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June 01, 2009
by William Bostwick  Developed 50 years ago for rockets and fighter jets, carbon fiber lives a double life half the time it's nobly protecting NASA space shuttles, the other half it's jacking up the price of your boss's golf clubs. ------ Thanks to carbon fiber’s lightness and strength, its seductive lineage, and its relatively high cost, that second category is only growing as companies use it as a quick fix to class up everything from tie clips to toilet seats. Even a current worldwide shortage of the material—brought on largely by the development of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, which are both fitted with carbon-fiber wings—hasn’t stopped the deluge. Here’s a breakdown of the latest wares, from functional to frivolous. Click HERE to view a slideshow of the carbon fiber products. WILLIAM BOSTWICK is a freelance design writer and editor-at-large at I.D. He’s written for Architectural Record, Metropolis, Print, and other magazines. Additional reporting by CHRISSY MAHLMEISTER CREDITS: FABRICE GOUSSET (LADDER); GERARD VAN HEES (BOOKSHELVES); CARBONFIBERTHINGS.COM (MOUSETRAP, PAPER CLIP, CLIPBOARD, MOUSEPAD, KEYCHAIN, MONEY CLIP); COURTESY GIOVANNI PAGNOTTA (LAMP); KEVIN SPRAGUE (COFFEE BENCH, VIOLIN) |
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