‘Stool in the Box.’ Deeper discussion of product concepts and shared exploration of material and form led to their project for 2002, ‘Rolling Stones,’ a collection of spherical'drawers' with multiple functions and no solid location in space.

The projects are compelling, but what's unique about their design collaborations is that Tinna lives in Reykjavik and Karen in Beirut: all of their projects are realized exclusively via Internet communication. Using email and the web to exchange ideas and sketches and share research information, the designers finally prototype different versions of each project in their home countries, drawing upon local material resources and craftspeople.

As we shift away from today's unsustainable modes of production and consumption, examples like this one will become increasingly important to study and emulate: how global friendships and shared creativity can lead us to a better future.

Tinna Gunnarsdottir >

Karen Chekerdjian >