Monday 27 April 2009

Milan 2009 – Nava Clock

Most of the time it is the simplest ideas that are the best. None more so than Denis Guidone’s Legale clock for Nava (Italy). Available in black or white varnished wood this desk clock allows the user to change from summer time to winter time in one simple gesture…we love it!

www.navadesign.com

Milan 2009 - Moustache and Skitsch


As the new kids we think it’s only right that we should big up the other new kids. Two potential superbrands launched during the Fair. Skitsch is the brainchild of Renato Preti and Cristina Morozzi, while Moustache is a new company from the guys behind Domestic.

Both have attracted the absolute crème de la crème of European design talent. Between them they have produced pieces by Front, Matali Crasset, Maarten Baas, Todd Bracher, Campana Brothers, Xavier Lust, Inga Sempe…..the list goes on and includes the Dazzle Chair by Bertjan Pot for Skitsch (below)



Both companies seem to share a common ideal, which is best summed up by Skitsch as “Emotional Contemporary Design”. Our only disappointment was the Moustache space was closed on the two occasions we tried to visit, but then maybe that was the point…….

Check them out at;
www.skitsch.it
www.moustache.fr

Milan 2009 – Tromp-l'Oeil

One trend this year we couldn’t help notice (or was it just a trick of the light?) was the use of Tromp-l'Oeil. Nowhere more successfully than by the ubiquitous Front design team, this time for Moroso (Italy). Covering their designs with prints which mimicked draped silk, geometric cushions and wood grain their optical illusions were fun and inventive, with tongue planted firmly in cheek.



Other examples of Tromp-l’oeil were the legendary Gaetano Pesce for Meritalia (Italy) with his landscape vistas which seemed to borrow from the nearby Santa Maria presso San Satiro with its iconic painted perspectives by Donato Bramante.

A further example that the recent regard for Baroque, marked by the major exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is being felt in contemporary design.



www.moroso.it
www.meritalia.it
www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/baroque

Milan 2009 - Zeitraum


Can sustainability be a trend? That’s the idea at the core of the latest collection from German manufacturer Zeitraum, and that’s precisely what attracted us to them.

Sustainability has become a buzzword for marketeers and politicians alike, but when will we get to a place where the buzz has gone and it is just second nature? In many parts of Northern Europe the ideas of recycling, reducing waste and only using materials from responsible sources is so engrained into their consciousness they don’t understand the fuss. We look forward to the day when that happens in the UK.

Zeitraum has apparently been a trend setter – sustainability has been a corner stone since their inception 19 years ago.



Timeless elegance, classic styling, honest, tactile furniture from sustainable materials are the buzzwords we should be using to describe Zeitraum. High-tech is ditched in favour of high-touch. Taking their cue from nature, where nothing is superfluous and everything makes sense, details have a specific meaning.

Morph chair combines organic curves with some sharp angles to give an unusual form. The light appearance takes up very little space both physically and visually.

Nyord table references traditional kitchen or refectory tables, and invites friends to sit side by side. There is no head of the table. It’s all about socialising.

Honest. Character. Substance. The new definition of luxury.


Visit www.zeitraum-moebel.de for more information.

Milan 2009 – 100 % reincarnated!

As in previous years environmental design took centre stage. However, this year brands talked less about ecology as a trend but rather as the norm for furniture design and production. Notable mentions include ‘Elephant Skin’ promoted on the Ingo Maurer stand under the slogan ‘If you believe recycling is the future, you are living in the past’. This new design initiative seeks to address all the used material that cannot be recycled because it is either too inconsistent or dirty - behold the Reincarnated Stool and Table, made from 100% baked used plastic.



Environmental design wasn’t limited to the northern European manufacturers either. Italian design house Danese Milano launched a series of recyclable products finished with environmentally friendly paint and colours by Ilva – continuing Danese’s legacy for iconic design, but now with responsible manufacturing.


Other brands showcasing great environmentally sound designs included Zeitraum (Germany) and Buzzispace (Belgium). Please see our other Milan blog entries for more information.

The highlight for anyone interested in Green Design was the Interni Design Energies at the Universita Degli Studi di Milano. Filling the massive courtyard and much of the interior was the best in new thinking around green design. Our pick of the bunch were – Marc Sadler’s Hot-Pot and Luca Trazzi’s T-Energy.






www.elephantskin.nl

Milan 2009 - Örsjö

Amongst the multi-coloured glass chandeliers which were everywhere at Euroluce, some of the more subtle stands still managed to shine (no pun intended!).

One particular breath of fresh air was Örsjö, a small manufacturer from the south of Sweden with a simple, understated elegance.

Alongside the 2008 wallpaper* award winning Ginko pendant by Norway Says (above) was a new wall-light from Matti Klenell, called Pin. Apart from designs for Moooi, David Design and Svenkst Tenn, Matti has collaborated with Orsjo on several occasions in the past.

Pin is simplicity itself – a round opal glass piece, with IP44 rating, which means it can be used outdoors or in bathrooms. Pin would look equally as beautiful as a bed-side light or in a living area. Don’t forget to use the recommended energy saving lamp!

Lean by Jenny Bäck (below) was originally a special commission for COS stores worldwide, and a modified version has now gone into standard production. The tripod frame and steel shade have echoes of 50’s modernism, but the industrial rubber hand-grip brings it right up to date. Next time you’re helping to keep the economy afloat on Regent St or Westfield London why not pop into COS for a quick hit of Swedish design?




Check out www.orsjo.se for more information.

Milan 2009 - Northern Exposure

Northern European manufacturers held their own against the Italian Superbrands with their endless whites. Most notable was the new collection from Normann Copenhagen (Denmark), in particular designs by Ole Jensen - ‘Collect’ and ‘Memory’. Collect in its acid green against the stands black walls stood out this year as a fun but practical shelving unit made to house your mementos and trinkets. Designed to partner Memory, an oversized ‘warm and friendly’ caricature of an armchair which needs to be sat in to get the full effect. Made to ponder and reminisce, Memory is not a chair for you to read a book in or relax in front of the TV, but rather boldly is designed to make you do nothing but think! With upward angled arm rests and a straight back, sitting in it is akin to sitting in a lotus position, but much more comfortable. Great looking, fun but serious…I want this chair!

The trend to use furniture to slow down and insulate yourself against the speed of modern life continued on Bla Station (Sweden) with ‘Koja’ by Fredrik Mattson, a beautiful high backed chair (and sofa) mixing hand-crafted solid ash with soft fabrics and pillows. Koja continues a trend started by Bla Station with their earlier offering ‘Peekaboo’ which sought to block out the exterior bustle through shielding the sitter. Koja achieves the same effect by creating a soft, autonomous space separate from the outside noise…comfortable, stylish, clever!


www.normann-copenhagen.com
www.blastation.se

Milan 2009 – white is the new black!



Through the miles and miles of stands at this years Milan Furniture Fair you could not fail to notice the abandonment of black and the move away from moody tones of grey seen in previous years. White was back with a vengeance – blindingly bright and fresh! B&B Italia did it with stoic purity. Patricia Urquiola did it with subtly and a deft use of material including stone, marble and quartz, seen in the stunning ‘Marbleous Garden’ at Universita Degli Studi di Milano (above). The trend for form over colour was pushed to the extreme in Antoine + Manuel’s ‘Cabinet’ for bd Barcelona (Spain) seen below.

While Gervasoni (Italy) decided to accent their whites with colour and headed the trend for white monotone combinations.


However top of our list has to be Porro (Italy) who showcased their ‘Black&White’ collection by Front - a stunning series of white cabinets designed with super skinny black line facades. And with a touch of perverse genius, they saw fit to cover their showroom windows with blue lighting gels and lit the interior with a cool blue glow – highlighting the true flexibility of this years colour of choice, as their whites absorbed and vibrated with differing tones and hues…brilliant!





www.bebitalia.it
www.bdbarcelona.com
www.gervasoni1882.it
www.porro.com

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Saloni di Milano

We're packing our bags and heading to Milan for the annual design marathon that is the world's largest (and busiest) furniture fair.
It really is a hectic few days, and hard on shoe leather, but we're committed to the cause and promise to bring back the most exciting new designs.

Watch this space......




Friday 10 April 2009

We Like! #2


Our new business cards have arrived, and we definitely like!
Screen-printed by hand onto recycled card - that kind of sums us up really: our interests in craftsmanship, being responsible consumers and design-led. That's a lot of information on one little card.

We Like! #1

The current Jaime Gili installation "Mashrabiya" at Bloomberg SPACE in London is part of the ongoing COMMA series and has the honour of being the first in our occasional posts on things "We Like".


COMMA brings together some of the worlds leading and emerging artists to create site specific pieces and installations for Bloomberg SPACE in Moorgate. Jaime has taken over the entire atrium space and applied a carefully designed grid of coloured vinyls directly to the office windows.


Jaime has earned a reputation as a painter but doesn't like to be constrained by the limits of a canvas. Catch it while you can!

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Platform

Welcome to the Relay Blog, aka Platform!
Relay is the new kid on the block, dedicated to bringing the best of European design products to the UK. Platform is our way to keep you up to date with all our news, what's happening in the big wide world and interesting titbits we stumble across on our travels.
Bookmark this page and check in regularly for updates. 
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We want to hear from you!