Hello dear readers I have decided to change the theme of my post this month and instead of talking about a single subject I would like to talk about the awakening of this year in design terms.
Winter has been exceptionally long this year but that has not stopped things moving forward, new ideas being presented and the latest products, materials, finishes being introduced to an always expectant and demanding audience of designers and general public.
As a designer I’m always looking for inspiration. It may come from a concept or a physical object. It does not matter really. It is about how something that crosses my path could be highly influential in the way I see things and understand our context triggering solutions for my imagination to consider.
I saw some wonderful things in March and I would like to share with you those that impressed me the most and why I found them so inspirational, relevant and beautiful. I hope you enjoy this short journey.
French Forum
This is a small exhibition organised each year, held at Chandos House, which brings a very good selection of French Craftsmanship. The beauty, love, care and accuracy of their proposals and products is what makes them so appealing to me. There were 12 exhibitors. My favourites were:
Jean-Philippe Weimer, designer de Lumiere: My attention was focussed on his outdoors lighting: The collections “Lux Volubilis” and “Pili” in particular with their organic shapes, the raw but exquisite form of the glass and how both of them integrate so well with the natural elements is just beautiful, elegant and discreet. The pieces are made mostly in bronze, copper and glass; seeing how their parts connect with each other expresses the aim of a piece that deserves to be described as well-crafted.
Holloways of Ludlow Concrete cladding by LCDA: I always have had a fascination with concrete and have used it a couple of times getting over two of its main weak points: weight and lack of ability to cope with stains. When I saw how this company has discovered a way of making concrete surfaces lighter and able to deal with wine stains (a horrible enemy of beautiful and delicate surfaces) I was totally thrilled.
Jallu Ebenistes: Beyond the quality of their furniture which unfortunately I could not enjoy as they could not bring examples for obvious reasons, I was totally in love with one of the finishes they brought for cladding, to be used in furniture or walls: gypsum panels. With a thickness of 20 mm it displays an outstanding look mix of mother pearl and quartz. Is decadent luxury something to be ashamed of? I would say definitely not. Well….
Fontaines Petrificantes de Saint-Nectaire: This is where obsession for perfection, craftsmanship and technology walk together side by side. Imagine you want a particular motive made in limestone, using the natural process of sedimentation. Of course it is possible. This company has the answer. We are talking about a spectacular material here; the beauty of the outcome is going to be in hands of the designer.
Design Week Chelsea Harbour
Chelsea Harbour is a wonderful place for searching products of all sorts; however what always makes me visit it again and again is the great selection of fabrics and wallpapers. When somebody organizes a design week you expect to see new products so I decided to choose just one product that was newly launched which surprised me because of its design, beauty and versatility. This was my choice:
Collection 2013 Lizzo fabrics: their Opera, Nomad and Ikebana collections are my favourites without any doubt and among these 3 the following designs: Butterfly, Rigoletto, Mongolia and Moribana. I love their elegance extravaganza, their sophistication achieved in a simple way. It is the patterns, the colours, how the fabric falls with that sensuality and shameless attitude that make them so attractive to me. They are an extraordinary instrument for achieving beauty.
Lichtenstein and Picasso
Art, art what design would be without thee?
Of course you can say that I have chosen 2 of the biggest artists of the 20 century, so it is not possible to get rid of their powerful influence. On my defence is that it is not my fault that they decided to appear in the London art scenario in the same month. Lucky us!
Picasso: It is almost a cliché to say what a genius he was, but one of the problems of repeating an statement like this again and again and again is that after a while you get immune to the real meaning of it. Visiting “Becoming Picasso, Paris 1901” at The Courtauld gallery put it in front of my eyes, once more, why he is considered the biggest artist of the 20th century. At just 19 years old he showed a total understanding of the heritage of the art of that time (Beaux art school), how it was changing to other directions (impressionism) and starting to give signals of where it was going to go (cubism). Behind all this intellect and talent, what is so delicate and powerful at the same time was his ability to understand and translate his own perception of change, reality, sorrow and beauty and make it universal. On the Paintings related to his blue period the portrayed sorrow and the colour palette are inspirational elements, powerful enough, beautiful enough to influence our perception of how we live our lives and the elements that surround it..
Lichtenstein: The retrospective at the Tate Modern of his work is an extraordinary opportunity to discover why he is such a great artist and visionary beyond the concept of pop art which seems to make banal and shallow everything that it touches. He portrays a deep understanding of a tired society that was traumatized by war, austerity and conflict and needed an easy way to see and understand art and at the same time, lift their spirits. What a mix! What a sharp idea to use the basic elements of the media of the time (news paper) to develop it and create a full language, simple in its look and complex in its meaning. Inspirational in every possible way.
I have to mention this wonderful idea as I’m a wool lover as of almost every natural material. I value the intention to show us below one roof all the possibilities that wool has to offer: art, furniture, carpets and clothing. My favourite room was the main entrance and how it made you feel embraced by the cosy and warm presence of wool and of course from the aesthetic point of view, how flexible and rich it can be, allowing to create all sort of textures, colours and look. Beautiful!
I hope you have found in this little journey elements that awake your interest and made you feel design and beauty is everywhere. Anything can open dozens of possibilities but good design and wonderful art can open thousands… Just open your eyes and your soul and let them in.
