KÖLN 2011 - Tokujin Yoshioka

As always there is a lot to see out and about in Cologne. Our favourite exhibition of the entire week had to be the retrospective of Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, who was named as A&W Magazine's Designer Of The Year. Beautifully produced in a blaring fluorescent gallery, the exhibition showcased his collection of 'Invisibles' (below) and a selection of monochrome chair designs from the last ten years.

Also exhibited was a showreel of his ambitious installation designs including his displays for Hermes, Swarovski and his work Snow show at the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo last year.

KÖLN 2011 - D3

D3 Contest was back again this year to bring the best from European design graduates to IMM KOLM. Stand out contributions came in the shape of Linn Kandel's graphic tables 'Pylône', mixing stark lines with smoked glass (below).

Nicola Zocca presented the ‘Shrink’ series of shelving designs which reject traditional nail and screw fixings for heat-shrinking plastics, which provide stability with a flash of colour.


More colour could be seen in the designs of Glimpt who displayed their South-African inspired lighting designs 'Forbidden Fruit'.

However first place went to Harry Thaler and his 'Pressed Chair'. Originally spotted at the Royal College of Art graduate show last year his designs continue to win over critics and design journalists alike. Made out of a single 2.5 mm aluminium sheet, the 'Pressed Chair' is light, stackable and 100% recyclable...clever!

KÖLN 2011 - Interior Trends at IMM Cologne

Positioned at the centre of IMM Cologne was Interior Trends 2011. The result of a two-day workshop between a board of designers, architects and editors the trend fair took the form of four presentations. We particularly liked ‘Emotional Austerity’, curated by Patricia Urquiola (below). Mixing the high-tech finishes with traditional craft techniques, Urquiola’s title is slightly misleading as the only austerity was the colour palette, thus allowing the natural textures of leather, wool and clay to come to the fore creating a sense of total luxury.

Standing in opposition was ‘Transforming Perspectives’ by Martin Leuthold, which propositioned that recent austerity has robbed us of magic and wonder. Exploding with colour and surface design, Leuthold mixed the palette of street graffiti with mystic and magically shapes and forms. We particularly like ABR's Bell-Table by Sebastian Herkner.

Bold uses of colour continued in the program of talks and discussions held alongside the trend presentations. We managed to catch textile-designer-of-the-moment Cristian Zuzunaga talk about his recent collaborations with Tate London and his new designs for Kvadrat. We love his new 'Curtain Collection' which uses embroiled cotton threads that appear to glow, creating an abstract cityscape.

KÖLN 2011 - Zeitraum at IMM Cologne

This years IMM Cologne saw Zeitraum present several stunning new products alongside some timely product updates.

New for 2011 is MORPH LOUNGE (below) by Formstelle - the long awaited easy chair to compliment the incredibly successful Morph family. The signature wooden frame carries a low-slung upholstered shell in fabric or leather (or a combination of both if preferred) with a small footprint, making it ideal for modern living. Whilst compact, the outward tilt of the arms means you never feel constrained and offers a surprisingly generous seat.

Formstelle have also created the MELLOW DAYBED (below), an extension of the Mellow bed launched in Milan last year. The elegant frame, soft upholstery and surprising leather strap detailing of Mellow are all in evidence with an optional armrest and headroll, producing a graceful chaise.

This has been quite a busy show for Formstelle and Zeitraum - both Morph Lounge and Mellow have been awarded the Interior Innovation Award 2011. A perfect way to celebrate their long-standing and successful relationship.

BONNY (below) is a beautiful series of mirrors, created by Formstelle with jewel-like facets carved into the frame, giving it a 3D quality. The vertical and horizontal profiles are different so to ensure you always get the best view, don't forget to tell us how you like your mirrors - landscape or portrait.

As well as these new product launches, IMM saw several updates to popular products. SIMPLE COMFORT is now available as SIMPLE BUTTON with the addition of classic button-tufting to the upholstered headboard.

2010 saw the launch of the TWIST family of tables, which have quickly become favourites and now you can have TWIST NIGHT, reduced in height to make a perfect bedside table. Twist Night is shown below with Simple Button.

The ingeniously simple DOZY is now available in a leather finish. The colour is up to you. Dozy is designed to work with all Zeitraum beds.

Finally, FINN has been given a new fully upholstered seat, and the NOON family of lights has a new warm-grey shade available for all versions.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Seasons Greetings

Lean in Nord Architecture's Shingle House

On the shingle beaches of Dungeness, young firm Nord Architecture showcase the latest commission by Living Architecture - the Shingle House. The second completed home for Living Architecture series, the project aims to produce a number of rentable holiday homes around the UK, all designed by established and emerging architect talent.

We at Relay particularly like the Shingle House, not only for it contemporary structure, but also its stylish interior - including the Lean floor and wall lights by Orsjo.

The house sleeps eight and is available to rent now.





www.living-architecture.co.uk

Örsjö's first UK design show

Örsjö Belysning is proud to announce their participation in ‘The Sleep Event 2010’ as their first UK Design Fair.

With over 60 years experience providing unique lighting solutions for a host of different environments, Swedish lighting company Örsjö presents the UK market with an exciting and broad range of innovative products. Örsjö will present a selection from their extensive collection to the UK Hotel market, including Aria by Claesson Koivisto Rune (below) and Pin by Matti Klenell.



Come visit us on stand G21 at Sleep Event 2010
24-25 November at Islington Business Design Centre, London

Are you being served?

With the trend for pop-up shops on the increase few have done it with such style and panache as Studio Voltaire as they launched House of Voltaire this month in Mayfair.



Nestled upstairs at Rupert Sanderson's west-end showroom, this artist-led venture is selling a diverse selection of limited editions and original pieces by leading contemporary artists and designers including Martino Gamper, Gary Webb and Richard Nicoll.

With an interior designed by 6A and exhibition graphics by Apfel the House of Voltaire brings a boutique glamour to Christmas shopping. On our Christmas wish list are Matthew Darbyshire and Grace Spooner's dip-dye bags, dog bowls by Donald Urquhart and some very nice bird boxes by artists Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan (all below).


All proceeds go toward funding Studio Voltaire's programme of exhibitions and events in their south London gallery space. If you around today do pop around and see design critic Alice Rawsthorn take over shop keeping duties. Other guest shopkeepers include Betty Jackson, Emily King and Julie Verhoeven.

Open Monday - Sunday 12-6pm
11 November – 4 December 2010
Upstairs at Rupert Sanderson
19 Bruton Place, Mayfair W1, London

Relay on Facebook

Relay Design Agency is now on Facebook.


We seem to take a lot of photos on our travels, but until now haven't really done a lot with the photos, so we though we would start a Facebook page as an easy and convenient way to keep everyone updated. So, as well as our website, newsletter, this (rather fetching) blog and our Twitter feed, you can also keep tabs on us on our Facebook page here. Isn't technology great?

Don't forget to "Like" us!

Interieur 2010, Kortrijk and Orgatec 2010, Kӧln

Design shows are like buses - you're almost guaranteed that two come along at once. Every second year the Belgian town of Kortrijk is host to Interieur and as soon as that closes its doors everyone decamps to Cologne for Orgatec, the largest office show on the block. It is a major commitment for any manufacturer who decides to show in both locations.

Let's start at the beginning with Interieur - an accessible and sophisticated show. Generous stands, wide aisles and 6 halls meant it was easy to see everything in a day without being completely worn out. Stand designs were imaginative and ample space was given to young designers within the main show. The focus was firmly on Belgian and Dutch design, but the big Italian brands like Moroso also had a presence.

Overall, the trend seemed to follow Milan - muted backgrounds with splashes of vibrant colour, however this time the colour had the volume turned down slightly. Milan's acid yellow and fluorescent green became mustard and apple green.

Zeitraum launched Morph Kid, the latest addition to the incredibly successful Morph family. Scaled down and with bright felt seat cushions Morph Kid maintains the sleek design credentials of its big brother but adds a playful edge.


Below are some of our other highlights from Interieur. We have uploaded an album of images to our Facebook page here with a more detailed impression.





One week later and everyone was in Cologne, Germany for Orgatec - a mecca for anyone with every the remotest interest in office design. The industry giants like Vitra and Herman Miller had vast stadium-sized stands which certainly drew the crowds, but the smaller stands proved to be just as (if not more) interesting.


We spent a couple of days with Buzzispace on their first ever Orgatec stand and the reaction to the collection was amazing. Having previewed the new Buzzibooth and Buzzihood products at 100% Design in September, we thought we knew what to expect but with people from as far afield as Canada and Australia getting excited about the range, it meant we were run off our feet. Just the way we like it!