'Japanese design has this ability to combine precision with a poetic dimension. Minimalism is not a stylistic choice, but a way of thinking – removing what is not necessary to give more clarity and strength to what remains.' Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile, was speaking to Wallpaper* about the ever-growing influence of Japanese design in Milan – and true to her words, the city was awash with high-quality projects from Japan. Design innovations spanned the spectrum: from architectural rugs, quiet paper innovations and crafted chairs designed to “not to be noticed” to textiles created by sound.

Japan's creative output has perhaps never been more relevant, according to Porro: “Japanese design offers clarity at a moment of global complexity. It demonstrates a strong ability to translate cultural values into contemporary forms, while maintaining continuity. For me, its relevance lies not only in its aesthetics, but in a way of thinking that is rigorous, responsible and increasingly necessary in shaping the future of design.”

Here, Wallpaper* highlights a fraction of the many Japanese projects that left an imprint on Milan’s designscape this year.

Best Japanese design at Milan Design Week 2026

‘bit by bit’ by Haruka Misawa at ADI Design Museum (until June 7)

Paper – with thread, wood, wire, nail, leaves, stones, pencils, glass beads, acrylic pipes. These ingredients shape the quiet beauty of ‘bit by bit’, Haruka Misawa’s first solo exhibition in Italy. Spanning long rows of steel displays are time-slowing creations – cut, pasted, stitched, layered and minutely crafted. One paper work has tiny squares containing the miniature intricacy of staircases; another has a small missing segment – the cut out part transformed into a cloud-like puff of light paper shreds. A highlight? Tiny paper shapes that dance, float and spin – the otherworldly result of a meticulously researched combination of washi paper containing metal powder with a hidden magnetic system. 'Paper is thin and flat yet it has many possibilities,' Misawa, a respected designer who helms Misawa Design Institute at Nippon Design Centre, tells Wallpaper*.

Koyori at Salone del Mobile

Sunrise – or hinode in Japanese. This is the inspiration behind Vincent Van Duysen’s debut collection for Koyori, a Japanese furniture brand rooted in quality craftsmanship and contemporary design, launching at Salone for the first time. Showing Wallpaper* his warm T-shaped chair and tables with softly twisted wood edges, Van Duysen explains: 'Hinode is about new beginnings and a homage to nature. Wood is a material I carry in my heart. Natural. Timeless. Real textures. The beauty of imperfection. In terms of executing details, the craftsmanship at Koyori is on another level.'

Ronan Bouroullec also unveiled the pared-back beauty of his Ichirin chair, its structural purity and lightly sensual edges sharpened by a clean-lined wood grain. 'I wanted this to be a chair you don’t notice,' he explains. 'You just feel good in the room. Like a teabag in a glass of water. It’s almost nothing. Just function.' Added to the mix were GamFratesi’s latest Koyori pieces, including their playful Kinomi side tables – acorn-like forms balancing lightly on tripod legs. 'Not everything needs to be big,' says Enrico Fratesi. 'We want to create a memory and an emotional connection.'

Oke by Junichiro Yokota Studio at SaloneSatellite

Oke – or wood bucket. This everyday Japanese object is the inspiration behind the Oke chair, a curved sweep of vertical wood components, rising in clean lines around two minimalist panels – crafted from leftover wood. The chair was created by Junichiro Yokata, a Tokyo product designer, who explains: 'the feeling of being enveloped in the surrounding wood teaches us the inherent richness of materials.' Also exhibited was his atmospheric Toi table lamp (a pendant version launched last year), a softly-curved glow of organic washi paper; plus Extra, a contemporary basked shaped by two interlocking circles – all explorations of the 'ordinary' in everyday life, anchored in a pared back beauty and minimalist simplicity.

Unseen Objects / Overflow by We+ and Heiwa Gokin at Galleria Rubin

Burr – the surplus metal removed during traditional casting processes – shines in the spotlight in Unseen Objects / Overflow, a new furniture collection brought to life in an innovative collaboration between Tokyo design unit We+ and century-old foundry Heiwa Gokin based in copper casting hub Takaoka. A contemporary excavation of traditional craftsmanship, the project taps into the 'imperfect' formations that trace material surfaces during large-scale metal castings in sand moulds – delicate fringes of metal known as burrs which are typically removed in the making process. Leaving these material imperfections in place, cast panels were layered into a puzzle of aluminium panels to create unique shelving and low-level tables – creating structural furniture imbued with an elemental, primitive and organic essence. The furniture launch follows last year’s launch of small objects such as vases, using the same technique.

NII at Salone del Mobile

Playful, contemporary, flexible: NII is a high-end new office furniture brand created by Itoko, a long respected Japanese office solutions company dating back 125 years. Its launch collection included the clean Lego-like modularity of sofa system Bitmap by Todd Bracher; light filtering shingle-like wood screens Pigna wrapped around seating, by AMDL Circle; the transparent river-like flow of glass table Connexa, on a structural base with hints of shrine gates by Rodolfo Agrella; the organic curves and ergonomic modularity of Parlamento sofa system by Jun Aizaki of Créme; and the super-smooth glide of Allround stools with clean modern silhouettes in glossy shades (red, blue, beige).

'It’s about ingenious design,' says Hirotaka Tako, creative director at NII, his red socks matching the red stool he is gliding on at Salone while chatting to Wallpaper*. 'The boundaries between office design and hospitality design are increasingly blurred. There is flexibility and freedom in these spaces – and furniture needs to adapt to this.'

Faces by Kengo Kuma for Jaipur Rugs at Crespi Bonsai Museum

Architecture and rugs don’t often tangibly overlap – yet Faces is a new Jaipur Rugs collection designed by Kengo Kuma, which translate facades from his building designs into woven rug creations. Handwoven surfaces are imbued with the Japanese architect’s spatial language, expressed through light, shadow and rhythm motifs. Launched with an atmospheric installation at Crespi Bonsai Museum on the outskirts of Milan, the new rugs were scattered among light-filled greenhouses and gardens.

Five designs include Sukima – the space between forms, allowing light and air to flow – inspired by the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo, with subtly shifting linear planes; while small square motifs imprint the surface of Chirashi, a reimagining of the stone structure of the Museum of Kanayama Castle Ruin and the Kanamaya Community Centre. Jaipur Rugs MD Yogesh Chaudhary tells Wallpaper*: 'These are all inspired by actual buildings. But it’s not just the facades – it’s how it interacts with light and air. It’s a way of seeing.'

Wave Weave by Hosoo with Carsten Nicolai at Hosoo Milan

A sublime mesh of textiles, music and technology shapes Wave Weave, by centuries-old (and ever-innovating) Kyoto textile company Hosoo, with German sound artist Carsten Nicolai. Unravelling the auditory poetry of textiles, the exhibition – unfolding in the intimate elegance of Hosoo’s Milan flagship – centres on a 22-minute film of Hosoo’s workshop. Nicolai’s soundtrack was then translated into a textile design, with sound visualised as a sonogram – resulting in an exquisitely otherworldly silk obi (kimono belt), with cloud-like woven abstractions (a minimalist installation light moves just above the textile, matching the exact musical notes being played to the material).

Nearby is another digital expression reborn in material form: new textile collection Raster Gradient. Monochrome silk panels are peppered with a gradated spectrum of tiny white dots emerging from deep black oblivion before dissolving into pure light – the result of years of experimentation (each handmade panel contains 9,000 warp threads alternating black and white). 'Technology and textiles are very close,' explains Masataka Hosoo.

Karimoku Case at Salone; Karimoku Research at Capsule Plaza

Intimate, minimal and quiet, it had all the ingredients of a hotel – from the wooden front desk and calm lobby to a spacious suite. Karimoku Case created 'A Thoughtful Stay' at Salone del Mobile, tapping into its holistic philosophy of designing objects and spaces in harmony, as envisioned by Norm Architect and Keiji Ashizawa Design. Layers of wood harmonised with natural materials (paper, stone, textiles), alongside signature triangular lanterns and the smooth crafted lines of Karimoku Case furniture. 'The goal was to showcase the brand in a holistic boutique hotel environment,' says Frederik Werner of Norm Architects.

Across town at Capsule Plaza, a different rhythm shaped 'Research Published as Furniture'. Shoji paper screens and bright colour pops were the backdrop for the Milan debut of four new brands developed through Karimoku’s research projects. Among them was a structural glass table from CMPT by Lichen, plus the soft olive leather textures of ZE Sofa from Karimoku Re:issue by Lichen, reimagining an iconic 1982 design; alongside stacked formations of modular wooden containers from Stakko, a brand created with Postalco. A second space was filled the modern playfulness of sculptural shapes in jewel tones by wagetsu わ月, a brand made with LA-based Waka Waka – including angular low tables with high-shine surfaces, made using a technique typically used for pianos.

Meeting Horizons at Time & Style Milan

A light tangle of wood curves floating like a cloud. Solid wood shelving with softly tapered edges and traditional joinery. Cantilevered chairs, hovering above stone floors. Time & Style unveiled the Meeting Horizons collection in the near temple-like serenity of their Milan flagship, with a thoughtful layering of Japanese and Western influences. There is Yoshino Breath Armchair, its clean-lined cubic cedar form assembled without metal fittings; Soe, by Wohl Hütte, its layered planes and vertical bamboo element riffing on traditional Japanese alcoves; a lightly hovering mobile of steam-bent wood by Drill Design and a natural new textile of cotton and wool by Noriko Tsuiki. An exhibition in the paper-wrapped vaulted basement also showcased the minimal white curves of stone artist Ayako Ueda on wood blocks with traditional Japanese joinery.

Future Memories by Roberto Sironi with Sansui at Rossana Orlandi

Picture a circle of light-reflecting polished steel, its water-like surface floating above an angled base of sturdy pine beams darkened with time – fragments of wooden carpentry from an abandoned house in rural Japan. This mix of new and old, lightness and strength shapes Future Memories, a contemporary installation of sculptural objects which gives a fresh lease of life to salvaged beams from Japan’s empty kominka farmhouses, by Italian designer Roberto Sironi in collaboration with Sansui, a century-old Japanese carpentry company. Centre stage in a vaulted stone space are fragments of beams reconfigured to create sculptural objects, chairs and tables. Written into the material are traces of time, with nail-free joinery and hints of human touch on hand-carved surfaces. 'Each beam has its own story,' Sironi tells Wallpaper*. 'There’s no painting, no vanishing, just the patina of time.'

Noritake Design Collection at Alcova

Curved, flowing, fragmented, in earthy tones – just like the earth. This idea shapes the abstract beauty of Landscape, a debut ceramics collection by Michele De Lucchi of AMDL Circle for Noritake, a Japanese company dating back to 1904.

Studio Toogood also launched Kiln: a harmony of sculptural curves and lines, cleanly shaped in monochrome black and white. 'I wanted to bring some strong geometry to the Noritake table, taking influence from its incredible relics of manufacturing,' says Faye Toogood. The new Imperial Peacock Collection was also displayed, a collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, inspired by stone carvings at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. These new additions to Noritake Design Collection were showcased at Baggio Military Hospital – where talented master artisan Masami Okada from Japan, sat surrounded by paints and brushes, showcasing his quiet mastery of ceramic painting, throughout the week.

Lesson in Relations by Takt Project at Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Monache

The atmosphere tilted at the threshold of Chiesa di San Barnardino alle Monarche: inside the empty church was Lessons in Relations by Takt Project, a conceptual exploration of nature, humans and materiality. Scattered on the ground were branches collected from forests in Nagano, completed with 3D-printed white elements – looping, knotted, tied, threaded, wrapped around the wood. Each 'branch' was placed in a delicate white circle of instructional text on the floor, in Italian and English – such as 'find a circular fragment within the branch'. The result was poetic record of a human-forest relationship – as the Tokyo studio explains: 'This project takes the branch as a motif to explore a contemporary way of relating to materials.'

Sur+Plus by Atma at Alcova

Sitting in a quiet concrete space in the basement of Villa Pestarini was a sculptural scattering of unique chairs created from fragments of material offcuts (stones, marbles, wood, tiles, carpet). Created by Tokyo studio Atma, the Sur+Plus chairs are made from a simple tilt of two panels, attached by a clean-lined metal fixture. Minimally visible design intervention amplifies the beauty of the pastel-toned textures, disparate fragments and organic material edges that shape the chairs, each unwaveringly unique. 'What emerges is a form of co-existence – elements connected while their differences remain,' explain the studio founders.

Hideo at Salone del Mobile

Behind a white curtain in pavilion 10 at Salone del Mobile was a small pocket of Japanese bath serenity. It was the Salone debut of Hideo, a company created by the so-called Japanese master of modern bathtub design Hideo Shimizu. The Japanese designer, based in Italy, has spent decades reimagining traditional Japanese design and craftsmanship into contemporary form. On display in the Time & Style-designed space were two white bathtubs designed in Japan and made in Italy, using a high-tech material rooted in a plant-derived bioresin – including keyhole-shaped Chiave and the curves of Infinity.

Welcome to the fifth instalment of Wallpaper's video series, The Stuff That Surrounds You. Watch as we're invited into the intriguing and idiosyncratic homes of creatives and makers (including, so far, Veronica Ditting, Yasmin Sewell, Glenn Sestig and Michael Anastassiades), catching a glimpse of their interior lives via the objects with which they surround themselves, all of which tell a story.

Erwan Bouroullec, known for his innovative, minimalist approach to furniture, interiors and industrial design, is based in Paris. But when he needs to create, he retreats to his remote estate in the Burgundy countryside. ‘I’ve been living in Paris for 35 years, but I kind of needed another place in the countryside,’ he says. ‘I needed space to work, to experiment, to try things out.’

What he and his wife (and their dog, Patapouf) discovered was an abandoned farm building, steeped in history. Rather than erase what was there, they chose to ‘layer’ their life onto it, working with LVA Architects to preserve and respect its original elements. Much of the house’s existing features and materials were retained, with a few contemporary interventions added on. ‘The best interior you could ever have is [one where you’ve done] as little as possible,’ says Bouroullec. ‘Keep every tiny sign of the past. Add what you need to add, but don’t remove anything else.’

Part sanctuary, part laboratory, the space he has created – known as La Grange – is a hive of design experimentation. Tractors, tools, woodwork, even the grass – everything becomes a ‘toy’ to explore, manipulate and learn from, says the designer. ‘When I’m here, I’m building quickly, roughly, but always looking for truth in the roughness,’ he reflects. ‘It’s grounded, necessary and playful.’

For Bouroullec, who has worked with major brands such as Vitra, Magis and Alessi – and in creative collaboration with his brother Ronan until 2023 – design is more than inspiration, it’s ‘incredibly mandatory for everyday life’. He believes spaces should offer as much stimulation as possible; sterility, in his view, is ‘harmful to your body’.

At La Grange, he surrounds himself with objects that become small ‘treasures’, inviting interaction, curiosity and wonder. These include pieces sourced from around the globe – a minimal, colourful, geometric paper box discovered in Korea, flea-market finds, and design icons like the oversized, crumpled-paper ‘Maap’ lamp he designed for Flos, as well as objects made in his own workshop, such as a wooden stool, alongside his own paintings.

‘I love contrast,’ says Bouroullec. ‘Minimal with something dirty, geometry with natural imperfection. It creates tension, it creates life.’ This sensibility runs through his work, which spans furniture to coding experiments. Take, for example, the ‘Mynt’ chair, which he developed with Vitra (and which he discussed with Wallpaper* when the design was released last year), which resides at La Grange. It blurs the line between a domestic and a task chair. ‘I tried to design it like a bike,’ Bouroullec explains. ‘If your body is in a bad position, your brain won’t feel at ease. Objects become beautiful when the user shapes them through interaction.’

Elsewhere in the designer's studio are new projects such as the Samsung Music Studio 5, developed in collaboration with the tech company – a wireless speaker conceived as a soft, circular form, intended to feel like furniture rather than a piece of machinery (announced at CES 2026, it’s not yet for sale in the UK).

A visit to La Grange makes evident that, whether crafting a high-tech speaker or reimagining a centuries-old fisherman’s tool, Bouroullec holds fast to a single belief: that design is a fluid, living and ever-evolving practice.

A film by Divided by One for Wallpaper*
Director: Nick Ballón
Director of photography: Jorge Luis Dieguéz
Sound recordist: Alban Lejeune
Editor: Todd MacDonald
Music and sound design: Joe Zeitlin
Colourist: Paul Willis
Producer: Clara Perrotte
Wallpaper* head of video: Sebastian Jordahn

'There are chairs – and there are chairs.' These are the words of Erwan Bouroullec, a French designer who knows a thing or two about making seating. For him, a chair should embody movement, lightness, transparency, comfort, elegance – and a sense of welcoming, like a ‘companion’.

These qualities are written into the DNA of two new chairs designed by Bouroullec. ‘Mynt’ is launched globally this week by Vitra (21 March 2025), with a design that proposes a ‘new way of sitting’, in offices, public spaces and homes.

A modern reimagining of ergonomics fused with an essential elegance, ‘Mynt’ has specially patented technology, with separate components for the seat and back enabling fluid movement while the user is seated – ‘like a cat’. It’s the culmination of 25 years of collaborating with Vitra and his first solo chair design for the Swiss company since creatively parting ways from his brother Ronan.

The ‘Arba’ lounge chair, designed by Bouroullec for Copenhagen-based Raawii, has also just made its Japanese debut. ‘Arba’ is clean and contemporary, its composition rooted in two moulded plywood elements, a cross of bent metal profiles and a die-cast base.

Here, Bouroullec shares with Wallpaper* his thoughts on all things chairs – from form and function to his new creative chapter – during a conversation that unfolds while we are both seated on his new ‘Mynt’ chairs in Vitra’s Tokyo office.

Erwan Bouroullec on all things chairs

Wallpaper*: Tell me about ‘Mynt’.

Erwan Bouroullec: You’re sitting on it right now. If you push more on your back – see, it moves with your body. It’s part of a new generation of chairs. There are chairs – and there are chairs. Most convenient and elegant chairs belong to an older definition of chairs that do not move. Office chairs often have amazing ergonomics, but are diminished by the look – a slightly machine world. Here, we’re trying to embed the best ergonomy with a super-high level of elegance. For me it is a lifetime’s achievement. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

W*: It’s very comfortable.

EB: The back rest and the seat are unconnected – so your body is almost surfing, slightly moving. It has a newly created mechanism so it works for any size of person. A chair that allows your body to move is key. Like a cat, all day moving and exercising. Often, I see these cool-looking wooden chairs – but what happens to your body after hours of working? This is a very dynamic chair with no compromise in terms of elegance. In my point of view, if a chair is not elegant, it will not be comfortable. This one has fucking good comfort.

W*: What was the seed of this chair?

EB: The question of ergonomics has been rising and rising – and Vitra has been at the core of this research. The starting point of this chair was to embed all this knowledge about bodies and people and movement – but in an environment that would welcome people through its elegance. I was a baby designer when I first entered Vitra 25 years ago in 2000. They have been a mentor to a large part of my design practice. It is a lot of pleasure to release this chair.

W*: How do you create this dialogue between body and chair and make it feel welcoming?

EB: The language of a chair can create a feeling of welcomeness – or stress. How do you welcome a person? One super-important ingredient is making it transparent, so people can understand it and its structure. Like the way your brain sees something vertical with branches and processes it as a tree – a chair needs to be transparent in the expression of its structure, so you quickly recognise it. And behind the transparency, elegance is key.

W*: How do you define elegance?

EB: It’s well-proportioned curves. It’s a way of achieving a lot with a certain lightness. It is a kind of smartness. In terms of clothing, for a long time in my life I didn’t wear suits. When I started to wear them 20 years ago, I just thought, fuck, they are incredibly efficient. There are so many pockets everywhere. They are super nice. And elegant.

W*: It also feels gently dynamic.

EB: It’s gently dynamic but due to its elegance it can go anywhere. Sometimes I’m totally scared by highly decorated spaces with very uncomfortable furniture. For me, this kind of style is really clustering people. If you are wealthy and healthy and everything is OK in your life, that’s fine. But if you have tiny weaknesses – you don’t feel at ease or you don’t like your body at some point, maybe due to surgery, an injury or just life – then maybe that empty chic environment can be too hard for you.

W*: How have your ideas evolved since starting with Vitra in 2000?

EB: Now I wish to perform a little bit more. I feel as a mature designer, I have passed the time when I was younger and I was fascinated by my own creativity and the creativity I had with Ronan. I don't think I want to surprise people. Now I don't really like the word creation in a way.

W*: Why is that?

EB: Because I think there are more things to solve than to invent. Now, it’s more important to practice design and inform manufacturing in a better way. Because behind manufacturing, there are so many issues that are fundamental in our world – about resources, conception. We are in a culture in which people understand manufacturing less and less, understand the logic behind producing a good product less and less. This is the worst time for us to understand less and less. It’s now more important to make sure objects are performing – and that people can easily read them and maintain them. This to me is more important than creating something new. Maybe because of the split from Ronan, I am more grounded. Now, the focus is on being creative in solving problems. Using my creative energy to address an identified question, not for the sake of the creation itself.

W*: And your relationship with Vitra?

EB: We are more and more bound – it’s a symmetrical relationship. I have been learning from them and they have been learning from me. This chair is 100 per cent co-created in a way. The design was trying to re-express a part of the core competence of the company.

W*: This is the first product you’ve designed for Vitra without Ronan?

EB: Me and Ronan, we split because we had too much creative energy. Somehow, we never wanted to control the creative energy, to the point where we ended up with fire in the energy. There was a creation connected to a certain fame – which became fuel for some extra amounts of energy, but part of it was also burning and destroying the relationship. So we really needed to let it go.

W*: How different is your creative process as a result?

EB: For a while we were on separate projects within the same studio but we were always referring to one another in a way. It was a little forbidden to use intuition. When you refer to one another, you need to show the vision – and I don't really envision the end goal, more the nature of the practice, the rules to set the perimetres. I guess this is what has been changing for me and possibly him. I can really now enter into some projects that need permanent readjustment – because you discover that at some point, you need to use your intuition. There was a kind of burning energy between me and Ronan that was not fitting with this process.

W*: So it's a new creative chapter?

EB: It is definitely. It was needed, unfortunately. We went too far into creative fireworks. It’s an intense dynamic when everything is linked. Right now I’m happy with some release. I really think we are in a time in which we absolutely need to perform with true lightness.

W*: You’ve also designed ‘Arba’ for Raawii. Can you sum up it up in three words?

EB: Happy. Raw. Comfort.

W*: What are its defining features?

EB: It’s a lounge chair that is very easy to read. First, a star base on the floor, then a central steel bone that distributes the seat and the backrest; some black silent blocks attach the shells to the bone offering strength but also flexibility. Then, a very prominent zipper outlining the shells is also one of the simplest methods to solve the upholstery in a sober manner. So it’s kind of positively raw, a little like a simple tool can be: very understandable, therefore very comforting.

W*: How do you feel when you sit on it?

EB: ‘Arba’ is dynamic, the central bone is kind of firm but very responsive to the body posture, it’s bending and springs back, so the chair is always moving. This is good for people, who can instinctively adjust the chair to their mood.

W*: What kind of role has Japan played in your creative journey?

EB: It’s very important. I first visited when I was 22 or 23. Ronan and I were designing a shop in Paris for Issey Miyake. I came on my own to show Mr Miyake the project. I was especially young but Mr Miyake was incredibly respectful of my age. I think he liked the fact I didn’t understand Japanese culture. I’m always fascinated by Japan. But often, I’m also afraid.

W*: What are you afraid of?

EB: I’m afraid of getting lost in the street. I’m afraid of not doing the right thing. I really enjoy Japan as a visitor – but I could never live here. I always make things fall, I’m clumsy. My family says I am also socially clumsy.

W*: What inspires you in Japan?

EB: If you look at European culture in terms of objects, architecture, fashion, most things older than 100 years are heavily decorated and belong to ideas of old monarchies and the bourgeois. Particularly in Catholic countries, objects are over-carved, over-printed, over-decorated, over everything. Then, to discover, Japanese traditional objects – the pure minimum, the transparency – it is just a total relief. To discover so many signs of culture based on the hyper minimum was a pure relief.

Erwan Bouroullec's ‘Mynt’ chairs for Vitra will be available to purchase on 21 March 2025

erwanbouroullec.com/
vitra.com

In the industrial village of Fiorano Modenese, Italy, a new exhibition celebrates the quiet poetry of everyday objects. Conceived by Italian art curator Sarah Cosulich, ‘An Ode to Things’ brings together paintings, sculptures, and design pieces that explore the beauty found in simple forms and domestic stillness.

Drawn from the private collection of Massimo Orsini, founder of ceramics brand Mutina, the exhibition reflects a deep appreciation for the artistry of the inanimate – vases, vessels, furniture, and decor elevated beyond function into something more contemplative. Timed to coincide with nearby Bologna’s ArteFiera art fair, the event also marks an important anniversary for the brand. ‘Mutina is celebrating 20 years, and among the many things we have done, the most important is the relationship we have forged with the artists and designers who have shaped this entire world of creativity,’ Cosulich said at the opening.

Installed in an intimate corner of Mutina’s expansive showroom – part of the Patricia Urquiola-designed Mutina HQ in Fiorano – the exhibition invites viewers to linger, to look closer, and to find meaning in the ordinary. The show takes its name from a poem by Pablo Neruda, the Chilean Nobel laureate, in which he professes his enduring love for objects. He writes: ‘I have a crazy, / crazy love of things. / I like pliers, / and scissors. / I love / cups, / rings, / and bowls – / not to speak, of course, / of hats.’

Much like Neruda’s poem, the works on display similarly dwell on the presence of the inanimate, with each piece underscoring the beauty of the everyday. An ethereal glass vessel by Ingeborg Lundin is set against an oil painting depicting a living room side table, also with a vase, by John Currin; the real and the depicted vessels each hold a delicate floral arrangement

Also present are artworks from Mutina’s previous, curated ‘Mutina for Art’ collections. Two vases by the French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec – a fluted cylindrical form and a rounded tube with knobbly protrusions – are placed in conversation with a moody still life from the Parisian painter Aimée Moreau and a dreamlike interior imagined by the acclaimed photographer Luigi Ghirri, who hails from nearby Reggio Emilia.

‘It is a project that, for the first time, allows us to combine Massimo’s collection with modern and contemporary design,’ said Cosulich. ‘It’s blurring the boundary between what is art and what is an object.’

‘An Ode to Things’, part of the Mutina for Art programme at Spazio Mutina Fiorano, opened 6 February and runs until 8 August 2025, mutina.it

At Milan Design Week 2024, Mutina unveiled at Casa Mutina Milano and Spazio Cernaia a series of new collections entirely designed by Ronan Bouroullec, which are still on display (by appointment only) at Casa Mutina Milano. 

‘This year, more than individual collections, we presented an entire universe. The Osso & Bottone represents Mutina's first collection specifically designed for outdoor environments,’ says Mutina CEO Massimo Orsini. ‘By tackling this challenge, we wanted to take a further step, extending our research beyond the classic boundaries of indoor spaces, proposing organic shapes in pastel colours in dialogue with nature. The true subject is the conjunction between the elements, the absent parts rather than the present ones, to make outdoor spaces more contemporary.’

Mutina tiles by Ronan Bouroullec

Designed for dual use, Osso & Bottone are modules of rectangular tiles with perimeter cuts that create ample voids and reveal patterns through the joints: in particular, in this case at least 4 mm of joint is suggested, in order to keep the right distance especially for Bottone, so that you can to recreate the perfect circles, similar to buttons. It can be filled with grout in the same or contrasting colour to create a variety of effects. Also, because of the strong aesthetic, the tile edges are visible for the first time.

Adagio, a series of ceramic modules that can be assembled to create scenic wall sculptures, has also just been unveiled: a reticular structure resembling a fabric weave, with overlapping elements emphasising the product's three-dimensionality. ‘Adagio is an authentic wall sculpture, which I think (and hope) will revolutionise the perception of ceramics in the coming years,’ says Orsini. ‘And then many new Editions, such as vases and candleholders handmade by master craftsmen and produced in limited editions.’

Mutina showcases Ronan Bouroullec's Editions

The way Mutina understands that somewhat mysterious aspect of ceramic, a material that has a unique and ever-changing beauty, it’s clear with Editions. As a collection of ceramic objects linked to the world of designer interiors, they are entirely handmade, with each piece sequentially signed and stamped. The series includes vases and a candelabrum that can be modulated in different combinations: they are all made by casting and assembling individual pieces, and the glaze is from an ancient formulation. 

Ronan Bouroullec on his collaboration with Mutina

Some of the collections and objects were presented in advance during the Résonance exhibition curated by Marie-Ange Brayer at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Adagio, along with some products designed by Ronan with his brother Erwan for Mutina, has also become part of the permanent collection of the French museum: ‘I met Massimo 15 years ago, the owner of Mutina, he showed up at the workshop in a sweat with very heavy samples of tiles,’ Bouroullec wrote on his social media accounts. ‘He wanted so much to convince me to collaborate, he was very moved.'

'Everything went wrong, he spilled his coffee on my drawings, he talked too much and he left even more nervous than when he arrived. He didn’t know it but I was immediately won over, this clumsiness charmed me a lot. It has been a super collaboration since then, he is one of the great Italian entrepreneurs, like Giulio Capellini, Piero Gandini and Eugenio Perazza, without whom nothing would have happened and with whom I have learned, and learn, so much.’

Ronan Bouroullec, Mutina, 2024

Casa Mutina and Spazio Cernaia
Via Cernaia, 1A, Milan

mutina.it

Throughout the Centre Pompidou’s permanent galleries, there are rooms entirely dedicated to major modern and contemporary artists: think Joseph Beuys, Victor Vasarely, Giuseppe Penone. And until 23 September 2024, Ronan Bouroullec.

Of course, Bouroullec is as much an industrial designer as a polyvalent artist, a prolific creator whose amorphous ink drawings and decorative ceramic wall structures suggest ongoing explorations of form and function.

Ronan Bouroullec presents 'Resonance' at Centre Pompidou

The presentation here, titled Résonance, follows his recent donation of some 30 works to the Centre Pompidou—Musée National d’Art Moderne. Of this selection, made between 2020-24, half are on display for the first time.

Within a single room, the mini exhibition plays out like a tight edit of ideas that have defined his own canon since professionally decoupling from his brother, Erwan.

'For me to be a designer is a question of empathy in different contexts,' Bouroullec told Wallpaper* during a recent visit to his Paris studio near the Canal Saint-Martin, where maquettes for past and future exhibitions filled the rooms. 'I’m happy to work with old Japanese craftsman and then the day after, to confront machines that can produce ten-thousand chairs. All of these techniques and people are like a palette of possibilities.'

From his words to the gallery floor: upon entry, the eye lands on a central podium that showcases his ceramic vases realised with Tajimi Custom Tiles, each a cylinder enhanced with dimensional squares and rectangles whose seamless assembly required particular know-how from artisans in Japan. They are filled with delicate sprigs of dried buds as though attesting to their purpose as usable objects.

His now-recognisable line drawings in vivid hues are staggered across two of the walls alongside a bas-relief that proposes a different materiality. Bouroullec’s ceramic lamps for Flos, released last year, are stationed along the far wall. Illuminated, they bring warm light into the space. Arguably the pièce de resistance is Adagio, an architectural-scale wall system whose bi-colour bricks are mounted in an intricate yet modular lattice. Placed underneath, his new, grid-like vases for Mutina offer a thoughtful juxtaposition.

The remaining wall comprises a range of Bouroullec’s body of work, including an undulating prototype screen in Kvradrat wool, a rack a steel candlestick – all featured in last year’s exhibition at Villa Noailles – as well as the pieces from the Issey Miyake Homme Plissé collection from January, in which his drawings and the label’s signature pleats fused into magnificent garments. Not even in store, this marks their first appearance in an institution.

While the room exudes a sense of calm and coherence, Bouroullec said he felt an initial ambivalence about reuniting what seemed like a disparate array of elements without context. 'What surprises me is that there is not a hierarchy,' he explained. 'So you have the imperfection, the perfection; the one-off unique pieces, the serial pieces; some things that necessitate a lot of attention, some less.'

What about the fact that Résonance represents both art and design, that one can be spontaneous and the other precisely planned? Bouroullec explained that they fulfil different whims and engagements.

'I’m someone intuitive and design has to be planned and shared. Consider the number of people involved; it’s like a movie production. And it can be very long and sometimes frustrating. But I like that also, the constraints. But then as I am someone who needs to think a certain way, drawing is, I won’t say the opposite but the protocol is very different. Drawing is a very simple kind of expression… I don’t want to prepare it, think about it. I refuse any goals. It’s not that I have a picture in mind.'

Bouroullec, who will debut new projects in Milan next week, noted that he is increasingly sensitive to how objects 'participate' in a space – hence the idea of 'empathy' in design. Making an analogy to a teabag in a pot, he said, 'If you consider this room, the atmosphere is consistent. The objects stretch in technique, in thought, in colour, and they produce an ensemble that, indeed, makes me feel at peace.'

Résonance continues at the Centre Pompidou until 23 September 2024.

During Stockholm Design Week 2024, Vaarnii presents a new Ronan Bouroullec chair – the ‘Maasto’, created by the French designer as 'an ode to pine'.

Launched in 2022, Vaarnii is a Finnish design brand celebrating the natural beauty of pine through inspired collaborations with contemporary designers that range from Kwangho Lee to Studiomama, Mac Collins and Philippe Malouin among others. Through its collection, Vaarnii reimagines the contemporary Finnish design vernacular, with a style that is equally brutalist and sophisticated.

Ronan Bouroullec chair for Vaarnii: an ode to pine

Bouroullec's ‘Maasto’ dining chair for Vaarnii combines a simple design gesture with careful engineering that elevates the material's natural expressiveness. The designer (whose work and inspirations are explored in a new Phaidon book, Ronan Bouroullec: Day after Day) embraced Vaarnii's brutalist design manifesto with an angular chair that merges traditional design codes with a contemporary aesthetic language. 

The deep seat is flanked by shorter armrests (a version without armrests is also available), while the gently slanted back and thick legs contribute to the structural integrity of the design. The side and back panels allow the pine's grain to emerge, its richness creating a dramatic contrast with the chair's simple construction. 

While the seat and backrest are made of solid pine, pine plywood is employed for the chair's sides offering enhanced strength to the chair. This is the first time Vaarnii uses a composite wood and an important moment in the company's experimentation with furniture construction. 

'Embracing plywood as a new addition to the Vaarnii material palette led to the surprising discovery that high-quality Finnish plywood did not exist, despite pine being the most populous Finnish timber,' reads a note from the company introducing the design. 'Through the production of this important design, Vaarnii took the decision to produce our own Finnish pine plywood to the highest standards possible, becoming our own material supplier and reviving a lost production skill in the process.'

Adds Bouroullec: 'Working with Vaarnii is like working in a bakery: the baker uses flour to produce something simple and good; here we use pine to produce something good, durable, the grace of simplicity.'

vaarnii.com

Fifty-three designers from the worlds of furniture, architecture and fashion have created playful new versions of the ‘Belleville’ chair, a plastic and wooden dining chair designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra in 2015, and named after the Parisian neighbourhood where the brothers’ studio is based.

The diverse works, from names including Christian Louboutin, Phillippe Starck and Constance Guisset, will be exhibited from 9 – 11 December 2023 at Hôtel de l’industrie in Paris before being auctioned to raise funds for La Source Garouste, an organisation tackling social exclusion through creative workshops with young people.

‘Belleville’ chair reimagined

The charity – co-founded by furniture designer Elizabeth Garouste and her husband Gérard, a painter – has been holding similar auctions since 1997, when the couple invited their artist and designer friends to transform a simple cardboard chair into something unique.

The choice of design piece to be reimagined changes every year; the organisation has had partnerships with brands including Kartell and Flos, as well as Vitra, which have supplied items such as Starck’s ‘Louis Ghost’ chair and the ‘Panton’ chair by Verner Panton to be creatively altered by La Source Garouste’s friends and collaborators.

Though many established designers have repeatedly taken part in the auction, the organisation also invites young and emerging creatives, mostly from France. This year, one of those new participants is Mathieu Tran Nguyen, a Paris-based interior designer. He crafted a custom covering for the ‘Belleville’ chair, made from wooden beads, woven from recycled car seat covers.

‘I didn't want to transform the chair itself, but rather the bubble wrap packaging in which it was delivered to my workshop,’ he explains. ‘I wanted to give it a value by reworking it and giving it an aesthetic character, through this covering made of wooden beads. The idea was simply to reinterpret the purpose of packaging, giving the Bouroullec chair a second skin.’

Other works include ‘Bella’, by Constance Guisset, in which strings of giant black pearl necklaces cascade from the back of the chair. With ‘Casinhathor’, Christian Louboutin – known for his red-soled shoes – transformed the chair into a red, glittering throne honouring the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Philippe Starck’s minimal intervention, meanwhile, features a heart cut out from the chair’s wooden back.

Furniture and product designer Elise Fouin removed the chair’s legs, added decorative wooden balls and transformed the piece into a mirror and shelf. Camille Miceli, creative director of fashion brand Pucci, painted the chair’s frame bright orange and pink, and upholstered the seat with Pucci’s psychedelic Marmo print in silk twill. 

Covering the chair in bright blue fake fur, NeM Architectes gave it a monstrous presence, describing it as ‘fetishistic and zoomorphic’. Furniture designers Normal Studio, meanwhile, transformed the chair into an all-black ‘valet’ shelving and storage system, adding three wooden trays of different sizes and a pole from which to hang coats.

‘I really appreciate the interpretations of the chair,’ says Erwan Bouroullec. ‘Somehow they extend the language that the chair contains but that we intentionally condensed during design.’ The projects, he adds, ‘extend the scenarios where the chair could be the stage set. Design is a practice that needs to be invisible in order to let life build on it.’

The full collection will be exhibited 9 – 11 December 2023 at Hôtel de l’industrie, 4 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris 6e, before being auctioned for La Source Garouste. For more information, see lasourcegarouste.fr/actualites

See all the chairs at ventelasource.fr/les-oeuvres

Ronan Bouroullec collaborated with Manufacture de Sèvres, France's porcelain manufacturing workshop founded in the 18th century, to create a series of aluminium and ceramic lamps on view at Galerie de Sèvres, Paris, until 25 November 2023.

The latest addition to the designer’s output – which is explored in a new Phaidon book, Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day – the ‘Sèvres Lamps’ are available in three heights, and are defined by a porcelain aureole supported by essential aluminium profiles in three heights, combining a minimal design gesture with the unexpected expression of colour on porcelain.

Ronan Bouroullec and Manufacture de Sèvres 

Like exotic mushrooms or enigmatic sea creatures, the trio of lamps features smooth, precisely formed aureoles, hand-thrown in the large Manufacture de Sèvres studio and spray-glazed to achieve the colour effects. The almost ethereal glaze is the result of Bouroullec's research into the company's archives, where he found old examples of experiments in crystallisation. 

Due to the uncertainty of the process, each piece is unique, featuring multi-tonal abstract patterns that nod to the exploding effect of fireworks or celestial constellations. 

'It all quite delicately explodes in the kiln, and when the pieces are taken out, you’re not quite sure if they might be alive,' says Bouroullec, for whom this project meant being able to manipulate a process that he feared could result in a too precise design gesture. '[Each lamp] could be a sea anemone, a portion of sky, a flash of light in space. I wasn’t at all aiming for this, but there is a very natural quality that appears; natural and uncontrolled.'

'Lampes Sèvres' by Ronan Bouroullec is on view until 25 November 2023

Galerie de Sèvres
4, Place André Malraux
75001 Paris

Ronan Bouroullec's rich visual world is now part of a new book, published by Phaidon and featuring a series of photographs by the designer, looking at his everyday inspiration, domestic moments, studio work and more.  

‘Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day’, published by Phaidon

‘I take photographs daily, on a mobile phone, of my drawings, my works, the light in the studio, an object that we designed several years ago spotted in a shop window, our chairs on the terrace of a café, the morning sun on a ceramic vase,' Bouroullec writes in the book's foreword.

More than 450 pages are dedicated to an Instagram-like, chronological curation that offers readers a glimpse into his world. Bouroullec's popular artwork features heavily across the pages, as do the designs he created with his brother Erwan for brands like Hay, Koyori, Vitra, Artek and more. 

'I don't have a defined work method; I work instinctively, by successive strokes. I like to repeat, start over, accumulate, to work simultaneously on several subjects. I like to bring models of current projects back from the studio, place them on my table and study them, searching for the right impression,' adds Bouroullec. 'In this permanent state of flow, where improvisation is part of research, it is through a sketch or a makeshift rendering in cardboard that the solutions suddenly appear.'

Earlier in 2023, Bouroullec launched a new collection with Kvadrat, featuring textiles inspired by his artwork, and a ceramic lamp for Flos that pushed the limits of the lighting company. His considered approach to aesthetics and form was also at the heart of the Saint-Michel de Brasparts Chapel restoration, for which he created sacred furniture that elevated the bare space.   

'I also draw all the time, everywhere. On the train, at night, in the morning, on a boat, on the corner of a table, in a park, at a café, at home,' he continues. 'Drawing without constraint, without aim, without premeditation, free from the pressure to solve anything. Drawing for its own sake.' 

Featuring regular strokes of colour that form abstract shapes, his drawings have since gathered a huge following, with dedicated exhibitions and editions of the ever-growing art series. 

Everyday life gets squeezed across the book as well: arranged in a grid, each page features a mix of objects, drawings, environments and glimpses of Bouroullec's home or studio. His desk by the sea, a maquette from a project, files on shelves, and his designs captured in informal spaces. 

'I began posting daily images of my research, documenting my doubts, the joy of certain projects, and sometimes also their dead ends. Colourful impressions, blossoming shapes, perfect moments, emotions. It became a journal,' explains Bouroullec of his debut on the social grid. 'This book, which contains images of my own research as well as work carried out in collaboration with my brother Erwan and the wonderful team around us, follows the thread of these photographs as they were posted, day after day,' he adds.

'As we progress picture by picture, projects are gradually revealed. [...] It is a library of details, colours, collages and atmospheres collected over time. It is a manifesto of the elements at the heart of my work and my life: precision, confusion, passion, accumulation, the need for disorder, which gives rise to energy, and the need for emptiness. It is a self-portrait.'

Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day is published by Phaidon on 5 October 2023

Available from WHSmith, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

phaidon.com

Ronan Bouroullec says he has been drawing since his childhood in Brittany, France. ‘I grew up in the countryside, far from my friends. My brother was much younger. We had no TV. I played football alone, against a wall. Drawing became a necessity, it filled the void.’ He still feels the need to draw every day, and keeps a personal studio – a large, light-filled apartment in Paris’ 9th arrondissement – for that purpose.

On the day I visit, many years’ worth of drawings are spread out over the floor, being narrowed down to a few hundred for an upcoming museum show in Toulon. Among them sit a box of fabric samples, a new collection inspired by Bouroullec’s drawings, freshly arrived from Denmark. Their producer, textile company Kvadrat (with whom he and his brother Erwan have collaborated since 2005), is presenting the fabrics at Salone del Mobile 2023 this spring.

It was thanks to Instagram that Bouroullec started sharing his drawings with the world, and that Kvadrat asked him to design the textile collection. ‘I saw obvious qualities: tactility, colour, shape,’ says Kvadrat CEO Anders Byriel. He mentions the German word unmittelbar, meaning the works have an immediate effect on the viewer. 

Ronan Bouroullec's drawings inspire textile collection

Bouroullec holds one fabric sample up to the wall, next to a drawing whose fractured lines vaguely resemble bamboo. Although his two activities, design and dessin, are quite separate, he says there are constant bridges, each one ‘irrigating’ the other. ‘It’s not like one day there’s Ronan who draws and the next, Ronan the designer.’

But unlike his supremely disciplined approach to design, his work on paper is instinctive and improvisational. Using everything from Bic pens to watercolour markers, he creates organic, abstract, often colourful forms that appear simple, yet are highly detailed with great depth and texture. He compares the process to meditation or jazz, saying he is frequently surprised to see the result. ‘It’s like a trail that you walk every day until you arrive. You see when you’ve arrived, but you don’t remember what happened while you were walking.’

Taking an olive green Japanese brush pen in his left hand, he demonstrates his technique for designing the collection for Kvadrat, using glossy paper in the same dimensions as the fabric rolls. Holding the pen at an angle, he makes a series of parallel lines. Since the paper does not fully absorb the ink, the lines are broken up, and breathe with random gaps and bubbles. It is a textured effect that Bouroullec has played with for years. For the textile collection, he says, ‘The trick is not to feel the repetition of a pattern, even though that’s what it ultimately becomes.’

Although it took more than three years of back and forth with Kvadrat to obtain the desired results, Bouroullec says his approach to the collection’s production was relatively hands-off. ‘The only time I work this way is with textiles. I design objects in a very precise way, knowing every detail of how they will be constructed. But I don’t understand how textiles are made. I provide drawings with my intentions, and it’s interesting to see how they are translated.’

The collection, comprising three different families, is subtle and sophisticated, like much of the Bouroullecs’ work. The first family, named ‘Alle’, is upholstery fabric woven of 92 per cent virgin wool and eight per cent nylon. Raised, imperfect parallel lines traverse the fabric, their position seemingly random, close together at some points, spread out at others. Bouroullec compares the texture to that of a tree trunk, saying, ‘I wanted a vibration, like it’s almost alive, like the drawings.’ The light plays with the threads differently, so the raised threads shine, while the flat background appears matte. Byriel says the effect is even better than he had hoped for. ‘It was a very difficult task. We really achieved something that looks like paint, like brushstrokes.’

The other two fabric families, ‘Sone’ and ‘Tero Outdoor’, have identical patterns and are woven from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled polyester, which Byriel says gives it a precision, as opposed to the wool’s blurrier aspect. (‘Sone’ is meant for indoor use, while ‘Tero’ is made to weather the outdoors.) More geometric, these fabrics have distinct planes of lines flowing in different directions, like an aerial view of agricultural fields. Bouroullec says, ‘It has a very organic feel, an optical effect that gives variety to the surface as the direction changes, like hills and valleys.’

Bouroullec chose the colours, but cannot explain what motivates his decisions, aside from a feeling. ‘Alle’ comes in 11 colours and a fairly neutral range, including a creamy white, a dark green on black, and one brick shade. ‘Sone’ is available in 16 solid colours, with muted tones as well as fresh shades of green and yellow. Each fabric of the ‘Tero Outdoor’ family is woven with three colours, which serves to really emphasise the patterns.

Byriel notes, ‘It is extremely difficult to translate painting into a textile that gets its own identity and beauty, but I think we succeeded. We took something beautiful and created something beautiful. Not just a resemblance, that’s not good enough.’ Now he’s looking forward to seeing how designers use the fabrics in real-life applications. ‘That’s where we become part of something bigger. That’s what I’m excited about.’

Kvadrat’s fabrics will be on show from 17-22 April at Kvadrat, Corso Monforte 15

kvadrat.com

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

From 25 – 29 October, we turn to the biannual Orgatec trade fair for the latest prime picks of office furniture and workspace design. This time around, sustainability heads the thematic list, along with flexibility, and – acknowledging home and hybrid working – a cosy, at-home feeling that is gracefully fulfilled by Cassina with its Cassina Pro collection, on display at Orgatec for the first time. 

Five projects new to Cassina Pro comprise seating and desks, by Mario Bellini, Charlotte Perriand, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Le Corbusier. Each piece, though designed from a different starting point, fulfils the same end goal – to enhance the office experience visually and in tactility. Designers such as Linde Freya Tangelder and Mikal Harrsen also join the team for Orgatec, accentuating Cassina’s design collaborations.

In ‘Cab Office’, an evolution of the ‘Cab’ chair, originally designed in 1977 by Mario Bellini, the brand has revamped the simple structure into a swivel chair. The chair comes in five subtle colours and three designs with varying backrest heights and seat depths, covering maximum comfort and minimal forms in one go; each version sits on a five-spoke, cast-aluminium base in either a brushed polish or black finish. 

For the communal and hospitality working zones, Cassina offers up Charlotte Perriand’s ‘Banquette Mauritanie’ bench, a combination of latticed carpentry and plush upholstery, with modular elements such as changeable backrests and integrated USB sockets.

Also among the brand’s repertoire of benches, the ‘Cotone Slim’ bench by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec combines simplicity and versatility, and Le Corbusier's ‘LC16 Bureau’, originally created in 1957 as a children’s desk, has been pulled from the archives and reproduced in an adult-sized iteration.

orgatec.com

The vase is abstract, geometric, minimalist, with angular ceramic slabs and floating blocks in forest green and rusty red glazes positioned around a white cylinder. Perhaps more surprising than its visual composition? Each component was created by a special clay extrusion method used for tile production in Tajimi, a small pottery city in central Japan famed for a ceramics heritage dating back 1,300 years.

This is one of a series of a dozen-plus vase-like objects created by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for a new exhibition by Tajimi Custom Tiles, taking place in the industrial confines of Gallery Assan One, a former printing factory in Milan, during Fuorisalone 2022.

‘Tajimi is like a candy store full of different flavours, in yellow, brown, pink,’ say the Bouroullecs. ‘Like a firework, it explodes with delights. It gives us indescribable pleasure to play around with them.’

The exhibition is the first outside Japan for Tajimi Custom Tiles, which taps into its long heritage of ceramic craftmanship to produce quality customised tiles for international architects and designers. The company first launched in Tokyo in 2020 with a sleekly curated exhibition featuring contemporary tile installations by Max Lamb and Kwangho Lee, whose work will once again be showcased in the Milan exhibition.

Describing the concept behind these creative collaborations, the brand’s creative director and curator David Glättli tells Wallpaper*: ‘Tajimi Custom Tiles is basically offering a service to architects providing custom, tailored tiles for individual architectural projects. So the goal is not to produce and exhibit an actual product through these collaborations, but to show the vast potential and beauty of Japanese tiles, with their natural irregularities and vivid glazes.’

The new exhibition showcases the specialist tile production methods for which Tajimi’s craftsmen have long been famed – from clay extrusion to pressure moulding – filtered through a creative contemporary prism. There are the knitting-like white looped lines of Lee’s serenely minimalist installations, created from modules using clay extrusion, which can be stacked horizontally or vertically to create functional objects such as walls or seating. 

Meanwhile, Lamb explores the boundaries of highly precise pressure-moulding techniques, by creating modular three-dimensional tiles that have been crafted into a series of soft-edged objects, from vases to benches, in earthy Japanese shades.

The Bouroullec creations, which are debuting in Milan, offer a different spin yet again on the versatility of the shapes, colours and textures of Tajimi’s tile production capabilities. Their vase-like objects consist of geometric elements, created using clay extrusion techniques, attached to a large cylindrical body, with each component in a different shade, reflecting the vivid visual range of Japanese glazes.

Describing the genesis of the collaboration, Glättli, a creative director based in Zurich and Tokyo, explains: ‘While until a few years back, the two might have been categories as “furniture designers”, I felt that their work has become more and more personal, surpassing boundaries and is no longer directly associated with particular industries or brands or genres. 

‘This made me interested in their perspective on artisanal tile making and Tajimi Custom Tiles. Plus, I might not have thought of it, or dared to ask, if Ronan hadn’t sent me a note after he saw pictures of the Tajimi Custom Tiles launch exhibition in Tokyo in 2020. His words were very positive and encouraged me to approach them with this project.’

INFORMATION

Tajimi Custom Tiles is on view during Milan Design Week 2022, 7-12 June 2022

ADDRESS

Gallery Assab One
Via Privata Assab 1
Milano  

View Google Maps  

Dexterous design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec first began collaborating with Mutina back in 2011. Now, a decade later, the Modena-based contemporary ceramics brand is celebrating its fruitful ten-year partnership with an umbrella tile collection that perfectly embodies the constant exchange of ideas and thoughts on which the relationship between Mutina and Studio Bouroullec is built.

Ensemble: a decade of Studio Bouroullec and Mutina

Entitled ‘Ensemble’, the collection, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, encompasses tweaked editions of two great classics, ‘Pico’ and ‘Rombini’, two new ceramic collections, ‘Punto’ and ‘Bloc’, and a venture with a new material, ‘Pico Bois’, where the pattern of the Pico collection can now appear on a wooden floor. 

‘Pico’, the first tile collection realised by the Bouroullecs for Mutina back in 2011, with its satisfyingly tactile interplay of small sunken and raised dots, gets two new colour options, while the glazed porcelain tiles of the ‘Rombini’ series, launched in 2015 in graphic shapes like triangles and rhombuses, now come in a smaller size and a glossy finish. Developed from the concept that inspired the ‘Pico’ collection, the new ‘Punto’ range is also characterised by large sunken and elevated dots, which can create unexpected chiaroscuro effects depending on where the tiles are placed and how light hits them. 

The second new ceramic collection, ‘Bloc’, is essentially a terracotta brick with holes. Available in either matt or glossy versions, the holes can be left empty, creating vibrant plays of light, or filled with coloured wooden tubes.

With ‘Pico Bois’, Mutina has produced its first wooden flooring option. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec were born and raised in Brittany and this collection, which echoes the dot system of the ceramic ‘Pico’ range, takes inspiration from the local housing of their childhood. As the climate is cooler in this part of France compared to southern regions, it’s more common to have wooden parquet floors than ceramic tiles, to give a sense of warmth to interiors, and the ‘Pico Bois’ slats are realised in European oak, graphically enhanced by impressions of red or blue dots. 

Taking its name from the French word for ‘together’, the all-encompassing new ‘Ensemble’ range features tiles that, though seemingly very different, are linked by a common thread – they can be used individually or combined with each other to create striking interiors with a strong aesthetic connection.

‘The most amazing thing is to see how all these collections blend perfectly when they are used together,’ say Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. ‘They allow for infinite solutions: the same element, matt or glossy, pink or green, evokes different sensations, providing great variety and coherence at the same time.’

INFORMATION

mutina.it
bouroullec.com

The latest design by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec is a new pavilion for the city of Rennes, which the pair describe as ‘a symphony in space that evolves with its surroundings’.

The project’s origins date back to 2016, when the designers staged an exhibition across three venues in the French city including objects, micro-architecture and public installations. Part of the exhibition was a series of ‘Rêveries Urbaines’ (Urban Reveries), a speculative design exercise that offered ideas for the development of public space, featuring a mix of urban landscaping, green areas and experiential design proposals. ‘[It was] an exhibition that was the result of research around how we could contribute to a city – not particularly thinking of Rennes, but rather cities in general,’ says Ronan Bouroullec.

After three years of discussions and development based on the Urban Reveries’ principles, Le Belvédère has now become a permanent large-scale fixture on the Rennes’ riverfront, with a design referencing 18th century follies, ‘little buildings that served no specific purpose other than to satisfy a fancy.’

The design is defined by the Bouroullec’s distinctive formal simplicity, a discreet presence in the town featuring a ‘corolla’ (a base made of a decorative material specially developed for the project, incorporating finely granulated brass elements into coloured concrete) supporting polished stainless steel masts and an intricate lattice design made of slender bars in polished, anodised aluminium. The structure, the designers explain, is also equipped with ‘16 little windmills and 32 luminous orbs that, at night, transform the Belvedere into a lighthouse.’

The delicate design is a practically beautiful solution to the main design challenge faced by the duo: to create an urban object whose presence wouldn’t obscure the views of the city. And in this case, the location was important and carefully considered as part of the design process, with the pavilion positioned on the river, aligned with the trees along with the Quai Saint Cyr. ‘We spent a lot of time walking around the city to identify the right position, the right site,’ continues Ronan Bouroullec. ‘While there are numerous interesting positions in Rennes, the clear choice, in the Vilaine, gives a particular view of the Cathedral, the old town, and of the emblematic modern and contemporary buildings of Rennes: Louis Arretche’s Mabilais, Georges Maillols’ Horizons, as well as more recent residential projects by Jean Nouvel and Christian Hauvette. The proximity of the Mail François-Mitterand, which is a popular new amenity for the people of Rennes, also struck us as important.’

Standing at 13 m high above the river, the Belvédère is placed in conversation with the elements and the changing of the seasons, moving with the wind and serving different purposes at different times of the year. ‘Fine and virtually transparent, the Belvédère exists without existing,’ continues the designer. ‘It is a significant element that for reasons of symbolism and because of its position in the city, restores interest in an object that is freely open to any use one cares to name: a lighthouse and a landmark in the city, a place for new encounters and a meeting point, a place of contemplation.’

INFORMATION

bouroullec.com

Stockholm Design Week has long pioneered innovation and experimentation. This year’s edition was no different. Understanding the ongoing global problems with waste, Stockholm Furniture Fair’s guests of honour, design studio Doshi Levien, framed its processes with an installation that will live beyond the five days of the show. Elsewhere biomaterials from caffeine to mushrooms were aplenty in the Greenhouse section for rising talents.

On the local scene, Form Us With Love launches a sustainable personal care brand, while a new all-female creative crew shakes up Swedish design energy, and the Scandinavian creative essence gets injected with Portugese craft culture.

Delve into our edit of the Swedish showcase...

Powder Vase by Jenny Nordberg Hem

‘[This is] where our experiments materialise,’ Petrus Palmér, CEO and founder of the Swedish brand describes of its Stockholm HQ that has been freshly redesigned by local practice Atelier Paul Vaugoyeau and the in-house design team. This new workspace has been busy concocting the third collaboration with Modern Design Review, sheet steel vases by Jenny Nordberg, that adopt an abstract powder coated finish. The decorative pieces are limited edition of 15, ‘I focus my attention on projects that are long lasting – those that reclaim materials and are engaged locally,’ Nordberg explains.

3-9 February; Hem Studio, Eastmansvägen 12A, 113 61 Stockholm

Southern Lights by Origin

When Gabriel Tan first visited Portugal back in 2014 as a tourist, he was fascinated by the craft of the country, and in turn wanted to bring this to the fore with new initiative Origin. This is the second collection for the brand, and this time he explores the connections between Scandinavia and Portugal. Nine projects from nine designers (six of which are Scandinavian) and seven Portuguese craftsmen come to fruition for this, in a range of fragrance sculptures, hair brushes, vases, carafe and more.

4-8 February; Asplund, Sibyllegatan 31, 114 42 Stockholm

Bouroullec Brothers & Iittala at Wetterling Gallery

The roll call of creatives trekking to IIttala’s glass blowing factory in remote Finland reads like a who’s who of the design world. In 2014, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec made the pilgrimage and produced Ruutu – a collection of large handblown vases. This year, they add hollow cast, ceramic editions and 500mm glass editions to the family – all of which are on show at the Wetterling Gallery. The brothers also created hand blown glass flowers to put in them.

4-7 February; Kungsträdgården 3, 111 47 Stockholm. 

Forgo, by Form Us With Love

Already a 2020 Wallpaper* Design Award winner, Form Us With Love’s new personal care brand Forgo focuses on using less water and less packaging with its new formula hand wash. Two years in the making, Forgo provides sachets of powder ingredients to then mix with tap water at home in a reusable bottle. During design week, the sustainable brand will launch its palm cleaning revolution inside military base turned museum, Bergrummet.

4-6 February; Svensksundsvägen 5, 111 49 Stockholm

Gubi at Hotel At Six

The pop-up space on the ground floor of the Hotel At Six has always seen a space in which to showcase the best names in design, and for the second year running, Danish maestro Gubi has taken up residence. Alongside pieces from the existing collection (reupholstered in sheepskin), are a series of new travertine Epic Tables by long-standing Gubi collaborators Gamfratesi and new lighting and furniture by Danish duo Space Copenhagen, whose Wonder sofa is a contemporary take on 1970s lounge furniture.

4-6 February; Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm

Doshi Levien at Stockholm Furniture Fair

Described by the design duo as ‘an abstract version of our studio’, this year’s guest of honour will delve into the processes behind their design language. An added layer to their installation: the materials used for the 200 sq m space will have an afterlife following its five day stretch and have been sourced responsibly for the showcase.

4-8 February; 125 30 Stockholm

Misschiefs feminist exhibition

The punk cry of all-female collective Misschiefs sets out to ‘shake up the traditional, strict, contained and male-dominated style of what defines Swedishness in design.’ Limited edition works by ten designers range from quilts to ironing boards to mirrors and are on show in Stureplan central square before heading to Milan, Paris and Marseille. In each city, a female curator or gallerist selects an artist to create a work. In Stockholm, Andrehn-Schiptjenko gallery called on Norwegian artist Yngvild Saeter and her new Spirit Realm chandelier is the star act.

4-22 February; STUREPLAN 6, 114 35 Stockholm, Sweden

Fantasy by Magniberg

Bedlinen and textile brand Magniberg’s 2020 Stockholm contribution is twofold. In its studio, an exhibition of Polaroid photographs by Casper Sejersen will be hosted, plus limited edition pillow cases and duvet covers with images by Hanna Moon, and lamps and vases by Nina Nørgaard. Meanwhile at 1945 restaurant Teatergrillen, the team will be creating a collaborative environment with fellow artists and friends from the industry, extending the namesake of its new collection, ‘fantasy’. 

Magniberg, Grev Magnigatan 6, Stockholm; Teatergrillen, Nybrogatan 3; Teatergrillen Nybrogatan 3, 114 34 Stockholm, Sweden

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Experts in the history of window fittings (yes, they exist) claim that the first appearance of blinds dates back to as early as the Ancient Egyptians, who would use wet swathes of cloth to keep out dirt and sun. Early Chinese civilisations were found to have used thin stalks of bamboo, while the slatted form of a Venetian blind actually originated in Persia around 1100 AD.

These days, we’re a lot more sophisticated when it comes to shielding our interiors. Especially now that Kvadrat has joined the game and elevated the ubiquitous household fitting to a ‘best in class’ solution.

Launching today in Copenhagen, Kvadrat Shade is the latest offering from the Danish company, which has teamed up with window covering specialist, Coulisse to make it possible. The project has seen the Bouroullec brothers create hardware for a range of typically minimal textile blinds, rooted in a design concept that plays on colour, transparency and most of all, flexibility.

‘It’s always a pleasure to play with windows, light and colours,’ says Erwan Bouroullec, who worked alongside his brother, Ronan, on the project. ‘Unlike typical alternatives, the Kvadrat Shade solutions opens intriguing possibilities to elevate interiors by playing with tones, transparencies and textures. Most of the time, the blinds are just solving problems. They’re technically driven, but they’ve forgotten the human and they have no taste. We’re trying our best to make sure there are enough tones to fit the atmosphere of the room'. 

With quality in mind, materials used for the mechanisms are premium while also being PVC-free, in compliance with standards on harmful chemicals. Kvadrat’s high-performance textiles evolve to include an option layered with ultra-fine aluminimum, which is engineered to reduce heating and cooling costs in the home or office.

When it came to designing the hardware (the rolling systems, pulleys and cassettes), the Bouroullec duo had modularity at the forefront of their minds, resulting in a range of ‘meticulously engineered’ components, available in a range of finishes, that offer architects flexibility to the nth degree. Whatsmore, the blinds can be automatically controlled, allowing building management systems to be timed to coincide with the changing daylight.

Christian Baum Blaakær, managing director of Kvadrat Shade adds, ‘it meets the longstanding need for an aesthetically outstanding, officient and versatile roller blind solution, which provides the freedom to create compelling interior themes, where all textiles, textures and colours are in perfect harmony,’

INFORMATION

kvadrat.dk

Henri Matisse is born again. To celebrate the artist’s exceptional legacy and the 150th anniversary of his birth, Matisse’s great-grandchildren had a luminous, and colourful idea: fund Maison Matisse with the aim to create unique collections that reflect the master painter’s vision. Henri Matisse spoke of ‘an art with balance and purity that doesn’t disquiet or disturb, so that the tired man can enjoy peace and quiet in front of his painting’. Such is the intent of Maison Matisse, which will unveil the first pieces during FIAC, Paris this week.

‘We wanted to avoid creating any by-products and revive the spirit of Henri Matisse. For us, it meant collaborating with expert designers and artisans to imagine bold shapes and showcase unparalleled savoir-faire,’ explains Jean Matthieu Matisse, who has been working on the project for a decade.

The selected designers he thought had a real talent with volumes, shapes and colours: the late Alessandro Mendini, Jaime Hayon and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. ‘We wanted the collection to reflect different cultures, styles and techniques: each designer represents a singular approach and praises a unique know-how. Heritage and legacy were, of course, the starting point but we were also looking for a contemporary edge, talents that would instigate bold emotions.’ Each was given a carte blanche to imagine a limited-edition object, and granted access to documents and archives.

Without further guidance, all three designers chose to design a vase. For the late Alessandro Mendini, he cited that ‘first purity and then light’ came to mind. ‘For me, the elements Matisse works with and that inspire his imagination are plant leaves in their vases, the furniture and objects occupying domestic spaces, women nude or dressed, all intertwined within a decorative space festooned with arabesques. I reflected on a complex, sinuous and organic form, as if it involved conceptual leaves, with silhouettes drawn from the structure and the geometry of some of his paintings.’ The vase’s delicate fabrication was entrusted to Florentine master craftsman Alessio Sarri.

Valencia-based Jaime Hayon based his designs on ‘fantastical elements: forms, silhouettes and natural references that conflate and float in a sea of colours. Tradition and audacity come together.’ The three distinct vases were made – using ancient techniques – by Bosa, an artisanal factory located in the Venetian mountains.

Meanwhile, the Bouroullec brothers’ series of vases ‘translates the concept of a window open to the outside.’ Terracotta, anodized aluminium and glazed ceramics were associated in three combinations to picture a window as if one gazed onto a landscape. A resolutely bright window into the past.

Following this first chapter, Maison Matisse’s permanent collection will be launched early 2020.

INFORMATION

maison-matisse.com

A message was delivered during the inauguration of the 51st edition of commercial design fair Neocon last week. At the event in Chicago, keynote speakers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based firm Roman + Williams urged designers to lead with the senses and honour history. Themes of tactility, natural elements, and blurred lines between work and the home continued throughout activations and launches, including those from Skyline Design, Designtex, Haworth and Stylex.

Skyline Design presented a collaboration with Paris-based designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the Oblique and Chevron glass collection. Inspired by the luminous properties of stained glass and the natural world, these architectural-grade glass tiles provide an abstracted colour landscape. To achieve the ethereal, ombre patterns, colours from eight nature photographs taken by the Bouroullecs were digitally distilled and realigned to transmit optimal light, forming a sense of movement and atmospheric tone.

DesignTex launched The Bauhaus Project which celebrates women designers and tactile Bauhaus developments. Under license and collaborating with the estates of Bauhaus weavers Gunta Stoltz and Anni Albers, 16 minimally or never-produced designs were recreated. Innovative digital technologies and adaptive fibres are integrated into their production, bringing past designs into the modern work environment.

Patricia Urquiola’s designs for Haworth, specifically the Cabana Lounge, combats the chaos of the workplace with sound sensitive barriers that encourage in productivity and sensory protection. In doing so, the lounge is simultaneously private and communal. The rounded edges of the modular seating system produce an overall impression of softness and comfort, blurring the line between the work and home environments.

Stylex presented a set of smart work systems called Free Address, developed by Jay Koback and Ehren Gaag of Gensler. The seating and table sets support cooperative work in free-form creative environments, yet are disguised as sophisticated sofas and side tables for the home.

At Neocon, it was clear brands embraced sensory comfort, domesticity and balance – inside and outside of the workplace. Commercial environments were gearing towards our human experiences and how the space has an impact on our health, productivity, creativity and collaboration.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Neocon website

Azzedine Alaïa dedicated his life to designing clothes that transcended trends, super-enhanced the female physique and upheld the classical ideal. His designs had an apparent simplicity, hard-won through fearless experimentation and technical complexity. One of the last projects he worked on before he passed away in November 2017 was a solo show at London’s Design Museum that would tie in with a new Maison Alaïa flagship store on Bond Street.

Alaïa had prepared the exhibition with gallerist Carla Sozzani, curator Mark Wilson, and the co-director of the Design Museum Alice Black. Entitled ‘Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier’, it will showcase more than 60 outstanding pieces in front of a series of five monumental screens. ‘There has never been an Alaïa show in London. He did not stage big fashion shows and while he was an icon, he was also quite private,’ says Sozzani, founder of Galleria Carla Sozzani and 10 Corso Como in Milan. ‘People don’t necessarily know about his work so it’s wonderful to have this show – the first fashion exhibition at the Design Museum’s Kensington location.’

‘We saw the show as an installation rather than a retrospective,’ says Wilson, who had masterminded two Alaïa shows in 1997 and 2011 at the Netherlands’ Groninger Museum, where he works as chief curator. He came up with the idea for the screens to highlight the sculptural qualities of Alaïa’s clothes: ‘The architectural interventions allow for a 360-degree take on every piece. And it was obvious as to who would make them, as Alaïa had such great relationships with those designers and collected their work.’

Marc Newson, Konstantin Grcic, Kris Ruhs and the Bouroullec brothers were invited to collaborate. To all, Alaïa was a friend, patron and mentor. The brief was to create screens that would complement Alaïa’s work. All battled with the structural complexities of making vast freestanding pieces that could be assembled on site.

In terms of scale, Newson’s is the most ambitious. ‘It was crucial that the pieces remain about Alaïa rather than those intervening to enhance his work,’ says Newson. ‘That’s what we do as designers. I am always working for clients before working for myself. This project was no different, but there is a personal tinge to it because of our friendship,’ adds Newson, who first met Alaïa, through Sozzani, when living in Paris in the early 1990s.

Alaïa collected numerous Newson pieces, including the first aluminium lounger that he made as part of his graduate collection at art school in Sydney. ‘I’ve no idea of how he got hold of it,’ says Newson.

‘There are qualities in Alaïa’s work which shine through: simplicity mixed with technical complexity, rigour, subtlety, sensuality and transparency,’ he continues. ‘There is transparency in many of his garments and that is also the quality of a screen. It’s not a wall, but it has to have some play of light and movement within the absolute structural parameters.’ Newson chose anodised aluminium for his design, adding ‘the metal contrasts and complements the idea that everything around it is a textile’.

The piece, made by aluminium specialist Neal Feay in California, comprises 64 giant tiles, patterned using machine tools and boasting a soft, velvet-like surface. ‘The panels intersect, creating a random yet orderly pattern – almost like a houndstooth,’ says Newson. ‘The anodising process creates these subtle, profound colours – in this case, a flesh pink hue that Alaïa loved. It doesn’t look like hard metal, but sensual and tactile.’

The mission of giving hard surfaces a soft textile-like appearance is a nod to Alaïa’s own material experiments. If he could not find what he liked, he had it developed. He worked in densely-knit tricot for his famous body-sculpting dresses, in fine leather that he made appear as malleable as silk, in semisheer chiffon, sinuous bias-cut silk jersey and laser-cut lace. ‘He would often combine hard architectural elements, such as studs, with fluid materials, creating a tension,’ says Wilson, who has arranged the garments in themes, including volume, African-inspired outfits, black and bandage dresses.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec first met Alaïa in 2002 at the opening of their show at Galerie Kreo. Alaïa bought almost the entire collection. ‘It was a sympathetic meeting of shy people with like minds,’ says Ronan. For the Design Museum show, the duo decided on a glass screen. ‘Alaïa had a very precise understanding of silhouette. His clothes are elegant, refined and precise,’ says Ronan. Their textured glass panels (manufactured by Schott AG in Germany) are embedded with a film that creates a wave of gradating grey tones. ‘The quality is neither transparent nor opaque, but translucent,’ says Ronan.

It will be in sharp contrast to the contribution from sculptor Kris Ruhs, who worked with craftsmen in his Marrakech studio for a highly textural, organic piece. ‘It’s like a piece of jewellery, handmade in aluminium,’ says Ruhs. The artist, who created accessories for Alaïa, as well as store interiors, has also worked on a second screen for the show, to display artworks by Alaïa’s partner Christoph von Weyhe.

Konstantin Grcic’s screen is fashioned from polished stainless steel, manufactured by Ronchetti in Italy. ‘Because of the reflective surface, the material becomes somewhat immaterial, like a mirror,’ says Grcic, who constructed the piece from a grid-like pattern of panels. ‘The metal has an undulating surface and one edge is laser cut in a zigzag, like the cut of a tailor’s pinking shears.’ Alaïa owned several Grcic pieces, including a table and a vitrine from his Galerie Kreo shows.

Alaïa’s extensive collection of design and fashion is meticulously archived and housed in the Marais. ‘It’s a subterranean space that has to be as big as a Parisian block,’ says Newson. Works are also on show in his atelier and in stores. The 6,000 sq ft Maison Alaïa store on Bond Street, which is set over three floors, displays designs by Piero Lissoni, Renzo Piano, Naoto Fukasawa, wall sculptures by Ruhs and paintings by von Weyhe, curated by Alaïa and Sozzani, who will now oversee the studio and collections and head up the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation.

Alaïa’s last couture collection was presented in July 2017 and starred his friend Naomi Campbell in a striking velvet bodice and studded pleated gown. Several pieces from this collection will be on show. The giant-scale outfits are juxtaposed with film footage and Richard Wentworth’s almost forensic photographs of the atelier, which he shot over a period of two years. Legions of devotees, including Charlotte Stockdale, Farida Khelfa, Sofia Coppola, Brigitte Macron and Michelle Obama, worship the liberation (the construction is so meticulous that constrictive underwear is unnecessary) and refined eroticism of Alaïa’s clothes. At the time of his death, he was occupied with rescaling all the looks in the show to work with the epic dimensions of the installation.

Just as there is a sense of beautiful complicity between the couturier and the wearer, with Alaïa’s clothes there is also a union of design and culture. ‘All the designers you speak to have such reverence for Alaïa. Through the show we wanted to underline and appreciate that,’ says Black. Adds Newson, ‘Alaïa’s sphere of appreciation was just so broad – he was far more interested in design in general than fashion specifically.’

That like-mindedness was not simply theoretical. It was in Alaïa’s kitchen during his frequent gatherings that bonds were sealed. ‘His circle of friends was vast and from all walks of life. You could be sitting next to Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Bacall, Tadao Ando or Jack Lang – he had a fervid interest in so many things, a big heart and a really mischievous sense of humour,’ reminisces Newson. Says Wilson, ‘The exhibition will be a vision of the epic and the intimate, and a celebration of a generous genius at the epicentre of 20th- and 21st-century design.

Much of Alaïa’s design collection was purchased from Didier and Clémence Krzentowski, founders of Galerie Kreo in Paris. We talk to Clémence about their relationship...

Wallpaper*: How did you first meet Alaïa?
Clémence Krzentowski: Didier and I did a show with Marc [Newson] in 2000, the year after our gallery opened, which is when we met Azzedine. We have a saying in French – ‘On s’est rencontrés et on est tombés amoureux’ – which means we met and fell in love. It was instant connection. Azzedine often referred to Didier as his brother, and Christoph [von Weyhe] said that, in some ways, they even looked alike.

W*: What was your friendship with him like?
CK: We shared all the important moments of our lives with Azzedine. He came to the gallery to see every show, and we often went to events and design fairs together. Most of our encounters were in his kitchen, which was like a second home to us. We talked about fashion and design, but also art, food and nature. He was fascinated by everything. I once asked one of his assistants what he’d learned from Azzedine and he very earnestly replied, ‘I learned life’.

W*: Who did Alaïa admire?
CK: Azzedine loved Marc’s work from the beginning. Marc barely speaks French, and Azzedine didn’t speak English, but they understood each other completely, and Azzedine had a lot of joy in designing the wedding dress for Marc’s wife, Charlotte [Stockdale]. He also had a deep respect and admiration for Konstantin [Grcic], as they were both radical thinkers who enjoyed discovering new things. As for Ronan and Erwan [Bouroullec], he collected their work from the beginning. And since they lived in Paris, they would sometimes come to his kitchen, too.

W*: Do you see similarities in the ways in which Alaïa designed couture and collected furniture?
CK: He was fantastically open-minded about collecting, just as he was about designing. The only criteria he cared about was the content behind each thing. If a piece was interesting, he would want to have it, whether it was a light, a table, a chair, or a work of fashion, art or photography. But he didn’t collect that many names; it would be many pieces from the same people. His relationship with them ran deep.

W*: How was his design collection displayed?
CK: He lived with his pieces, from the Jean Prouvé petrol station that was in his bedroom to pieces by Konstantin and Ronan and Erwan. He had a lot of respect for his things, but he also believed that they should be enjoyed. Since he had too many pieces to have them all at home, the rest was kept at his Paris studio and workshop on rue de la Verrerie. Sometimes we would go and look at all the big boxes containing pieces that hadn’t yet been installed. I do hope they will find their way to his foundation.

As originally featured in the June 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*231)

Related: Jony Ive remembers Azzedine Alaïa

INFORMATION

‘Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier’ is on view until 7 October. For more information, visit the Design Museum website

ADDRESS

Design Museum
224-238 Kensinton High Street
Kensington
London
W8 6AG

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On a wet March day in a small industrial town, under an hour north-west of Venice, Ronan Bouroullec is in the main hall of a vast glass-casting factory belonging to London-based brand WonderGlass. Here, basking in the glow of the furnaces, he is standing atop a platform to get a bird’s-eye view of the factory floor below, where a team of craftsmen wrestle with vats of molten glass, expertly working it into simple but elegant shapes. The sculptural designs are new pieces by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for WonderGlass, set to be unveiled during Milan’s Salone del Mobile.

Although it is the Paris-based brothers’ first collaboration with the brand, it’s not their first with its co-founder, Maurizio Mussati, who recently completed an eight-year tenure at furniture brand Established & Sons. ‘For me, Ronan and Erwan are the best in the business,’ says Mussati. ‘They are very precise. Ronan is also very direct. If he doesn’t like something, he will tell you. He doesn’t compromise.’

Mussati founded WonderGlass with his son and business partner Christian Mussati in 2013, launching an impressive debut collection of lights designed by industry heavyweights Nendo, Jaime Hayon, Nao Tamura and Zaha Hadid.

While the company produces glass collections under its own name – and also runs WonderLab, a research department focusing on innovation, bespoke solutions and the blending of glass with other materials – the Mussatis estimate that more than 50 per cent of their business lies in creating bespoke works in glass for other brands and architects, most of the time anonymously. Chanel’s glass-brick storefront in Amsterdam, designed by MVRDV, was produced at the WonderGlass factory, while architect Richard Meier called upon its expertise to produce some of his lighting collection last year. ‘The industry knows that we are the best in Europe for cast-glass production,’ says Maurizio, who divides his time between Venice and London. ‘The team is fantastic; they’ve worked together for at least 15 years and they are like a machine, each one has his own role.’

Ronan Bouroullec (centre) is flanked by WonderGlass founders Maurizio Mussati (left) and Christian Mussati (right) at the brand’s factory near Venice.

Called Alcova, meaning ‘a place where the lovers meet’ in Italian, the Bouroullecs’ cast-glass collection comprises alcoves and cylindrical vessels that together form shrine-like displays in a delicate palette of grey, green, clear and amber. The alcoves, made in three different shapes, form a backdrop for the thick glass cylinders, which can be displayed individually or stacked to create tall vessels. ‘We’ve designed vases since the beginning,’ says Ronan, who set up design shop with Erwan in 1998. ‘But there has very often been a question of how to display or how to link a composition.’

The arched alcove shape is a familiar fixture in the Bouroullecs’ design vocabulary, appearing in creations such as their ‘Conque’ lights (2010) and ‘Honda’ vases (2001) for Galerie Kreo. The brothers are also experienced in working with glass, having collaborated with both Glas Italia and Iittala on blown-glass pieces. But the glass-casting technique that produces the new collection’s organic, imperfect finish is one that they only discovered in 2016.

‘The starting point for the collection was a project in which we created a table with a cast-glass top and blown-glass legs,’ recalls Ronan. ‘The cast table top was made using a particular technique that we wanted to take further.’ The discovery of the process led the Bouroullecs to WonderGlass, and the Alcova project has been in the works since July last year.

To create the alcoves, a group of eight craftsmen pour the molten glass onto a flat surface and roll it out like dough into an even thickness. The molten glass is then scooped up like a pizza and draped over the mould, where the craftsmen, equipped with masks and all manner of tools, surround the glowing orange form like a pack moving in on their prey, before speedily setting to work trimming its edges, ironing out its kinks and smoothing out the surface until a perfect alcove form is achieved.

The piece is left to cool for a minute, then prised away from the mould before being lifted into an annealing oven (or lehr), where the temperature is carefully controlled to avoid cracking or shattering the glass as it cools. ‘The cooling process can take a few hours or longer depending on the thickness and size of the glass,’ explains Christian as he watches the craftsmen carefully transferring the pieces into the lehr. ‘There’s a very precise formula.’

Ronan Bouroullec examines an alcove. Its thick glass shows off the marks of the production process.

Meanwhile, the creation of the simple-looking cylinders, he says, has been much more challenging. In this case, the glass is poured into a cylindrical mould in a slow spiral motion. Removing the glass from the mould is particularly challenging as it’s prone to cracking if it cools too quickly. If all goes well, the result is thick, glass sculptures that appear like blocks of ice, proudly displaying fold lines and imperfections created by the making process.

‘It is not a decorative effect; it’s the result of the piece’s manufacture, because with all of this imperfection, you understand a bit about how it has been made,’ says Ronan, examining the coiled layers of glass in one of the cylindrical vessels.

‘What is interesting here is to find the parameter of imperfection – the point where imperfection is interesting and where it stops,’ he continues. ‘I am more and more interested in this question of sensuality and vibrations inside a piece. These pieces are full of life because they are not made by a robot or a machine.’

For the Mussatis, the Alcova collection, which they describe as ‘a major investment’, is a chance to demonstrate that their factory is capable of producing much more than just lighting. ‘We understand that, very often, WonderGlass is perceived as a lighting company, and that is not all that we are,’ explains Maurizio. ‘We want to make clear that we are a glass company and we are ready to say yes to everything.’

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

INFORMATION

The Alcova collection by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec is at WonderGlass’ ‘Kosmos’ exhibition, on show from 17 – 22 April at Salone del Mobile. For more information, visit the Wonderglass website and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s website

ADDRESS

Istituto dei Ciechi
Vivaio 7
Milan

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Upstairs at the east London HQ of British furniture brand Established & Sons, Sebastian Wrong crosses his long legs and perches on a Quilt sofa, designed for the brand by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Assistants are sent away so we can talk alone. ‘I’m not Kim Jong-un,’ he laughs, although, coincidentally, the sofa is a shade of North Korean red, and the company Wrong co-founded, left and rejoined last spring has had as tumultuous a past as many a wayward state.

During this year’s Salone, in his resumed role as Established & Sons’ design director, Wrong is launching the brand’s first new collection for six years. It’s a big moment for the rock ‘n’ roll furniture manufacturer, which, since its birth 13 years ago, has suffered the departure of its five founders (former chairman Angad Paul committed suicide in 2015), huge debts, loss of direction and near extinction, before being brought back from the brink last year by three new owners.

Five new pieces, including the handblown ‘Filigrana’ light by Wrong, will be unveiled within the Fiera. Two sofas by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Konstantin Grcic are headline acts, there’s a light by young Swiss designer Dimitri Bähler, and a chair by octogenarian Italian Mauro Pasquinelli. They represent a fresh start, says Wrong, and signal a move into ‘more accessible, competitively priced, relevant products’.

Almost the opposite, then, to what E&S became known for when, in 2005, it wowed Milan with a daring debut collection of eight pieces by Britain’s best designers, including Amanda Levete’s ‘Chester’ sofa, the limited-edition ‘Aqua’ table by the late Zaha Hadid, and the ‘Zero-In’ table by Barber & Osgerby. E&S’ original mission – to make everything in the UK with Paul’s steelmaking family firm, Caparo – challenged the traditional (mainly Italian) production landscape.

From left, ‘Barbican’ divan, by Konstantin Grcic, a geometric sofa available in three textile combinations, with memory foam pads; ‘Light’ lights, by Dimitri Bähler, a series of lamps, made from Japanese paper and carbon fibre, that emit a soft, diffused light; ‘Filigrana’ lamps, by Sebastian Wrong, a set of four handblown, acid-etch suspension lights, available in three colourways; ‘Cassette’ sofa, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, available in distinct metals, this sofa is easy to assemble and take apart.

Jay Osgerby, who worked with E&S from the start, recalls: ‘Established was a phenomenon; it totally unsettled the market. Everyone, from Flos to Vitra, was talking about this ambitious young powerhouse.’ High-octane parties accompanied every launch; in 2005, E&S laid on four double decker buses to collect visitors from all over London and bring them to a bus depot in Hoxton to see the collection. ‘The parties had such glamour and energy,’ says Osgerby.

‘We were fuelled up and firing on all cylinders,’ says Wrong. ‘It was a very free-spirited platform, and we took risks and worked with amazing people.’ Did they ever say no to anything? ‘Occasionally,’ he laughs, ‘but being ambitious and outspoken were our core principles.’

For years, E&S steamed ahead, making high-concept, costly pieces, ignoring the late delivery times and distribution problems that were starting to tarnish its glittering reputation. ‘There were consistent delays,’ recalls Simon Alderson, co-founder of design retailer Twentytwentyone. ‘It had such a diverse range, and a huge supply base, but if you have too many variants, you run into problems.’ In 2007, realising that Caparo’s skills in making pressed car parts were not easily transferrable to the furniture sector, E&S had to abandon its ‘British Made’ tag and produce in Italy. Still, the collection grew and became increasingly random.

Alderson finally gave up on the brand in 2015, but last year, his faith restored by the new regime, he reintroduced pieces from the E&S back catalogue, including the Wrongwoods collection by Wrong and artist Richard Woods, and the ‘Zero-In’ table, which, thanks to a slicker production process, now sells for £950 instead of £1,500. Alderson says, ‘The fact that Sebastian is back has given me confidence. He’s a great figurehead and curator, and understands the brand like no one else.’ Sales, finances and distribution – E&S’ former weak spots – are now overseen by three new owners with promising skill sets: Vincent Frey is the grandson of Pierre Frey, founder of the Parisian fabric house; London-based Patrick Mueller-Hermann is a management consultant; and Swiss investor Ramzi Wakim has a background in hotels.

The new team’s first move was to cull the collection by two-thirds, relegating 102 products to the archive. Taken together, the remaining 42 pieces no longer look like they’re about to break into a fist fight. ‘At times the collection has been confusing,’ Wrong concedes. ‘Our DNA matches the perception of what British design – its edginess – is all about. But we do need to change from being a company that makes objects you look at with curiosity to one that makes things you want to live with.’

Wrong is well placed to oversee this transition. He left E&S in 2012 and a year later joined Danish brand Hay as design director. As well as launching more than 30 products, including the Wrong London lighting range, he injected the mid-market Scandinavian brand with pizazz, hosting glitzy launches in Milan’s La Pelota, where once E&S had partied. His four-year stint at Hay, he says, has given him ‘insight into design development and costs, and what products must do to deliver. Established is not there yet,’ he adds, ‘but it’s early days.’

E&S has always drawn star designers and it was not hard to reel in Grcic and the Bouroullecs. ‘As a designer, Established was brilliant to work for,’ says Osgerby. ‘You want your producer to have ambition and belief and a desire to get the job done.’ And while big names sell and headline acts draw attention, Wrong doesn’t want to abandon E&S’ experimental roots.

Over the years he has put graduation projects by the likes of Shay Alkalay of Raw-Edges and Wouter Scheublin into production and given countless young designers a break. The Pasquinelli project is something of a departure. When Wrong came across a chair by the veteran designer in a factory in Italy, he hunted down an unrealised 1976 design of another chair by Pasquinelli and set about producing it. (It’s the first time that E&S has ‘rebooted’ a living designer; in his heyday, Pasquinelli was well known among the chair experts of Manzano.)

‘Priced at around £550, it’s a working chair and relates to a period I like very much,’ says Wrong. ‘And we need some bread and butter chairs in the collection.’ The other new pieces also ‘fill the gaps’ and cater to a world in which ‘meetings take place on sofas rather than in boardrooms, online retail is on the rise, and battery life is a constant battle.’

Anyone who remembers what a ballsy game-changer E&S was is rooting for them. ‘It helped us create three of the most iconic products we’ve ever made,’ says Osgerby. ‘I hope it can carry on making brilliant pieces.’ Alderson adds, ‘The quality of design is so high, it deserves to succeed. It was such a positive addition. It didn’t follow trends; it invented its own language.’

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

See more of Sebastian Wrong’s ‘Filigrana’ lamp. Video: courtesy of Established & Sons

INFORMATION

Established & Sons’ new collection is on view at Pavilion 16 D43 from 17 – 22 April at Salone Del Mobile. For more information, visit the Established & Sons website

ADDRESS

Rho Fiera
Strada Statale Sempion, 28
20017
Milan

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Pictured, Bild X concept TV, price on request, by Bodo Sperlein, for Loewe. ‘USM Haller’ table, price on request, by USM. LSPX-S1 speaker, £799, by Sony. Crystal box, £595, by Asprey. 16GB calfskin USB key, £220, by LaCie, for Hermès. BeoSound Shape wall-mounted speakers, from £2,920, by Øivind Alexander Slaatto, for Bang & Olufsen. ‘Sussex’ sideboard, £2,554, by Terence Woodgate, for Punt, from Twentytwentyone. Zegna Toyz turntable, £2,870; headphones, £670, both by Master & Dynamic, for Ermenegildo Zegna Couture. Ottava Forte sound system, £799, by Technics. LS50 wireless speaker, £2,500 per pair, by Marcel Wanders, for KEF Audio. ‘Anais’ chair, €3,500, by Draga & Aurel, for Baxter. Paint in Book Room Red (on wall) and Picture Gallery Red (on skirting), £40 per 2.5 litres, both by Farrow & Ball. ‘Devonia Plain’ carpet in Autumn Fall, £43 per m, by Axminster Carpets. Interiors: Amy Heffernan

This year has been a busy year for futuristic technology. We celebrated the rise of the robot; the idea of autonomous driving has rolled off the drawing board and onto the highway; and, after a slow start, electric bikes have finally started to get us in a spin. We’ve even come around to the idea of smart vaping.

Alongside this high concept stuff, there’s still room in our lives for simple, clever tech solutions – and we’re filling our interiors with them. Here’s a few of our favourites...

Beoplay P2, by Bang & Olufsen

The ultra-portable P2 – a pocket-sized powerhouse – is aesthetically and sonically simple. The smooth, pebble-shaped device is completely button-free, controlled remotely by an app. To change, skip or pause a track, simply give the hand-held speaker a shake.

On first impression this might seem a little gimmicky – just another digital language to learn, struggle with and swiftly forget – but the unique control design is surprisingly intuitive. It’s a novel design that appeals to Beoplay’s ‘youthful and energetic’ audience base, says design and concept manager Jakob Kristoffersen.

DOCK, by Native Union

When John Brunner and Igor Duc teamed up to create Native Union in 2009, they set out to offer an alternative to mass-produced charges, cables and technology storage solutions. In doing so, they powered up the aesthetic potential of tech accessories, realising their ability to double as beautiful statement objects.

For the marble watch stand DOCK, which doubles as an Apple watch charger, the pair were inspired by the tech titan’s minimal approach and understated look. Brushed aluminium is paired with fine-grade marble and magnetically holds the watch band in place, buckled or unbuckled.

X-A3 camera, by Fujifilm

Retro design notes meet contemporary usability in Fujifilm’s X-A3. Touchscreen operation pairs with wireless communication and a 180° tilting, ‘portrait enhancing’ LCD screen (developed specifically for taking the perfect selfie), all encased in a faux-leather, 1950s-esque shell.

Aimed at ‘phoneographers’ after an upgrade, the X-A3 also comes with Instagram-style filters and a ‘smile’ shutter. Like the P2, this entry-level mirrorless camera also relies on an app – the Fujifilm Camera Remote app – which allows you to upload your images directly from the camera onto your social channels, and takes much of the unnecessary clutter away from the streamlined in-camera menu system.

Bild X Concept TV, by Loewe

Loewe has impressed this year, by taking its innovative, visually interesting TV concepts and making them into real, functional products – and nabbing a Wallpaper* Design Awards nomination in the along the way. In doing so, they've taken TV design in a new direction: out of the hands of technologists and into the hands of interior experts. 

Its latest release, the Bild X Concept, is still in the developmental stage. Debuted at IFA Berlin in September and designed by London-based designer Bodo Sperlein, its paper-thin gold frame is inspired by the way sails hang from a mast. Its ‘sail’, so to speak, is the unbelievably slim OLED screen, which can be detached from the frame with a simple click-in mechanism. A novel approach, where all the electronics are entirely distinct from the screen itself, makes for what Sperlein describes as a ‘truly smart TV’. A simple shift in thinking, this move towards the modular ‘releases the TV from its usual webbed anchor of cables’ and allows it to be moved, adapted and adjusted, by even the most novice technology owner with ease.

A version of this article appeared in the December 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*225)

Left, ‘Mia’ armchair, £2,318, by Francesco Bettoni, for MDF Italia, from Aram. ‘Cheshire’ lamp, £332, by GamFratesi, for Fontana Arte. Side table, £871, by Eileen Gray, for ClassiCon, from Aram. ‘Junto’ cup, £10, by Simon Legald, for Normann Copenhagen. Echo Show, £200, by Amazon. ‘Barbry’ bowl, £50, by Georg Jensen. The Frame TV, from £1,999, by Yves Béhar, for Samsung. ‘Compile’ shelving, from £798, by Cecilie Manz, for Muuto. Pot and plant, price on request, from Patch. Pebble, £95, by Michael Kilraine, from Twentytwentyone. ‘Junto’ carafe, £29; cup, £10; ‘Salon’ tray, £74, all by Simon Legald, for Normann Copenhagen. Books, part of the West Coast Modern House series, published by ORO Editions. Sky Soundbox, price on request, by Devialet. Paint in Book Room Red and Picture Gallery Red; Axminster carpet, all as before. Right, ‘Day’ wall clock, £80, by Simon Legald, for Normann Copenhagen. ‘Tense’ table, £3,300, by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga, for MDF Italia. ‘Roquebrune’ chair, £1,039, by Eileen Gray, for ClassiCon, from Aram. Reykjavik speaker, £129, by Michael Sørensen, for Vifa. Thunderbolt 3 hard drive, £1,749, by Neil Poulton, for LaCie. ‘Tip’ lamp, £235, by Jens Fager, for Muuto. Surface Pro laptop, £799; Surface Pro Signature Type Cover in burgundy, £150; Surface Pen, £100; Arc Touch Mouse Surface, £60, all by Microsoft. Eclipse marble charger, $180, by Native Union. LG Q6 phone, £250, by LG. Norton Core router, $280, by Symantec, for Norton. ‘Nouveau Pin’ board, €531, by All The Way To Paris, for Please Wait To Be Seated. Gold bin, €350, by Sarah Illenberger. Paint in Setting Plaster, as before

Left, ‘Giraffe’ console, £1,800, by &New. Galaxy S8 phone, £689, by Samsung. Amber glass vase, £88, by Lyngby. ‘Lundstrøm’ bowl, £42, by Nicholai Wiig Hansen, for Raawii, from Twentytwentyone. Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, £26 for 275g, by Charbonnel et Walker. Marble watch charging dock, $129, by Native Union. Tambour Horizon watch, £2,600, by Louis Vuitton. Beoplay P2 speaker, £149, by Cecilie Manz, for B&O Play. Urban Speed 2-in-1 Rollerball with ScreenWriter, £590, by Montblanc. X-A3 camera, £549, by Fujifilm. Paint in Setting Plaster, £40 per 2.5 litres, by Farrow & Ball. Right, ‘Cubo’ four-drawer cabinet, £1,295, by Theo Williams, for Another Brand. Bravia KD55A1 OLED TV, £3,000, by Sony. Yoga 920 copper laptop, £1,100, by Lenovo. PX noise-cancelling headphones, £330, by Bowers & Wilkins. Metal side table, £520, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Vitra, from Chaplins. ‘Ebury’ tech tidy, £395, by Linley. iPad Pro in rose gold, £619, by Apple. Alpha One phone, $1,000, by Tonino Lamborghini. ‘Edge’ indoor pot, £28, by Skagerak, from Skandium. ‘Bordeaux’ pouf, £539, by Ferm Living. ‘Multi-Lite’ pendant, from €549, by Louis Weisdorf, for Gubi. Paint in Setting Plaster (on wall) and Dead Salmon (on skirting), both £40 per 2.5 litres, by Farrow & Ball. ‘Princedale Pale’ rug, from £750, by Farrow & Ball, for The Rug Company

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Beoplay, Native Union, Fujifilm and Loewe websites

Leading the field in fabric design and innovation since 1968, Danish textile brand Kvadrat has opened a new 795 sq m HQ in Copenhagen, bringing its signature textile wares to the city’s northern harbour, an enclave of creativity and innovation. Designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (who have also collaborated with Kvadrat on ranges including the ‘Clouds’ textile tiles and roller blinds), the concept for the outpost is centred on notions of materiality and exhibiting the genuine beauty of a fabric.

With whitewashed walls, concrete flooring and large textile canvases suspended from bespoke aluminium rails (a flexible way of transforming the showroom in a moment’s notice for clients, guests and architects seeking inspiration), the space feels like an art gallery at first sight. However, as textiles are applied to even the smallest details here – think FLOS lamps sitting on solid textile board storage cupboards by Really Copenhagen, crafted out of cotton and wool (typically downgraded in existing recycling processes) – the products shouldn’t be awe-inspiring pieces of art that cannot be touched; nor are they fixed entities as in a gallery. Rather, and as explained by Kvadrat, this is a working showroom or laboratory where visitors are immersed in the ongoing design process itself, encouraged to explore Kvadrat’s textile universe.

This fluid concept and move away from permanent or static showroom identities was achieved by playing with light, used by the Bouroullecs to highlight both movement and materiality. To create depth and connect the expanse with Kvadrat’s urban culture, different glass profiles, such as large glass windows and interior partitions like brick layering were introduced, complementing the industrial aesthetics of the interior and staying true to its Nordhavn roots.

A former storage space used by dockers, the showroom exemplifies durability, but is beautifully juxtaposed with Kvadrat’s drooping, softer fabrics. Believing that textiles encourage people to behave better by unveiling a more delicate side in each of us, Kvadrat and the Bouroullecs also demonstrate that in softness there is a quiet power.

Watch the making of the new Copenhagen Kvadrat showroom

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Kvadrat website

ADDRESS

Pakhus 48
Klubiensvej 22
2150 Nordhavn
Copenhagen

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This piece currently holds the Handmade record for taking the most time to create, and is unlikely to see it broken any time soon. When we originally approached designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec with an invitation to collaborate with legendary embroiderer Lesage Intérieurs for Handmade 2016, they gracefully declined. They argued that the standard four month timescale that we usually work to for Handmade projects was just not enough, bearing in mind not only their existing design commitments, but also the amount of time required to get to grips with the potential pitfalls of an unfamiliar craft.

But we’re not ones to take no for an answer, especially when we knew it would be such an exciting collaboration. So at last year’s Salone del Mobile, we persuaded them to meet with Lesage that June with the intention of working on a project for Handmade 2017. This would give them a clear ten months to complete the commission, a fortuitous move as the Bouroullecs’ piece would eventually take around 1,000 hours to embroider entirely by hand.

Lesage Intérieurs was set up in 1993 by Jean-François Lesage, a fourth-generation embroiderer and son of the celebrated haute couture embroiderer François Lesage. The company is dedicated to producing exquisite bespoke handiwork for interiors projects, and we had been looking for a way to bring a thoroughly contemporary point of view to a very traditional skill set. The Bouroullecs made the perfect partners.

We took the brothers to Lesage’s couture workshops in Paris, where some of the world’s most skilled artisans spend countless hours creating opulent embroidery for the likes of Christian Dior and Chanel. The visit was something of an eye opener for the Bouroullecs, who work mainly with industrial manufacturers such as Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis and Samsung. They now began to see embroidery more as a language and technique they could apply and adapt rather than as just a mere stylistic flourish or archaic symbol of luxury.

Still, the brothers had concerns, ‘a fear of being able to make something with a certain honesty and relevance to the contemporary world’, admits Erwan. And perhaps of misusing the skills made available to them – ‘like being with the world’s best piano player and asking him to play something too lightweight’.

They were determined, though, to bring a new energy and punch to the art. ‘We did not want to approach it just as a picture, something decorative.’ They had already been researching digital software coding for a client and wanted to see how they could make that work for this project. ‘Embroidery is a way to make pictures or something graphic, something that people recognise, like uniforms for the army, embedded with very clear codes or signs.’ Yet in an era of Smartphone photography, ‘people can’t read the embroidery – or they have lost the ability to read it’, so they found a solution where ‘software would act as a translator for an ancient technique, to speak the words of a contemporary picture’.

Taking inspiration from our holy theme, the project was named ‘The Veil’, and its execution took place in Lesage’s Vastrakala workshop in Chennai, India. To create their veil, the designers chose to use a fabric by Kvadrat, a company with whom they have a longstanding connection. Designed by Erik Ole Jørgensen in 1987, ‘Time 300’ is a yarn-dyed Trivera fabric, which uses a weaving process that employs two different shades – one in the weft and the other in the warp – to create a subtle two-tone effect. The fabric was stretched over a giant wooden loom, held in place with straps. This allowed more than ten men to work simultaneously on the cloth, which measured 6m x 3m. Oversized pixels, in the form of 7,200 custom-made frosted blue PVC paillettes in three sizes, were then hand-stitched in blue cotton mouliné, a task that involved 180,000 individual stitches from a team of 20, who clocked in more than 1,000 hours.

Traditionally, fabric is embroidered on one side only and lined at the back, but the Bouroullecs requested that the thread be beautifully finished on both sides, so that the piece could be viewed from all angles. Jean-François Lesage says this approach is extremely rare, comparing it to ‘having a back stage as clear as the main stage’. For Lesage, the challenge was ‘mostly to ensure a perfect positioning of each element to respect the architectural aspect of the décor’. He had expected a ‘culture shock’ between ‘the past and the present’, but he and his team found the experience to be positive, constructive and fruitful or, as he put it, ‘a nice encounter between poets’.

Erwan adds, ‘Embroidery is an amazing language, full of diverse expression and manner. In a way, it is like the origin of pixels, with each point making a part of the picture while also conveying its own weight and magic.’ As for the finished piece, the pair were very impressed that it was constructed using so few tools – just a piece of wood to stretch the fabric, a needle, thread, scissors, and hands. Amazingly simple!

As originally featured in the August 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*221)

Watch the making of ‘The Veil’ in Lesage Intérieurs’ workshops in Chennai

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s website, and the Lesage Intérieurs website

At this year’s Salone del Mobile, that most sacred of design gatherings, we called the Wallpaper* flock to the Mediateca Santa Teresa, a deconsecrated church on Via della Moscova. And there did true believers, as well as the odd agnostic, enjoy intimate communion with spirit-lifting design and craft at its most transcendent.

This issue bears witness to the divine efforts of our various dynamic design duos and hastily assembled bands of brothers and sisters. From genesis to revelation, we pull back the veil on projects from the Bouroullecs, Tom Dixon, Kostas Murkudis, Sabine Marcelis, Conrad Shawcross, Matteo Thun, Doshi Levien and a multitude more. Here are fonts and sarcophagi, tools for meditation and mindfulness, settings for blessed beginnings and suitable send-offs, devotional fixtures and fittings, and simple, elegantly austere sanctuaries for the modern soul.

In all, and rare, seriousness, we hope the spirit of this year’s Handmade exhibition, and this issue, is one of calm reflection and communion, entirely inclusive and strictly non-denominational. Salone and Handmade are truly global events, celebrations of cross-border collaboration and friendships forged in the creative act. They recognise that we can still at least hope to make the world, in small ways perhaps, a more civilised and lovely place to be.

Onwards and upwards!

Tony Chambers, Editor-in-Chief

As originally featured in the August 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*221)

INFORMATION

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

We invite you to fall down on your knees and worship at the altar of Holy Handmade!, our showcase of creativity and collaboration, at Mediateca Santa Teresa, a former church on Via della Moscova, Milan. Our pilgrimage to Salone del Mobile promises to be a truly elevating experience. A non-denominational temple to design, Holy Handmade! leads a ritual celebration of divine inspiration, high craft and the sacred union of miraculous materials, the maker’s mark and the odd infernal machine. Mindful of mindfulness and the collective spiritual quest, we’ve tasked a host of design talent to reimagine ritual, rework worship and reconsider the communal.

Visitors will be invited to confess behind Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and Lesage Intérieurs’ ‘Veil’, rest in pieces in Tom Dixon and Paper Factor’s sustainable sarcophagus, store their cassocks in Paul Helbers and Smallbone’s wardrobe, light a candle to Martin Brudnizki’s votive holder, and drop a couple of Kostas Murkudis and Gustav van Treeck’s meditation tablets. Elsewhere, they can practice contemplation with Conrad Shawcross’ crystal titanium piece, be mindful with Matteo Thun’s care case, get an olfactory high with Bloc Studios and Haeckels’ scent diffuser, follow Yves Béhar’s Ten Commandments, and dip into Cutler and Gross and Doshi Levien’s time-capsule clutch when Jamie Fobert’s offertory bag is passed round.

The Wallpaper* Holy Handmade! temple also features...

The People’s Religion: A spectacular, vestibule entrance devoted to the design and deity of the people’s religion of football where Juventus will depict how it sees the future of football through its new brand proposition.

Planet Gufram: Offering a credible alternative to creationism, Gufram proves its products are out of this world. ‘A meteorite from Planet Gufram has crashed into the courtyard of Mediateca, spreading its fragments into the Handmade exhibition and recreating an alien ecosystem.’

Le Refuge: Presented by The Invisible Collection and designed by Marc Ange, ‘Le Refuge’ is a contemplative, palm-shaded daybed installation in a lush fantasy setting, by the Green Gallery, in the Mediateca garden.

We look forward to welcoming followers and disciples to Holy Handmade! during Salone del Mobile 2017. And may your god/shaman/other spirit guide travel with you.

INFORMATION

Holy Handmade! is open on 4 April 12 – 4pm; 5 – 8 April, 10am – 7pm, and 9 April, 10am – 5pm. For more information, contact us

ADDRESS

Mediateca Santa Teresa
Via della Moscova 28
20121 Milan

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Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec seem to be going in separate directions – at least conversationally. Ronan is calling himself an ‘old designer’ with an urge to create faster and faster, while Erwan, five years his junior, is expressing a counter desire to slow down and consider the true identity of a material.

As a counterpoint to this introspection, we shift to the brothers’ impressions of this year’s standout designs. Jasper Morrison, they both agree, was a ‘no-brainer’ for Designer of the Year. ‘Many of the things  I do now have a route back to his work,’ says Erwan. ‘He’s really looking at a lot of the world. He’s not a creator; he’s more.’

The choice of Naoshima Hall for Best New Public Building, Ronan says, was down to their respect for Japanese architecture today. ‘They’ve got their own way of playing with light, thickness, material. This project seems linked to this high level of quality.’

Astell & Kern’s ‘AK70’ music player (above) won their vote in the Domestic Design category for its perceived longevity, while the brothers have sharp-eyed observations on the fashion collections. Ronan on Raf Simons: ‘His way of working with colour is extremely precise; he has a particular palette, which I like a lot, even if it’s not mine. I also recognise the geometry of the clothes. He plays with angles in a sensual way.’

As originally featured in the February 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*215)

The Bouroullecs talk us through judging the 2017 Design Awards...

INFORMATION

See the shortlist and the winners of Design Awards 2017 in full here, including our extra-special Judges’ Awards

Creative duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are on a roll, dazzling the domestic design world with their recent projects. Launched in 2015, the Samsung Serif TV showed the brothers' knack for innovation as they merged furniture and electronics – the latter a field that they'd previously left rather untouched. Most recently they explored a new area of play, delving into environmental development with their project 'Rêveries Urbaines (Urban Daydreaming)', currently on view at Zaha Hadid's Fire Station at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.

A project that began in Brittany earlier this year, the pair were invited to create an exposé of their works, and as usual, they initially refused. After some persuasion, they decided to approach the exhibition in a different manner. ‘We wanted to do something important with a new subject,’ explains Ronan Bouroullec to Wallpaper*. ‘I thought it would be intelligent instead of doing one project, to do a sort of sketch book of ideas, about what we think about cities. Not necessarily about this one [Paris], but different ones too.’

And so began an exploration of urban fantasy, taking shape in the form of 18 architectural maquettes with their futurist ideas for nature-focused cities. The various mock-ups for public spaces include elevated greenery, artistic waterfalls, kinetic relaxation areas and hanging pergolas, all produced as research into recreating the harmony between a city, its architecture and the organic world.

‘I like being out of the comfort zone,’ says Ronan of their first foray into the subject. ‘[The artist] Paul Klee said he would have loved to have painted without knowing so much about the history of painting. We are the same; we grew up in the countryside, we are lucky to travel to different cities but we aren’t knowledgeable about the subject [of urban city development].’

Yet venturing into the unaware works like a charm for the French duo. The models – which draw from natural motifs, mimicking clouds, waterfalls, hanging trees – are not only forward-thinking but nod to the allure of 19th century gardens and parks, all imbued with their characteristic flair.

When asking Ronan if they envision these concepts as the future for city architecture, he replies, ‘I think this is the question of "the new city" – the question of elegance. The question of beauty in the city is not so much something we speak about, people are concerned more with efficiency. Of course it is important, but here we are talking about the beauty.’

And will any of the beautiful visions of 'urban fiction' be bought to life? The designer was keen to keep it all under wraps, but he did reveal that two of the structures are set to be produced in Miami and Aarhus very soon. Until then, we can continue to gawk at the miniature versions at the Vitra Museum until 22 January 2017.

INFORMATION

’Rêveries Urbaines (Urban Daydreaming)’ is on view until 22 January 2017. For more information, visit the Vitra Design Museum website

ADDRESS

Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Straße 2
79576 Weil am Rhein

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Last year, French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec delighted us with a collection of vases made in collaboration with Finnish brand Iittala. The range was titled 'Ruutu', a Finnish word meaning diamond or square which aptly described the pieces’ shapes. Colourful and geometric, the collection was a good demonstration of the brothers’ way with colour and simple forms.

Now the brothers are back with a new exploration of the medium. This time, however, they have taken glassblowing to a new extreme, creating oversized shapes that combine colour and texture in a novel way. Working again with the Finnish glassmaker (which also produced Alvar Aalto’s legendary glassworks), the Bouroullecs created a collection of 14 unique pieces in sizes that pushed the manufacturing possibilities of the material, with heights ranging from 35–63cm high.

To be able to produce vases in this size, the thickness of the glass was increased, resulting in a textured finish, which became an integral part of the design. The set features clear glass as well as olive green and amber colours – when combined the three shades create a series of juxtapositions and shadows that extend the collection’s aesthetic possibilities.

INFORMATION

'Ruutu' One-Off Edition is on display until 24 Decmber 2016. For more information, visit the Galerie Kreo website

ADDRESS

14A Hay Hill
London
W1J 8NZ

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It's no secret that we're a bit in awe of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec here at Wallpaper* HQ. 

The totemic design duo – and co-recipients of this year's Wallpaper* Design Awards 'Designer of the Year' accolade – have long been trend-setters and ground-breakers, with a multifaceted practice spanning furniture and architecture through urban planning and jewellery (and more). 

Thus, a new retrospective on the brothers' work is always call for some small celebration. Until August, the denizens of Brittany will be privy to a host of Bouroullec projects in the form of 'Exhibition in Rennes: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec', their first exhibition in the region. Held across Les Champs Libres, the Frac Bretange contemporary art museum and Le parlement de Bretagne, the show is conceived as two parts. 

The first comprises a 20-year retrospective of industrial projects between the eponymous studios and heavyweight design-world manufacturers such as Alessi, Magis, Kvadrat, Vitra, Artek and Samsung (the recent 'Serif' TV collaboration also won the Wallpaper* award for 'Best Domestic Design'). The display of furniture and domestic wares is complemented by an array of procedural ephemera drawn from the studio's archive, from development notebooks to scale models. 

'Urban Reveries' – installed at Les Champs Libres – comprises the duo's first municipal landscape design. A wealth of dioramic architectural models evoke beguiling new public places, sparsely set with rocky outcrops, elevated sculptural streams and gardens, and other reinvented 'urban patterns' – 'a wandering or urban dreaming based on a reflection of the city layout', the studio explains. 

2015's 'Le Kiosque' is located in the parliament courtyard. The Prouvé-channelling box – created in powder-coated steel, with an oak interior and overhanging roof – first appeared in Paris' Tuileries last October, a movable modular wonder originally conceived as a tool to integrate art in public places. Even without the surprise of the new, it still intrigues. (Here, the kisok is paired with 'Palissade', an offering of outdoor furniture designed in collaboration with Hay.)

Finally, '17 Screens' is an abstract display of hanging screens and a foray into the melding of 3D printing with more conventional production methods. Previously on show at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the futuristic constructions of glass, ceramic, wood and aluminium rods – as well as curtains of cup-like mouldings created by ceramics innovators Mutina and sheets of patterned textile – are as abstract a concept as we've seen from the Bouroullecs. (It's a little less Tron than the Tel Aviv layout, but this is still very much set within the liminal space between design and art – a masterful exercise in creating 'experimental and atmospheric modules’.)

Collectively, the show is a keenly-curated mixture of old and new – simultaneously affording a reassessment of design classics while hinting at more outré directions to come. As always, we're piqued. 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Bouroullec’s website

As the creator of beautiful timepieces with a long-standing association with design and architecture, Panerai was Wallpaper’s ideal partner for our annual Design Awards celebration event.

Notable guests – including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (our Designers of the Year), David Chipperfield, Albert Kriemler and Ilse Crawford – were invited to an intimate dinner hosted by Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers and Panerai’s Philippe De Saint Lager in the spectacular home of artist Sue Webster. Designed by Design Awards judge David Adjaye, the converted textile factory in the heart of London’s Shoreditch offered guests spectacular city views from the studio's wraparound balcony, as they enjoyed champagne and 'clever' canapés prepared by chef Bo Lindegaard of the Copenhagen-based I’m a Kombo catering specialists.

Once the party was seated (on Bouroullec-designed 'Officina' chairs for Magis, no less) Lindegaard presented elegantly carnivorous dishes inspired by the Best Cuts category from our Design Awards issue on yet another Bouroullec design – Alessi 'Ovale' crockery, which was itself decorated with stencilled-on spice-emulsions. Inga Sempé's award-winning 'Collo-Alto' cutlery and Spanish vineyard Ramón Bilbao Vinos y Viñedos' delicious Riojas, poured into Saint-Louis 'Twist 1586' glasses, completed the tablescape.  

Long before the prize winners and guests arrived, Wallpaper’s Composed team furnished Webster's home with the help of some of our favourite marques: 'Inari' console tables by Living Divani, Samsung’s award-winning 'Serif' TV (also by Designers of the Year, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec) and Retegui’s folding marble-topped ‘Bistro’ tables. Vases by Georg Jensen, Michael Anastassiades and Lingby among others, were filled with arrangements by Best Delivery winners Flowerbx, who donated the still-fresh blooms to charity after the event.

After being wined and dined, guests went home with a gift bag showcasing the work of a plethora of other winners and nominees from the 2016 Design Awards portfolio including Punkt’s 'MP01' Jasper Morrison-designed mobile phone, a Misoka toothbrush, Susanne Kaufmann’s hair elixir and Alfredo Häberli's 'Alfredo' vase for Georg Jensen. Copenhagen, our city of the year, was represented with a newly updated Wallpaper* City Guide, naturally.

INFORMATION

Photography: Jamie McGregor Smith

The iconic Pompidou Centre in Paris, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, has been a cultural and architectural hotspot in the French capital since its opening in 1977. And since day one, the famously High Tech structure was matched with modern design and avant-garde furnishings and social, leisure and retail spaces to boot – including its well-stocked design store on the ground floor.

The shop has now just reopened, following a one-month closure and a thorough redesign by Paris based architect Marie Deroudilhe, whose portfolio spans from retail to residential interiors. 

Deroudilhe, who trained under leading designers such as Sir Terence Conran and Patrick Jouin, completely re-imagined the Pompidou's retail space. Drawing from the overall building's key construction materials – namely steel and concrete – the architect created an interior that celebrates the structure that hosts it, as well as the products it has on offer.

Special care was taken in the development of specific product displays, such as the arrangements for lighting that enhances and highlights the store's jewellery and textile offerings. A special section is dedicated to products for children. The space even has its own specially created soundtrack; the background music bears the signature of DJ Judith Grynszpan.

To mark its relaunch, the Pompidou Centre store has invited leading designers to present a selection of iconic pieces from their most recent collections within its displays. The items on show include works by the likes of Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Margaux Keller, Constance Guisset, Sam Baron, Pauline Deltour, Vitra and Lexon.

INFORMATION

For more information on the store visit the Pompidou Centre website

For more information on Marie Deroudilhe visit the website

ADDRESS

Design Store
George Pompidou Center 
Place George Pompidou
75004 Paris
France 

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

A pair that need no florid introduction, this year’s Wallpaper* Designer(s) of the Year, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, are yet again transmuting another everyday object in line with their elegant ethos. Teaming up with textile stalwarts Kvadrat for the new venture, they present their version of functional roller blinds.

Having previously created dynamic pieces using the Danish brand’s wares – including the interactive and playful ‘Textile Field’ installation, shown in 2011 at the V&A – the design sees the duo shift in a more modest industrial direction.  

The Parisian designers have here combined the technological know-how that shone in last year's Samsung Serif TV with the elegant 'Stratus', 'Nimbus' and 'Cumulus' fabrics they designed for the Danish textiles behemoth (and specially for the project).

‘We did a lot of research into the textiles and their relationship with light,’ the brothers explain. Controlled with either a minimalist remote control or a more classic stainless steel chain, the blinds variously absorb and reflect light to prevent glare, as well as providing thermal insulation.

When it comes to the design, the duo stay true to form: 'The roller blind was a typology we couldn’t challenge,’ Erwan says. ‘Ronan and I simply wanted to make a perfect construction.’ The result is meticulous; choosing anodised or powder coated aluminium for the cassette, together with the subtle hued materials, they present cleanly crafted frames in a variety of sizes.

Perfecting a traditional, day-to-day form imbued with a little poetic Bouroullec magic, they describe the final product as being 'refined like a Swiss watch’.

INFORMATION

The Bouroullec-designed roller blinds will be exclusively available in Germany, Benelux and Denmark for contract use

‘Let there be light’ seemed to be the mission statement radiating from Galerie Kreo's tastefully illuminated booth at San Francisco's FOG Design+Art Fair. ‘In all my booths, there is a lot of lights because that is my passion,’ says Didier Krzentowski, who founded the gallery with his wife Clémence, and also co-authored a history of lights with her. For Krzentowski, there is no greater talent than Gino Sarfatti – the late Italian maestro who was the subject of a 2012 retrospective at La Triennale Design Museum in Milan.

Dressed in a sharp blue suit and navy slippers monogrammed with ON and OFF, Krzentowski picked up a yellow-shaded, bronze-based floor lamp, adjusted it with a simple twist of his hand before moving towards his favourite: a two-bulb blue shaded Scarfatti sconce. ‘He was thinking about lighting different positions however you wanted,’ he says. ‘It's easy to do something complicated, but something so simple, it's very difficult.’

Around and under lamps, illuminated mirrors and chandeliers from Scarfatti, Studio Wieki Somers and the Bouroullec brothers, Kreo shed some light on their decor. Against one wall leaned a carbon fibre ladder by Marc Newson beside Doshi Levien's multi-colored 'Squarable Lune' mirror. Across the booth, Jaime Hayon's Venetian-influenced ‘Monkey’ mirror held court between Alessandro Mendini's reflective white gold 'Poltrona' chair and a hollowed console made from Maquina black marble by Pierre Charpin. ‘It's genius because it's concave inside,’ says Krzentowski pointing out the engineering that allowed for the weighty material to be so light. 

However, the centre of attention in the booth seemed to be focused on the glass-topped 'Champions' table from Konstantin Grcic. Inspired by racing sports, its red, green and yellow aluminium base appeared to invoke a road bicycle or cigarette boat, enhanced via the word ‘Jetdog’ emblazoned down the middle by master lacquerer Walter Maurer. 

‘It doesn't mean anything,’ says Krzentowski with a laugh. ‘But "Jetdog" gives you the feeling of speed.’

INFORMATION
For more information, visit Fod Design+Art’s website or Galerie Kreo’s website

He talks of all-night shoots, leaving Leavesden studios, in Hertfordshire, in the morning for the airport, hopping aboard a jet to LA, walking the red carpet, returning to the airport, reboarding the same plane and going straight back to Leavesden for another all-nighter. It’s a suspended version of reality, made more surreal by his time spent wielding a wand in the wizarding world.

When we sit down to discuss Wallpaper’s Design Awards – and Redmayne’s votes in our 11 Judges’ Awards categories – over a burger in London’s Soho, I begin by asking how he remains sane when so much of his time at the moment belongs to other people. He’s quick to acknowledge his luck: ‘For all of the mad hours, the travel and the tiredness, I remind myself constantly how fortunate I am to be working at this level,’ he says. ‘I put my all into it because I love it, and I’m a firm believer that the effort and time you put into something is rewarded by what you get out of it.’ 

However, Redmayne talks about his increasing appreciation of the moments when he can slow down. ‘I find life noisy,’ he says. ‘With the benefits of being more connected comes the danger of being sucked into a world of more noise, where we are constantly switched on. Living in the moment feels more difficult than ever, and more valuable.’

We talk about what design means in his life. He is cultured and thoughtful. He speaks of growing up in London in the early 1990s near the UK’s first Muji store and being fascinated by the compelling simplicity of the brand’s everyday objects. ‘I spent an unhealthy amount of money on stationery as a teenager,’ he says. ‘Today, I suppose I see good design as not being just about beautiful things, but about things that work; things that work well for me and how I live. Good design, in my opinion, is something that makes life easier, that reduces friction and brings pleasure at the same time.’

With this in mind, we turn to Redmayne’s take on the nominees for our Judges’ Awards and he singles out the Bouroullec brothers’ ‘Serif’ TV for Samsung (Best Domestic Design). ‘It’s a strange hangover of the digital age that so much technology still looks techie,’ he says. ‘As much as I love television, I’ve always hated how ugly TVs are. You spend so much time and effort making your living room beautiful only to throw a great black box in the corner. This is a thing of beauty in its own right, from every angle. It looks like something out of a Patrick Caulfield painting. I love the simplicity of the single flex. Wires and cables are not my friends.’

The Bouroullecs also get Redmayne’s nod in the Best Designers category. ‘There’s a pleasing combination of poetry and function,’ he says. ‘I like that drawing is such an important part of their process. You can see and feel the presence of the human hand in the finished designs. It gives their work a distinct character. These are things with personality and soul.’

Copenhagen as Best City is an easy win for Redmayne, and not just out of loyalty to Lili Elbe, his character in The Danish Girl. ‘It’s a city that feels good, and that’s not something you can say about many cities today,’ he says. ‘The Danes get it right on so many levels. Copenhagen has a vibrancy to it. The food culture is extraordinary and life seems easy, uncomplicated and fun. Who wouldn’t want to live in a city where you can swim in the harbour?’

Among our Best Fashion Collection A/W 2015 nominees, Redmayne favours Prada menswear and Gucci womenswear. ‘According to Hannah, my wife, Alessandro Michele has done an incredible job with Gucci in his first year [as creative director],’ he says, adding that for him, ‘the clean precision and wearability of Prada is impressively consistent.’

As for Life Enhancer of the Year, we debate the merits of Jasper Morrison’s ‘MP 01’ mobile phone for Punkt and come back to the topic of slowing down. ‘At the start of the year, I tried switching back to a simple, old-fashioned handset in place of a smartphone,’ Redmayne says. ‘It was a reaction against being glued permanently to my iPhone during waking hours. The deluge of emails was constant and I found myself trying to keep up in real time, at the expense of living in the moment. I love the idea of the more analogue phone in theory,’ he reflects. ‘During the day I felt far more alive. But it meant I was tied to my laptop answering emails for two hours first thing every morning and last thing at night instead, which was a different kind of intrusion. I wasn’t very popular with Hannah, so today I’m back on my iPhone and trying to master a healthier relationship with it.’

Still considering Life Enhancer nominees, Redmayne homes in on Ron Johnson’s Enjoy gadget-store concept, which has tech experts deliver and teach you how to use your purchases. ‘I need this in my life desperately,’ he says. ‘I am a severe manual-phobe and feel horribly inadequate when it comes to making my tech work. I’m also sure I’m not alone in feeling defeated by the knowledge that I use about one per cent of the capability of every gadget I own. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for Mr Johnson’s expansion [outside the US].’

We acknowledge that slowing down is not so much about opting out of the realities of modern life, but more about learning how to better deal with them. ‘We could all do with a lot more simplicity in our lives,’ Redmayne says. This is certainly the theme behind his award votes. ‘Indeed,’ he says, ‘if good design is about making life easier, then the simpler it is the better. I wonder if in 50 years’ time we’ll have come full circle and I’ll be sitting at home with nothing but a pad of paper and my Muji stationery?’

As originally featured in the February 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*203)

See the Design Awards 2016 in full – including our extra-special Judges' Awards - here

INFORMATION

Photography: Jan Lehner

Fifty-one Charles and Ray Eames Wire Chairs reinterpreted by artists will be auctioned in Paris today (14 December) to raise money for La Source, a charitable association created by French artist Gérard Garouste to help children express themselves through art in four French centres.

The chairs were donated by Vitra and reinterpreted by leading artists, interior designers, fashion designers and architects, many of whom also participate in La Source workshops each year. Famous names on this year's list include Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, Philippe Starck, Matali Crasset, Antoine + Manuel, Odile Decq, Christian Louboutin, India Mahdavi, and, of course, Garouste himself.

The designer one-offs come under the hammer of Simon de Pury, chairman of the Philips art auction house. Maître de Pury explains that the charity auction is exceptional in his experience, as artists surpass themselves to transform the object for auction into something unique.

'The Wire Chair's grid seems to have particularly inspired the artists, we're seeing a great deal of invention and a lot of humour,' he says.

5.5 designstudio reinterpreted the chair as a barbeque, Christian Louboutin added a backrest in the form of his signature red leather sole, while Philippe Starck added padlocks in a tribute to the Pont des Art bridge. Most poignantly, Sarah Lavoine and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac created a tribute to Paris following the recent tragic events.

The chairs will be exhibited in the Hôtel de l’Industrie in Paris until today; the auction begins at 8pm French time this evening.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit La Source's website

ADDRESS

Hôtel de l’Industrie
4, Place Saint-Germain-des-Près
75006 Paris

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

To hear Erwan Bouroullec tell it, the two modular 'Kiosque' structures he created with his brother Ronan represent neither architecture nor art – nor strictly an overlap between the two.

'We kind of like to stay in the product design approach,' he tells Wallpaper* from inside one of the compact, oak-panelled units. 'We like to perform architecture which is not meant for one dedicated area or people.'

Hence their first stop in the Tuileries, where Erwan stared down the long allée of autumn foliage while detailing how the project spanned three years, from conception to completion, in order to achieve a remarkably efficient three-hour assembly time.

The concept is no mere folly. The commission came from urban developer Emerige; company chairman Laurent Dumas sought an inspired alternative to a sales centre for its mixed-use buildings in the northwest Batignolles neighbourhood, scheduled for construction next March. Ultimately, Emerige will gift the Kiosques – which have been manufactured by an atelier in Nantes – to the city of Paris as part of its ongoing support of integrating art in public places.
 
This mutability of function helps explain why the brothers began by envisaging 'empty volumes' rather than inhabitable spaces. Composed primarily of powder-coated steel, they benefit from extra-large windows on three sides, a honey-hued oak interior panelled to accommodate recessed up-lighting, and an overhanging roof that gives the impression of being unfolded like a horizontal screen.
 
Indeed, their striking utility of form evokes Jean Prouvé’s demountable 'Ferembal House' from 1948, which was reconstructed on this open stretch of the stately gardens back in 2010. Erwan, however, resists any comparisons to a house (for now, the spaces are sparsely furnished with the brothers’ new chairs for Vitra and a television for Samsung).
 
If the concept of thoughtfully enhanced, compact containers seems straightforward, the considerations they imposed required constant finessing. The ongoing challenge, Erwan continues, boiled down to balancing craftsmanship principles with the viability of industrial production. When he likens the prototyping to small-scale furniture production in one sense and car manufacturing in another, the result seems even more, well, out of the box.

And if Kiosque’s debut among a select group of works featured in FIAC's outdoor programming hints at Emerige’s desire to generate buzz, the end use as an indeterminate cultural hub sits well with the brothers. 'Ronan and I always look for strategy which is based on a certain freedom. Things are not definitive,' Erwan says. 'So I feel quite relaxed about the use. It is something definitely movable.' Notwithstanding, of course, the fact it weighs nearly 15 tonnes.

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

Tiles are generally the bottom feeders in the design world, standing on the very last rung in a long rank of product that deserves the attention of the world’s top architects and industrial designers. An exception to this rule is the Italian ceramic maker Mutina who in the span of just ten years has attracted a kilowatt-like clan of designers into its roster, including Patricia Urquiola, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.  

'We started with Patricia in 2008,' says Mutina CEO Massimo Orsini. 'It took forever to even get an appointment with her, but then she got it immediately. Now she and the other designers realise that we do things differently; we bring design to ceramics.'  

The latest to be lured into this promise is Konstantin Grcic. Though the German designer is famed for his chairs, lights and furnishings, he’d never designed ceramics before. 'It’s a completely new world,' he said by phone from Fiorano, where Mutina was celebrating their 10th anniversary with an exhibit in their Angelo Mangiarotti-designed industrial headquarters. 'I’m very much a product designers. I never work on architectural elements — the walls and floors are always a given. So there was something very elementary but also very radical about tiles.'

Grcic cut squared tiles of 30x30cm and 60x60cm that each feature a different, partially glazed geometric form on the surface that creates a half raw, half finely glossed effect. The tiles come in six different earthy tones.     

'80 per cent of production of ceramics today are made from fake wood, or fake stone and it’s extremely annoying,' adds Ronan Bouroullec, who together with his brother Erwan also presented a new collection for Mutina, their second for the company. 'But now Mutina has entered in this field with a new direction, great quality and they’re such a big success.' 

Entitled 'Rombini', the Bouroullec brother’s tiles required two years of research and are composed of three models: tiles, mosaics and relief elements that can all be used together to create unusual surfaces. 

'The [Bouroullec’s designs] are very particular, but they follow their wonderful poetry, while Grcic’s are very rigorous and geometric,' Orsini remarks of the new collections.  'All of our work involves techniques that are never used anymore. The degree of difficulty is very high,but that’s also what makes us unique.'

After hearing that the Bouroullec brothers had been working with global electronics behemoth Samsung on a top-secret new project, Wallpaper* was keen to visit their studio to see it unveiled for the first time. Though the talented twosome have collaborated with plenty of well-known names in their time, we were intrigued to see how they had adapted to working with such a giant brand. 

Their studio, one of several in a hidden courtyard complex on the heights of northeast Paris, is housed in a former shoe factory. It's reassuringly messy, like the platonic ideal of a creative laboratory, though there are signs of order among the chaos, with racks of work folders and, in the basement, carefully archived boxes for every project, large and small. 

After being greeted by Ronan (green work jacket, jeans, dark blue shirt, tousled hair) and Erwan (slightly smarter in a slouch-shouldered blue jacket and jeans) and introduced to Samsung's senior VP and design chief, Yun-Je Kang, the brothers conduct their presentation as a double act, following (and sometimes interrupting) each other, with occasional interjections, in Korean, from Mr Kang.

It's an engagingly low-key performance, completely (and presumably intentionally) the opposite of the slick, all-singing, all-dancing presentation one might have expected from a household electronics brand. It even has the odd moment of comedy, especially at the moment when Erwan whisks off the torn length of cotton that covers the first of their prototypes – at which point all the other covers fall off too, revealing the entire new range of products at one fell swoop. But over to the Bouroullecs for the rest of the story...

Ronan: Samsung approached us three years ago. We refuse about 90–95 per cent of requests because we're too busy, and we generally prefer working with small and medium-sized companies, so the thought of working with such a huge company as Samsung didn't immediately appeal to us. We thought they'd be grey men, but when we met their team they were normal people, with a sense of humour – we realised we could work with them. We had almost three years to work on the project, which is much longer than they're usually used to.

Erwan: It's been exciting to work on something that will end up everywhere; as designers we've always wanted to have our work used by as wide a number of people as possible.

Yun-Je Kang: Working with the Bouroullecs is a good way for Samsung to expand the brand into the design world. The television market is very competitive, not only in design but also when it comes to technology and features. After IFA [the main global electronics trade fair in Berlin] three years ago we started thinking about how we could move outside the general arena where most TVs compete against each other.

Erwan: Initially we weren't really sure what Samsung were after – we thought they just wanted some concepts from us.

Ronan: We were surprised when Samsung asked us to work on a TV, because we knew that big electronics companies normally use in-house design teams. 

Erwan: We asked them why they didn't want us to work on flat or curved screens, but they feel that flat screens have come towards the end of their evolution.

Ronan: So instead of trying to make a TV ever thinner, trying to make it disappear, we decided to make it into a piece of furniture, like a chair – something that you can look at in the round.

Erwan: We also worked on the interface and what happens inside the TV. To start with we asked Samsung to send us a couple of TVs, which we dismantled and rebuilt. 

Ronan: In the end we worked our way through a lot of televisions and broke them, but Samsung were very patient with us. We had so many electric shocks during that period – poor Erwan is no longer the designer he was.

Erwan: We cut away the profile, framing the screen rather than trying to lose the edges, and it was interesting to see that people immediately began putting things on top of it. 

Ronan: As we were working I had this rather nostalgic memory of thick old TVs with lots of things on top of them.

Erwan: We started with wooden models, but right from the start we made sure we had a screen with moving images inside them. TVs aren't static objects.

Yun-Je Kang: On our first visit the brothers offered us around ten different ideas, but I could see immediately that this version differentiated it from anything else on the market, and it also had a timeless element.

Erwan: The flat surfaces at the top and bottom make it easy to carry, and we wanted the back to be as appealing as the front. Samsung have to include lots of sockets on the back for different countries, and hiding them and making the back as simple as possible was a big challenge. In the end we developed a special fabric attached by small magnets. We were looking for a mono-solution that would work in all contexts, in three different sizes. We tried doing versions to hang on a wall but they didn't work, so instead the medium and large versions come with very plain screw-in legs. It's an old solution, but they work better than anything else, they're cheap to produce, and they hardly take up any room in the box so they also save on packaging.

Ronan: I really don't like wall-mounted TVs. They're often hung quite high so they feel very intrusive. 

Erwan: One of my favourite features is what we call curtain mode. I pull the curtain across to hide the adverts – the TV automatically pixillates the picture in vertical lines to create an abstract, gently moving image…

Ronan: … though we've had to connect a computer to show the screen effect because we don't, er, have a TV in the studio.

Erwan: We redesigned a lot of the existing functionality, reordering the menu to start with the TV, then apps, then the speaker, then photos, then the time settings. I feel that apps are going to be really important, so we felt that they should be prominent in the controls.

Yun-Je Kang: From our point of view we're aiming at a new sector of consumers. Ultimately this is a furniture TV, so we'll be targeting concept stores and high-end department stores rather than electrical stores – we don't want Serif to compete with other TVs. The general TV market is hugely price-driven, and most TVs only have a shelf-life of a year or so. We wanted something that would be around for a longer time.

Ronan: We're constantly confronted by this as designers, where other brands are destroying people's expectations by being completely price-driven. It spoils a lot of things when people start believing that a chair should cost €20. The supermarket approach to life is just not right; everything is fake there, even the sausages.

Erwan: I think that a lot of people, like me, stopped watching TV and started watching movies instead on laptops and tablets. 

Ronan: I don't have a TV, for example. We didn't like the content on TV, or the designs. But now I think that way of watching TV on a laptop is finished. 

Erwan: It's been a long project, and I'm sure that Samsung must have hated us sometimes, but we're all very happy with what we've achieved. So the long pregnancy is over and we've given birth to triplets, in three different colours. 

INFORMATION

The Samsung Serif will be officially launched at the London Design Festival, and will then be on sale from 2 November in France, the UK, Sweden and Denmark; from £600

Photography courtesy of Samsung

This week Artek unveils Kaari, a new furniture collection by French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, presented in Stockholm for the first time.

This collection forms the second episode of what seems like a love affair between the pair and Finnish design – having presented a series of glass pieces for Iittala in the second half of 2014. The brothers seem perfectly at ease with Scandinavia's design language, and have proven this once again with this capsule collection comprising tables and shelves.

Unlike chairs, whose iconic designs have shaped visual history for several decades, tables are more akin to architectural archetypes: static, solid and often overlooked in their design – yet are still a focal point of each home. ‘Only a few tables have made design history,’ explained Ronan Bouroullec of the impetus behind their design, which elevates the simple table leg to its pivotal role as the collection's anchor.

An outline of a triangle is all the designers needed to build Kaari – the diagonal steel line supporting the table leg in a variety of compositions. In fact, this system proved so effective that it has also been applied to rectangular and round tables, as well as a series of shelves.

It is not the first time the pair has shown a sensibility to the often-overlooked table. Their ability to reinvent this elemental piece has manifested within the Officina series for Magis, and the Copenhagen series for Hay, but this new collection takes the concept to a new level through its modular system. Meaning ‘arch’, the aptly titled Kaari collection creates a new, modernist chapter for Artek, while also developing a fresh aesthetic direction for the brand.   

Now in its eighth edition, the Design Medal has become one of the design calendar's most anticipated and significant design accolades. Its quartet of winners - awarded during the London Design Festival in the areas of overall excellence, lifetime achievement, entrepreneurial excellence and emerging talent - form a fitting portrait of the design scene, not only in London but globally.

Backed by Italian watch brand Panerai, the London Design Medal was awarded this year to French design siblings Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who over 20-odd years have achieved a consistently relevant portfolio of work. 'The judges felt that this contribution really needed to be recognised,' says Ben Evans, director of the London Design Festival and longtime advocate of the Medal. 'They are ambidextrous in their design, they can put their hands to many different things and they have got an elegance and simplicity to their work that is very hard to achieve. There aren't many people out there who can come up with such clean and elegant solutions to design challenges.'

British architect Richard Rogers won the Coutts Lifetime Achievement prize. Judges recognised the dual quality of his work, his ability to focus on design while achieving a better quality of urban life and helping cities best serve their citizens. 'He has played a leading role in designing buildings that made us think again about how we use them and how they function,' says Evans. 'His eminence is global, and he is part of a golden era of leading British architects who not only reshaped our city but also reshaped the world to some capacity.'

The Swarovski Emerging Talent and Perrier Jouët Design Entrepreneur Medals, both launched in 2012, give a clear message regarding the state of contemporary design in London and worldwide. Roland Lamb, an RCA grad who founded technology startup ROLI and invented the Seaboard piano, was recognised as this year's most relevant emerging talent, for combining technology and scientific research in his forward-thinking approach to design. Wallpaper* digital contributor and Poke founder Nicolas Roope scooped the Design Entrepreneur Medal. He was lauded for his contribution to digital design and his ability to apply his knowledge to different practices (see his 2010 Plumen light bulb).

For Evans, these two winners are good evidence London's current design 'moment' - they are multidisciplinary, forward thinking and ambitious. 'More than 20 design disciplines are of an international standard in London, so I suppose it's inevitable there is a dialogue and crossover between them, and that makes it quite fertile, I think,' he says.

The Medal is not the only initiative to celebrate the international, multidisciplinary reach of the Design Festival. 'We have a massive public audience who are interested in design and creativity,' says Evans. 'London has gained a reputation as a centre for ideas, and I want to continue that.'

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec might design high-end, cutting-edge work yet with their new project - Ready Made Curtain, for Kvadrat - a self-assembly curtain-making kit, they're on a mission to demystify design. 'We wanted to create a very accessible piece, almost as easy and quick to install as putting a poster on a wall. We hate the technical aspect of curtain-dressing.'

The Bouroullecs have created other products for Kvadrat, including North Tiles (walls made of fabric-covered tiles) and Clouds (an offshoot of this whose tiles are more 3D) - both mainly for the contract market. Launching at upcoming fair IMM Cologne (from 14 to 20 January), Ready Made Curtain is Kvadrat's first product for domestic consumers.

Kvadrat initially worked with a consultancy that interviewed consumers about what they look for in a curtain, then commissioned the Bouroullecs to create this determinedly low-tech, user-friendly, elegantly pared-down design (soon available from homeware shops).

A standard kit contains a curtain - in an opaque or semi-translucent fabric - two wooden hanging fittings, pegs and a cord. Subconsciously or otherwise, the French brothers plumped for a tricolour palette of red, navy and white for all the components.
 
At their Paris studio, the Bouroullecs showed us how to rustle up their confection: the cord is threaded into the wooden blocks fixed to the wall either side of the curtain; these contain a winding mechanism that pulls the cord taut. The pegs clip on to the cord, then the curtain. Et voilà!

The Bouroullecs wanted to avoid a 'rustic, heavy' design, too - hence the slender cord rather than a fusty curtain pole. 'But we hit an impasse when looking for a strong alternative to a pole,' admits Ronan. Fortuitously, on perusing a 1950s, Japanese catalogue that had a picture of a guitar, the brothers had their Eureka moment. 'The string tension in guitars gave us our idea for the cord.'

When an artist suddenly switches hats and digs enthusiastically into a new, unchartered métier, the results can be oddly uneven or dizzyingly satisfying.  Happily, the latter is the case of a group of architects, artists and furniture designers who have recently broken out - with jazz hands, no less - onto the unfamiliar stage of jewellery design. 

Coaxed out of their usual creative boxes by the Galerie Kreo, Paris' leading design gallery, contemporary furniture and industrial designers like Marc Newson, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Jaime Hayon, Hella Jongerius and Naoto Fukasawa, have all made jewellery, produced in limited editions, for the first time.

Jewellery designer Dominique Modiano and furniture designer Martin Szekely, who has collaborated in the past with Hermès, were the only two artists who had previously confronted the jewellery oeuvre.

The gallery also asked its artist friends, whose work they don't normally represent, to take part in the project: Constance Guisset, Tatiana Trouvé, Annette Messager, Fabrice Hyber, and Dominique Perrault all jumped on board. The brief to all 20 participants was, quite simply, to design a piece of jewellery to be worn around the neck. The rest was up to the artist. 

While many chose to work in gold - the industry standard - some leapt into the creative freedom with hemp rope wood, rough diamonds or polished onyx. Regardless of the materials, the results - like necklaces that swing from the ears by Constance Guisset, or tiny gold threads tumbled into a mass of knots by Lee Ufan - were all original.   

Currently part of a Galerie Kreo exhibition entitled 'Autour du Cou' or, 'Around the Neck', the pieces are offered in limited editions and will be on view until 19 January.

Sebastian Wrong knows a thing or two about experimentation. Despite already holding the mantle of 'Design Director' at Established & Sons, Wrong set up his own retail venture, The Wrong Shop, at the end of 2011. The purpose? To provide an outlet for the even more artistic and creative pursuits of leading designers which don't quite fit into commercial manufacturing's mold. To date, The Wrong Shop has brought such challenging pieces to fruition as a narrow eight-legged table by Konstantin Grcic and a cantilevered steel chair by Jerszy Seymour - both requiring attentive production methods.

This week sees the unveiling of its latest series, an intimate collection of limited-edition prints taken directly from the sketchbooks of French heavyweights Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, and Pierre Charpin. Apart from providing that much-coveted peek into the working processes of these three designers, it is also the first time that these drawings have been available to purchase.

The Bouroullec brothers are no strangers to having their sketches on display. Since their landmark retrospective 'Bivouac' at Centre Pompidou Metz (which will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago next month), their flair for drawing has both been well-documented and well-received. Their ten designs (five from each Bouroullec) for this collection range from the naïve to the abstract, and while none directly correlate to one piece of work in particular, there are undeniable links between the endearing sketches and their ultimately refined products.

'For us, drawing is linked with the design process,' Ronan Bouroullec explains. 'It's very much a point of research; a starting point. They are not something that we prepare. It's almost like a free association exercise that lets the mind wander.'

Drawing is also a rare solo venture for the brothers. 'Erwan and I share everything, but drawing is something we each do on our own,' Ronan adds. 'It is something really personal to the both of us which we need to do alone.' They won't, however, reveal who do what, preferring to retain an element of mystery.

In contrast to the Bouroullec's works, Pierre Charpin's Loop series is a tribute to order and consideration. His collaboration with The Wrong Shop actually came about after Wrong visited Charpin's studio and saw similar large format drawings hanging on his studio's walls. Using the loop to explore the notion of repetition and its subtle variations, four of Charpin's original felt-tip drawings were converted with a vectorial program and then screen- or digitally printed to form the series.

'I attach great importance to this practice because it is the link to my visual arts background,' says Charpin. It is also the only time, as a designer, when I assume complete responsibility from the beginning to the end of the process.

Exhibited at twentytwentyone, the highly collectible prints are available in varying editions of 50 and 15, and can be purchased with custom designed frames, or without.

The Wrong Shop Editions prints by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and Pierre Charpin range from £250 to £695 and are available to buy from twentytwentyone and Thewrongshop.co.uk. They will be exhibited at twentytwentyone's showroom on 18c River Street, London EC1R 1XN, from 19-23 September.