The W* House / Bedroom
'Contrast' bed
Alain Gilles / Bonaldo
From €2,260
Characterised by its oversized headboard, this bed by Brussels-based designer Alain Gilles elegantly combines sumptuous upholstery with a lightweight frame. The luxurious padded headboard is offered in a variety of fabrics and leathers, while the minimalist metal frame is available in anthracite grey, white or purple.
'Ledge' lamp
Stefi Orazi /
£80
Graphic designer Stefi Orazi understands the importance of getting the most out of small spaces. In fact, it was her own London apartment that inspired the design of the multifunctional 'Ledge'. Simple but effective, it consists of an exposed bulb set into a block of laminated birch plywood and accented with a red flex.
'Jupon' rug
Sam Baron / Nodus
€2,565
Called 'Jupon', which is French for petticoat, this swirling rug design was inspired by the exuberant skirts of cancan dancers. Designed by Frenchman Sam Baron, head of design at Benetton's creative studio Fabrica, for Italian company Nodus, 'Jupon' is full of movement and texture. The circular rug is hand-tufted in India using soft grey wool (a colour which recalls Paris' mansard roofs), and decorated with six nested rings of decorative pink fringing that resemble the flying skirts of a spinning dancer.
'Yang' chest of drawers
Design MVW / Giorgetti
€10,449
A picture of perfect geometry, the 'Yang' chest of drawers is the result of Italian brand Giorgetti's first-ever collaboration with French and Chinese design duo Design MVW, a Shanghai-based studio that is expert in balancing contemporary Western and Chinese aesthetics. 'Yang', which means sun in Mandarin, is a reference to the piece's striking circular mirror that appears to float within the angled rectangular frame. Below the mirror, a stack of seven drawers crafted from solid Canaletto walnut with cut-away handles slide smoothly open and shut on recessed runners. Each drawer is topped with a leather-lined tray, which provides the ideal resting place for accessories, jewellery and other grooming accoutrements. The whole composition sits neatly within a walnut frame, while bronze-painted metal details on the handles, base and mirror casing complete the look.
'Chandlo' dressing table
Doshi Levien / BD Barcelona
€7,266
The dynamic duo that is Doshi Levien has most recently turned its hand towards creating a sumptuous dressing table for BD Barcelona. Inspired by the bindis donned by many Indian women, the vanity unit is a bold amalgam of shapes centred around a large rimmed mirror. Perched on tubular steel legs, the De Stijl-influenced composition also comprises a rose-tinted side mirror offering generous peripheral views, and a wooden jewellery box that opens to reveal bright blue drawers. A little swivel stool completes the design.
'Integrate' blankets
Cristian Zuzunaga / Cristian Zuzunaga
€257 - €380
Cristian Zuzunaga's forward-thinking ethos has manifested itself in a new range of pixel-print textiles, developed from his digital manipulations of photographs of our urban environment. The Barcelona-born, London-based designer has worked with weaving specialist Teixidors, based in Terrassa, Catalonia, to give his modus operandi a fresh twist. The resulting blankets, all made from 100 per cent ecological merino wool, are each beautiful explorations of colour and scale that pack a subtle yet hypnotic punch.
'Tegola' bedside lamp
Studio Klass / Pimar
€550
We found our ultimate bedside lamp in the first design collection of Italian limestone manufacturer Pimar, a fourth-generation business that this year enlisted the services of design studio De-Signum to curate its inaugural home and garden range. Studio Klass' two-part architectural lamp not only plays up the natural luminosity of the stone, but also reflects light off its base, making it perfect for bedtime reading.
Rocking chair
Marni / Marni
€300
As restful as it looks, there's nothing sleepy about the thinking behind this rocking chair. Commissioned by the fashion house Marni, it is part of a 100-piece collection handmade using coloured PVC threads woven on iron frames in 20 different styles by Colombian convicts-turned-artisans as part of a social rehabilitation project. Realised in vibrant colour schemes selected by Marni's creative team, the limited-edition assortment is available exclusively at Marni's via della Spiga boutique in Milan, with all proceeds benefiting ICAM, a Milanese charity that helps place the children of imprisoned women in safe family environments.
'Shell' bed
Vincente Garcia Jimenéz / Emmebi
€2,842
Spanish designer Vincente Garcia Jimenéz's Shell design for Italian brand Emmebi looks like a chair that has morphed into a bed - an intentional visual trick that gives it a lightweight and elegant appearance. The tubular frame of the bed is made from lacquered chromium, while the panels of the base are in plywood and the headboard comes in natural beech.
'Yabane' chest of drawers
A+A Cooren / A+A Cooren
Price on request
Paris-based Arnaud Cooren and his Japanese wife Aki, the talent behind furniture studio A+A Cooren, say a traditional Japanese graphic pattern inspired their design for this sleek chest of drawers. There is certainly a pleasing harmony and symmetry to the design of the Yabané (Japanese for arrow) that urges the eye to linger, particularly on its languid curved edges. And because there are drawers on both sides, it is perfect to divide the bedroom in an unobtrusive way.
'Sveva' bed
Odoardo Fioravanti / Flou
Price on request
Despite its girth, the Sveva bed manages the difficult trick of appearing inconspicuous. Thanks to thin supporting legs and even thinner radiating wooden spindles on the headboard, the solid ash frame almost seems to hover over the floor. A separate side table and mirror complete the ensemble. Milan-based designer Odoardo Fioranvanti says he was inspired, especially in the headboard, by traditional Scandinavian seats and there is, indeed, a restful quality about the bed's sturdy profile -- not a bad feature, we think, to have for a bed.
'Truck' bedside table
Piero Lissoni / Porro
Price on request
In the hands of the right designer, space-saving storage solutions can be both effective and visually pleasing. With the Truck bedside table, the Italian architect Piero Lissoni reworks the quotidian bedside table by fusing a matt lacquered square and rectangular cupboard to form a pair of split level spacious drawers. Of course, the humour of the piece is that, from certain angles, the drawers also resemble the chassis and container of a truck. If space is at a premium, the lower rectangular portion of the table can be pushed neatly out of sight under the bed. That's the kind of bedroom tricks we don't see enough of.
'11 Boxes' storage
Studio Vit / Studio Vit
Price on request
With eleven separate components, the key innovation behind this module of cupboards by London-based designers Helena Jonasson and Veronica Dagnert is versatility. And a good dose of visual appeal. In their first outing as a freshly minted studio, the Swedish pair have designed eleven boxes in different shapes and dimensions, the common DNA being that they're all made of solid maple. Depending on the space of the room and one's storage needs, these boxes can be used individually or grouped together in endless combinations to form bespoke cupboards. Perfect for those who like to redecorate often, or who just like their furniture to be a little bit out of the box.
'Pratesi 2.0' bed linen
Pratesi / Pratesi
£900
We love relaxing in bed as much as the next person, but this new collection by linen maestros Pratesi -- which debuted at this year's Salone Internazionale del Mobile as a more contemporary and considerably less expensive range than the classic Pratesi collection -- might be just the thing to convince us to stage a more permanent lie-in. The clean tailored sheets, made of Egyptian cotton and Italian linen especially, are accented with discreet patterns and colour palette that won't clash with even the most outré décor. What we applaud most is the fact that they are wrinkle-free, meaning they can be taken straight out of the dryer and tucked back onto the bed. The new line is available online with a limited retail presence at Pratesi's flagship stores in Melrose Place, New York and Hong Kong.
'Ruché' bed
Inga Sempé / Ligne Roset
Price on request
The younger, and equally covetable sibling to the Ruché sofa - one of the designs that saw Sempé nominated for our Furniture Designer of the Year award - this bed has a slender but solid beechwood frame, with a quilted base and headboard. Its clean, modern form and soft curves belie the complexity of the stitching involved - the subject of 'much research and many trials, at the outset on my little sewing machine, then in the proptyping shop in Briord, then on the seamstresses' profession-grade machines, and finally tested on the programmed sewing robot.' says Sempé. Take heed: sloppy bed making will spoil the look.
'Armoire'
Paul Kelly / Gallery Fumi
Price on request
A designer who has long channeled the likes of Donald Judd and Yves Klein in his pieces, Paul Kelley could perhaps be described as a design artist with more modernist sensibilities than most. His latest creation - a giant armoire for Gallery Fumi - is a monumental structure upholstered in Fendi leather, available in a limited edition of three. The oiled mahogany interior is revealed on sliding back the large leather panel, or opening the hinged mirror door, and includes ample hanging space and shelves. The centre section pulls out to form shoe and bag storage - a perfect place to put Fendi accessories for those keen to coordinate all aspects of their wardrobe.
‘Kyoto Candil’ light
Alvaro Catalán de Ocón / Alvaro Catalán de Ocón
Inspired by the calming light and simple mechanics of the candle, the ‘Candil’ is a glowing addition to any modern bedside table – without the fire hazard. Its Madrid-based designer, Alvaro Catalán de Ocón, has created three different models that combine brass, wood and copper elements and cleverly use the components’ conductivity. There’s no need to screw in the lightbulb: simply place the bulb into the copper bowl to light it, and remove it to turn it off – no fiddley switches required.
Hot-water bottle
Wendy Legro / Wendy Legro
€620
Why don't people use hot-water bottles any more? That's what Dutch designer Wendy Legro wants to know. Theorising that perhaps electric blankets were stealing a march on the more traditional body warmer, she set out to redesign it and brings that warm and fuzzy feeling back to bedtime. The result is made from rubber and white felt, impregnated with polyutherane to make it stronger. While you might want to display it in the daytime, ultimately this is a piece to covet under the covers.
‘Net box’ wardrobe
Patricia Urquiola / Molteni & C
Price to be confirmed
Lacquered metal mesh is more usually found in industrial settings, so it’s a little surprising to encounter it in Patricia Urquiola’s wardrobe. But it works: the locker aesthetic contrasts with the warmth of the solid wood base, while the mesh means more ventilation for our vestures.
'Eden’ sofa bed
Antonio Citterio / Flexform
€5,400
Keen to please, the ‘Eden’, the dreamy new bed from Flexform, will be whatever you want it to be. A comfy bed with leather wings, it comes with a wooden base and a mattress that neatly fold away to create a vast day bed. While sofa beds are often disliked for doing neither of their jobs well enough, ‘Eden’ gets around that by simply being a bed – just one that is flexible enough for night and day.
Bell clocks
Sam Hecht / IDEA International
£49
Nobody really likes an alarm clock but modern life decrees we must wake up before our bodies would naturally want us to and hence they are very important. Sam Hecht’s Bell Clock, which debuted at the London Design Festival, is simple, beautiful and very loud. Though you might resent it’s sonorous force for a morning or two, you’ll never be in danger of sleeping in.
Maria lights
Sternform Produktgestaltung / Pling
€75 excluding VAT
Pling do a nice line in folded, powder-coated steel accessories, the latest being these ‘Maria’ bedside lights. Recipient of a Form prize from the German National Arts and Crafts Association, the little bedside companion is made from one piece of sheet steel with carefully angled folds to direct the light onto the surface of your table, or page of your book and not into your eyes. They are available in black, red or white and though intended for the bedside would be just as at home on a desk or sideboard.
Bed tray
/ Vipp
€245
Vipp might be a company you associate with bins but there’s certainly nothing rubbish about their latest offering. Using their expertise with springs, the Vipp Design Lab has created a collapsible mini table, designed for use wherever you might find need for an impromptu flat surface. If you happen to spill your breakfast coffee in bed, the non-slip silicone rubber tray has a small lip so you don’t ruin your linen and, proof that the Danish company really has thought of everything, the tray itself is dishwasher friendly too.
Blown lights
Nendo / Senseware
Price awaiting confirmation
Ethereal and otherworldly, Nendo created these lights for the Japanese materials exhibition, Senseware at the Triennale earlier this year. Made in a similar way to blowing glass, the thermoplastic, non-woven polyester material is blown through a pipe to form the balloon shade and an LED bulb is then inserted to turn it into a light. If they make it to production, the glow they emit would be perfect for bedside reading.
Wardrobe
Phillip Arnold / Plus Minus Design
Price awaiting confirmation
In the past we've tended towards quite graphic, architectural storage elements for the bedroom but young Australian designer, Phillip Arnold's charming new creation for Plus Minus Design has us feeling like something a bit more rustic might be in order.
Twist n Shout
Mark Sadler / Cinova
Price awaiting confirmation
Mark Sadler's bed for Cinova isn't just a nice, neutral option for an urban pad, it's cleverly designed to incorporate extendable bedside tables. The headboard slides seamlessly on integrated castors to provide table surfaces on both sides of the bed - simply slide it one way or the other to give more room depending on which of you is reading the bigger book.
Silk ball lanterns
Kensaku Oshiro /
Prototype
The young Milan-based designer Kensaku Oshiro used a traditional Japanese silk technique, usually employed for weaving kimonos, to create these lantern lights. Delicate and expertly hand-finished, the mesh structure makes for an ambient, mellow glow at the same time highlighting the finesse of the woven material. The powder-coated metal base, available in three colours, adds a contemporary note and, if you can’t bear to be parted from it, there’s even a small handle on top.
Cheval wall mirror
Paul Loebach /
$1200
Young American designer Paul Loebach's wall-leaning mirror debuted at Salone 2009 and drew busy crowds for a quiet moment of reflection. Designed for lean spaces, the painted maple frame is exquisitely finished.
Pandora containers
Sander Mulder /
From €1200
Icon of the industrial world, the shipping container has long lit up many a harbour terminal with their rugged configuration of blocks and colours. Dutch designer Sander Mulder has taken them from a life at sea and created an indoor storage collection inspired by their indestructible appearance and mosaic colours. Available in three sizes and three colours, with a range of stacking possibilities, the sturdy storage boxes have the added bonus of being readily shippable, should you move overseas.
DC bed
Vincenzo De Cotiis / Ceccotti Collezioni
€8594
We suspect that Vincenzo De Cotiis’ bed for Ceccotti was designed with more than a good night’s sleep in mind. Upholstered with lashings of black leather it’s every bit as comfortable as it is swarthy. The fact that it sits on the floor and has a bulky, cushioned headboard not only makes for no sharp edges but conveniently good soundproofing too.
Bicolore bed
Luigi Caccia Dominioni / Azucena
€8110
Azucena’s founder Luigi Caccia Dominioni designed this bed in 1989 and, after a dormant spell, this year it was reissued with the addition of a spanking new yellow lacquer to complement the black. It might be one of the more unusual beds we’ve fallen for but it’s definitely one of the most comfortable we’ve fallen into. One thing’s for sure: it’ll provide an easy talking point should a potential bed partner come over all shy.
Bell table
Sebastian Herkner /
€1600
German designer Sebastian Herkner had a stint working at Stella McCartney but in 2006 he put down his scissors and opened his own studio focusing instead on industrial design. His Bell Table design stood out for us at this year’s Satellite. Alongside the multitude of raw wood, Perspex and white lacquer on display elsewhere, the blown blue glass and brass combination made for a rich, confident design with a distinct antique charm.
Asa lamps
Miguel Milå / Santa & Cole
€180
Santa & Cole has taken the wise decision to reissue the Asa, an understated classic of a side lamp designed by Migual Milå in 1961. Milå, who had originally produced the lamp through his own company Tramo, was recognised with the Compasso d’Oro last year for his services to design. The fact that the Asa was one of his very first products might be a good demonstration of why.
Archibald armchair
Jean-Marie Massaud / Poltrona Frau
£2890
Looking to share your bedroom with a new companion? Here’s a partner we could easily grow old alongside, because a more welcoming leather chair to sink into than Archibald would be hard to find. Deep seated and full of personality, Archibald is less an armchair and more a new friend, created by fine artisans with meticulous attention to detail. And if you think that’s over the top you haven’t tried it.
Collect chest of drawers
WIS Design / Schonbuch
€5240
A colour coded chest of draws might more usually appeal to only the most organised and tidy of souls. But while we do like to keep socks tightly rolled and vests neatly folded, that’s not the reason we like Collect. Just the opposite in fact, because we’re getting our knickers in a twist about the little china handles on the drawers and the soft matt finish.
Glas lights
/ Diesel & Foscarini
From £278
Diesel’s collaboration with Foscarini and Moroso debuted at Salone 2009 and the lighting in particular received glowing approval. The industrial aluminium finish and hanging chain of these Glas lights have a certain factory appeal when switched off. When on though, the glass diffuser, which covers the base, softens the metallic finish, casting a very flattering sepia glow.
Sprout vanity stand
Air Division /
From $935
There’s certainly nothing sinful about Air Division’s vanity stand. The Singaporean company specialises in sustainable wooden furniture and high quality craftsmanship, resurrecting antique references and giving them a contemporary edge. Their 2010 collection for example, unveiled at IMM Cologne, has nods to 17th century Windsor chairs and 19th century cruise liner railings but it’s the elegant, spindly vanity stand that has us searching for our favourite things to show off.
Cubist mirror
voonwong & bensonsaw /
£395
More show stopper than shaving station this Cubist mirror consists of six brass plates that interlock with one another, creating a multifaceted reflection at the same time making for ease of manufacture and assembly. It’s made to order by London duo voonwong+bensonsaw whose recent product designs explore cutting up or distorting products to unusual effect.
Swing and Hang
Jung Hyun Han / Chairs on the Hill
$1800
There's something cathartic about shedding your clothes at the end of a day in a heap on the floor, or at least the chair. But it's a catharsis that only lasts as long as it takes to fall asleep - come morning, it's just unsightly and hence the need for a Swing and Hang. Jung Hyun Han designs products that are, "intimate with everyday life but beyond everydayness" and her Swing and Hang is exactly this. The Seoul-based designer explains that she was inspired to "capture a moment of harmony between object and user." Made from birch and plywood, the space-friendly clothes hanger has adjustable rungs that pop out when needed and back again when not, in a particularly harmonious, tidy way.
Unique Standard chest
Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist / Folkform
£2800
Folkform are Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist, Stockholm-based graduates from Konstfack, who devote themselves to experimenting with materials. This whimsical chest of 18 drawers is part of their Unique Standard collection, which experiments with combining original materials with manmade materials that imitate them, in this case Masonite hardboard and birch. The intention is to make us question what constitutes a precious material and though we pondered this for a little while, the effect was somewhat overshadowed by the fun of opening the jigsaw-like drawers. Like a contemporary cabinet of curiosities – just be careful to remember what you put where.
Crate series chair
Jasper Morrison / Established & Sons
£440 excluding VAT
The second instalment of Jasper Morrison's Crate Series for Established sees a move away from storage with the introduction of this rather handsome chair. Though perhaps intended for outdoor use, the rippling slats remind us of a bed frame and the red steel frame is a perfect impromptu clotheshorse for the ubiquitous pile of hastily discarded garments everyone’s guilty of. And if you're one of the rare few that manages to put away their clothes at the end of each day, then it's a handy chair on which to sit and contemplate a good day's work.
Gli Specchi di Dioniso mirrors
Ettore Sottsass / Glas Italia
From €1168
"Yes, with great pleasure," was architect-designer Ettore Sottsass' response when asked by Glas Italia if he’d design a range of coloured mirrors for them last year. Both parties were of course unaware that the mirrors would only be completed after Sottsass' death, the poignancy of which merely adds to their charm. Bearing an unmistakeable 1980s stamp, the designs are intended to be part wall art, part functional mirror and as such, wholly attractive.
Buonanotte Valentina
Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance / Ceccotti Collezioni
€12,592
The Seventies feel of the American walnut slatted headboard captures the essence of the whole Ceccotti's collection last year, which combined a retro, manufactured appeal with elements of traditional handicraft. As such many of the pieces felt like antiques, comforting in the familiarity of their form or detail but at the same time contemporary in the exquisite quality of their finish. The Valentina is the work of Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance and the delicate convex curves of the headboard, matched by the light T-bar frame make for a modernist, almost colonial-era bed, perfect for lounging on under a fan.
Pile of Suitcases
Maarten De Ceulaer / Casamania
Price awaiting confirmation
The young Belgian Maarten De Ceulaer’s eye-catching design was something of a crowd puller at Casamania's stand last year during Salone. Whimsical but robust, 'A Pile of suitcases' is just that, a bespoke, modular wardrobe design where each suitcase holds a different type of garment. "I wanted to design a dynamic, flexible storage system, the opposite of those big and heavy wardrobe closets, which are static and difficult to transport," he says. "The boxes are joined at the back using an efficient that makes it easy to expand, adapt or take apart and allows you to make various combinations and landscapes of beautiful leather boxes."
Authority system drawers
Philip Edis /
€2700
"Brutal, safe and elegant" is how young Swedish designer Philip Edis describes his Authority System set of storage. "The drawers are inspired by authority buildings, safety interiors and other protective environments," Edis explains, "here you can store your precious things and they are secure." One of the highlights of this year's Satellite show, Edis' pieces stood out for the boldness of their design and the high level of finish, though still at prototype stage. The graphite grey colour together with the solid prism shape of each drawer creates quite a hypnotic optical illusion, like a Riley print, which changes in different lights.
Hanger lamp
Nataša Ilinčić and Jugoslava Kljakić / od-do
Prototype
Movable house objects for an active mind is one way to describe Serbian architects Nataša Ilinčić and Jugoslava Kljakić's new prototype collection for od-do which includes this liberating Hanger lamp. Finally, we have an easy-to-move lamp that enables you to attach the light source exactly at the height you want, and at the right angle and light strength. Constructed out of metal profiles plasticised in black, the Hanger is 200 cm high and 60 cm wide, and the light is made of plastic, metal and glass. Deceptively simple it may be, but od-do's no-nonsense, multi-purpose furniture transcends its primary function every time.
Paesaggi Italiani drawers
Massimo Morozzi / Edra
Price on request
Massimo Morozzi's constantly evolving range of modular furniture changes colour and form so seamlessly, it really does create a treasure trove of solutions for modern homes. Morozzi, a fan of the avant-garde and art director of Edra and Mazzei, has refreshed his 'Paessagi Italiani' collection with these harlequinesque, perfectly geometric prototype drawers. The joy is that you can customise the dimensions and colours of your drawers with an ingenious palette of 75 full-tone colours evoking all the charm and warmth of the natural landscape. Made in four types of wood and methacrylate, storage meets style.
Solid coat hanger
Alfredo Haberli / Mater
From €40
Enlisting the help of Alfredo Håberli for their second collection, 'Solid' continued in the footsteps of Mater's award-winning debut. The Solid Coat Hanger, made in dark wood or carbonized bamboo is a wonderfully sculptural design, infinitely pleasing in weight and shape. The extended handle is a nice touch, meaning ease of rifling, though if you ask us it's way too good to hide in your wardrobe.
Drawer side tables
Tina Roeder /
Prototype
Berlin-based designer Tina Roeder takes her lead from the simple drawer and transforms it into a universal assistant. This series of drawer side tables form part of A Personal Living Concept, which Roeder explored in her first solo show, 'Independent Furniture', at last year's International Furniture Fair in Milan. These quirky, disembodied drawers come with legs made in either solid European oak with a matt clear varnish, white matt lacquer opaque that leaves the wood grain visible, or in steel that is white matt coated or chrome-plated.
DRAW shelving
/ Morgen
€470 per layer
German company Morgen last year released a new set of modular storage called DRAW, which solves a multitude of storage problems in the bedroom (or home office) and looks very nice at the same time. The laminate birch wood (bespoke finishes are also available) and aluminium modular elements can be stacked as high as there may be room for, leaving a freestanding storage system with deep drawers that open on consecutive sides.
Tablelamp
Michael Koenig / Morfoso
€429
German designer Michael Koenig's Tablelamp helpful little object. The lacquered steel tripod design answers all our needs functioning as an occasional table and dimmable light in one. Though undeniably perfect as a bedside table, it's equally handy as a desk companion too. The round surface hides a circuit board of 18 LEDs in various shades of white and amber, meaning you can adjust the strength from dim candlelight to broad daylight, depending on your need or mood. You'll also have little need for a stash of bulbs – the LED light has an estimated lifespan of ten years, hence ticking energy efficient boxes too.
About The W* House
We thought it only fair to throw open the doors to The W* House and share with you our wealth of experience in the design world. From cutlery to cupboards, pots to plumbing, The W* House features our favourite pieces of design from around the globe, room by room. We'll update them every time we find something new we like, building the collection into an archive for as long as the pieces are for sale. Practicality isn't often a buzzword at the Wallpaper* HQ, but when it comes to sharing our finds we wanted to keep things simple, letting you furnish your house the Wallpaper* way, with the click of a mouse.
