Euroluce takes place every second year as part of the Salone. Ӧrsjӧ were back in Milan this year with a confident monochrome presentation. Their 2011 collection, first shown in Stockholm in February looked resplendent almost entirely in black and white, with only some flashes of copper and brass as accents.
Crane by Benjamin Hubert, which garnered so much attention in Stockholm, was shown for the first time in black lacquer. A bright yellow finish will make an appearance soon!
The Great White by Claesson Koivisto Rune, designed for the Nobis hotel, made its premiere as part of the collection. Arched brass arms reached from the wall to present their unusual white shades.
CKR's other Nobis design, Baklava was shown in the small and medium table versions, but eagle-eyed observers would have noticed the new floor version on the Vitra stand over in Hall 20.
Joel Karlsson's Butler family looked almost unrecognisable in black and white. For the first time, the rough brass finish was replaced with white and black lacquer finishes, giving Butler an ultra-contemporary edge. It just goes to show that technically advanced products can work in modern and traditional settings, given the right finish.
Jenny Bӓck's Lean family continued to please and the new table version looks like it will be just as popular as it's floor standing big brother.
More images can be found on our Facebook page HERE.
So, the 50th Salone Internazionale del Mobile closed its doors last week and Easter is already upon us. The long weekend has given us time to reflect and absorb some of what we saw. The Salone itself is vast and due to some careful re-assignment of the halls, has managed to squeeze even more in. At the same time, the "Fuori Salone" events that populate the city have grown to over 4,000. It is a mammoth task to try and see everything (we tried and failed), so this post is entitled "In brief" - a taster of the furniture industry's annual crazy week.
Last year's Salone was blighted by the ash cloud (still a talking point, one year on) and a lack of innovation amongst manufacturers. As Europe claws its way back from recession, there were signs of new life in some quarters. Kartell heralded this tentative optimism with a flashy Las Vegas-esque stand (above). Elsewhere, the backdrop was predominantly fresh white with flashes of strong colours, as on Porro (below) but the bigger trend was for chunky, sometimes over-scaled knitting, quilting and craft.
The undisputed queen of the Salone, Patricia Urquiola, presented the Biknit lounge chair (below) and Gentry for Moroso, alongside new models of her successful Klara collection, while over on Casamania, they handed the reins to younger designers. Sophie De Vocht presented Loop (below), a dramatic chaise based on the carpet tufting process.
It must be said, it was refreshing to see new designers coming through and less of a reliance on the usual suspects (good as they can be!).
Also on Casamania, were two of the impressive 11 products by Benjamin Hubert on show in Milan this year. Industry shelving and the Maritime wooden chair, alongside his Crane light for Ӧrsjӧ, and luggage for Nava prove he is a name to watch. At this rate, he may de-throne Ms. Urquiola!
There appeared to be fewer wasteful "window dressing" products, produced purely for their PR value. The Italian industry has struggled over the last 10 years with increased competition from Asia and the world-wide depression and they have had to evaluate where they should invest their time and money. Hopefully this will translate into fewer launches, of higher quality because they honestly believe they can be successful and not just for the column inches they generate.
The sun shone, the volcano behaved and overall some of the energy appeared to have returned to Salone.
Inlay by Front for Porro
Wolfgang by Luca Nichetto for Fornasarig
Michael Anastassiades
Viaduct are regarded as one of the UK's leading exponents of the best in contemporary furniture and lighting. In September 2010 they launched their dedicated exhibition space and we are delighted to work with them on SHOW 2.
A collaboration between Zeitraum and the new illustration magazine Wrap, SHOW 2 will feature key pieces from the Zeitraum collection, including the UK launch of Morph Lounge (fresh from IMM Cologne), Side Comfort Home and Bondt amongst others. It will be the first time many of these products are exhibited in the UK.
The exhibition runs from 2nd March until 2nd April
Viaduct
1 - 10 Summers Street
London
EC1R 5BD
020 7278 8456
Weekdays 09.30 - 18.00
Saturday 10.30 - 16.00
Keep checking the Viaduct blog for further news and updates.
The new Nobis Hotel in one of central Stockholm's best locations was the talking point of the design week. With interiors by Claesson Koivisto Rune, the new 5-Star hotel opened its doors on 1st December to universal acclaim. CKR designed furniture and lighting was, as you can imagine, used extensively throughout but a significant number of new products (from furniture to textiles) were developed for the project. Key amongst them were Baklava and The Great White designed by CKR and produced by Ӧrsjӧ.
Baklava, as mentioned in our previous post was produced in both table and floor versions, and in the suites you will also find The Great White - a wall-mounted light light with an incredible 2 metre arch.
Also in the Nobis Hotel you will find Pin lights by Matti Klenell in the bathrooms and Aria lights by CKR in the restaurant.
A new book detailing the project, with photography by acclaimed architecture photographer Åke E:son Lindman was launched during the Fair and can be purchased from Konst-ig.
Should you find Nobis to be full, you can always check in at their sister hotel Hotel Skeppsholmen, next to the impressive Moderna Museet and with stunning water views. With interiors by CKR again, Aria graces both the public areas and the bedrooms.
However, we checked ourselves into the wonderful new Radisson Waterfront for more personal reasons. Next to the brand new Stockholm Waterfront conference centre designed by White Architects and only open 2 weeks, each of the 418 bedrooms feature lighting by Ӧrsjӧ. We worked closely with London hotel design specialists RPW Design on the specification of the bedroom lighting. They chose a combination of Minipoint, Puck and Aria along with a bespoke Aria wall light. Minor changes to the construction, such as removing the base from the Minipoint desklight and fixing it directly into the desktop to save space, were easily accommodated and designers, clients and guests (as we can now testify) are all happy!
It's fair to say we always enjoy the Stockholm Furniture Fair. It's comfortable to walk around, not too big so you don't worry you're going to miss something and most importantly the standard is always high. This year was no exception. While some of the big brands like Vitra and Moroso had a presence, Stockholm is all about the Nordic manufacturers showing what they are capable of and that is simplicity, subtlety and quality. Our favourite new non-Relay product was almost invisible (which is part of the appeal) - Isaac Chen's Riddle magazine rack for Swedese was simplicity itself. Seven strings hang from a simple piece of lacquered wood with a wooden ball on the other end and gravity adds the magic. Use it as a bookmark and turn your magazines into a piece of art. 
Swedese also presented Ivy by Thomas Bernstrand, a deceptively simple bookshelf. Stack the units on top of each other, as usual, or arrange them at angles to add some interest in a plain space. Ivy was awarded the Form +1 award for best product. Further Bernstrand designs were on show at Muuto, Nola, Materia and Horreds. Busy boy!
Also ticking the busy box were Form Us With Love, who went for the "keep 'em wanting more" approach by staging a show in a top secret location (an old church in central Stockholm). Showcasing some of their new designs for manufacturers as diverse as Träullit and Santa & Cole, their party proved the big draw of the week.
Within the walls of the main fair, new FUWL pieces were shown by Mitab. Highway easy chair and table were launched to compliment the existing Highway family. Mitab also showed the Stereo sofa system by Joel Karlsson, designer of the Butler family of lights for Ӧrsjӧ.
Källermo and Klong both used leather belts and buckles on their products. Mama Look by Anna Kraitz gave a 60's-ish sofa an hour-glass figure (very Mad Men!) while Strapp by Britta Teleman keeps your books and documents safe behind its buckle.
We have added an album of highlights to our Facebook page. Check them out here.
