Jewellery designer Delfina Delettrez on judging the W* Design Awards 2016
Delfina Delettrez Fendi, the latest in a line of creative female entrepreneurs with her surname, set up her jewellery company in 2007, at the age of 20. Her unique aesthetic, combining the surreal and contemporary with classic goldsmith techniques, made her the youngest designer to be included in the permanent collection of fine jewellery at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
Judging our awards was, she maintains, a fun and inspiring experience: ‘I appreciate the idea that design can embrace so many different categories and visions.’ Among her prize picks was the Lattice House by Sameep Padora & Associates: ‘The material doesn’t look like timber but almost a metal, and the house doesn’t look like a house. It looks impenetrable from the outside, but from the inside it is the complete opposite. I loved to imagine the dancing movement of shadows changing with the light during the day.’
Delettrez is also a fan of our Best City, Copenhagen. ‘Its architecture is expanding in a smart way, using natural resources and avant-garde design,’ she says. Meanwhile, Milan provided her with her Best New Public Building, the Fondazione Prada. ‘I observed when I first visited the complex on a grey and rainy day that an enormous amount of light in the form of reflections changed the perception of the whole area. So not only the foundation tower, but many of the surrounding buildings seemed golden.’
Many of the Judges’ Awards nominees were inspiring, says Delettrez, especially those designers she hadn’t come across before: ‘I was happy to discover Max Lamb’s work. Especially the 'Marmoreal Black' bathroom. Divine!’
As originally featured in the February 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*203)
See the Design Awards 2016 in full – including our extra-special Judges' Awards - here
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Fendi Casa's new sofa turns the brand's logo into three-dimensional elements
‘F-Affair’ sofa, by Controvento for Fendi Casa is among our Salone del Mobile 2024 highlights, featured in May Wallpaper*, on sale 11 April
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Gallery Fumi makes LA debut with works from Max Lamb, Jeremy Anderson and more
Fumi LA is the London design gallery’s takeover of Sized Studio, marking its first major US show (until 9 March 2024)
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Bless interprets Fendi’s world for its immersive Design Miami 2023 installation
Provocative situation design duo Bless go behind the scenes at Fendi for ‘Backfrontal’, the Italian fashion house’s presentation at Design Miami 2023 (6-10 December)
By Dal Chodha Published
-
Divide and conquer: a new exhibition sheds light on the cultural history of folding screens
‘Paraventi: Folding Screens from the 17th to 21st Centuries’ is on view at Milan’s Fondazione Prada until 22 February 2024, featuring historical artefacts and new commissions
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Max Lamb’s latest furniture is made of cardboard boxes
Max Lamb’s cardboard furniture is on view at Gallery Fumi, London, until 18 November 2023
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
India Mahdavi animates Villa Medici with a colourful and contemporary restyling
At Rome’s Villa Medici, India Mahdavi's intervention is the latest in a series of ‘re-enchantments’ of the 16th-century architecture and interiors
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Fendi Casa and Louis Poulsen’s new collaborative lighting is a clash of icons
Lighting classics by Louis Poulsen are reissued in a new guise in collaboration with Fendi Casa
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Roman-inspired ‘Ottavia’ chair by Cristina Celestino for Fendi Casa makes its debut
‘Ottavia’ chair by Cristina Celestino for Fendi Casa is among our Salone del Mobile 2023 highlights, featured in May Wallpaper*, on sale 13 April
By Anne Soward Published