Industrial design and applied art have met in the middle with a new spin-off punch bag by Job Smeets of Studio Job, and Italian design company Gufram. To eagle-eyed readers, the ‘Punch a Wall’ punch bag may seem familiar, especially after it debuted for the first time in 2017 at the SuperGufram exhibition at Design Miami/Basel. The comically intriguing design is now available in its unlimited version.
‘Punch a Wall’ by Studio Job for Gufram
The punch bag is not only a fun interior statement but also a functional piece for any avid boxer, and takes on a print resembling a red and orange brick wall. Aptly named, ‘Punch a Wall’ playfully contrasts what is recognised as a hard material (the bricks) with a soft texture. Its paradoxical nature allows a moment to pause before delivering an impactful strike.
The bags are stitched together entirely by hand by Gufram artisans, and feature moulded expanded polyurethane and a special paint invented by the Italian brand's design team over 50 years ago. The result allows for a durable and weather-resistant surface, crack-free no matter how hard a punch you throw.
Other pieces of the SuperGufram exhibition included a cooking-pot coffee table complete with steam, a moon cupboard, a wall divider made of four different elements, referring to the bark of a specific tree, and a shiny globe stand. Each of the pieces is quirky, captivating, with an injection of playful nostalgia, evoking a sense of childlike wonder and imagination that anything is possible.
-
From Rembrandt to Warhol, a Paris exhibition asks: what do artists wear?‘The Art of Dressing – Dressing like an Artist’ at Musée du Louvre-Lens inspects the sartorial choices of artists
-
Meet Lisbeth Sachs, the lesser known Swiss modernist architectPioneering Lisbeth Sachs is the Swiss architect behind the inspiration for creative collective Annexe’s reimagining of the Swiss pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
-
A stripped-back elegance defines these timeless watch designsWatches from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex and more speak to universal design codes
-
The latest Gufram Cactus by Paul Smith is painted like a sunrise to celebrate new beginningsThe new sunrise-inspired Gufram Cactus by Paul Smith marks the reopening of the designer's Melrose boutique in Los Angeles
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger book launch rests on a Radical Design icon reimaginedThis stand for the new Arnold Schwarzenegger book by Taschen was originally designed as a seating object, ‘Capitello’, by Franco Audrito’s Studio 65
-
A$AP Rocky makes first foray into design with Gufram at Design Miami 2022Design Miami 2022: A$AP Rocky presents a new edition of the iconic Gufram Cactus and launches his new design venture, Hommemade
-
Gufram teams up with the Andy Warhol foundation for a new Cactus seriesThe limited edition of the radical design icon was created in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts
-
Milan's brightest creative luminaries celebrate the 2015 Design Awards
