Over the years, Italian furniture company Edra has been a recurring partner of its country’s National Olympic Committee's (CONI), creating and furnishing spaces for Casa Italia, the Italian central hub for athletes and guests. A showcase of national excellence, the hub has been conceived with Edra's furniture at the Summer Games in Rio (2016), Tokyo (2021) and Paris (2024), and the Winter Games in Pyeongchang (2018).

For the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, Edra once again sets up Casa Italia, within various locations, including Triennale Milano, and with the theme of 'Muse'.

Casa Italia at Triennale Milano for Milano Cortina Winter Games 2026

Edra's vision for Casa Italia develops over three spaces: museum Triennale Milano; art gallery and auction house Galleria Farsetti Arte in Cortina d'Ampezzo; and sports and wellness centre Aquagranda Livigno), each expressing an interpretation of this year's theme through elegant, rigorously made and creatively designed pieces.

For the occasion, Edra has created a new edition of Estudio Campana's ‘Grinza’ chair. The ‘Grinza White’ is hand-crafted in white eco-fur. 'The lightweight, soft, pure-white material evokes the softness of snow and translates it into a warm, enveloping sense of comfort,' says Edra in a note introducing the new design.

The spaces created by Edra also include the ‘Pack’ sofa by Francesco Binfaré, featuring a polar bear perched on an iceberg, while a bunch of Masanori Umeda's ‘Gestuen’ floral chairs take over Triennale Milano like a bouquet of design.

'In sport we recognise the strong values that have always inspired our company: passion in first place, but also the daily discipline of doing our work, and the will to believe in it,' says Edra president, Monica Mazzei. 'This year, again, Edra is alongside CONI bearing witness, with its collection, to an Italian excellence born of the desire to always push further, in a healthy global competition.'

Shanghai's Power Station of Art hosts a new retrospective exhibition of Estúdio Campana's work, marking the studio's first major exhibition in Asia.

Founded in São Paulo by Humberto Campana and his brother, the late Fernando Campana, the studio elevates humble materials and constructions to collectible design pieces whose aesthetic direction followed different motifs and visual themes. Their imaginative output has always been accompanied by a strong commitment to ethical design and supporting communities through their projects.

Impermanence - 40 Years of Estúdio Campana 

The exhibition is curated by Marco Sammicheli, Curator for Design, Fashion, Crafts and Director Museo del Design Italiano at Triennale Milano, and Gong Yan, Director of Power Station of Art.

'The work of the Campana brothers has transformed contemporary design,' comments Sammicheli. 'They were the first to intuit the richness of hybridizing creativity by giving dignity to scraps, waste and less noble materials so that the objects could portrait and attest desires: the ethics of recycling, the dignity of artisan work, the forgotten aesthetics of rural and indigenous Brazil, the madness of colours and shapes in the domestic landscape, the hybridization between production systems and ecological awareness.'

The exhibition offers an overview of forty years of the studio's output through fifty of their most iconic designs, recognisable furniture pieces that have helped shape the history of contemporary design while raising key issues of production, sustainability and our relationship with nature. 'In a forty-year career, Estúdio Campana has demonstrated the possibility of connecting decoration and political message, function and fiction, culture and nature,' continues Sammicheli.

Some of the studio's most memorable works are on display, from the Vermelha chair for Edra, made with over five hundred metres of red rope, and the Panda Puff stool, featuring as the name suggests a series of stuffed pandas in lieu of upholstery. There are some designs created for the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades series and from the studio's collection for Paola Lenti, both vividly encapsulating the designers' flair for shape and colour. The displays also include personal objects, original drawings, and prototypes from the duo's history that had never been shown in public before.

The designs are shown within a cave-like scenography conceived by Humberto Campana, featuring white, artificial stalactites and stalagmites in reference to Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave".

'I wanted to combine the curators’ work with a child-like experience, which for me is the most accurate way of explaining how my brother and I trailblazed through life: by taking steps into dark, unknown territories, and shedding light into our explorations and findings,' explains Humberto Campana. 'Plato’s classic allegory is something we can all relate to, at any age or background. I like to think we are all born curious, and this scenography is an invitation to embrace estrangement, step away from your comfort zone, and be rewarded by the courage to let imagination run free in an adventurous search for joy.'

The exhibition experience is enriched by two screening rooms showing footage from the studio's archive, including their involvement in set design and a making-of video of the Vermelha chair, as well as the documentary “We The Others", by Francesca Molteni and Maria Cristina Didero.

A new installation by the studio also inaugurates PSA's 2000 square metres rooftop garden: created as a collaboration with Chinese garden designer Yuan Zheng and dubbed "Pyro", featuring firework-like structures in bamboo and steel that frame the view of the Shanghai skyline and integrate with the garden's landscaping.

'The creations of the Campana brothers originate from their optimistic embrace and imagination of life,' says Gong Yan. 'Their unique employment of materials and craftsmanship gives their design a quality of physical tactility that transcends mere functionality, embodying both an extension and a celebration of life itself. This exhibition also hopes to initiate a series of discussions on design, materials, traditions, and social concern.'

Impermanence - 40 Years of Estúdio Campana is on view until 8 September 2024

200 Hua Yuan Gang Lu
周家渡 Huangpu Qu
Shanghai
China, 200231

powerstationofart.com

Approaching Rua Doutor Miranda de Azevedo, in the bucolic São Paulo neighbourhood of Vila Anglo Brasileira, it is already possible to perceive from afar that there is something fresh and unusual. Here is the new studio of Humberto Campana, who, alongside his younger brother Fernando, saw poetry in cloth dolls and other humble materials from Brazil’s interior, elevating them into collectible design. Working together for four decades, the Campanas became the leading lights of Brazil’s design scene and gained widespread international recognition. Thus, Humberto’s solo career, following the death of his brother last November, has been the subject of great speculation and anticipation.

Despite their eight-year age difference, Humberto and Fernando looked like twins, and could well have been a single person. The two were often inspired by the same object, even if they encountered it at different times, and they shared the same thoughts and often arrived at the studio wearing identical clothes. They left their old studio when the owner decided to sell, and moved to the new studio last November, shortly before Fernando passed away.

Humberto Campana: a new studio in São Paulo and the beginning of a solo career

While Humberto came to terms with his loss, he began to contemplate how the new space could offer a blank canvas for his solo career. Its interior is defined by high ceilings and large volumes. On the ground floor is the workshop, with sewing machines and cutting tables amid the plants and prototypes. Upstairs, the office features a winter garden that floods the entire floor with natural light. In addition to more space for production, Humberto now has a generous area in which to exhibit pieces and prototypes. A library houses books on the likes of Irving Penn, Max Ernst, Kaws, Takashi Murakami, Sebastião Salgado, Jaume Plensa, Wolfgang Tillmans, Pierre Keller and James Turrell, while a large conference table, crafted from a single tree trunk, is surrounded by eight different seats designed by the brothers.

The façade is already showing signs of change: a perforated metal sheet allows natural light to enter the main room of the warehouse, which was once a car workshop. Humberto opened a skylight, made a glass floor to let more light into the ground floor, and created outdoor areas for his employees. But he wouldn’t be a Campana if he stopped there: he covered the library and reception area with golden metallic Ferrero Rocher chocolate wrappers to illuminate the environment even further, while referencing the duo’s 2012 'Barocco Rococó' collection, where playfulness met excess.

The previous studio, a rented space that the brothers had occupied since 1992, had been very dark. When he started looking for a new space, Humberto had only one certainty in mind – he wanted something brighter and lighter. ‘I’m going to be 70 years old. As we get older, we want more lightness in life,’ he says. And while this move is linked to changes in his personal and professional life, it is also a reaction to the political tumult Brazil has experienced. ‘The four years of Bolsonaro’s government were very hard,’ he says. ‘I felt hurt in my soul. So I went to plant trees, to purge all the despair that I felt. And this space became my temple, a place of healing.’

At the back of the studio is a large bell. Campana means ‘bell’ in Italian, but the idea was also to mark this as a sacred space. ‘I think there’s a very spiritual atmosphere here,’ he says. ‘And I see my profession as something sacred, because, in a way, I enter people’s homes. Their temples. I’m very shy, and this is how I communicate and tell so many beautiful stories about Brazil.’

The brothers were always inspired by Brazilian popular culture, developing their own aesthetic through an ‘anthropophagic’ process – the term, coined by poet Oswald de Andrade in 1928, refers to the modernist concept of ‘ingesting’ European references, alongside the symbols of everyday Brazil, in order to ‘vomit’ something of its place that is internationally recognisable. In recent years, however, natural materials gained more prominence in the brothers’ practice, in a way connecting their creations with Arte Povera, an art movement that, in addition to giving meaning to what was considered garbage, valued the ephemeral, and consequently appreciated the cycles of life.

The duo’s first work in clay was a response to the 2015 Mariana dam disaster, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which caused a deluge of toxic mud, devastating the community. Fernando and Humberto designed terracotta cobogós (perforated bricks often used in Brazilian architecture) in the shape of a hand, as a warning and a call for solidarity. In the studio, these reappear in the form of a table, a floor and a garden sink. Also in 2015, the brothers created an installation in which they formed a landscape from a skin composed of compacted clay pebbles. A piece from this project features in the studio’s entrance gallery, alongside the last collection by the duo: Polifonia Campana, launched in 2022 at Luciana Brito Galeria, is made up of around 40 tables and lamps that again give prominence to clay. Among the inspirations for the collection is the joão-de-barro, a South American bird known for making clay nests resembling ovens.

The collection was produced in a small workshop called Cerâmica Pajé, in Santa Gertrudes, about 56km from Brotas, where the brothers were born. ‘I had this idea of going back to our origins. And soon after, Fernando left. We had gone there together and it seems that we were already saying goodbye; the process of this collection had a special energy,’ says Humberto.

‘I still feel Fernando. There was a tribute to him at Maxxi in Rome and, when I left the museum, I saw a gate that had exactly the same design as a bookshelf that Fernando had created called ‘Labirinto’. He was there,’ he recalls.

After releasing an entire collection made of clay, Humberto continued to work with his hands in the earth. For an upcoming exhibition at Friedman Benda’s New York gallery, he is planning to launch furniture made with ‘taipa’, a vernacular material formed of clay and gravel, usually used for building houses in Brazil’s interior.

This upcoming collection offered a starting point to contemplate land art projects, and a deeper connection with nature. When the pandemic began, and the Bolsonaro administration turned a blind eye to worsening environmental crimes, the brothers went to Brotas, on the outskirts of São Paulo. They had already planted 16,000 native tree seedlings with the intention of reforesting the region and attracting the animals that had fled, and they set about planting 4,000 more. The place has now been transformed into a park that will eventually house 12 green pavilions designed in the Campanas’ signature style. Made with local materials, plants and natural fibres, such as bamboo, agave, mandacaru (a native cactus) and eucalyptus straw, these works of living architecture will grow and transform over the years. Among the six that have already been created is a clay and agave installation that works like a sundial. It’s about understanding and accepting the passage of time and life.

The same thought was carried over to the new studio, which, not by chance, has three gardens: two outside and one vertical, on a scaffold that Humberto used for the studio’s construction. ‘I want to bring more plants. I’m going to fill all the spaces with them,’ he says. It’s how he’s survived in the concrete jungle that is São Paulo. Fernando once said of his elder brother: ‘Humberto has loved to observe plants since he was a little boy. He was very playful and studious. I remember him in the garden explaining his homework to the plants – it was his way of memorising.’

The sons of an agronomist, the brothers were brought up with a strong sense of duty to the environment. Humberto recalls, ‘Our father always taught us the culture of planting and preserving. And I always say that our museums are our biomes: the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado, the Caatinga, the Pampa and the Pantanal. Nature is our Louvre! It is important that people see this richness.’

Many of the brothers’ designs reflect their childhood in Brotas. And the new space is no different: Humberto says the idea of using chocolate wrappers as a wall covering came from a childhood fascination with candy wrappers. ‘I had a very rich and creative childhood. But neither Fernando nor I could fit in such a small town. So we created our world,’ he recalls. One of their most striking references was the local cinema, called Cine São José, where they saw the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini. The cinema inspired the title of an exhibition at Friedman Benda’s LA gallery this February, where Humberto officially launched his first solo piece: the ‘Jalapão’ chair, made of leather and capim dourado, a grass that grows in Jalapão, in Brazil’s interior; its golden straw is usually braided and used to make local handicrafts.

Humberto hopes to transform the new studio into a foundation for design meetings and research, in addition to hosting exhibitions by other creatives. ‘In 20 years, I’ll be 90, and I hope to be fine. But one day I won’t be here anymore. Life has given me so much, I think it’s important to leave something for the city, for society,’ he says.

But he hasn’t stopped his design practice. In addition to the New York exhibition, he is presenting new work with Edra, Louis Vuitton, Qeeboo, Lasvit and Citco during Milan Design Week 2023. ‘For me, the important thing is to stay sane and never stop creating,’ he says. ‘To keep telling stories and improving the lives of others, with ideas and hope. To show that everything can be reused and have a new life. And I’m in very good health and full of ideas.’ He confesses that, when he was younger, he was more nervous about competition, more concerned with appearances and material possessions. But life has taught him that other things are more important and, at the age of 60, he let go of many things. Now, ten years later, he is ready to take another step. ‘Today I can say that I fit inside myself and I’m in the best moment of my life.’

estudiocampana.com.br

A version of this story appears in the April 2023 Global Interiors issue of Wallpaper*, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

‘“Cine São José” was planned before [my brother] Fernando passed away, but it’s become an homage to him, to our history and to his memory,’ says Humberto Campana of his studio’s exhibition at Los Angeles gallery Friedman Benda, which opens this week in line with Frieze LA art fair (and until 15 April 2023).

Brazilian designer and architect Fernando Campana passed away in November 2022, aged 61. For over 35 years, brothers Fernando and Humberto pushed the boundaries of furniture design by combining unlikely, often-found materials, with an innovative look at Brazilian culture and craft traditions, becoming international stars of contemporary design in the process. 

‘Cine São José’: a tribute to the Campana Brothers’ childhood cinema 

‘Cine São José’ references the cinema in the Campana brothers’ hometown of Brotas, where they spent a significant part of their youth. ‘We grew up in the countryside, in a small, conservative area of São Paulo state,’ explains Humberto. ‘There was not much going on, but the silver screen opened our eyes to the world.’

The show chronologically traces rare pieces from the history of Estúdio Campana that are imbued with cultural, societal or personal narratives, while introducing some new works that bring together the studio’s core ideologies.

The show’s earliest piece, the ‘Yanomami’ chair (1989), is part of a series of rough sculptural iron seats called the ‘Desconfortáveis’, or ‘Uncomfortables’, created at a time of political upheaval as Brazil was coming out of 30 years of dictatorship. Exploring personal expression and everyday materiality, the ‘Yanomami’ is named after and honours the indigenous people from the northwest of Brazil. Perforations made with a blow torch reference the meandering lines that the Yanomami paint on their bodies.

A street vendor’s array of children’s stuffed animals inspired a much-loved collection, using plush toys stitched together as upholstery, as with the ‘Disney’ sofa (2009), which recontextualises unexpected materials with humour and a surrealist quality.

Key exhibition pieces show how the brothers continued to find inspiration in São Paulo’s neighbourhoods, both in its found or recycled materials and in its local artisans, whose work they supported. The ‘Detonado’ series (from 2013) integrates reclaimed Thonet cane seating, rewoven in a patchwork, while the ‘Wave’ buffet (2016) is distinguished by concentric rolls of surplus cloth, including rubber and carpeting.

The ‘Galactica’ sofa (2020) is made from discarded Styrofoam originally created as packing for electronics and other consumer products. Diverted from landfill, this waste material is intricately joined to create a frame, with bronzed leather worked over the forms by hand. For Humberto, it is a triumph of simple, poetic solutions and creative chaos. ‘It took a long time to transform and elevate Styrofoam into something that looks noble,’ he says with a grin. ‘We use what we find, so no piece is the same, and this creates a unique spirit. You can feel the affection and love within that object.’

The new ‘Jalapão’ chair (2022) sees hand-embroidered discs of golden straw from the centre of Brazil, mixed with braided and stitched leather detailing and pillowy sheepskin upholstery. The piece, which is equal parts surprising and beautiful, is an ode to the craftsmanship culture of their country.

‘When we started out, we didn’t want to take the road of the Brazilian Modernists,’ says Humberto. ‘We wanted to show another Brazil – a mix of cultures, techniques, materials, colours and textures that embrace imperfection, and feel human. Championing the ancestrality of the vernacular is what has always interested us, and I hope that will be our legacy.’

‘Cine São José: 35 Years of Estúdio Campana’ is on view until 15 April 2023

Friedman Benda, 8260 Marmont Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90069

estudiocampana.com.br
friedmanbenda.com

‘Working on this project has been a gift for us,’ say designers Humberto and Fernando Campana of their new collaboration with the Italian company Paola Lenti. Entitled ‘Metamorphosis’, to suggest the transformation of materials in the hands of the designers, this collection will be unveiled during Milan Design Week 2022, at the brand’s HQ on Via Po, Meda, and aims to raise awareness of the future of sustainable productions, and the beauty of materials with past lives. In fact, the seating series, developed by the Brazilians in close collaboration with the company, are made of waste pieces of carpet or textile, now ready for a new life.

At the start, the brand’s eponymous founder, Paola Lenti – a designer who works in tandem with her sister Anna, a nuclear engineer – sent a huge box full of small fragments of colourful fabrics to Brazil. The Campanas called it a ‘treasure’, able to generate endless outcomes. There were further reasons for their enthusiasm: ‘We were intrigued by the possibility of working with a global company that holds high standards at every step of the process. We were touched by their acknowledgement of our creative process, reflected by a genuine openness to integrating the Campana gaze into this collection,’ they say.

‘What could a simple piece of rope be turned into? A flower? A seaweed? What could a fragment of fabric become? How could we play with colours?’ wondered Paola. Inspired by nature and named after various types of insects, the resulting collection transforms unwanted materials into one-off pieces that take on organic forms; each handmade piece is slightly different, depending on ‘the catch of the day’.

Importantly, Coulture Migrante, an atelier in Como that focuses on providing opportunities for women and men at risk of social exclusion, was put in charge of part of the production: ‘Beauty cannot and should not be separated from ethics. If I want to be truly sustainable, I cannot ignore ethics. So why not commit to reducing inequality, as well as consumption?’ reflects Paola.

It’s an ethos that resonates with the Campanas. ‘Thirteen years ago, we founded Instituto Campana to offer work to different communities, from independent artisans to vulnerable people,’ say the brothers. ‘Currently, we are working on an old dream of ours: building a park in our hometown of Brotas that merges art with nature, with pavilions made with local materials, plants, and natural fibres, surrounded by native forest. We planted 20,000 native trees in the past 20 years. The project, which includes a learning centre, aims to restore the Atlantic Forest that once covered this region. It will be a space for healing and contemplation.’ 

The two pairs of siblings also found a common enthusiasm for colour. ‘For me, colour is a feeling. It has a thousand different facets, a thousand possibilities,’ Paola says of her practice. Colour seems to take over her pieces, transforming playful shapes into poetic and vibrant furnishings. A flamboyant colour palette and forward-looking design are the foundation of the brand, which was founded in 1994. It has since expanded internationally and become an industry leader thanks to its research into natural materials.

The Lenti sisters have always been devoted to their quest for high-quality recycled materials. From the development of the Twiggy yarn, which is 100 per cent recyclable and eco-compatible, to the use of Aerelle Blue, a German fibre made entirely from plastic waste that serves as furniture fillings, the brand continues to innovate and exemplify a conscious design. Equally, the Campana brothers have been pioneers in sustainable design for over 35 years, creating objects that reflect their heritage and local traditions. The pair combine forms and materials, creating something otherworldly, at times odd, but profoundly and poignantly beautiful. Since their ‘Favela’ chair in 1991, they have created furniture that mixes rural features with colourful Brazilian urban views, merges the smooth with the rough, and juxtaposes the processed with the found. Inspired by everything natural and organic, by popular culture and backyard gardens, by forests and passers-by, they bridge Brazilian heritage, craftsmanship and artistry with sustainable, high-quality design.

‘Metamorphosis’ marks the first collaboration between the designers and Paola Lenti, partners who, although geographically and culturally distant, have found mutual ground in their work and lives – at times by chance, at others because of conscious and shared professional choices. Paola admits that she, her sister and the Campanas are ‘linked by a series of coincidences’. ‘The Campanas are two brothers, Anna Lenti and I are two sisters. Humberto and I are both Pisces, while his brother Fernando and my sister Anna are Taurus. Finally, we share a childlike curiosity, an astonishment for the aspects of life that empower us to always seek out beauty.’ 

The Campanas add: ‘Paola is a joy to work with. She brings humanity and a certain lightness to the table that allows things to flow in harmony.’ Beyond the seating designs, their partnership has also resulted in a film titled Che Spreco Rinunciare (What a waste to give up), directed by Maurizio Natta. With Humberto as its star, the film presents a fairy tale that explains how beautiful recycling can be. 

INFORMATION

The ‘Metamorphosis’ collection by Estudio Campana is on view at the Paola Lenti HQ in Meda from 7 – 12 June 2022
paolalenti.it
estudiocampana.com.br

A version of this article appears in the July 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, on sale 9 June. Subscribe today!

ADDRESS

Paola Lenti
Via Po, 100 A
20821 Meda (MB)

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

São Paulo-based designers Fernando and Humberto Campana have launched a collection of new multipurpose baskets at Expo 2020 Dubai. The Campana brothers have unveiled the new pieces at the show, which runs until 31 March 2022, as part of the Crafts Stories series curated by Samer Yamani.

The Campanas’ baskets appear to be caught in action, frozen in fluid silhouettes that lend an anthropomorphic edge to the pieces, which are inspired by the traditional forms of indigenous basketry. The brothers have returned to the wicker they have frequented in previous collections, which is here handwoven and given earthy hues of beige, black, green and brown.

Campana baskets take on anthropomorphic forms

Creating the pieces was a process that united design teams in São Paulo, Dubai and the Philippines, who drew on both natural, free-flowing shapes and the hues of Brazilian fauna and flora. The baskets, twisted into natural shapes, recalling horns and fungi, take on organic and playful forms.

‘We love the plasticity and versatility of this collection,’ says Humberto Campana. ‘The unexpected effect of the baskets’ unusual shapes gives pieces personality as if they were coming alive. It also shows the potential of widely available materials and vernacular traditions to deliver contemporary pieces that tickle our imagination.’

For Fernando Campana, being part of Expo 2020 Dubai increased the possibilities inherent in the collection by offering the opportunity to draw links between different cultures and skill sets, as well as weaving a cultural web linking Emirati artisans to the UAE’s showcase of international creations. ‘Working with Expo 2020 Dubai under the MENASA programme [highlighting Emirati crafts] was a great experience as it truly encouraged cultural exchange and best practices for sustainable design in every step of the process. We are proud to present a collection that praises indigenous traditions, sustainable natural fibres, and handcraft excellence.’

INFORMATION

Expo 2020 Dubai runs until March 31, 2022

estudiocampana.com.br

A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio) pays tribute to the 35-year career of brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana. Titled ‘Campana Brothers – 35 Revolutions’, the major exhibition is a celebration of the incredible work by the duo, whose creative voice stretches far beyond the realms of design. In three and a half decades, the pair have produced works that merge the worlds of craftsmanship, furniture and social outreach, pop influences and the everyday vernacular in ways that have made the studio’s pieces some of the most iconic of contemporary design.

‘Campana Brothers – 35 Revolutions’

Taking over 1,800 sq m on the second floor of Brazilian architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy’s modernist building, this new show chronicles this history through a scenographic environment. The showcase has been designed by the studio in collaboration with local non-profit Spectaculu School of Art and Technology and curated by Francesca Alfano Miglietti, featuring the impressive archive, new launches and immersive installations.

At the entrance, a wall featuring 1,600 terracotta bricks shaped like an open hand (a nod to traditional Brazilian architecture) greets visitors and conceals the vast display. Inside, the exhibition floor is punctuated by over a hundred columns lined with piassava straw, dividing the space and the studio’s archives into loose themes such as Love, Dreams and Time, each represented by a selection of their most iconic furniture. All of their big hits are included, from the Cadeira Vermelha, the red rope chair inspired by traditional Brazilian Weaving and edited by Edra, to the unmissable chairs composed of stuffed toys (from Disney characters to the figures made by American artist Kaws).

Campana Brothers: 1985 – now

The exhibition highlights the brothers’ unique approach to design, and their revolutionary way of embedding local vernacular, craftsmanship, diverse points of view and contemporary thinking into their work. Each piece has a story – some demonstrate their efforts to work with and support local communities, some are a more whimsical example of their design brilliance.

‘One time we sent our Bubble Wrap Chair, made of sheets of bubble wrap secured by rivets, attached to a steel base, to an exhibition in Rio,’ Fernando and Humberto recall. ‘The chair was packed in a box in bubble wrap and shipped to the venue. When we arrived to check on the exhibition, the chair was absolutely destroyed. The crew who received it kept on peeling off the sheets, looking for the chair! Luckily it was an easy fix, as all we had to do was run to the office supplies store and replace the plastic sheets.’

When quizzed about the most important moment of their career, the pair has no doubt: it was their international debut, in 1998, at the Paola Antonelli-curated Projects 66 exhibition. ‘We shared the space with Ingo Maurer, already an established figure, who was incredibly generous with us, newcomers, creating a beautiful dialogue between North and South hemispheres through design,’ they explain. They have certainly come a long way since, with a plethora of overlapping projects and initiatives which have made their studio one of the most interesting operations existing in design today.

Campana Brothers: the future and social programs

‘After 35 years, we still have a daily goal to keep the studio ahead of the curve in the way we think, elaborate and produce design,’ they add. ‘Our next step is to bring our ethos and disruptive approach to support our social design projects with Instituto Campana.’ This eponymous NGO was founded in 2009, with the aim of using design ‘as a transformation tool through social and educational programs’. Their goal for the future, they explain, is to join forces with organisations to offer new skills to local communities, assisting them to start their own businesses, teaching them about responsible use of materials, while at the same time, in true Campana style, ‘breaking the barriers of visual arts, design and architecture’.

Remaining a priority is the brothers’ commitment to their home country: ‘we hope to help create a more sustainable production chain, diminish the social and economic gap we have in Brazil, and mostly, show people that with a little bit of self-esteem and confidence, they can build their world with their hands.’ Here’s to the next 35 years.

INFORMATION

‘Campana Brother: 35 Revolutions’ 14 March-12 May at Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio)

mam.rio

Mundane materials, from wood scraps to soft toys, have been transformed into distinctly Brazilian furniture in the hands of Humberto and Fernando Campana. Appropriately, the Paulistano brothers serve up a double dose of local culture for this month’s recipes. Humberto offers us bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (salt cod), like their grandma used to make, while Fernando opts for beef brochette with mushrooms, potatoes and béarnaise sauce, an off-the-menu dish from São Paulo restaurant La Casserole. ‘It combines a staple of French cuisine with the everyday food of the Brazilian Sertão,’ he says. Shown here in deconstructed form, their dishes are proof that, like the best furniture, great food can come from humble origins.

Fernando Campana’s beef brochette with mushrooms and béarnaise sauce
Recipe by La Casserole

Ingredients (serves 4)
20g fresh tarragon, well chopped
280ml white wine vinegar
120g shallots, chopped
250g unsalted butter
6 egg yolks
600g beef tenderloin, cut into 4cm cubes
2 tomatoes, sliced
100g mushrooms, sliced
8 precooked small onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Put the tarragon, vinegar, shallots and 80ml water in a small casserole and reduce over a very low heat until you have approximately 30ml.

Clarify the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over a low heat. When it starts foaming, remove from the heat and wait a few minutes, then pass the butter through a fine sieve and discard the solids.

Beat the egg yolks with a little water, then stir into the tarragon reduction. Pour the mixture into a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, adding the lukewarm clarified butter very slowly until the sauce has thickened, increased in volume and appears shiny. Add some fresh tarragon leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the brochettes, thread metal skewers with beef cubes, tomatoes and mushrooms. Put an onion on each end and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to high, then reduce the setting to medium and grill the brochettes for 3-4 minutes on each side so the beef is rare and the vegetables al dente.
  
Humberto Campana’s bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

Ingredients
500g desalted cod
3 medium-sized potatoes
Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
Chopped scallions
2 large tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
12 pitted black olives
Salt and black pepper

Method
Flake the cod into small pieces, removing any bones. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes in their skins, then drain, peel and slice. Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat some olive oil over a medium high heat for a few minutes. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden brown. Then add the cod and scallions and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a medium ovenproof casserole dish with a teaspoon of olive oil. Spread half of the cod mixture over the base of the dish. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Arrange half of the potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and olives over the cod. Spread the other half of the cod over the potatoes. Spread the other half of the potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and olives over the cod. Drizzle with oil, then bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden.

As originally featured in the May 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*230)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Campana Brothers website and the La Casserole website

Earlier this year, Liz Swig was taking time out after the Zona Maco art fair in Mexico City. An overarching theme at the fair had been transparency and reflection; and Swig, a collector and hard-driving creative entrepreneur, took a few days out in the resort town of Tulum to recover from a bout of flu and reflect. Here she was served a bowl of oatmeal at a little wooden table drenched by early morning sunshine.

‘That’s when it hit me,’ she says. ‘Oatmeal, done properly, can be a complete experience. I took a bite from that bowl and it was as good as anything I have ever eaten. It was the beauty of that single experience in Tulum that inspired me to go on a journey to disrupt how people view oatmeal. Right now it is perceived as a sturdy breakfast staple. I want to explore its potential and reposition it as an experience for any time of day. My goal is to make oatmeal cool and sexy.’

So Time For Oatmeal was established. It is the first culinary foray for Swig and her platform for creative partnerships, LizWorks. Swig’s operation has produced a limited-edition line of eyewear in collaboration with Vik Muniz, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Paola Pivi, and an 18ct gold charm bracelet, Charmed, which featured contributions from seven female artists including Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman and Laurie Simmons. ‘I love the idea of taking something traditional and contemporising it,’ she says.

The first stop on Swig’s quest to revolutionise oatmeal is this year’s Design Miami. She has partnered with Brazilian design duo Humberto and Fernando Campana to introduce Time For Oatmeal within a sensory environment that reimagines food as material, and material as food. The Campana-designed installation uses wood panels laminated in oats. Humberto suggests that he and his brother are ‘alchemists’. And this might be the biggest test of their powers of transformation. ‘It is a challenge to take something people don’t pay much attention to and shine a light on it, to invite them to see it another way,’ he says.

Swig has also commissioned two series of limited-edition Campana Brothers bowls, creating the perfect vessels for enjoying the daily ritual of eating oatmeal. An earthy form in terracotta comes in an edition of 250, while an ornamented version with animal and plant motifs, entitled ‘Lizbowl’, is being produced in an edition of seven, each entirely unique. Seven, for Swig, has always been an important number: ‘It is a number imbued with meaning – we have a seven day week and seven deadly sins – and whenever it feels appropriate to use that number I will.’

During Design Miami, a menu of seven Time For Oatmeal dishes will be introduced ‘to boost stamina, inspire brilliance, improve sex drive and cure ailments.’ Swig has worked with food editor, author and founder of Bureau X food consultancy Christine Muhlke, and nutritionist, chef and owner of West Village eatery Nourish Kitchen + Table Marissa Lippert, to create sample offerings for different times of the day. From the postworkout morning taste of Burn Baby Burn (containing freeze-dried blueberries, sesame brittle and tonka bean) to Stay in Tonight (with cremini mushrooms, parsley and pecorino), Swig is thrilled by how ‘completely scrumptious’ each taste is: ‘Stay in Tonight rivals any risotto you might prepare.’

‘The response to this project so far has been one of huge excitement,’ says Swig. ‘I am convinced that we will change the perception of oatmeal. It can be what we eat at any time of day, even with a shot of tequila – the oatmeal spiked with turmeric, kaffir lime and Korean chili flakes is perfect for that.’

Oatmeal is certainly getting its ‘dance card’. ‘Tell me what other grain has been exhibited at an art or design fair,’ says Swig. ‘Quinoa has never been to Miami.’

Liz Swig’s Time for Oatmeal Dishes

6:55am: Get the Hell Up
Contains goji berries, pecans, freeze-dried raspberries, orange and lemon zest, toasted coconut, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, muscovado sugar, vanilla bean and pink Himalayan salt

8:32am: Burn Baby Burn
Contains roasted almonds, freeze-dried blueberries, sesame brittle, lime zest, hemp seeds, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, goat milk powder, cordyceps mushrooms, salt and tonka bean

1:07pm: Out to Lunch
Contains Turkish apricots, cherry reduction, toasted sunflower seeds, toasted coconut, soba-cha buckwheat, golden milk, cordyceps mushrooms, schisandra berries, muscovado sugar, salt and pink peppercorns

4:14pm: Afternoon Delight
Contains dried plums, peanuts, tristar strawberries, dark chocolate chunks, dried baby banana, chaga mushrooms, muscovado sugar and Maldon sea salt

6:09pm: Swipe Right
Contains pepitas, toasted coconut, tumeric, vadouvan, kaffir lime, Korean chili flakes, nutritional yeast, lime zest and salt

7:51pm: Stay in Tonight
Contains cremini mushrooms, thyme, shallots, parsley, sunchoke chips, garlic manchego, pecorino romano, nutritional yeast, truffle oil, salt and black pepper

00:00am: Here's Looking at You
Contains Persian green raisins, kumquats, rose tea syrup, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, collagen powder, tocos rice bran flour and pink Himalayan salt

As originally featured in the December 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*225)

INFORMATION

The Time for Oatmeal collection will be showing at Design Miami, 6-10 December. For more information, visit the LizWorks website and the Design Miami website

In December our thoughts turn to entertaining, and we offer up an enticing menu of design, architecture, art, fashion and, of course, food. For us, creativity really is at the heart of life-enhancing entertaining. For starters, we love the pairing of artists and cuisine; and in this issue we serve up Gillian Wearing’s lentil, potato and leek soup, as well as Liz Swig’s innovative oatmeal offerings, with extra ingredients by the Campana brothers.

We also talk to Jony Ive and get the very first sitting at Apple Park’s super-sized staff restaurant, Naoto Fukasawa-designed chairs and all. (Good food is so central to Apple’s working culture that the company operates its own fishing boat.) Apple Park spaces, cooked up by Foster + Partners and Ive’s industrial design studio, encourage the social aspect of working, with the restaurant being the hub of a network of collaborative spaces, places for chance encounters and off-the-cuff creativity.

We’ve nourishment for the eyes courtesy of Ive’s limited-edition cover, using Apple’s original colour spectrum and, naturally, generous white space. We also prepare heart-warming, spirit-calming recipes in a John Pawson-designed Welsh retreat.

We’ll always champion great photography, but this issue celebrates illustration, too, as a fresh way of looking at interiors, adding a dash of personal interpretation and history to the visual narrative. I have a long-held appreciation of illustration, from my formative days as a graphic design student and, later, commissioning works by the likes of Ian Wright, Ralph Steadman, Noma Bar and George Hardie – true mark makers. The first in our new series of occasional illustrated Space stories is a Wallpaper* debut for Dutch artist Leonie Bos (her work also appears on our newsstand cover). A play, and sure hand, with texture and colour are central to Bos’ approach and she brings a unique warmth and vigour to our pages.

The illustrator’s practice, the conjuring of imagined worlds, is a fascination for us. Once we had selected key design pieces to feature, Bos went away and created her fantastical Wallpaper* entertaining space. Her early sketch, above, is an insight into the creative process. Illustrations can be literal, abstract, decorative, conceptual. And so much more. Properly served up, they are a true celebration of print, its tactility and devourability.

Sarah Douglas, Editor

As originally featured in the December 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*225)

INFORMATION

The December 2017 issue of Wallpaper* is out now. Subscribe here

‘Brazilians are a hybrid people – since the Portuguese arrived and colonised Brazi, our DNA is mixed. We combined materials and objects, animal parts and human parts to reflect this hybridism,’ Humberto Campana says of his and his brother Fernando’s approach to ‘Hybridism’, Estudio Campana’s latest – and highly personal – exhibition at New York gallery Friedman Benda.

The collection of furniture, objects and sculptures borders on surrealism with its anthropomorphic and botanical shapes and dizzying piles of cast aluminium animals. Everything is derived from the Campana brothers’ lives, from their childhood in the Brazilian countryside to global politics. ‘The objects are playful, but they are very heavy, a reaction to what is happening to the planet: immigration, the Brazilian political situation, Trump. All these bad things are happening and I needed show my abomination,’ Campana says.

Collaborating with Brazilian craftspeople across the country, the Campana brothers worked a lot in collage, ‘playing God’ and expressing their mixed emotions through endemic materials and a mix of new and traditional processes. Many of the animals represented come from the brothers’ memories of growing up on a farm.

‘The forest in Brazil is becoming devastated and there is an apparent lack of interest from the president to take care of it,’ Humberto says. ‘The animals cannot speak for themselves so I try to represent them as begging for salvation. The story of Noah’s Ark is about this asking and requesting of salvation and being the chosen people.’

A key piece is the ‘Noah Bench’ with a frame comprising animals leaping out and a seat covered in bright green woven fabric. Humberto was inspired to make the piece as a type of catharsis after having a benign (but nonetheless alarming) tumour removed. As a whole, ‘Hybridism’ oscillates from these deeply intimate moments to broader concerns, questioning whether anything is really whole, or if we are all, in fact, merely a composition of our experiences, cultures and situations.

INFORMATION

‘Fernando and Humberto Campana: Hybridism’ is on view until 14 October. For more information visit the Friedman Benda website

ADDRESS

Friedman Benda
515 West 26th Street
New York

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Sotheby’s 20th century design specialists Cécile Verdier, senior director, and Laetitia Contat-Desfontaines, deputy director and head of sale, with Wallpaper* brand and content director Tony Chambers, at Sotheby’s warehouse in West London. From left to right; ‘Floris’ chair in moulded fibreglass-reinforced polyester, 1967, by Günter Beltzig; ‘Wing-Nut’ chair in hardboard, piano hinges and wing-nut connectors, 1985, by Jasper Morrison; ‘All Night Long’ table in coated carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb paper, 2002, by Ron Arad; ‘Fragments’ wall lamp in reclaimed Venini glass and steel, 2010, by Fernando & Humberto Campana, for Venini; ‘SQN5-T’ table in stainless steel, 2012, by Zhang Zhoujie; ‘Bone’ rocker in cast black marble resin, 2009, by Joris Laarman; ‘Flora’ bureau, model No. 2131, in mahogany-veneered wood, mahogany, brass and printed paper, designed C1950-51, by Josef Frank, for Svenskt Tenn.

‘Living in a Material World.’ It’s a brave title for an auction, perhaps. Yet for Sotheby’s design auction on 17 October, curated by our own brand and content director Tony Chambers, the title has a very literal intent: the 150-odd pieces included have been selected for their material expression. ‘It’s interesting how our perception of the word “material” has changed in the three decades since Madonna’s anthem,’ Chambers says. ‘It was a crass and fairly derogatory term not so long ago that spoke of greed, but today we think of the word as having more noble, fine and pure connotations.’ To be clear: this is an auction exploring materiality, not materialism.

Standing in Sotheby’s storage facility in the outer reaches of West London is a surreal experience. After wending one’s way through warehouses filled with canned drinks and mass-market furniture (a stark reminder that we do still live in Madonna’s material world), you find yourself surrounded by goods of a much higher order. Out of context, away from the workshop, gallery, hotel lobby or home, it’s curiously humbling to see these spectacular works of design for what they are. They were not intended to be lots or price tags, but ideas brought to life through craft and technology as functional objects. Jasper Morrison’s ‘Wing-Nut’ chair is in one corner, its expressive utility fitting right into the warehouse. A ‘Cake’ stool by the Campana brothers is being carried in a grey industrial laundry bag, while their ‘Broken Dreams’ chandelier for Venini sails past on a trolley. Everything feels off duty and all the more fascinating and spectacular for it.

Cécile Verdier, senior director and coworldwide head of 20th century design at Sotheby’s, is leaning against Marc Newson’s ‘Extruded Table 3’, a seemingly impossible piece of furniture laser-cut from a single block of Striato Olimpico marble. You can’t help but touch it. It requires no small amount of willpower not to lick it. ‘A consignment arrived last year with a group of six pieces from a European private collector,’ Verdier explains. ‘They were an interesting mixture of contemporary pieces – Hadid, Newson, Arad – and we were struck by the collective narrative of material expression. Wallpaper* was the obvious partner to help us tell this story. Tony and his team have helped cross the boundaries of different industries, introducing us to the pioneering and the common elements in design that shape modern life.’

This was the seed from which the auction has grown. It is a collection that traces the evolution of how designers master and manipulate materials, from the politeness of post-war furniture to the use of the most advanced technologies to achieve something more akin to alchemy. As such, there’s an anthropological thread to the hoard. The collection tells the story of modern design through the lens of materials, encompassing the evolution not just of technology, but of skill, taste, trend and wider social values, too.

Materiality is more than just a handy hook for bringing the collection together. It’s also a response to where we find ourselves today, reflecting our growing appreciation of materials. As daily life is increasingly spent in virtual worlds or on digital desktops, we yearn for analogue, physical experiences to act as a counterbalance. Materials summon up primal urges – hence the desire to lick the marble. ‘Across contemporary life we are witnessing profound appreciation for experiences and sensations that ground us,’ Chambers explains. ‘We respond to things that engage our senses and make us feel human.’ Bearing testament to this, in the warehouse there’s a lot of stroking going on.

Laetitia Contat-Desfontaines, Sotheby’s 20th century design head of sale, elaborates, keeping one hand on Ron Arad’s ‘All Night Long’ table: ‘It’s almost like an antidote to our obsession with social media. We crave the materiality and texture that design offers. Craftsmanship is a tangible link to reality. It speaks of skill, tradition, quality and time – when we feel these qualities we build a relationship with the pieces.’

‘People buy design at auction because they love the piece,’ adds Verdier. ‘They don’t buy to sell, in the same way as they do with art. Generally, they live with the designs they buy, and use them, and so they have an intimate relationship with them – it’s a commitment.’

Surveying the diverse lots that will be up for auction in October, it’s a powerful concept. Taking materials as a starting point encourages a new appreciation of older, familiar pieces and a fuller interrogation of more contemporary designs. Joris Laarman’s extraordinary ‘Bone’ rocker, 3D-printed using powdered Belge Noir marble and resin, sits beside a mahogany bureau by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, bedecked in botanicals. Both are exquisite examples of their period’s craftsmanship and material expression, six decades apart. Elsewhere, Pierre Jeanneret’s armchairs sit beside the Campana brothers’ ‘Cake’ stool; the elegant utility of wood and leather designed for civic duties in Chandigarh is juxtaposed with the synthetic fluffy toys found on São Paulo street stalls – kitsch commerce elevated into something valuable.

The breadth and depth of this collection makes clear how design has evolved over time in the minds and hands of different people. It is a positive story of progress. ‘Each piece is a story brought to life through materials,’ Chambers summarises. ‘Any new technology presents an opportunity for reinventing or developing a material into a new form. The story of design is effectively the combination of human ideas, material expression and technological development.’

INFORMATION

‘Living in a Material World’, pre-sale exhibition: Friday 13 – Monday 16 October; auction: Tuesday 17 October, For more information, visit the Sotheby’s website

‘The Rise of Design and its Importance in our Digital World’ talk will take place on Saturday 14 October. The event is free, register for tickets here

ADDRESS

Sotheby’s
34–35 New Bond Street
London W1A 2AA

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

In 1922, German modern artist Oskar Schlemmer debuted his seminal Triadisches Ballett (Triadic Ballet), an avant-garde dance performance in three parts celebrating the emerging industrial era. Nearly 100 years later, film and art director Mafalda Millies and curator and creative director Roya Sachs revisit Schlemmer’s concept of ‘machine meets man’ with Virtually There at the Mana Contemporary, New Jersey. ‘Roya and I wanted to invite artists that were very different and dynamic to bring together their interpretations of how man was affected by, in Schlemmer's case, machine culture, and in our case, digital reality.’

Millies and Sachs enlisted Brazilian design duo and brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana to design the costumes, which function as the stage’s ‘furniture’ and inform the choreography. ‘The costumes in Schlemmer’s case were really important because they changed the way that the dancers moved. He was very concerned with how man acted and reacted in space and he wanted the costumes and the dancer to create a sort of friction that would yield new movements,’ says Millies. ‘We wanted someone from the architecture and design world, who could make something that did not fit the body, but that was meant to interrupt the body.’

Charged with this request, Humberto Campana took to New York’s bustling, gritty Canal Street and started pulling materials such as LED lights, PVC, and inflatable and holographic materials. ‘I always start with material I find on the street, and then work it into something more elegant,’ says Campana. ‘I wanted very contemporary materials that inspire the pop culture of New York.’

Working from Sao Paulo with New York costume designers, Jon Can Coskunses and Simone Duff, he created five costumes in response to Schlemmer’s original vision. When combined with the movements by modern dance choreographer Karole Armitage, the costumes’ vibrant colours and riotous lines and shapes suggest the mechanical, the natural and even the fantastical.

The dance begins with the Honeycomb Woman, a round red sphere with an accordion-style core that opens to reveal a mirror, playfully encountering the Accordion Man, who shimmies, shakes, and rotates in a holographic corrugated metal-looking suit. Other dancers include the Inflatable Woman, who is dotted with bright inflatable shapes; the Crystal Woman, who is fully adorned in lights and geometric forms and the Inflatable Man, who wears a transparent suit lined with lights that equally resemble neon threads and human veins.

‘When you look at Schlemmer’s costumes, it is all about the mechanical and the industry, which was very heavy and rigid and mechanic and inconvenient,’ explains Sachs. ‘Now we are in an age of fluidity, convenience and transparency. So even though there were these three separate acts and you see different characters, first, the two with a playful naivety and lack of awareness, it slowly transitions and there is a new type of harmony where man is digital and digital is man – a new dynamic.’

INFORMATION
Virtually There: A performance inspired by Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet runs until 22 November. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Mana Contemporary website

ADDRESS

Mana Contemporary
888 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

For Aesop’s second Sao Paulo location, the Australian skincare brand’s founder Dennis Paphitis tapped none other than international design stars and Sao Paulo natives Fernando and Humberto Campana, who have created a store that perfectly blends the Aesop philosophy with traditional Paulista architecture.

Located on the bustling Rua Harmonia in the city’s bohemian Vila Madalena neighborhood, the latest addition to Aesop’s staggering list of global outposts follows hot on the heels of the brand’s first South American opening – a boutique on Sao Paulo’s Rua Oscar Freire designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and Metro Associated Architects - which opened last year.

Set back from the street, the 112 sq m store is entered via a courtyard through an aluminium gate that flips open to create a roof during the day. Here, timber benches, a washbasin and a pergola with climbing plants create a relaxing social space where customers are encouraged to sit and stay a while.

‘[Aesop’s] only request was their desire to include strong elements connected to the Brazilian culture in the store,’ says Humberto Campana of the design brief. ‘So we wanted to combine traditional characteristics of Paulista architecture with the Australian cosmetics brand’s symbols and values to create a space that goes beyond the traditional commercial function of a shop and offer the neighbourhood a meeting point.’

Sitting alongside a material palette of sisal fibre, concrete and plywood, the humble cobogó brick – a staple of Brazilian architecture – takes centre stage in the Campana’s design, forming not only the fixtures and furniture but the flooring, ceiling and an entire wall that stretches from the exterior courtyard right through into the interior. The bricks, which are typically used to provide ventilation and shade inside Brazilian homes, are characterised by their decorative perforated patterns, which are used here en masse to stunning effect.

‘We developed a special floor made of cobogó brick filled with concrete; a fully experimental work that resulted in a beautiful pattern,’ explains Humberto. ‘We employed sisal fiber as a natural background that complements the strong graphic effect created by the cobogó brick. We covered the walls with this fiber to use it as an acoustic element that also brings a zen atmosphere to the place. Live jasmine, an original component of Aesop fragrances, became the counterpoint to the earthy color palette, offering a natural colour contrast and a unique scent to the store.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Campana brothers’ website or the Aesop website

ADDRESS

Aesop Vila Madalena
Rua Harmonia, 343
Sao Paulo

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

An eloquent curation of modern glasswork has come together at Miami’s Luminaire Lab for a fantastic cause. In a collaboration with international auction house Phillips, the design store is hosting its ‘GlasLove’ auction and exhibition in aid of cancer research until 11 October (as well as a physical auction and gala dinner preceding this on 6 October).

Following their prior PuppyLove, DesignLove and PaperLove auctions, Luminaire founders Nasir and Nargis Kassamali this time set their sights on the fluidity and versatility of glass. ‘The idea started in 2015 at Oki Sato’s “Nendo Works: 2014–2015” exhibition at the Museo della Permanente in Milan,’ explains Nasir. ‘My wife, Nargis, and I were completely enamoured by the exhibition. This is when Oki Sato and Glas Italia graciously decided to donate the pieces for our auction series, and ultimately this was what confirmed the idea.’ Those 30 playful conjoining furniture pieces by Nendo span across the Lab’s minimalist Miami design district space, informally acting as the backbone of the installation.

Elsewhere, the eclectic and delicate – yet powerful – group of works ticks all boxes for discerning design shoppers. Lighting is up for grabs in the form of lollypop Campana brothers chandeliers, floating ethereal Bocci lights, and botanical Tord Boontje wonders. Those after charming smaller pieces can be tempted by Todd Bracher’s scientific vessels, Andrea Branzi‘s artistic silhouettes or intricate floral forms courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

‘Poetically and metaphorically, glass reflects the spirit of those battling cancer, and thus was an ideal material for our fundraising auction to benefit cancer research,’ Nasir muses. All money raised will be donated to the Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (itself part of the University of Miami).

INFORMATION

The ’GlasLove’ online auction and exhibition runs until 11 October. For more information, visit the Luminaire website

ADDRESS

Luminaire Lab
3901 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33137

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

A leaf through Assouline’s celebration of H Stern makes you realise that it has been a long time coming. We all know the latter as the world’s most recognised Brazilian jewellery name, established by a canny German, Hans Stern, in 1945. He saw the rich international potential in South America’s local, semi-precious gem trade. Yet his approach was different.

Unlike many jewellery houses, H Stern has primarily viewed the exquisite natural resources of its South American home – gold, semi-precious stones – as a creative tool, acting as if sculptor-jewellers. To that end, a thread of suitably starry design collaborations is laced through the fabric of its 70-year history. Oscar Niemeyer, the Campana Brothers, Tim Burton, Roberto Burle Marx and Diane von Furstenberg are just some of the creatives with H Stern jewellery collections to their names. Today, that vision is further boosted by artistic director Roberto Stern’s canny creative instincts, as this timely book attests.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the H Stern website

Photography: Michael Ainscough

Gaiole in Chianti is a village perched on top of a hill in the Tuscan wine region of Chianti. Dotted around the area are villas, small castles and vineyards, punctuated by olive trees and the rough vegetation typical of this part of the Italian countryside. It is a backdrop to Renaissance paintings and famous worldwide for its wines.

Gaiole in Chianti is home to the Castello di Ama winery, owned by husband and wife team Marco Pallanti and Lorenza Sebasti. Their winemaking adventure started in 1982, when Pallanti started working as an oenologist at the winery and met Sebasti, whose family owned part of the estate. The couple later took over the whole operation, completing a series of works to restore the vineyards, and buying up new land. Pallanti, who trained in Bordeaux, also regrafted over 50,000 vines, bringing in non-local varieties as well as introducing a new form of growing, called 'open lyre'. Thanks to these developments the Castello di Ama estate now produces 300,000 bottles a year.

Although Castello di Ama wine has a reputation as some of the best of the area, the winery is also a fully-fledged art destination. Initially working with Galleria Continua, an art gallery in nearby San Gimignano, the couple have opened the doors of their property to contemporary artists, and over the last 16 years built a serious collection of 13 site-specific art installations by the likes of Michelangelo Pistoletto, Daniel Buren, Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

The pair dubbed the project Castello di Ama per l’Arte Contemporanea, inviting artists to spend time at the winery, explore its history and enjoy its wine, before working on something to leave behind. 'The number one ingredient is always the artists’ generosity,' says Sebasti. 'Then comes time. And the third I’d say is our passion. We don’t use the art, for us it’s something visceral, it’s like looking at ourselves in the mirror.'

Visitors to Ama are greeted by a composition of bright rocks by Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou. Walking through the property they discover Carlos Garaicoa's Yo no quiero ver más a mis vecinos, a large-scale piece featuring reproductions of famous walls, from China’s Great Wall to the Berlin Wall. Daniel Buren has contributed a mirrored wall that frames the surrounding hills, creating an intimate but luminous room in one of the gardens. The two chapels on the property have been taken over by a light installation by Anish Kapoor and a sculptural installation by Hiroshi Sugimoto.

While all of the works are placed in conversation with the buildings and surrounding nature, some are fully integrated with the winery. Kendell Geers’ Revolution/Love neon installation and the late Chinese artist Chen Zhen’s La lumière intérieur du corps humain are placed in two cellars, amongst the wine barrels, in close conversation with the soul of the place.

Some of the art at Ama is tricky to get to. A statue by Louise Bourgeois, which the artist created for Ama in 2009, is located in an ancient water basin deep in the cellars. It is visible through a small hole in the floor and accessible only via a steep ladder.

The Bourgeois commission marked a pivotal moment for the couple. It introduced them to Philip Larratt-Smith, the Canadian art curator who was working with Bourgeois as literary archivist at the time. Larratt-Smith was later invited to write an essay on Ama’s art. The pair enlisted him as their curator at the end of 2015. Larratt-Smith now works closely with the couple to develop future art installations and introduce new artists to Ama.

'[Pallanti and Sebasti] see art in the way they see wine; something they are producing with a view to the long term, something that has to be handed down to the next generation,' says Larratt-Smith. 'There is a solidity and integrity to the process that to me has definitely informed the way they have approached and invited these artists to the project.'

'We are guardians, not owners,' says Sebasti. 'This is the way we approach things. This art is not personal or exclusive, it’s for the community, and for us it’s a great privilege, but we also feel the responsibility to share this privilege and transmit it so it can grow with time.'

Over the past few years, Pallanti and Sebasti have added other attractions, opening Il Ristoro di Ama, a 'winery with a kitchen' offering local wine paired with Tuscan dishes, and a series of suites in the Villa Ricucci, a 19th-century villa on the property. Furnishings by the Campana Brothers for Edra were introduced in the antique villa, part of an eclectic mix that reflects the spirit of the place.

Larratt-Smith suggests it’s important for visitors to experience the art at Ama at different times of the day; 'It’s quite changeable, it’s a living thing,' he says. It is crucial, he says, to look at art not in an institutional setting but in nature; 'where your brain is thinking in a different way and you look at art in a different way. I think that’s maybe rarer than it should be in contemporary life.'

Sebasti insists there is a definite logic to creating and keeping art in this environment. 'There is an analogy between this wine, as we intend it, and art as we intend it,' she says. 'Because, really, you can look for a masterpiece, but whether you achieve it or not, only time will tell.'

As originally featured in the July 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*208)

INFORMATION

For more information visit Castello D'Ama's website

Photography: Andrea Bosio

Marble is one of those materials that carries a certain gravitas. Its hefty weight helps, of course, but there is also a long legacy that harks back though time.

One man with a deep passion for the portly material is Stephan Hamel. ‘My grandfather, Cosimo Lorenzoni, was a marble specialist – he was famously behind the black marble memorial created for Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi – and my family comes from [the region of] Pietrasanta, which through the centuries has been home to the highest calibre [of] marble sculpture.’ It was during a visit to the hallowed (sourcing) grounds of Michelangelo that the Campana Brothers and Hamel decided to team up to create a fountain of epic proportions – the Fontana Etruria.

‘To me the Campana Brothers represent this new movement in marble sculpture,’ explains Hamel. Rather than channelling the smooth surfaces of Michelangelo, the Brazilian brothers created a rugged terrain of 12 towering menhirs, or plinths, some over 2m in height.

‘The name of the fountain came from the Etruscans,’ explains Fernando, the younger of the two Campanas. ‘The 12 pillars of the fountain are named after the Etruscans’ 12 cities.’

From each ‘pillar’ water flows freely, powered through a complex hydraulic system, seemingly sculpting its own way down the inverted icicles, themselves made from the finest Carrara marble in precious Cardoso grey.

‘The material is the conductive line here,’ explains Humberto, who speaks passionately about his desire to work as a sculptor, rather than a designer, on this particular occasion. ‘It is a very organic project, with strong connections to nature. I lived in Rome a few years ago and was moved by the countless classic fountains and drinking water sources you can find in each corner of the city,’ he adds when speaking of the cleansing, healing and spiritual powers he associates with water.

Created as a limited edition of five – one for the Campana Brothers, one for Stephan, and three for sale – the hope is that it will become one of those classic fountains Humberto so admired. For now, it remains in Tuscany, near to its source.

‘To me the Campana Brothers represent this new movement in marble sculpture,’ explains Hamel. The Brazilian brothers created a rugged terrain of 12 towering menhirs, or plinths, some over 2m in height

INFORMATION

Photography: Emanuele Marzi

On what is a busy week in New York’s design and art calendars, Collective Design launched its much-anticipated annual fair at the Skylight Clarkson Square, just west of Soho. Now in its fourth year, the fair features 31 international galleries that focus on collectible design, including Johnson Trading Gallery, Gallery ALL, 99¢ Plus Gallery, Friedman Benda, and R & Company. The roster of represented designers includes historical luminaries – Isamu Noguchi for Johnson Trading Gallery, Harry Bertoia for Lost City Arts and Mark McDonald – as well as a long list of contemporary designers, including Christian Wassmann for Frederieke Taylor, and the Campana Brothers for Friedman Benda.

This year, the fair launched what it calls ‘Collective Concept’, a series of booths that allowed invited designers to exhibit their work without gallery representation, further extending the fair’s reach. For the inaugural cohort, the fair turned to Lindsey Adelman, Apparatus Studio, Fort Standard, Calico Wallpaper and Cocobolo Design.

The results are diverse. Adelman presented a video, Some Relationships Are Better Than Others, that shows two of her ‘Burst’ chandeliers crashing into each other to become a cloud of tiny particles. She did this alongside a new chandelier made with Nymphenburg porcelain discs. Apparatus Studio presented its first foray into fixtures using LED light, and Fort Standard launched a new furniture collection, ‘Qualities of Material’, that explores the possibilities of wood, stone and leather.

Interspersed throughout the fair are five booths designated as ‘Collective Features’ that present work from Sight Unseen, BDDW/M.Crow, A/D/O and CW&T, Print All Over Me and Various Projects, and Nicole Nadeau. For BDDW/M.Crow, Tyler Hays launched a new body of work that moves down in scale. For this, he developed a series of knives, puzzles and clothing, taking aesthetic cues from the American West.

The fair also provides an opportunity to commission new work. Brooklyn design firm The Principals conceived an outdoor installation, Glacial Drift, at the venue’s entrance. The modular construction provides outdoor seating and space for plantings, all while filtering light, providing an ambient presence on an otherwise industrial city block.

Lindsey Adelman Studio unveiled a new chandelier featuring custom-made Nymphenburg discs, along with a video installation Some Relationships Are Better Than Others, as part of ’Collective Concept’ – click above to watch

Fort Standard’s ’Relief Stone’ cabinet drew in the crowds with its graphic sensibility and poetic density. Read the whole story about their collection here

INFORMATION

Collective Design Fair is on view until 8 May. For more information, visit the Fair’s website

Photography: Clemens Kois

ADDRESS

Collective Design Fair
Skylight Clarkson Square
550 Washington Street
New York

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Based in Brescia, in the heart of Italy's Lombardy region, Ghidini Giuseppe Bosco has been Italy’s leading manufacturer of classic and baroque-style brass handles, fittings and components for lighting projects since 1961. The company now has a catalogue of over 4,000 brass objects and parts and has created an additional 1,500 bespoke products for private customers worldwide. ‘In the past 50 years, we have slowly developed a rather in-depth knowledge of brass manufacturing,’ explains Enrico Ghidini, general manager of the company and grandson of its founder. 

Ghidini works closely with his uncle, cousin and brother in what is a quintessential and enthusiastically traditional family-run operation. In the past the company has largely operated business-to-business. But now it has decided to produce its first range for the consumer. 

‘We felt that working solely as a business-to-business supplier wasn’t giving the right value to our product and expertise anymore,’ explains Ghidini. ‘So we thought: why don’t we extend our production to design pieces that we can sell directly to the public?’ 

The new collection, tagged 'Ghidini 1961', was developed in collaboration with veteran Milan-based designer Stefano Giovannoni. He took on the project on the back of launching Qeeboo, a new brand specialising in well-designed, relatively affordable furniture made of plastic and sold online. He had been energised by the challenge of dealing with production and distribution and working with other designers, rather than simply producing his own designs to order. ‘I was interested in moving my focus to what was above and around the project,’ Giovannoni explains.

When Ghidini called him to contribute to the debut 'Ghidini 1961' collection, it became clear that Giovannoni’s interest lay in the totality of the project. ‘From the start, I was impressed by [the company’s] productive potential and by the possibility of producing brass, copper and other metals at the highest quality. There is no company in Europe expressing the essence of a material like brass the way they do.’ Shortly after revealing a more curatorial vision for the new line, Giovannoni was appointed creative director. ‘It was mutual love at first sight,’ he says. 

The inaugural 'Ghidini 1961' collection will be unveiled at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Milan’s Fuorisalone, and will include a range of pieces by a diverse group of designers. Giovannoni commissioned Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc, the Rotterdam-based Richard Hutten and Italian architect Andrea Branzi, who also collaborated with him on Qeeboo designs, to create new pieces. He also enlisted Brazilian duo Fernando and Humberto Campana, alongside Belgian-Dutch practice Studio Job, both studios having produced exceptional metal works in the past.

The collection of about 40 pieces was created in just over four months, and the tight timing, Ghidini admits, was the only real challenge. He and his team found that the factory could easily transfer its manufacturing know-how from classically decorative to more modern designs. ‘Our expertise lies in a wide range of techniques,’ he says, with die-casting, lost wax-casting, sand- and gravity-casting among his operation’s skill set. 

Some elements of the collection are handcrafted, but several of the larger pieces are made using PVD (physical vapour deposition), an innovative, long-lasting brass-coating treatment for steel. The new collection, Ghidini explains, takes full advantage of all the company’s manufacturing possibilities.

The range includes both geometric objects and more sinuous pieces. The designer’s own playful and slightly abstract figurines pop up to decorate geometric napkin holders, salt and pepper shakers, candle holders, vases and trays. The Campana brothers’ piece for the collection is a play of geometric forms, an asymmetric, backlit mirror with a highly polished brass finish. Branzi’s console, lamp and shelves are made of steel and brass with a galvanised gold finish and Plexiglas fittings. Hutten produced maths-driven designs for baskets and fruit bowls, but also took a different direction with a set of more classic tables.

Studio Job, meanwhile, created a thimble-shaped champagne bucket, the first in a three-piece collection drawing on designer Job Smeet’s childhood memories. Favourite designs of both Giovannoni and Ghidini are Nika Zupanc’s pieces, titled ‘Take me to Miami’. They include a desk, a chair and a lamp made of PVD-treated steel, as well as a bowl and a mirror that feature a highly intricate palm motif achieved with a delicate, high-pressure die-casting. Shiny and sophisticated, Zupanc’s set is both precious and pop, elegant and contemporary.

Each designer introduced a unique spirit to the brand, seamlessly brought together by the sophisticated brass fabrication that unites them. ‘This collection really represents our company,’ says Ghidini.

As originally featured in the May 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*206)

Information

For more information, visit Ghidini Giuseppe Bosco's website or Spazio Rossana Orlandi's website

Address

Spazio Rossana Orlandi 
via Matteo Bandello 14/16
Milan

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

On a recent evening at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris, Fernando Campana offered to demonstrate the comfort of 'Bolotas', an armchair in chocolate brown sheepskin. The plush fur, sourced in Uruguay, surrounded him as if he had settled into the lap of a teddy bear. ‘It’s cozy,’ he declares, noting that the seat of fuzzy lumps was designed to resemble small balls.

Cozy isn’t a word that usually comes to mind when one thinks of the Campana brothers’ canon. But this latest show at the Paris gallery suggests their familiar themes with new twists. Titled 'Manufactura', the collection of ten new works elevates their artisanal techniques to even greater heights.

‘The idea is to make people think about the manufacture process in pieces that are handmade,’ says Fernando, whose brother Humberto is absent in New York.

To this extent, patches of reclaimed wicker from Thonet chairs have been rewoven with nylon to create geometric modules that stack into a striking bookshelf, or else a buffet that could be described as camouflage cane. Rope has been recast as bronze and coiled into a side table. It furthers the notion of ‘Brazilian baroque’ that they explored with 'Settimio', a curved cabinet in gilded bronze and bamboo from 2012 that also appears in the show.

‘Different processes of manufacture can still have the same language,’ he explains.

For Cédric Morisset, associate director of the gallery, these pieces express how the savoir-faire at the heart of their work translates, no matter whether the source material is humble or luxurious. Either way, it’s ‘instantly recognisable’, he insists. Having written text for a book about the designers, he notes how their first show in Brazil more than 20 years ago was called 'Desconfortáveis' ('Uncomfortable'). Today, he says, ‘the focus is on something softer, maybe easier to live with’.

Whether this applies to the 'Armchair of a Thousand Eyes', a piece assembled from the colourful ‘bag bugs’ created by Fendi depends on context. In shaggy, multicoloured fur, the unique chair registers as extroverted, whether the interpretation is freakish or fantastic. Certainly, it gives new meaning to designing outside one’s comfort zone.

INFORMATION

’Manufactura’ is on view until 19 May. For more information, visit the Carpenters Workshop Gallery website

ADDRESS

Carpenters Workshop Gallery
54 rue de la Verrerie
75004 Paris

View Google Maps

We’re an optimistic, forward-thinking bunch here at Wallpaper, so we don’t like to sound negative – but as we strode through the eight vast and alternately over-and under-heated halls of Maison et Objet last weekend, all too many brands we asked ‘What’s new this season?’ looked slightly embarrassed, shifted from foot to foot and finally responded with an apologetic, ‘Er, not very much, actually.’

Maybe we’ve been to too many fairs – or maybe we’re getting a little jaded – but much of this January’s M&O felt like rather an interim affair. Some nice designs, undoubtedly, but – for Wallpaper* at least – nothing that stopped us dead in our tracks. What we did see, though, were some beautiful things from single makers and smaller outfits, as well as some enticing new editions (and re-editions) from some of the bigger brands.

With a show so vast and so varied it’s always hard to discern trends, but it was intriguing to see some of our own hunches borne out. We seem to have reached Peak Brass, for example – after a couple of years of having brass everywhere, it was far less in evidence this time; copper, meanwhile, was almost nowhere to be seen. As for marble, the other big material story of the last few years, white seems to be giving way to various other colours (clearly it’s going to be around for some time yet).

Among the bigger brands, Normann Copenhagen showed its classic ‘Form’ armchairs, covered for the first time with a range of attractive fabrics in various denim shades. There were bright new colourways, too, for the ‘Block’ trolley and ‘Pocket’ wall organisers, as well as a new modular sofa designed by Hans Hornemann. Called ‘Rope’, it comes in 12 different modules and is padded not with foam but with the kind of pocket springs normally found in beds for extra comfort.

Ligne Roset maintained the modular mood with the multicoloured ‘Slice’ armchair, designed by Pierre Charpin in the 1980s but not produced until now, and also showed new versions of Philippe Nigro’s popular ‘Cosse’ sofa.

Over at Gubi, we were dazzled by a re-edition of Louis Weisdorf’s 1972 ‘Multi-Lite’ pendant lamp in seven different materials and colourways. Their two opposing quarter-spherical shades can be rotated individually, offering multiple combinations where the light can be directed upwards, downwards or in various other combinations.

Also lighting the way forward were Hisle’s ‘La Luxciole’ French-made, cordless aluminium table lamps, which despite having powerful LED bulbs cast a warm, attractive light. Kalmar, meanwhile, showed its classic ‘Billy T’ lamp ‘re-edited’ (in its words) by Ilse Crawford. We also liked the oval wall lamp from CTO Lighting, by Turkish design studio Autobahn; while Moser’s new hand-cut glass crystal ‘Carrara 3336’ lamp, designed by Jabůrek Lukáš, came in both pendant and table versions.

Moser also showed some striking glass trays, their edges supported by a pyramid, a cube, a tube and a sphere, all in solid coloured glass. Other good glassware was to be seen in the 'Talents à la Carte' exhibition, which focused on six young Scandinavian designers, including Katriina Nuutinen, whose ‘Lyyli’ containers combine two very Finnish materials: mouth-blown clear and coloured glass with birchwood lids and glass handles. Czech designer Anna Torfs' sculptural vases demonstrated that the traditional Bohemian glass traditions are alive and well.

It was good to see the Misoka•ISM toothbrush, a Design Awards 2016 winner, showing at Maison et Objet, with a spectacular ‘waterfall’ display made up of hundreds of brushes, which apparently took 10 people 10 days to make.

As always, there were appealing finds from smaller brands and up-and-coming designers. Shibui’s onion-shaped wooden mortars and pestles made a welcome addition to their thoughtfully designed accessories for the kitchen, while French studio Coming B’s clever side tables with integral swivelling trays suggested that they’re definitely ones to watch. Young Copenhagen-based Central St Martins graduate Troels Flensted makes alluring tables and vessels whose swirling patterns are created by mixing powdered pigments into a composite material.

Though as always there was more at Maison than anyone could hope to see, the galleries and studios in Paris itself had some particularly fine shows this January. Among the stalwarts, Carpenters Workshop Gallery offered lovely new colourways in Wonmin Park’s ‘Haze’ collection, as well as a group of very characterful lamps-cum-sculptures by Mathieu Lehanneur. Equally intriguing were Marco Guazzini’s stained-marble centrepieces at Galerie S Bensimon – which just goes to show that even a ubiquitous material can be reinvented in the hands of a thoughtful designer.

INFORMATION

Maison et Objet ran from 22–26 January 2016. For more information, visit Maison et Objet's website

For those on the hunt for a little fun and anti-Frieze at the end of a week of serious arty parties in London, head to Covent Garden. Melissa, the original pioneer and inventor of the jelly shoe, has collaborated with Brazilian design brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana in a new and irreverent adventure. ‘Barroca: The Harmony of Imperfection’ is a new range of plastic flats and an installation across the first and basement floors of Melissa’s Galleria on King Street.

Inspired by their own recent furniture collection 'Baroque,' of which five pieces are also on display in the store, the Campanas’ new Barroca shoes mix Roman Baroque with the typical ad-hoc Brazilian way of life. 'The idea was to create an organic language among the tradition of a culture and the perspective of a new country through the fusion of ornaments of the past with contemporary elements,' explains Fernando.

A chair, sofa, candlesticks, floor lamp and chandelier are on display from the Baroque Collection, sitting within a specially created environment that combines traditional Rococo motifs such as shells and cherubs with more unlikely decorative references including fish bones, scissors and screws. Large-scale screens on the upper floor show complementary animations showing very high resolution digital models of the works created by long-time Melissa collaborator Muti Randolph.

Since its opening last year, Galeria Melissa London has staged two installations including the Gareth Pugh Retrospective and Megan Broadmeadow: Mercury 13. Since it was founded in 1979 the company has manufactured over 170 million pairs of shoes with over 600 products being released per year.

INFORMATION

‘Barroca: The Harmony of Imperfection’ is on show at Galeria Melissa.

ADDRESS

43 King St
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 8JY

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

But to the science. This year we have restricted the core top 100 list strictly to product designers. And employing complex algorithms, ‘big data’ and the purest subjectivity, we have ranked them according to influence, market value, quality and quantity of output, reputational shift and that more mysterious sense of momentum, of rightness for right now. Those who have had a good year will find themselves risen up the ranks; others may get that sinking feeling. We have also added extra lists: of architects who turn their pencils to product design; of CEOs and other corporate chiefs who have matched vision and ambition with surefootedness; of graphic designers who snap our grid; of interior designers who create and compose the most seductive of spaces; and of designers yet to hit 40 but already making an impact. Or course our rankings are a provocation, but they are also a mapping of power and influence, of larger shifts and forces.

Let the debate begin...

Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, has changed behaviours and created ‘needs’ we never knew we had, turning technology’s cult underdog into the world’s most valuable company. With Steve Jobs gone, and everyone alert to the slightest Apple miss-step, Ive is now facing greater public scrutiny. The many and various permutations of the Apple Watch and strap, and the offer of a high-end version – a shift from Apple’s usual policy of limiting choice and upgrades to under-the-bonnet performance enhancements – are seen as Ive’s innovations. And rumours and counter-rumours about the Apple Watch’s success, or lack of, continue to swirl. The latest chatter is that Apple is working on a self-driving car, currently being tested in California.  

Outside of Ive, Marc Newson is the world’s highest-profile industrial designer. The pair are also long time pals. Little surprise then that Ive recruited Newson to help out with the design of Apple Watch. He has no official title at Apple but Newson says that 60 per cent of his time is now spent on Apple business and he makes monthly trips to Cupertino. Newson already had watch experience, launching the Ikepod line in the 1990s. He has also designed concept cars for Ford so it seems a relatively safe bet that Newson is currently at work on the Apple Car. And if the last year wasn’t eventful enough for Newson, this May one of his ‘Lockheed Lounge’ chairs sold at auction at Phillips in London for £2.4m, the highest price yet paid for the work of a living designer.

London-based designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have had a breathtaking year, capped by the publication of a monograph celebrating their work, and the award of the 2015 London Design Medal in September. This supremely versatile and gifted pair have been on an unstoppable tear ever since their universally lauded design for the Olympic torch in 2012 lifted them into truly rarified air. The pair now helm three studios, each founded to expand the range of projects they can take on, ranging this year from an understated shower control for Axor to the contract to design interiors, exteriors and livery for the new London Crossrail line.

An Eindhoven Design Academy alumnus, Jongerius’ career began with the Droog-infused Dutch design renaissance of the early 1990s. Always one of the most influential and intelligent voices in design, she made waves in 2015 with a call for restraint in the design world’s ceaseless quest for the novel. ‘It’s time to rid ourselves of the obsession with the new.’ She practised what she preached, too, finally unveiling the long-awaited fruits of a four-year process of revisions to her iconic ‘Polder’ sofa for Vitra, and revealing subtle tweaks to the design and scale of the collection, while remaining true to its groundbreaking aesthetic.

Oki Sato took Milan by storm in April with an audacious retrospective of his work over a single year, showcasing his impressive range and attention to detail in collaborations with companies ranging from Glas Italia and Moroso to Chocolatexture and Tod’s. In fact, he designed more than 100 different products over the year, and routinely works on more than 400 designs at any one time. This year, Sato, who initially set up Nendo ten years ago with five fellow architecture graduates, also received the crown for Maison & Objet’s Designer of the Year, opened a Milan office, and shifted into large scale architectural projects for the first time, winning commissions for a shopping centre in Bangkok and a station and leisure complex in Kyoto.

Ronan and Erwan’s stellar mid-career status was highlighted last year with the award of the 2014 London Design Medal. Subsequently, France’s most influential industrial designers revealed the ‘Kaari’ table collection, their first collaboration with Artek, and the ‘Palissade’ range of outdoor furniture for Hay, alongside strong new work for Vitra and Glas Italia. Next up is their first electronic product, the Serif TV for Samsung, which is intended to integrate the television completely into the sphere of domestic design.

A product launch seen by 4.8 billion TV viewers, a first solo retrospective at the V&A, commissions everywhere; to say Heatherwick has had a good few years is an understatement. The British designer’s King’s Cross atelier is a global creative hub, responsible for everything from London buses to gin distilleries. Heatherwick is the quintessential contemporary creator, an architect, engineer and designer rolled into one, with an obsessive attention to detail and a delight in materials.

From health-tracking wristbands to app-controlled thermostats, Béhar is the designer for our perma-connected age. Last year, Chinese conglomerate BlueFocus Communication Group acquired a majority stake in his firm Fuseproject. His XO laptops for One Laptop Per Child are now distributed in 60 countries.

This year Morrison, whose career began in the 1980s, curated the prestigious ‘80!Molteni’ exhibition in Milan and added a collection of mobile phones to his well-respected Punkt collaboration, but he will always be the ultimate Super Normal guy, with a cool shop, transforming the everyday into desirable objects, including this cafetiere for Rowenta from W*068

Our joint Wallpaper* Designer of the Year, the work of German design superstar Grcic combines analytical rigour, formal discipline and a twist of humour. Recent projects include chairs for Plank and Magis, sanitaryware for Laufen, and branding and interiors for the Hugo Boss IMOCA 60 racing yacht.

A graduate of Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and London’s Architectural Association, Arad is working on Tel Aviv’s tallest building, a show for the Royal Academy, and St Pancras’ sought-after Terrace Wires installation. He remains the design and architecture world’s great iconoclast

Despite his work for IDEO and the Muji CD player, Fukasawa’s sublime understanding of Japanese craft sensibility has few better expressions than last year’s ‘Cha’ tea kettle for Alessi, his ‘Roundish’ sofa for Maruni Wood Industries, this year’s kitchen appliances for Muji and his sleek smartphone model for KDDI.

Dixon remains one of Britain’s best-known design names, even outside the design community. His studio has been busy this year: working on apartments at Greenwich Peninsula and the Multiplex department store at Selfridges, and he has also just been secured by Caesarstone to work on a major collaboration

Hayon has long been revered for his radical embrace of colour, decoration and cartoon-figure curves. His recent highlights include a large ‘Urban Perspectives’ installation for Mini, sports-style pieces for Galerie Kreo, and a redesigned Room 506 at Arne Jacobsen’s SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.

Collaborator Bruno Borrione finally got his name on the door last year as he and Starck formed a ‘new’ design agency, S++B. Since then, Stark has revealed a 2018 hotel design for Centre Pompidou Metz, created a prototype home for PATH and had various Milan launches with Kartell, Flos, Glas Italia, Axor, Magis and Tog

Humberto and Fernando’s creative upcycling and design improvisation – influenced by the street life of Santa Cecilia, the area of São Paulo where they have their studio – has been the basis of a string of bestsellers for Edra, as well as big-ticket edition pieces. The pair also work with local NGOs and workers’ co-ops.

The Spaniard is constantly proving she is at the top of her game with her hugely covetable creations. Not only is she our reigning Wallpaper* Designer of the Year, but she has formalised her ongoing collaboration with the Poltrona Frau group, heading up its design sector and becoming art director of Cassina.

Windows for Prada and a collection and installation for luxury leather maker Valextra helped demonstrate the versatility of Gamper, who made his name in 2007 with the found-object speed-design project ‘100 Chairs in 100 Days’. Milan gallery Nilufar then commissioned him to do similar with discarded Giò Ponti pieces.

Milan-based Giovannoni is as adept at futuristic furniture as at cartoonish homewares. His ‘Bombo’ stool for Magis, with its swivelling plastic seat and adjustable chrome-steel base, is widely copied, and his ‘Girotondo’ tableware for Alessi has sold over ten million units. He is now opening an office in Shenzhen.

Born in 1932, Munich-based designer Maurer designed his first light fitting in 1966 after a life-changing trip to New York, where he encountered the pop art movement. Simply called ‘Bulb’, his debut design was a brilliantly witty take on what a lamp could be and marked the start of a legendary career

This year, industrial designer Lovegrove - pictured here in W*101 - has applied his ergonomic forms to photorealistic rug designs for Moooi, while 2014 saw him produce 3D-printed gold jewellery for the Louisa Guinness Gallery. Material science, form and technology dominate, as with Liquidkristal, an architectural glass designed for Lasvit

Following Charpin’s takeover of Apartment 50 in Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille last year, he has now commandeered the Robert Mallet-Stevens-designed Villa Noailles in Hyères for a new show. Last month also saw the opening of an exhibition of his tables and ceramic vases at Galerie Kreo’s London outpost.

This year’s Wallpaper* Design Awards judges, Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu combine city block-sized projects with more delicate small-scale work, garnering design awards and commissions from Camper, De La Espada and Le Méridien, as well as creating a clutch of boutique hotels, flagship offices and private dwellings

Häberli credits his motivation to his Argentine upbringing, and his problem-solving abilities to his Swiss heritage. He became a star for his ‘Origo’ dinner service for Iittala in 1999, and has gone on to work for brands such as Moroso and Georg Jensen. This year, he was chosen by BMW to design its annual Milan installation.

Hays is the driving force behind luxury American furniture label BDDW. Based in Philadelphia, he is as much an entrepreneur as he is a designer, having built the company up from a small Brooklyn start-up to a respected handmade furniture empire, with a Milan outpost and its own general store, within ten years

The soft, rounded forms of Dutch designer Bakker’s everyday objects are carefully crafted in metal, wood, glass and ceramic, often the result of painstaking production processes. His delicate forms found the limelight in Amsterdam this summer with a solo exhibition, ‘Containing Content’, focusing on his pourers (pictured)

Twins Nikolai and Simon began life as Texan builders with a Hollywood twist, but their skill and experimental approach saw them branch out into design at the turn of the decade. Now based in LA, the brothers’ new surrealist style graces spaces like the city’s Ace Hotel and the Guerlain store in Paris.

Pictured: Beast stool.

An alumnus of the Alchymia, Cavart and Memphis movements, De Lucchi is an Italian design legend whose work graces museums across the globe. He is responsible for bestsellers like the ‘Tolomeo’ lamp for Artemide, and the ‘First’ chair for Memphis. His new coffee maker for Alessi looks set to join that pantheon

From Peckham bottle recycler to Design Miami jury member, designer Boontje, known for his craft-inspired ideas, has come a long way, and his ‘Garland’ light shades are now a modern classic. He recently developed a jewellery collection for the Van Gogh Museum. Next up is an exciting commission for PostNL.

Pictured: Boontje's 'Chamber of Wonder' exhibition, at Swarovski Crystal World in Wattens, Austria

British artist Anthea Hamilton made international news last month with an installation inspired by a 1972 model by Pesce. Now 75, the Venetian designer’s career spans over half a century, and he has always ensured that his colourful, often otherworldly designs go beyond function and aesthetics

Milanese architect Dordoni has spent his career designing and providing art direction for some of the biggest players in Italian design – Artemide, Cappellini, Minotti and Foscarini have all benefited from his creative input. More recently, he set up Dordoni Architetti to focus on his architectural projects.

London-based design duo Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd have become the go-to practice for public-realm design, with past projects including innovative healthcare furniture for the NHS and street furniture for the city of Bath. Recent projects include a contemporary workplace furniture collection for Teknion

Renowned for his refined designs and forthright opinions, the godfather of Italian design has had a consistent and influential presence in the industry for over 50 years. A steadfast supporter of sustainable, open-source design and small-scale, local production, Mari’s principles have always been years ahead of their time.

Pictured: W*090

Belgian-Dutch duo Nynke Tynagel and Job Smeets continue to explore the boundaries between art and design. From a roller disco inside Buenos Aires’ Faena Art Centre (pictured) to the irreverent ‘Banana Show’ lights at Belgium’s Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery, the pair’s refreshing maximalism was prominently on display

Last year, Lissoni secured a major commission from Ritz-Carlton to create a waterfront complex in Miami and a minimalist setting for a Renaissance art show in Milan. This year, he presented ‘1:1 Piero Lissoni’, an exhibition held in a vast New York loft in collaboration with a host of Brooklyn design studios

Branzi’s ‘Heretical Design’ show at Italy’s MARCA museum reminded commentators of the designer’s astonishing breadth and fecundity. He is a frequent collaborator with architectural magazines such as Domus and Casabella, and his shelving systems continue to attract the plaudits of a younger generation

De Cotiis’ work ranges from interiors for T’a bistrot in Milan, and the Upper Hills development in Shenzhen, to furniture for Ceccotti and his own label Progetto Domestico. Last year, he opened a gallery in Milan, and launched a limited-edition series inspired by Beirut in collaboration with Carwan Gallery

Conny Freyer, Eva Rucki and Sebastien Noel formed Troika in 2003. Their installations blend techno-longing with video and interactive elements, and grace spaces from Heathrow’s T5 to major galleries. Recent work, like Dark Matter and Limits of a Known Territory (pictured), show a more brooding, sculptural side

The London-based Cypriot has taken his first proper dip into furniture this year, designing a sofa for SCP. Boasting a similar geometrical characteristic to his captivating lighting objects for Flos, the long-time Wallpaper* collaborator has shown he can master both delicate precision and a sturdy framework.

Woodgate has brought his pared-down sophistication to the likes of Cappellini and SCP. He drew international attention in 2008 with his ‘Surface’ table for Established & Sons, and in 2014 he crowdfunded his lighting brand to produce a collection optimised for LEDs, including the ‘Core’ pendant in translucent marble

Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings epitomise Dutch design diversity, creating fabrics and furnishings in an eclectic array of forms and colours for the likes of Hay and Moooi. This year they have released their first book, Reproducing Scholten & Baijings (pictured), which takes us on a journey of their creative development

A graduate of Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Gilad is one of those rare designers able to work with ease across varying scales of output, from limited editions to mass production. He even managed to reinvent the showroom with an inspired and witty conversion for Molteni & C in Brianza.

Sam Hecht and Kim Colin founded their London studio in 2002 and have since turned conceiving the beautifully useful into an art form. Their reputation rests on creating a few simple product designs, with a twist, each year for the likes of Muji, Droog, Herman Miller, Issey Miyake, and Established & Sons

Tokyo-based interior designer Katayama is head of Japanese firm Wonderwall, which strides across the globe from one hi-tech Uniqlo store to another, creating art-cum-retail projects like Ginza’s Comme des Garçons store, and a chocolate-bar ceiling for the café at Meiji, Japan’s largest chocolate company, along the way

The enfant terrible of Italian product design is never happier than when he is pushing the boundaries of taste. Recent work includes a hyper-masculine headquarters for his beloved AC Milan football team (pictured) and a much instagrammed, model-kit installation for Tommy Hilfiger at Milan’s La Rinascente store.

Wanders’ work ranges from breakfast pieces for Alessi to upscale interiors for the Mondrian South Beach hotel. The studio recently opened an appointment-only gallery space at its HQ in Westerstraat, housing the Dutchman’s collectable designs (which will set you back the best part of $40,000 at auction)

Baas has parlayed a winning way with colour-impregnated clay into a design empire, under his own name and, since 2012, as part of the entity DH PH. Despite this, he’s not too kooky to win awards, create iPhone apps or see his ‘Grandfather Clock Veneer’ sold by Phillips de Pury & Company New York for over $134,000

Focusing on sustainability, and characterised by robust raw materials and expressive lines, Motta’s furniture celebrates the exuberant energy of his native Brazil, and speaks to his passion for surfing, yoga and nature. This autumn he marks the 40th year of his career with a retrospective at New York gallery Espasso.

Pictured with Leandro Massarelli, June 2010, W*135. 

Tokyo-based designer Yoshioka creates installations exploring balance and transparency for clients like Swarovski and Cartier, while products for Glas Italia and boutiques for Issey Miyake (pictured) take more substantial forms. This year he held his first solo exhibition in Kyushu, at the newly renovated Saga Prefectural Museum

Born in Israel, educated in Switzerland and based in Paris, Levy’s vast resumé of work spans lighting, jewellery, graphic design, furniture and packaging. This year he added something new to the list, working with bentwood for the first time in a collection produced for Salone for the Czech company TON. 

Pictured: W*109

An apprentice of Michele De Lucchi for more than 11 years, Nigro is barely 40 but has already won the Designer of the Year award at Maison & Objet and designed collections for the likes of Ligne Roset, De Padova and Hermès (pictured). For this year’s Salone he created the scenography for Japanese car company Lexus

From traditional cabinetmaker to sought-after product designer, Diez’s career ranges from hi-tech manufacturing all the way through to contemporary kit furniture. The German designer - pictured W*158 -  has created products for Thonet, Moroso, Established & Sons, Hay and Emu, all of which share his trademark pared-down precision

Italian architect and designer Thun’s progressive, sustainably luxurious interiors are taking over the civilised world. This year saw the launch of Matteo Thun Atelier, devoted to handcrafted design, with a collection in glass and ceramic, as well as an island resort in Venice for Marriott, designed inside and out by Thun, pictured here

For more than a decade, New York-based designer Burks has pursued his ongoing fascination with the transformative potential of design in emerging economies. This plus stellar work with brands such as Roche Bobois, Dedon, Ligne Roset, Boffi and Swarovski saw him rewarded with a prestigious Cooper Hewitt National Design Award this year

Navone spent her early career working with Italian design doyens such as Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini. Her dedication to the craft of design is reflected in her lively work for brands ranging from Gervasoni and Crate & Barrel to Ercol, with whom she launched a seating collection this year, pictured here

A graduate of industrial design school ENSCI, Sempé - pictured here W*151 - is known for her versatility and lightness of touch. Since opening her studio in 2000, she has established long-term relationships with firms such as Ligne Roset and Wästberg. Her first cutlery collection, Collo-alto for Alessi, launched in Paris this year to rave reviews

Since his breakthrough in 2002 with the outlandish interiors for London restaurant Sketch, Duchaufour-Lawrance’s work has included identities for Air France and Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics, as well as furniture for Bernhardt Design and Ceccotti Collezioni, and lighting for Baccarat and Gaia & Gino.

Wired from the outset thanks to early chandelier collaborations with Ron Arad, Hussein Chalayan and Zaha Hadid, Waldemeyer’s work has tracked the LED’s rise as a source of entertainment. His technical background helps keep him on the cutting edge, with installations ranging from the wearable to the truly immersive

His latest monograph features a preface by Tom Ford and a forward by Zaha Hadid, but with a career that spans more than 60 years, the German-born Kagan has plenty of famous admirers to call upon. A prolific midcentury furniture designer with a sinuous style, this year he added a must-read blog to his many talents

Kitchen-design genius Wangen first turned heads with Boffi’s ‘K2’ monoblock, with a steel top that concealed the cooking system and slid out to become a dining table. He is currently reviving this own line with the minimalist ‘Forever’ kitchen, and he co-designed The Flushing Meadows Hotel & Bar, opened in Munich last year.

Hong Kong-based since 2006, Young has successfully married Chinese manufacturing capacity to his refined Old World design aesthetic. This combination is seen to best effect in his watch ranges, in his re-engineered Moke beach buggy and this year’s James Irvine-inspired ‘Chelsea Boy’ glass for WonderGlass.

Increasingly, the success of Jouin’s interior design agency JouinMankin is pulling him away from product design. His two-year refurbishment of a Saint-Lazare priory was shortlisted for a Wallpaper* Design Award, while the latest incarnation of his Rivea restaurant for Alain Ducasse opens in Las Vegas next month

Another year, another Red Dot award for Massaud, for a work chair and ottoman series for Coalesse. In recent years, the French designer has also completed some ambitious architectural projects and, for this year’s Salone, his first perfume as part of Brera’s Garden of Wonders exhibition (pictured)

The designs of Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard sit in foyers, museums, stores, restaurants, hotels and private collections around the world, a sensuous fusion of form and rigour. At this year’s London Design Festival, the duo marked ten years since their first major collection with new pieces for David Gill Gallery, pictured here

The husband-and-wife team celebrated 21 years of their design partnership Palomba Serafini this year. The pair turn their hand to everything from lamps and bathtubs to super yachts, and recently completed the first standalone Kartell by Laufen showroom, in Milan, in part to showcase their own collection

Texan designer Hunt founded her eponymous company in 1984, and it went on to become one of America’s finest design brands, collaborating with the likes of Lindsey Adelman and Christian Astuguevieille. In 2014, Knoll acquired Holly Hunt enterprises for $95m, starting a new chapter in the history of the brand.

Pictured: 'Angelika’ sofa

Hutten set up his studio in 1991, joining the Droog collective two years later. His work follows a ‘no sign of design’ notion, making for functional objects permeated by a playful, conceptual attitude, and features in the permanent collections of museums such as the Stedelijk in Amsterdam and the Vitra Design Museum

Having worked as a model and bag designer for Raf Simons, Verheyden veered into home accessories in 2009 with his wife, Saartje Vereecke. His simple forms allow his rich materials to speak for themselves, and encourage users to appreciate the rituals of daily life. Collaborators include Joseph Dirand and Rick Owens.

Anglo-Indian duo Jonathan Levien and Nipa Doshi draw inspiration globally. Standout pieces include a cabinet for BD Barcelona that nods to the corrugated roofs of shanty dwellings and an armchair for Hay structured like a Japanese hand fan. They also rebranded cosmetics label Madina.

Pillet honed his skills with Michele de Lucchi and Philippe Starck before setting up his own studio. Along with curvaceous furnishings for the likes of Modus, Porro and Tacchini, he has also created sumptuous spaces for hotels in France (pictured is his makeover of Hotel Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower) and Morocco, and transformed Lancel’s retail presence around the world

Industrial designer Rasmussen is brand director at Neal Feay, which specialises in anodised aluminium creations. The firm has collaborated with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Design Miami, and most recently produced a digitalised ocean wave for this year’s London Design Festival at Somerset House, pictured

Working under the studio name Ora ïto, Ito Morabito has amassed a portfolio as substantive as that of any French designer. His re-imagining of the rooftop gym of Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse into art space MAMO made him the natural choice to design Cassina’s beautiful LC50 tribute to the architect for D’Days 2015 in Paris.

Having given Dutch Design capital letters, Droog has grown into a mini-empire. Co-founder Renny Ramakers opened the one-bedroom Hotel Droog concept in Amsterdam in 2012, a store and gallery in Hong Kong in 2013 and published an anthology last year. In 2015, her mini hardware store concept turned heads at Salone

Furniture is rarely as refined as that created by Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, with their rigorously austere pieces evolving naturally out of their creative backgrounds (his in sculpture, hers in photography). A colourful furniture and lighting collection for London’s Viaduct gallery this year hinted at a future direction.

Grawunder worked with Ettore Sottsass before going solo in 2001. She designs installations, interiors and objects, as well as pieces for the likes of Glas Italia and Boffi. She has a light installation at Robert, at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, and has had solo shows at Paris’ Carpenters Workshop Gallery.

Gitta Gschwendtner’s ‘Chair Bench’, which unites six iconic chairs from different eras and matches up their tops and bottoms randomly, is emblematic of her experimental approach to furniture. She has also designed exhibitions and is contributing to a new cancer centre for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London

Parisian legend Pergay (sitting on the far left) continues to create in her eighties. She defined hi-luxe design before the current generation was even born (Dior, Hermès, Pierre Cardin and Fendi were all early adopters), and her vast back catalogue of curvaceous stainless steel designs has never been more coveted on the international auction circuit

Founded in 2006, the studio of Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn creates poetic works that tap into technology and nature. The duo’s Shylight installation at the Rijksmuseum, pictured, is shortlisted for a Dutch Design Award, while their kinetic glass installation for this year’s Venice Art Biennale explored human’s desire to fly

A furniture collection for Arflex Japan saw the quintessentially luxe designer experimenting with high-tech modelling systems to elegant effect. A former head of visual communications for Louis Vuitton, he set up his studio in 2000, creating crisply detailed interiors for the likes of Tacchini, Glas Italia and Ethimo

The line-up might change more often than a 1970s prog rock band (the studio started as a foursome in 2004, became a trio in 2009, and turned duo in 2014) but the work continues to intrigue. They bring a strong playful sensibility to their designs, creating products for the likes of Moooi, Thonet, Kartell, Moroso and Porro

The radical oeuvre of Israeli-born Benshetrit includes the shattered and reassembled ‘Vase of Phases’ for Rosenthal, and the brilliantly plumed ‘Peacock Chair’ for Cappellini. He also created an island of luxury residences in Abu Dhabi, the chic SoHo Synagogue in Manhattan, and is venturing into skyscraper design

Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows are masters of understated luxury. Their eponymous furniture line unites modernist architectural principles and artisanal production, and they have also collaborated with Bally, Herman Miller and Geiger. The duo launched a lifestyle gallery in Milan last year, and recently introduced a clothing collection, pictured

Stylist and designer Toogood imagined two opposite set-ups at this year’s London Design Festival – a cloakroom containing 150 compressed foam coats at the V&A, pictured, and a redrafted drawing room at Somerset House. Her client list includes Hermès, Tom Dixon and Comme des Garçons

Crafted in copper, hand-blown glass, brass and knotted rope, Adelman’s lighting designs have evoked everything from celestial bodies to sea creatures. The Manhattanite takes a hands-on approach and this summer created a music video to showcase her latest collection

The Brazilian designer spent his formative years working with Sergio Rodrigues before opening his studio in 2011. Recently named Maison & Objet Americas Designer of the Year 2015, he works mainly in wood and metal, producing furniture for his eponymous brand. This year saw new pieces in wood for Espasso (pictured) and his first monograph

Chan set up lighting design studio Isometrix in 1984. With a rare grasp of lighting technology, he has enhanced spaces such as Georges at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Wolseley in London, The Gramercy Park Hotel in New York, pictured, and The Upper House in Hong Kong. Among his collaborators are Jean Nouvel and Zaha Hadid.

Borrowing from a medieval armour-making technique, RCA graduate Hasan developed an acclaimed furniture range in hardened leather, which then translated into a Wallpaper* Handmade project with Poltrona Frau and a mannequin project for Fendi. He has also collaborated with Kvadrat and British interiors brand Linley

French designer Matali Crasset’s showstopping offering at this year’s Salone was the mobile ‘Self-made’ seat for Campeggi, which reimagined the sofa as a series of individual modules that could be carried like suitcases. She followed that up with a tabletop set that included impossibly understated, sycamore plates

A pioneer in the integration of technology and domestic design, French designer Lehanneur was this year appointed head of the Paris-based Aesthetics Research Centre of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer. A 20-sided wireless speaker for Binauric was another 2015 coup.

Pictured: an otherworldly set for Audemars Piguet at Art Basel 2014

Making everyday objects special, Bergne’s hits include his ‘Dizzy’ glass, with a conical base that gives a spinning effect, and the stackable and infinitely adaptable ‘Square’ chair for Tog. His broad output also includes a hot milk service for culinary think-tank Milk Factory, and the torch for 2015’s first ever European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan

Alonso’s work (stackable steel cutlery for Italesse, reclaimed wood chairs for the V&A and folding tables for Cos and Hay) belie his intellectual design process. He creates products that are understated, poetic and functional, and was one of the winners of this year’s Swarovski Designers of the Future Award.

Midwesterner Bernett’s foray into design began with a chance encounter with Le Corbusier’s ‘LC4’. His ‘Metropolitan’ and ‘Tulip’ for B&B Italia, pictured, which pay homage to Ejnar Larsen and Eero Saarinen, are among the best selling chairs in the US. He has also worked for Cappellini, Ligne Roset and Design Within Reach

Marigold is best known for artfully awry shelves assembled from branches and crates, and metal homewares that take on wooden patterns. His eclectic client list ranges from Oyuna to Paul Smith and Sony, and recent work includes bowls and cups for Meissen, and galvanised steel shelving for SCP.

Pictured: Split series, 2007

Azambourg has put himself at the forefront of material technology with fibre-optic lamps for Galerie Kreo, a leather-and-foam briefcase for Hermès weighing only 700g, and seating for Cappellini created with the same techniques as Bugatti racing cars. He recently launched his own label, Auto-Edition

Bracher trained in New York and Copenhagen, led Tom Dixon’s design studio and was then creative director for Georg Jensen. Cindy Crawford’s beauty mark informed his ‘Tod’ table for Zanotta. Having lent his talents to Herman Miller, Humanscale and 3M, he is now lauded as the future of American design

Slovenian product and interior designer Zupanc’s work is witty, visually delightful and pristine. Her commissions include Moooi and Moroso, and her ongoing collaboration with Sè was unveiled in Milan last year and expanded with new pieces in 2015. She also has her own brand of precious and whimsical furniture

Willenz, who founded his Brussels studio in 2004, has an industrial, minimalist style, making him a favourite of Established & Sons, Cappellini and Hay. This year he worked with marble brand Retegui on a series of mirrors (pictured), shelves and accessories, and created bold, geometric rugs for Ligne Roset, Menu and Nodus

Vivid colour is the signature of Italian designer Lenti, who founded her eponymous company in 1994 after training in graphics. Cheerful forms and high-tech fabrics (often designed in-house) have made her one of the most sought-after names in garden furniture. She has just released a line of rugs with Maharam

De la Fontaine trained with Richard Sapper and worked with Piero Lissoni and Patricia Urquiola before founding design collective Dante-Goods and Bads with his wife Aylin Langreuter in 2012 (pictured is a table from the brand). He has also worked for Rosenthal, among others, for whom his timeless ‘Format’ collection remains a best seller

Stockholm-based Italian designer Nichetto has worked for a host of major brands. His impressive 2015 output includes the ‘Nick’ bed for Molteni & C (pictured), the ‘Plass’ light for Foscarini and silvered-glass side tables for Verreum, all shown in Milan, plus an installation of new lamps for Swedish company Hem at the London Design Festival

Park’s poetic pieces are crafted from slabs of translucent resin, tinged in block colours and seamlessly joined, providing a thoughtful meditation on purity and ambiguity. The South Korean designer splits his time between Rotterdam and Paris, where he recently had a solo show at Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery, pictured

Loewe: Spanish leather goods house Loewe presented a limited edition collection of leather vessels inspired by Austrian potter Lucie Rie and produced by Spanish artisan José Luis Bazán

Loewe: Creative director Jonathan Anderson designed three sets of 50 different leather bowls, sculpting each one with his hands for a collection of one-of-a-kind creations 

Marni: Marni's successful fruit bazaar at last year's Milan fashion week morphed into a fruit market at the brand's Milan Headquarters during the Salone del Mobile

Marni: Baskets brimming with exotic fruit from Colombia were all put on display with woven PVC, wire furniture and tabletop designs from a group of female Colombian artisans

Brioni: The master tailors and Wallpaper* joined forces once again this Salone. Paying tribute to the Viennese elegance that inspired Creative Director Brendan Mullane's latest collection, the fashion brand teamed up with Vienna-based glassmakers Lobmeyr to create a specially oversized version of its legendary Oswald Haerdtl-designed Candy Dish, which in turn takes centre stage for a city of glass for Brioni’s mini heroes, all immaculately dressed in miniature replicas from the collection

COS: Visitors to Spazio Erbe in Brera wandered through an enormous all-white, cave-like structure created expressly for the COS clothing brand

4179086460001

COS: Designed by New York-based studio Snarkitecture, the space was showered in translucent white textile strips that looked like icicles dripping from the roof of a grotto

Clarks: In honour of the 65th anniversary of its Desert Boot, British shoe brand Clarks partnered with the Halo Trust to present new versions of the boot created by 14 different UK-based artists and designers including Marc Quinn, Lee Broom and Faye Toogoode. The painting featured is entitled 'Urban Nomad' 

Giorgio Armani: In addition to a new Armani Casa collection that featured the limited edition 'Justin' desk in sea-green leather and red lacquer chairs among other items, Giorgio Armani also transformed his Armani Teatro space into an interior design studio

Alexander McQueen: Studio Wieki Somers and Kvadrat took up residence at McQueen's Via Verri home through a unique, bespoke installation. Inspired by the Spring/Summer 2015 collection, 'Blossom Rain' featured three geisha warriors holding a series of lamps against a blossom haze backdrop of laser cut textile from Kvadrat

Giorgio Armani: A retrospective of the company's top design projects over the last decade were on display in honour of the designer's 40th anniversary that is coming to a culmination next month with the debut of his new museum Armani/Silos

Giorgio Armani: Mr Armani also opened a brand new flagship store at Via Montenapoleone 2, which is dominated by sweeping curves. 

Fendi: The Roman brand has been dangling its Bag Bug fur charms from its handbags for a few seasons now, but it took the Campana Brothers to throw 100 of the playful furry creatures all together on a single seat. Entitled 'The Armchair of a Thousand Eyes,' the chair is a riot of colour, pattern and mixed tufts of kidassia, mongolia, shearling and rabbit furs

Tory Burch: Celebrating the launch of their new Lettuce Ware in collaboration with legendary Palm Beach ceramicist Dodie Thayer, the American lifestyle brand and Wallpaper* commissioned Bethan Laura Wood to create a unique installation. Inspired by retro party nibbles, Wood created a equally bright and cheerful installation of super-sized canapés. Following their Milan debut, they will next tour around Tory Burch stores in London, Munich and New York

Fendi: The house also showed a new Casa collection with the 'Blixen' lounge chair by Toan Nguyen taking our fancy

Antonio Marras: The Italian's long-running collaboration with boutique creative design agency, Segno Italiano, yields increasingly satisfying results. This year, the team created a giant bird cage featuring a series of hand-made wooden nests swinging from the ceiling and trailing with Marras' own textiles, while 50 tiny birds happily chirped and fluttered about. The same artisan who made the nests was also commissioned to weave river cane rods with strips of Marras' fabric to create a series of vases and baskets

Missoni: Apart from its latest home collection featuring graphic black and white upholstered furniture, Missoni also created a lounging experience for weary Salone visitors in its Via Solferino Showroom

Missoni: Entitled 'Missoni Mirroring,' the setup included suspended mirrors, peep-holes featuring endless reflections of ceramic vases. Walls were covered with mirrors and tapestries, and floors were strewn with carpets and poufs for guests to lounge on

BassamFellows: As part of its five-designer series to recreate the classic shoes worn by Marcello Mastroianni in the 1960s, traditional Italian footwear designer Sutor Mantellassi collaborated with Connecticut-based furniture designers Scott Fellows and Craig Bassam. BassamFellows, already intimately fond of finely crafted materials, choose strips of eel skin on a sleek, slip on loafer, and sturdy leather for their chelsea boot

Bottega Veneta: The house secured a superb location for its first free-standing home collection boutique. Located discreetly on Milan's Via Borgospesso, the store unfolds like a series of grand rooms in a renaissance palazzo with magnificent wall frescoes and double-height wooden ceilings

Bottega Veneta: This was the first time the brand properly showed off its full home offering in a single dedicated space

Versace: The latest Versace home collection comes revved up with the usual sparkle, flash and oversized shapes that drives its signature excess. The new 'Coupe des Dieux' chair, however, is cut in slim lines and covered entirely in leather (either dark grey, white, red or turquoise) and is an antidote to the usual extravagance

Bulgari: To celebrate its latest Serpenti jewellery collection, Bulgari worked with Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid to create a snake-inspired installation in the garden of the Bulgari Hotel

Bulgari: Hadid's enormous white metal structure slithered across the grass like a tunnel featuring an open mosaic of reptilian scales

Valextra: The Italian luxury handbag label teamed up with furniture designer Martino Gamper for the design of several new handbags featuring his signature intarsia work as well as a special installation at the Via Manzoni store

Valextra: Gamper lined the shop in magnetic sheets. He covered the walls with rich Kvadrat wool and then affixed handbags directly to the walls using magnets. This created a floating sea of accessories

Emilio Pucci: The Italian house partnered with industrial designer Philippe Starck on the design of a new chair produced by Kartell and presented in Pucci's new Via Montenapoleone boutique

Emilio Pucci: Entitled 'Madame,' the new chair features Kartell's signature plastic clear legs, while Pucci's 'Cities of the World' scarf prints (offered in four city graphics, including New York, Paris, Shanghai and Rome) provided a printed outer wrap to the solid silk seats

Ermenegildo Zegna: The house tapped Milan-based Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola to create a series of seating elements from recycled wine barrel wood

Ermenegildo Zegna: Entitled 'Baco,' Urquiola's concept included two forms: a tunnel shaped stool and a three-petal seat, both of which were displayed in the brand's boutique. The project was conceived by San Patrignano Design Label who has worked with over 45 designers to create modern pieces from antique casks

Adidas: In conjunction with their Body Building Design collection, which graces the cover of this month's issue (W* 194), Milan-based duo Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldessari have also designed a pair of shoes produced by Adidas. Featuring muscle-men graphics, the shoe was presented at INNER, a boutique in Via Pasquale Paoli 4, Milan

Paula Cademartori: Atelier Biagetti has had a busy Salone. In addition to their Body Building Design exhibit and the Adidas shoe, they also created a totem shaped book shelf for Paula Cademartori, the Brazilian-born Milan based accessories designer who launched her new 'Lotus' sandal at Corso Como 10

Marcelo Burlon: Fashion designer Marcelo Burlon has quickly made strides with his eponymous sportswear label. Now the young entrepreneur is growing his brand with a collection of three graphic carpets, all hand-knot in Nepal that he designed for Italian rug company Illulian

Lawrence Steele: Marble manufacturer, Marsotto, partners with different industrial designers every year, but they've never teamed up with a fashion designer until now. The marriage with Aspesi designer, Lawrence Steel, was a happy one, thanks to Steele's three collections of tables and consoles featuring sharp lines and graphic black and white intarsia patterns

Tod's: What would the ideal bag for a male architect look like? This was the task set forth by Japanese design studio, Nendo, in its second collaboration with leather goods company Tod's. Crafted from super soft calfskin, the resulting bag features multiple pockets both inside and outside for documents and pens, while its form can morph from a carry-all tote, and a fold-over man-bag, to a strapless clutch with just a few quick snaps

Roberto Cavalli: More continues to be more in the home world of Roberto Cavalli, where the designer offers all manner of exotic pattern for every interior surface. This season's collection came brimming with lush florals and his beloved leopard print crawling on plates as well as floral intarsia rugs and upholstered dining room chairs

La Rinascente: Milan's most famous department store collaborated for the second year in a row with the Serpentine Galleries for a special commission on eight store front windows. Entitled 'Pasted' and curated by Libby Sellers, the window display featured a preview exhibition of a soon-to-be-launched collection of Serpentine Gallery wallpapers. These wallpapers were designed by various artists and architects. They also featured three specially commissioned and filmed dances choreographed by Malgorzata Dzierzon that screened against site-specific installations by emerging set designers and paper sculptors including Lydia Shirreff, Anna Lomax and Carrie Louise

Bertoni 1949: Classic Italian trunk maker Bertoni 1949 partnered for the second Salone in a row with Hangar Design Group on a 'Game Trunk'.  A traditional oak casket, covered in Bertoni’s leather parchment and alligator trim, is set on elegant steel legs and features drawers stocked with a chess set, a set of poker playing cards, a mahjong game and dominoes, all of which can be played on the pull-out table

H Stern turns 70 next year and to celebrate, the Brazilian jeweller has chosen to host a glittering gold exhibition at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB) in its native Rio de Janeiro. Ouru - Portugese for 'gold' - explores the connection between the precious metal and the arts in the form of 30 unique works by Brazilian artists, including sculptors, painters, photographers and conceptual artists.

Eleven rooms are linked via 330m gold thread, representing H Stern's 'Fluid Gold' necklace design. Several of the exhibiting artists have collaborated on collections with the jeweller, including Oscar Niemeyer who joined famously joined forces with the brand in 2011 for a collection of architecture-inspired white and yellow gold pieces. One whole room is dedicated to these diamond-studded, contoured earrings, rings and bracelets, which mimic the organic, curving lines of Niemeyer's sketches.

Works on show throughout the other rooms are derived from varying disciplines, but are all inspired by that single, gleaming material. 'Some works are essentially conceptual and work with gold as a metaphor, straying from its material properties,' says curator Marcello Dantas. 'Other [pieces] create a dialogue with the material and its unique softness, colour and conductivity. But all the pieces on show are ultimately interested in the role of gold in our society.'

Highlighting H Stern's unique collaborative bent, on show are necklaces inspired by Corpo Escola de Dança, the Belo Horizonte contemporary dance company famed for reinterpreting traditional Brazilian dance forms. The group's collaboration with the Brazilian jeweller began in 1992 with a collection of gold earrings and rings in subtle, hammered finishes. Named after the company's ballets, they were inspired by the shapes of the dancers' moving forms.

Other pieces include sibling designers the Campana Brothers, who have created a densely fringed gold stole using 80,000 strands of 18-carat gold thread. A gold necklace-dress composed of a chain that drapes lightly around the body is also a must-see. The next fortnight is the last chance for visitors to see 'Ouro', which finishes on 5 January 2015 before travelling to London.

ADDRESS

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Rua Álvares Penteado, 112
Sao Paulo
Brazil

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Now in its fifth edition, Clerkenwell Design Week has once again gathered its roster of international brands, local artisans and young designers to the London district. With a programme featuring events, talks, installations and new launches, the three-day festival takes over a clutch of local landmarks as its main hubs, creating a lively contrast between historic architecture and contemporary design.

Acting as a central focus for the area is 'Tile Mile', a collaborative project presented by Turkish Ceramics with design practice Russ + Henshaw. The designers have interpreted the classic Turkish patterns with a site-specific installation that takes over the 16th century St John's Gate in the heart of the district.

As with past editions, the fair's venues are dotted around the neighbourhood, with four centres holding distinct exhibitions. For the fifth year, the Victorian Farmiloe Building forms the striking backdrop to Design Factory, where a cascading lighting installation by Jaguar and Foscarini welcomes visitors to a showcase of international furniture brands, including Stellar Works, Discipline, Zeitraum and Artemide.

Further up the road is Detail at The Order of St John, which presents decorative design solutions and a display of highlights from the collaboration between Edra and the Campana Brothers in the underground crypt. Meanwhile, Platform returns to the cavernous House of Detention, displaying young craft, while the newest introduction to the hubs is Additions, a smaller show dedicated to lifestyle objects and held at the Crypt on the Green, adjacent to St James's Church.

Alongside the temporary exhibition spaces, the area's resident brands further animate the week by opening their showrooms to display new projects as well as their existing collections. One of the most striking is Vitra's exhibition, titled 'Tailor my Tom Vac', a showcase dedicated to Ron Arad's iconic chair design. Twenty-two architects and designers have been asked to re-interpret the piece with interventions that range from discreet paintjobs to outlandish transformations.

Don't be fooled by the historic Flemish-style terracotta and brick façade of Fendi's New Bond street maison. Past the storefront's classical pillars, the brand's Roman roots have been laid down in Travertine (Italy's 'monument' material of choice), together with plenty of bronze accents and stone 'paving', to round out the palazzo feel. The three-storey concept has been masterminded by the French-born, Japan-based Gwenaël Nicolas, using a chromatic architectural style, which centres around a spiral staircase and waterfall chandelier, designed by the Fendi studio and composed of 5,600 pieces of Murano glass.

'A Million Times 72', a digital 'clock' by Humans Since 1982 (featured in our May issue, W*182), greets patrons on the ground floor, and from there the art focus extends in all directions with a range of furnishings designed by the Campana brothers, French architect Thierry Lemaire, artist Massimiliano Locatelli and designer Marc Newson. Many of these pieces in fact feature in either Nicolas or Silvia Fendi's own homes.

The flagship also debuts the brand's new gentleman's apartment concept that houses Fendi's entire menswear collection for the first time. Other unique features include a dedicated fur salon, VIP dressing room, made-to-order bag service, and Baguette Wall installation, composed of some 30,000 bronze spikes. Elsewhere on the walls, photographs of Roman fountains, taken by creative director Karl Lagerfeld for the 'Glory of Water' project, complete the grandiose residence.  

ADDRESS

Fendi
141 New Bond Street
London
UK 

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

An unlikely marriage between haute Roman jewellery designer Fabio Salini, and nature-loving Brazilian furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana has yielded an intriguing collection of jewellery that fuses the low with the luxury. From the ignoble corner, the Campana brothers plucked humble materials from their native Brazil, including bamboo and a local straw called Capim Dourado, or 'golden grass.' Salini, meanwhile, brought buckets of rose gold and the rocks - in this case, brown diamonds which melt into the jewellery's natural warm hues.

The polar realms combust beautifully on these eight one-of-a-kind pieces, which feature silky strands of straw anchored with gold thread into brilliant ray or disc formations, rose gold bases, bamboo frames and wavy trims of crusted diamonds. Logistically, however, they were a nightmare to produce.

'Neither the straw nor the bamboo could be put in water, fire or soldering acids, which is basically every material fundamental to the goldsmith process,' says Salini from his atelier in Rome, where each item was handcrafted. 'I went a bit crazy - it took me over eight months to produce just eight pieces.'

Though Salini is known for blending unorthodox materials like wood, leather and carbon with gold and diamonds, it turned out that there was a good reason that modest straw had never been fused with gold – the soldering process will literally set the material up in flames, as Salini discovered with countless ruined test pieces. 

Finally cracking the code involved heating his gold fixtures to an incandescent state and then using the warmed metal as a natural glue onto the bamboo frames. Salini also added negative space to many of the designs as well as steel netting in some cases to shave off weight.

'They are actually extremely wearable and very light,' he observes. At between €35,000 – 65,000 each, they also fall on the extreme side of luxury pricing. Fittingly named 'Dangerous Luxury' jewellery, the collection is now on view and for sale at Salini's Rome atelier. A series of global gallery stops for the collection is currently being planned, including San Paolo, London and New York.

ADDRESS

Atelier Fabio Salini
Via de Monserrato 18
Rome

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

It seems fitting that Fernando and Humberto Campana should toast 30 years of creative partnership with their first solo show on American soil. This week sees the Brazilian brothers take over the Friedman Benda gallery in Chelsea, New York, with 'Campana Brothers: Concepts', a group of dramatic prototypes the duo has been developing since the start of the year.

The brothers have taken the opportunity here to reiterate the principles that have consistently informed their work: sustainability, handcraft and experimentation with materials. This show charts their progression in each of these areas while underlining the playful, lighthearted and wholeheartedly Brazilian approach we've come to love.

At the centre of 'Concepts' is the 'Circles' chair, an exploration of the tennis racket chair conceived back in 2010 and ultimately written off as a mistake. The Campanas have revisited the woven, organic form in their 'Racket' series, a family of brass-framed benches, consoles and screens that incorporate nylon-stitched lattice and woven elements of old Thonet chairs.

The pair's longstanding affection for natural materials manifests itself in the gallery walls themselves, which have been covered in coconut fibres, creating an immersive environment. Stitched cowhide panels cover parts of the 'Boca' wall-mounted bookshelf and brass table, making them appear to emerge from the walls and floor. The 'Ametista' series of cabinets boast large amethyst crystals inserted within the glass. And a cabinet coated in tanned pirarucu skin (a large, sustainably farmed freshwater fish from Brazil) stands out in all its eco-conscious glory.

Speaking in tandem, the Campanas took stock of the exhibition's main threads. 'We like the time that it takes to make a piece,' they said, 'because we learn that we have several paths for reflection. Different materials allow us to investigate different concepts. We want to investigate natural materials more and find new possibilities to be as environmentally conscious as possible.

'Sometimes we don't achieve this, but [we've] liked to push in this direction since the beginning.'

ADDRESS

Friedman Benda
515 West 26th Street
New York, NY

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS