Vegan, dry or otherwise, January is often a quiet month. For the interior design and furniture worlds, however, it’s one of the busiest times of the year.
With many on a whirlwind tour of Paris, Stockholm, Cologne and Montreal – perhaps throwing in the Consumer Electronics Show into the mix in Las Vegas – it’s in January that the agendas are set, the VIPs are met and the global design trends start to come swimming into focus. Fresh off the Eurostar from Paris, we bring you les nouveaux from the latest Deco Off and Maison & Objet.
As is so often the case, the trends apparent this year are direct opposites. Where there is rampant, joyous maximalism, there is strict, utilitarian minimalism; where there is drama and entertainment, there are vast and inviting pockets of meditative calm. Like frugal January follows the excesses of December, they all work best together.
Visual Opulence
Magical, intricate and highly illustrative: rich new season inspiration comes courtesy of bespoke wallpaper maker Fromental, who evoked the spirit and style of Jean Cocteau’s work in Francine Weisweiller’s Villa Santo Sospir in Southern France with a customised iteration of their Braque design.
“At its foundation, Braque uses a base of silk to lend strength,” explains Fromental’s Lizzie Deschays. “Onto this we use hand-made ‘tea paper’ for its raw softness when torn and collaged back together. The ‘tea paper’ is then sanded down and painted over to create an almost unattainable, ethereal softness and aged, ‘hand of the artist’ appeal.” This multi-textured foundation lends itself perfectly to the bold, curving geometric forms that make up the design – adding depth and impact.
Not a million miles away, Dimore Studio has launched a textile range balancing jacquard and printed items with a strong graphic presence and tactile refinement. Heirloom yarns of different thicknesses, together with embossing, aging, glueing and laminated processing techniques, embroidery and finishing treatments all work together to provide a veritable couture effect.
Of further floral and fabulously exotic note are the eclectic Cole and Son Martyn Laurence Bullard collection of contemporary wallcoverings, celebrating the diverse skill and unique craftsmanship of cultures around the globe; and the collections of Tenue de Ville, a young Belgian producer of handmade wallpaper.
Ultra Utilitarian
Perfectly suited, perhaps, to place in front of the aforementioned decadent walls and windows, are a series of sparse but meticulously well-designed new furniture launches. Reminiscent of the strict less-is-more forms of Dieter Rams or Mies Van der Rohe, UTIL’s new family member is a shelving system called Pliè.
Designed by Cesare Bizzotto and Tobias Nitsche – the duo behind From Industrial Design – the piece (available in any colour you might choose) explores the limits of aluminium sheets by employing a thin layer of material to its side walls. “The goal was to create a balanced piece that uses as little material as possible,” say the designers.
The San Stool and the Radian shelving unit by Studio Klass for Ligne Roset meanwhile have a beautifully zen Japanese influence, while the Roche Bobois re-release of a Pierre Paulin desk and Philippe Malouin’s swivelling Group Chairs for SCP all echo the retro Modernist vibe.
Photo-ready flamboyance
Swiftly following the sensible and refined design of the old guard comes a new generation of old hands, readier than ever to party. And – of course – to provide the best possible Instagram backdrop in the process.
A Modern Grand Tour is the dedicated furniture line of the Cotswolds wonderland and stately home Aynhoe Park. Think unicorn busts, standing lamps of ostrich feather palms and enormous explorative globes.
Non-conformist Italian brand Seletti launches new products inspired by the oriental – Kintsugi – and Finger, a new series of brass objects, as well as the new BLOW brand, a collaboration with Studio Job.
And then there is Martha Sturdy, whose all-new ‘PRIME’ collection of geometric resin furniture in bright primary colours is a clear stand out in every setting. As a departure from the earth tones and warm metals that have come to define Sturdy’s designs, the bold collection is all hand-poured to order at Martha Sturdy’s Studio in Vancouver, Canada.
In building block geometric forms, “I wanted to show that colour doesn’t have to be complicated or distracting and that – when combined with clean and confident forms – its boldness can be grounding” she says.
Meditative Moments
Completing the last side of the square, one last design direction was enormously apparent, and especially so outside of the confines of the fairs. A global and industry-wide trend, made necessary by the visual and mental clutter of today’s mad world, designers are using their creative powers to provide spaces of sanctuary.
At Christie’s prestigious Parisian salons, Mathieu Lehanneur presents 50 Seas, a collection featuring fifty enameled ceramic works inspired by the many nuances and shades of the sea: from the Gulf of Guinea to the Hudson’s Bay, from Antarctica’s Weddell Sea to the Bay of Bengal.
“Although most of the earth’s surface is covered with water, often we only see a simplified and reduced impression of it. The infinite colour variations of the water reveal our planet’s true complexity”, explains Lehanneur, who has selected a chromatic topology of the ocean in order to pay homage to its subtleties.
Using high-definition satellite photography, he has identified 50 points across the earth and materialised them within large enameled, ceramic pieces.
Around the corner from his Bastille atelier, artist and designer Pierre Bonnefille – best known for his impressive renovation projects for luxury hotels and boutiques with Chanel, Cartier, Hermes and Loro Piana – invites visitors, by appointment, to his “Meditation Room”, which has lately been a highlight at many international design fairs and events from Design Miami/ Basel to Design Days Dubai.
A haven of tranquillity and serenity where the mind can be at peace in a calm ambience, the “Meditation Room” is an extension of Bonnefille’s illustrious, abstract “Bronze Paintings”, and allows visitors the isolation to relax and focus on their mental well-being and heighten their self-awareness.
Back at the fairs, Ross Lovegrove’s porcelain and crystal lights for Vista Alegra – entitled E2H (Earth to Humanity) – and Stepevi’s lunar-inspired rugs are also intended to bring moments of quiet escapism.
Source & Photo Credit: Telegraph.co.uk | maison-objet.com