Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers combine their California and Dutch-bred forces within their small industrial design studio called Mike&Maaike on the famous Lombard Street in San Francisco to make big waves in three functional, thought-provoking designs for ICFF this year.

Wayfinding. Designed by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers.

Grounded in creations that are "marked by experimentation, substance and strong conceptual narratives", they have partnered with three distinct companies – Council, Rollout, and Phase Design – to bring their ideas to life.

At a first glance, Swarm appears to be a time lapse photograph of a game of disjointed Pick-Up Sticks, mid-toss. Although that's my personal perception, the Mike&Maaike duo credit an aggregation of insects, fish, birds, and micro organisms moving in a general direction as their inspiration for this delightful spatial divider for Council. Swarm comes in a myriad of colors – from a solid lime green and black to a warm blend of cream and reds. Designed to work within spaces of many sizes and orientations, the Swarm allows air and light to flow through and around it while quietly defining a room.

Swarm. Designed by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers.

Swarm. Designed by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers.

Bias. Designed by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers.

Wayfinding. Designed by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers.

Have you ever seen a word while on the phone and accidentally said it out loud? I think Mike and Maaike know what exactly what we mean. With their Wayfinding wallpaper, subliminal messages ditched the fuzzy TV flashing in place of beautiful numbers and images spread out along your wall. Manufactured and sold by Rollout, a Vancouver-based company known for its unbridled eye for recruiting boisterous wallpaper designs into its troop. The Wayfinding wallpaper is an indoor GPS system, plugging images of restroom figures, floor level numbers, and exit door arrows into your mind before you realize it.

Lastly, Mike and Maaike designed 'Bias' as part of the 'Illuminate' series of candle holders commissioned by Phase Design, The series was defined by the same design brief and materials given to numerous designers – a 12" X 9" X 1.75" block of solid walnut with turned brass inserts. To Mike&Maaike, the simple palette without rules helped think up the gravity-defying, Pisa-esque cylinder holder they playfully title 'Bias'.

In non-subliminal terms, it is natural to feel a slant towards this particular pair on Lombard Street.