On the side of a bus shelter in Sarajevo, someone has scrawled a quote from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club: 'It’s only after we’ve lost everything, that we’re free to do anything.' It may sound a touch Hollywood, but the sentiment feels apt in Bosnia, a country that just 30 years ago was torn apart by war. For its citizens, the years since then have been about rebuilding – finding a way to heal and move forward, while asking what it is they want to become.

For Orhan Niksic, this has meant breathing new life into Zanat, his family’s century-old woodcarving business.

Based in Konjic, a town 56 miles south-west of Sarajevo, the company preserves the region’s craft heritage while looking to the future. Nestled in dramatic forested mountains, Konjic has a long history of woodcarving, which – thanks to Zanat – achieved Unesco certification in 2017.

As Niksic, a former economist, wisely observes, to save the past, we have to move forward. 'We didn't want to destroy our heritage and start something completely new,' says Niksic, remembering the time ten years ago when he and his brother Adem relaunched the business with a new direction. 'We understood, and I think we were very much attached also to the knowledge and history of the woodcarving craft and were determined to preserve it.'

It was a bold move at a time when many suggested they take a different path. 'Many people advised us otherwise,' he recalls. 'They said if you want to build modern design and furniture, forget about the craft. But for us, this was never an option.' Their vision – to modernise without erasing tradition – has become Zanat’s defining philosophy, and one that continues to guide every decision today.

Now, at just ten years old, Zanat has built a roster of collaborators that would make even the most established design houses green with envy – Michele De Lucchi, StudioIlse, Yves Behar, Naoto Fukasawa, Monica Förster, Sebastian Herkner, Palomba Serafini Associati, Harri Koskinen, Wingårdhs, Jasna Mujkić, Patrick Norguet and Jean-Marie Massaud.

All but two were present in October 2025 for the opening of an exhibition celebrating the ten-year milestone, which launched 12 new pieces showcasing the beauty of the atelier’s handcarving techniques. The anniversary designs – all small-scale accessories and home objects – were unveiled for the first time at the brand’s Sarajevo showroom.

Swedish designer Monica Förster, who designed a set of trays for the occasion, has served as the brand’s creative director since its reinvention ten years ago and has been instrumental in shaping its new direction.

'I have been trying to be a part of moving Zanat towards what I myself am missing in today’s design world – a collaborative sense of community which is about something more than just designing another piece of furniture,' she told Wallpaper*. 'In a world that right now is about defining differences, this project for me is about building bridges and coexistence in a creative way. It is about creating a community that bridges Bosnia’s cultural heritage with the designers’ own heritage, working towards a common cause – exploring a new universe of design and art.'

Zanat’s approach to collaboration is deeply considered. 'They felt they'd discovered a new artistic medium, a way to express something unique,' says Niksic, reflecting on why so many creatives want to work with the brand. 'We don't approach designers just because they're big names – we look for people whose philosophy aligns with ours. I was very fascinated by designers like Ilse Crawford, whose whole focus is the impact of design on human emotions and wellbeing.

'From the very beginning, we’ve imagined design as having a broader social purpose – in our case, helping to preserve the craft.' It’s an approach that has attracted leading names who might otherwise have little reason to work with a small Bosnian brand. 'They see that there is a good team behind Zanat, that we can execute their vision. It’s not only about woodcarving – the joinery, the finishing, every detail has to be at the same level for the product to succeed.'

Other ten-year-anniversary pieces include a set of salt and pepper shakers by Naoto Fukasawa with hand-carved tactile grooves; a small table by Michele De Lucchi; a playful fruit bowl by Wingårdhs; a wine bucket and stand by StudioIlse (a type of object that the studio's head of product design, Oskar Peña, notes is often overlooked); a vase that fuses glass and wood by Sebastian Herkner; and a series of small textured containers by Yves Behar.

All are made using a combination of modern CNC technology and traditional handcarving techniques that are taught and practised at Zanat’s Konjic HQ. When we visit on an October morning, sunlight streams through the windows of the carving room, where a mix of master craftsmen and younger apprentices – both male and female – are earnestly hammering and scraping away at planks of locally harvested ash, cherry, oak and walnut.

Zanat’s commitment to training extends beyond the workshop. The company recently launched a woodcarving academy in partnership with the Academy of Arts in Sarajevo, establishing a formal grading system to develop skills and attract a new generation of craftspeople.

Since its founding, Zanat has trained more than 70 young makers. 'When we started, it was almost exclusively a male profession,' says Niksic. 'Very, very few women throughout the history of the craft have practised. We've opened it to both without discrimination, and we've popularised it.'

At the nearby Konjic showroom, formerly the company’s workshop, craftsman Besim Niksic – Orhan's 89-year-old father – lives above the premises. Here, there is now a museum that proudly celebrates the region’s longstanding connection to woodcarving and offers visitors a chance to learn about Zanat's roots. The museum, opened in 2019, has since been honoured with the European Museum Academy’s premier award and named Best Slavic Museum by the Forum of Slavic Cultures.

In 2023, Zanat opened its first flagship store, Home of Zanat, inside Sarajevo’s National Art Gallery, where the ‘Zanat Ten’ exhibition is being held. Conceived not as a traditional showroom but as a cultural platform, the space connects directly to the gallery’s exhibition hall and regularly hosts events, talks and workshops that celebrate excellence in design, architecture and art. There’s even a small coffee bar, serving a locally roasted Zanat Blend, and plans for a specialist bookshop devoted to the same creative disciplines.

Craft remains at the heart of the brand, but the team is constantly developing new patterns and ideas that keep things fresh and engaging. For Niksic, the pieces presented at the ‘Zanat Ten’ exhibition embody the brand's decade-long journey – one in which the preservation of tradition and the pursuit of innovation remain inseparable.

'Our vision,' he says, 'is to become the world’s best and most innovative woodcarving company – to be the go-to name for handcrafted, sustainable design.' He adds, 'And I hope in doing that we can redefine what luxury means. For us, it's not about being pompous or flashy. It's about how things are made and how long they last.'

Home of Zanat, National Art Gallery
Zelenih beretki 8
Sarajevo 71000
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Can Montblanc do for ‘digital paper’ what it did for the traditional fountain pen? Meaning can it transform the rather quotidian and functional act of writing on an e-ink tablet into the kind of premium experience conferred by its famous nibs? The answer to this question might lie in the new Montblanc Digital Tablet, the first time the legendary maison of writing instruments has deigned to step into the digital realm.

Given the reach of rivals like Amazon and reMarkable, Montblanc has a lot of ground to catch up on. It’s hoping to leapfrog to the top tier of the digital paper market by creating the first truly premium experience. That means creating not just the tablet itself, but the new Montblanc Digital Pen.

Developed in collaboration with San Francisco design agency Fuseproject, the pen draws clear inspiration from the Meisterstück, the 1924 fountain pen design that’s synonymous with Montblanc’s image and reputation.

‘When we design for a heritage brand like Montblanc, our job is to honour its past while creating a bridge to its future,’ says Fuseproject’s CEO Yves Behar. ‘Montblanc’s writing culture is legendary. Our role was to translate that culture into a digital experience that feels timeless and captures the emotional richness of handwriting,’

Many of the Meisterstück’s signature elements are present and correct on the Digital Pen, including the crowning emblem and the three metal rings, with a feeling of solidity and heft you just don’t get with an Apple Pencil or a reMarkable Marker. The studio also collaborated on the Digital Pen’s three interchangeable tips, Smooth, Linen and Matte, which offer a variety of writing experiences, unlike the one-size-fits-all approach of its rivals.

When combined with the variable tactility of the nibs, the high-resolution e-ink display promises to ‘deliver a realistic feel of paper’, with sufficient variety to accommodate different writing styles. With Fuseproject collaborating with Montblanc’s team in Hamburg on the Digital Pen, Montblanc set about shaping Digital Paper that met its exacting standards.

According to Felix Obschonka, Montblanc’s director of New Technologies, the intention was to bridge the worlds of digital connectivity and immediacy and the unrivalled feel of writing by hand. ‘While digital tools provide efficiency and convenience, handwriting offers a more immersive, reflective, and emotionally rich experience,’ says Obschonka. ‘It can ground us and inspire us in an increasingly fast-paced world. With the Montblanc Digital Paper, we have found a way to retain all the special qualities of writing by hand, while recognising the need for boundless space and effortless digital collaboration.’

Montblanc Digital Paper is intended for note-taking as well as making annotations on presentations, pdfs, documents and even e-books. The system boasts a search function that works with your handwriting and there are a number of templates included. Files are stored both on the device and synced to the Montblanc Cloud. It’s a premium take on the kind of eco-system others have honed and invested in for many years, so the key to a seamless future and loyal customers will be support and new features.

The Montblanc Digital Paper tablet is available in Mystery Black, Elixir Gold and Cool Grey, The Digital Paper unit can also be paired with Montblanc’s collection of calf leather folios, available in Mastic, Black, Ink Blue and Grey. Finally, the Digital Pen itself is available in Black, Grey and Ivory.

Montblanc Digital Paper, £750, Folios, £170, Digital Pen, £230

Montblanc.com, @Montblanc

The Wallpaper* USA 400 celebrates Creative America in all its dazzling breadth and diversity. Our snapshot of the people who are shaping the country’s creative landscape in 2025 spans community builders, tastemakers, business leaders and more. It’s all a testament to the abundance of stellar talent that’s defining the discourse here in the United States – and the world more broadly.

Here are the names to know in America now.

Wallpaper* USA 400: a guide to Creative America in 2025

Creatives working in fashion, architecture, visual arts and more: the rising stars getting us excited for the future.

ADAM CHARLAP HYMAN AND ANDRE HERRERO
Principals, Charlap Hyman & Herrero

AIDEN BOWMAN AND JOSH METERSKY
Self-taught designers and founders of lighting studio Trueing, which takes inspiration from their art history and engineering backgrounds

ASTRAEUS CLARKE
Furniture and lighting designers, based in Brooklyn

AUGUSTA HOFFMAN
Interior designer

CASEY KENYON
Interior designer

CATHERINE HOLSTEIN
Founder of womenswear label Khaite, known for its balance of masculinity and femininity, strength and softness, structure and fluidity

CHASE HALL
Artist who applies coffee to cotton canvas (both inextricably linked to Africa and slavery) to explore ‘the impossible absolute of biracial identity’

CHRIS MAGGIO
Photographer, his work playfully reinvents the genre of Americana and subverts internet culture

CHRIS WOLSTON
Artist and designer who has collaborated with with the likes of Fendi, Phillip Lim and Dior

DANIEL PATRICK GILES
Founder of Perfumehead, an olfactory label that challenges traditional perceptions of fragrance

DAVID FARRUGIA
Founder, Uniform Object

DEAN LEVIN
Artist-designer and architect

DEVIN WILDE
Ceramic artist creating geometric works in clay

DONNI DAVY
Make-up artist, founder Half Magic

ENY LEE PARKER
Ceramic designer and artist

ETHAN HIDALGO
Furniture designer, founder of Studio Hidalgo

FREDERICK TANG
The founder of the eponymous architecture studio creates contemporary chic that’s not afraid of colour

HEATH WAGONER
Designer

IDO YOSHIMOTO
Artist and arborist whose work focuses on forms and objects from the natural world

ISABEL ROWER
Ceramic artist

JAYE KIM
Ceramic Artist

JEAN AND OLIVER PELLE
Founders of design studio Pelle, which merges art and engineering to create expressive lighting, furniture and design objects

JEREMY ANDERSON
Visionary ceramic artist, taking the material to unexplored creative expressions

JOHN MAY & ZEINA KOREITEM
Founders of architecture studio Millions

JOMO TARIKU
Ethiopian-American artist and industrial designer defining a new design language of modern African-themed furniture (featured in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie set)

KATIE STOUT
Artist and designer who creates furniture and objects that use traditional craft techniques and materials, but which are shaped by an urge to subvert utilitarian forms with unexpected results

LEAH RING
Designer/founder of Another Human

LIAM LEE
Creates biophilic furniture using colour-saturated felt

MARQUEL RASHAAD WILLIAMS
Designer

MARTINE GUTIERREZ
Artist and performer

MAX WORRELL AND JEJON YEUNG
Founders of architecture studio Worrell Yeung, creating architecture that looks effortless and transforms the lives of its users (see Worrell Yeung’s refresh of a Charles Gwathmey home)

MILES GREENBERG
Performance artist

MINJAE KIM
Korean-born designer whose work explores ideas of identity and belonging (Kim has previously shown alongside his artist mother, at Matter Projects)

MISHA KAHN
Blurs boundaries between sculpture and design with a wildly imaginative approach (as seen in our interview ahead of Kahn’s 2020 Friedman Benda show)

NATALIE SHOOK
Designer

NICHOLAS OBEID
Furniture and lighting designer

NOAM DVIR AND DANIEL RAUCHWERGER
Partners, BOND

NOEL HERNANDEZ & VIKTORIA BARBO
Co-Founders, Ollin

OLALEKAN JEYIFOUS
Nigerian-born, New York-based visual artist and designer whose work reimagines social spaces that examine the relationships between architecture, community and the environment

PETER B STAPLES
Founder of lighting design studio Blue Green Works, known for its sensual yet masculine approach to form

RIFF STUDIO
Thoughtful, young, research-based architecture and design studio

RYAN LEIDNER
Founder of young and dynamic eponymous architecture office with a flair for creating residential spaces that commune with nature

RYAN TWARDZIK
Founder and designer of Unform Studio

SAM KLEMICK
Founder of Studio Sam Klemick, furniture design practice that utilises salvaged materials and deadstock/vintage textiles

SARAH BURNS
Furniture Designer and founder of Old Jewelry Store in New York City

SOPHIE LOU JACOBSEN
French-American designer whose focus is on simple objects and rituals that elevate the user experience

STUDIO S II
Erica Sellers & Jeremy Silberberg’s Brooklyn studio crafting interiors, furniture and lighting

TASKA CLEVELAND
Interior designer

UTHARAA ZACHARIAS AND PALAASH CHAUDHARY
Indian-born founders of studio Soft-Geometry

ZACK NESTEL-PATT
Founder, Ah Um Design Studio

Entrepreneurs and CEOs at the helm of the country’s leading design companies, from globally renowned furniture giants to small brands making waves in the design world.

BEN SOLEIMANI
Founder, Ben Soleimani

BEN WATSON
Chief creative officer, MillerKnoll

DAVID CALLIGEROS
Founder, Remains Lighting Company

GABRIEL HENDIFAR
Artistic director and CEO, Apparatus

GARY FRIEDMAN
CEO and chairman, RH

GREGG BUCHBINDER
Owner and CEO, Emeco

HOLLY HUNT
Founder, House of Hunt

JANICE FELDMAN
Founder, Janus et Cie

JERRY HELLING
President and creative director, Bernhardt Design

JON SHERMAN
Founder, Flavor Paper

LINDSEY ADELMAN
Founder, Lindsey Adelman Studio

NARGIS AND NASIR KASSAMALI
Founders, Luminaire

NICK AND RACHEL COPE
Co-Founders, Calico Wallpaper

SIAMAK HAKAKIAN
Partner, DDC

TONY MANZARI
President, Edelman, Knoll Textiles and Maharam

TYLER HAYS
Founder, BDDW

The creatives who have infiltrated the world of show business: architects and designers contributing to the aesthetics of popular culture, from cinema and theatre to museums.

DAVID ROCKWELL
Architect and designer, creator of sets for Oscars ceremonies and Broadway shows

FRANK OCEAN
Artist, founder of Homer

HERON PRESTON
Artist, fashion designer, DJ

RAMISHA SATTAR
Chappell Roan's creative director

TERRENCE O'CONNOR
Photographer and creative director

VICTORIA BRYNNER
Founder, Stardust Brands

WILLO PERRON
Canada-born designer known for his collaborations with Rihanna

Hailing from the realms of music and cinema, these stars’ creative excellence and entrepreneurship capably stretches to jewellery, fashion, art and more.

COLE ESCOLA
Comedian, actor and playwright

DONALD GLOVER
Actor, comedian, rapper, singer, writer, director, and producer known as Childish Gambino

MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN
Founders of fashion label The Row

MEGAN STALTER
Comedian and actor

PALOMA ELSESSER
Model

PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Record producer, rapper, singer, with fashion and design collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Adidas and Pentatonic

RYAN MURPHY
Television writer, director, producer, design enthusiast, owner of many architectural gems

SETH ROGEN
Actor, ceramicist, co-founder of cannabis lifestyle brand Houseplant

SOFIA COPPOLA
Film director and screenwriter, serial creative collaborator, including a collection with knitwear brand Barrie and a range of lip balms with Augustinus Bader

TYLER THE CREATOR
Rapper, singer, record producer, and fashion designer

The curators preserving and promoting creative culture, from heirs enthusiastically promoting the family’s artistic legacy to new-generation curators of the country’s leading institutions.

ALEISHALL GIRARD MAXON AND KORI GIRARD
Co-directors, Girard Studio

ALEXANDER MAY
Creative consultant and curator, founder of Sized

ALEXANDRA CUNNINGHAM CAMERON
Curator of contemporary design, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

AMANDA HUNT
Head of Public Engagement, Walker Art Center

ANDREA GLIMCHER
Art advisor

ANDREW BOLTON
Head curator, Anna Wintour Costume Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

ANTWAUN SARGENT
Director, Gagosian New York

BEATRICE GALILEE
Co-founder and executive director, The World Around

CARLOS VALLADARES
Filmmaker and critic

EAMES DEMETRIOS
Board chairman, Charles & Ray Eames Foundation

FLORENCIA RODRIGUEZ
Curator, Chicago Architecture Biennal

HOLLAND DENVIR
Founder of LA Design Weekend

JEFFREY DEITCH
Art dealer and curator

JOE SHEFTEL
Art advisor

JOHN MCILWEE
Architectural preservationist; founder, J McILwee & Associates, Inc

JONATHAN OLIVARES
SVP of design, Knoll

MARIAH NIELSON
Director, JB Blunk Estate and Blunk Space

NICOLA LEES
CEO and artistic director, Aspen Art Museum

PAOLA ANTONELLI
Senior curator of architecture and design, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, and a Wallpaper* October 2020 Guest Editor

RICHARD VILLANI
Creative director, Tom of Finland Foundation

SONYA TAMADDON
Curator

SUZANNE DEMISCH
Gallerist

THELMA GOLDEN
Ford Foundation director and chief curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York

WAVA CARPENTER AND ANNA CARNICK
Co-founders of Anava Projects, a creative agency driven by a strong belief that good design can and should make a positive social impact

The ‘no introduction needed’ of creative America: the artists, architects and designers who have helped shape the landscape.

ANNABELLE SELLDORF
Founder of Selldorf Architects

ELIZABETH DILLER AND CHARLES RENFRO
Architects, partners at Diller Scofidio + Renfro

FRANK GEHRY
Architect

FRITZ HAEG
Artist, owner of Salmon Creek Farm

INEZ & VINOODH
Photographers, behind Wallpaper’s portfolio of 50 of America's top creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution

JASPER JOHNS
Artist

JENNY HOLZER
Artist

JIM OLSON AND TOM KUNDIG
Founders of architecture firm Olson Kundig

JOHN WATERS
Filmmaker, writer, actor, artist

JOHNNY ROZSA
Photographer and artist

JUDY CHICAGO
Artist, feminist icon

JULIE BARGMANN
Landscape architect, educator, founder of DIRT (Dump It Right There)

KEN LEWIS
Managing Partner, SOM

MARC JACOBS
Fashion designer

MARILYN MINTER
Artist

MURRAY MOSS
Founder of design gallery Moss and design consultancy Moss Bureau

NICK CAVE
Artist known for his fantastical Soundsuits and works that create space for the marginalised

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
Filmmaker

RALPH LAUREN
Fashion designer

RALPH PUCCI
Founder of Ralph Pucci

RICK OWENS
Fashion designer

ROBIN STANDEFER AND STEPHEN ALESCH
Founders of interior design studio Roman and Williams

SHEILA BRIDGES
Interior designer, founder of Sheila Bridges Design Inc

SHOHEI SHIGEMATSU
Partner, OMA New York

SONIA ERAM
Owner, Mameg

STEVEN HOLL
Architect

THOM BROWNE
Fashion designer, founder of Thom Browne

THOM MAYNE
Architect, founder of Morphosis

TOD WILLIAMS AND BILLIE TSIEN
Architects

TOM FORD
Fashion designer

TORY BURCH
Fashion designer

Setting the creative agenda, from interior design and architecture to fashion and jewellery, these are the influencers behind some of the country’s most noteworthy projects, from buildings to jewellery.

ADA TOLLA AND GIUSEPPE LIGNANO
Founders of architecture studio Lot-Ek, whose client list includes the Guggenheim and Google

ADAM SILVERMAN
Sculptor

ALEX PROBA
Founder, Studio Proba

ALEXANDRA AND MICHAEL MISCZYNSKI
Founders of interior design studio Atelier

ALEXIS TOMPKINS AND LEANN CONQUER
Partners, Chroma

ANDRE MELLONE
Founder of Studio Mellone, whose work includes interiors for the likes of Jason Wu and Thom Browne

ANNA KARLIN
Designer

ATHENA CALDERONE
Founder, EyeSwoon and Studio Athena Calderone

BEN MEDANSKY
Ceramic artist

BENJAMIN BLOOMSTEIN AND AARON AUJLA
Artists, designers, founders of design studio Green River Project, whose work includes meticulously crafted furniture and interiors for fashion label Bode

BRETT WOODS AND JOSEPH DANGARAN
Founders of architecture firm Woods + Dangaran and devotees of midcentury modernism (their Desert Palisades house won Best Private House in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023)

BRIAN SAWYER AND JOHN BERSON
Founders of interdisciplinary firm Sawyer Berson

BRIGETTE ROMANEK
Interior designer

BROOKS WALKER
Principal, Walker Warner Architects

CATHERINE BAILEY & ROBIN PETRAVIC
Owners of Heath Ceramics, the tableware and tile company

CHARLIE FERRER
Interior designer

CHRISTIE WARD AND STAVER GRAY
Founders, Ward & Gray

CHRISTINE & JOHN GACHOT
Interior designers behind projects such as Jac's on Bond and Pebble Bar in New York, and high-profile residential projects, like this stunning Montana retreat.

CLIVE LONSTEIN
Interior designer

COLIN KING
Stylist, Artistic Director at Beni Rugs

CRAIG BASSAM AND SCOTT FELLOWS
Founders of lifestyle brand Bassam Fellows

DAVID BERS
Architect

DAVID BUCOVY
Architect

DAVID CAFIERO
Interior designer

DAVID SETH MOLTZ AND KAVI AHUJA MOLTZ
Founders, DS & Durga

DAVID, SUZIE AND RACHEL LUCAS
Co-founders, Lucas Design

DENISE WILLIAMSON
Founder, 180 the Store

DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
Photographer

DYLAN DAVIS & JEAN LEE
Designers, founders L&G Studio

ELENI PETALOTI AND LEONIDAS TRAMPOUKIS
Founders of design studio Objects of Common Interest (former Wallpaper* Design Awards winners and judges)

ELIZABETH ROBERTS
Architect

ELLIOTT BARNES
Interior designer who honed his craft with Andrée Putman before setting up on his own

ENRICO BONETTI AND DOMINIC KOZERSKI
Co-Founders, Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture

ERIC HOFFMAN
Founder of Hoffman Creative, creating designs for Pamela Shamshiri, Steven Volpe and more

FERNANDA DOVIGI
Interior designer, founder FMD Design

FERNANDO SANTANGELO
Uruguayan-born, New York-based designer; contributed to the design of NYC’s Nine Orchard hotel

GABRIEL ABRAHAM
Founder, Atelier de Troupe

GABRIELLE SHELTON
Sculptor and designer, co-founder of Shelton Studios metal fabrication studio

GIANCARLO VALLE & JANE KELTNER DE VALLE
Founders Studio Valle de Valle

HARRY NURIEV
Founder of Crosby Studios, creating immersive design installations

HUMBERTO LEON
Fashion designer and restaurateur

INI ARCHIBONG
American-Nigerian designer whose furniture and lighting work is guided by heritage and spirituality

JACQUELINE AND DAMIEN HARRISON
Founders of landscape design studio Harrison Green

JAMES CHERRY
Sculptor, lighting designer

JANE MAYLE
Fashion designer, founder of Maison Mayle

JOHN DERIAN
Designer, founder of Decoupage

JOHN SHARP
Landscape designer

JONATHAN CROSS
Ceramicist whose work is created using ancient wood-firing techniques

KELLEY PERUMBETI & MICHAEL YARINSKY
Founders of Office of Tangible Space

KELLY BEHUN
Interior designer behind California home of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz

KELLY WEARSTLER
Interior designer for the hotel industry, residential, commercial, retail and hospitality spaces

KIMBERLY VON KOONTZ
Landscape designer

KULAPAT YANTRASAST
Founder and creative director of Why Architects, the go-to design studio for museums

LEO MARMOL AND RON RADZINER
Founders of architecture firm Marmol Radziner

LEONG LEONG
Architect brothers Dominic and Chris Leong

LISA EISNER
Photographer-turned-jewellery designer

LITTLE WING LEE
Interior designer, founder of Studio & Projects

LUCIEN REES ROBERTS
Interior and landscape designer

MALLERY ROBERTS MORGAN
Interior designer

MATT MURPHY
Designer

MATTHEW FISHER
Stone artist

MATTHEW LEVERONE
Interior designer

MICHAEL MALTZAN
Architect whose work spans everything from housing for the homeless to glitzy museums

MIRANDA BROOKS
Landscape designer

NANCY PEARCE
Designer

NICOLE HOLLIS
Interior designer behind Hawaii’s Kailua-Kona resort

OLIVER HASLEGRAVE
Founder of interior architecture and design firm Home Studios

OLIVER M FURTH
Interior designer

PALI AND JEJO CORNELSEN
Designers

PAMELA SHAMSHIRI
Founder of Studio Shamshiri, has designed homes for musician Paul McCartney and actor Anne Hathaway, and was a Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 judge

PETER MARINO
Interior designer for high-end fashion boutiques

RAFAEL DE CÁRDENAS
Designer who has concocted visions of modern elegance for clients such as Cartier, Nike and Glossier

ROBERT HIGHSMITH, RYAN MAHONEY AND STEFANIE BRECHBUEHLER
Founders of design studio Workstead

ROBERT STILIN
Interior designer who mixes contemporary architecture with textured materials and vintage furniture

ROGAN GREGORY
Designer of sculptural pieces, represented by R & Company

ROMAN ALONSO AND STEVEN JOHANKNECHT
Founders of multidisciplinary studio Commune Design

RUBEN CALDWELL, JOU-YIE CHOU AND LEIGH SALEM
Founders of interior design studio Post Company, whose projects include Catskills wellness resort Inness and New York restaurant Raf’s

SANDRA NUNNERLEY
Interior designer

SARAH ZAMES AND COLIN STIEF
Founders, General Assembly Studio

SCOTT NEWLIN
Designer

SEAN ANDERSON
Interior designer

SHARON JOHNSTON AND MARK LEE
Founders of architecture firm Johnston Marklee

SONIA BOYAJIAN
Jewellery designer

STEFAN BECKMAN
The fashion industry’s favourite set designer

STEPHANIE BEAMER, CRYSTAL ELLIS AND HILLARY PETRIE
Founders of furniture design studio Egg Collective

STEPHEN BURKS MAN MADE
A global practice uniting craft, community and industry through its hands-on workshop-based approach while always advocating for greater diversity in design

STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON
Photographer

STEVEN HARRIS
Architect

STEVEN VOLPE
Founder of Studio Volpe, whose work includes elegant residences from Manhattan to LA, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Mrkt in San Francisco

SUCHI REDDY
Founder of architecture and design firm Reddymade

TED MUEHLING
Industrial designer who creates jewellery and decorative objects inspired by organic forms

TESSA WATSON
Creative director and stylist

THOMAS WRIGHT AND JOSEPH FRATESI
Founders of multidisciplinary design and manufacturing firm Atlas Industries

TODD NICKEY AND AMY KEHOE
Co-Founders, Nickey Kehoe

VANESSA ALEXANDER
Founder, Alexander Design

VICTORIA SAMBUNARIS
Landscape photographer

VICTORIA SASS
Interior Designer; Design Director, Prospect Refuge

VIRGINIA SIN
Founder, SIN ceramics

Leaders of design research, start-uppers and business leaders whose creative brilliance is paired with a strong focus on technology and sustainability.

ANDREW KUDLESS
Principal, Matsys Design

BRADLEY BOWERS
Designer using technology and advanced material research to create furniture, lighting and objects

GERMANE BARNES
Architect researching architecture’s social and political influence

GIORGIA LUPI
Data designer, Pentagram partner

JEANNE GANG
Architect, founding partner of Studio Gang, behind the American Museum of Natural History extension

JONY IVE
Former chief design officer at Apple, founder of design studio LoveFrom

JULIA WATSON
Designer, activist, academic, leading expert of Lo–TEK (nature-based technologies for climate resilience)

KATE ORFF
Founder of landscape architecture and urban design practice Scape

MARIE VERONIQUE
Beauty entrepreneur

RJ SCARINGE
Founder and CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian

TYLER HOBBS
Generative artist, creative coder, painter

VANESSA BARBONI HALLIK
Founder, Co-CEO, and Executive Chair of sustainable fashion brand Another Tomorrow

YVES BEHAR
Founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, a brand development firm working across industrial design, transport and technology

Owners of small boutique hotels and behemoths whose properties stretch beyond the US: the names to know in American hospitality today.

ANDRÉ BALAZS
Properties include Chateau Marmont in LA, The Chiltern Firehouse in London and Sunset Beach on Shelter Island

ARI S HECKMAN
CEO and Co-Founder, Ash

BARRY STERNLICHT
Chairman of Starwood Hotels, which has 1 Hotels, Baccarat and Treehouse Hotels in its portfolio

BRAD KORZEN
Founder and CEO, The Kor Group and Proper Hotels

BRAD WILSON
Managing Partner, Ace Hotel Group

HOMI VAZIFDAR
Founder of Canyon Equity, whose portfolio includes Amangiri and Six Senses Costa Rica

IAN SCHRAGER
Properties include Public New York, Edition hotels in New York and Miami

LIZ LAMBERT
McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality (Partner); Lambert McGuire Design (Partner); and Bunkhouse (Founder)

NADIM ASHI
Properties include the Four Seasons at The Surf Club in Florida

Musicians, filmmakers and sound artists, multidisciplinary creatives telling stories and working beyond objects and places.

CHRISTINE SUN KIM
Deaf sound artist working predominantly in drawing, performance and video, using musical notation, written language, American Sign Language, and the body

DAVID BYRNE
Musician, artist and filmmaker

DOECHII
Rapper and singer

ERYKAH BADU
Singer, songwriter, record producer, actor

HONEY DIJON
DJ and Producer

KIM GORDON
Visual artist, bassist, guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, now as a solo artist and formerly for alternative rock band Sonic Youth.

LORI SCACCO
Musician and composer

MOSES SUMNEY
Musician

PATTI SMITH
Singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author

SOLANGE
Musician; Founder, Saint Heron

ST. VINCENT
Grammy award winning artist, musician, songwriter with signature guitar line

STEVE LACY
Musician

SWIZZ BEATZ
Producer and collector

Personalities working in a variety of fields, using art and design as a tool to raise awareness and amplify the voices of the oppressed.

ADAM ELI
Activist

ALEXIS BITTAR
Jewellery designer, filmmaker

CATHERINE OPIE
Fine-art photographer, educator

CHEROKEE JACK
Model, Indigenous activist

DANIEL CHEW, TEN IZU, KIRSTEN KILPONEN AND TIN NGUYEN
Members of Concept Foreign Garments New York (CFGNY), a fashion and art collective exploring what it means to be ‘vaguely Asian’

DEANNA VAN BUREN
Co-founder and design director of nonprofit architecture and real estate development firm Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, working to end mass incarceration through place-based solutions

DERRICK ADAMS
Visual and performance artist, curator, work focuses on themes of Black identity and culture

EMILY BARKER
Multidisciplinary artist, activist, work focuses on topics relating to disability, discrimination and capitalism

INDYA MOORE
Actor, model and social activist

JOSH KLINE
Artist, curator, explores how emergent technologies are changing our lives

LEILAH BABIRYE
NYC-based sculptor Babirye uses her work to respond to the anti-homosexuality legislation in her home country, Uganda

MICKALENE THOMAS
Visual artist, studies the Black female body as a vehicle of power, eroticism, agency and inspiration

NAN GOLDIN
Photographer, activist

NANCY KRICORIAN
Writer, humanitarian and activist

QUANNAH ROSE CHASINGHORSE-POTTS
Model, Indigenous activist

ROBERTO LUGO
Potter and activist

DEVONN FRANCIS
Queer first-generation Jamaican-American artist exploring his heritage and culture through art and food

Artists, collectives and restaurateurs who have brought global flavours to the US, using food as a creative medium to connect people.

DONNA LENNARD
Restaurateur

IGNACIO MATTOS
Founder/chef of Mattos Hospitality, comprising restaurants Estela, Altro Paradiso and Lodi

JON GRAY
CEO and co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, culinary collective from the South Bronx, and a Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022 judge

JORDAN KAHN
Chef and creative director, with a penchant for expressionist desserts, and three Culver City restaurants (Destroyer, Meteora and Vespertine) offering deliciously avant-garde dining experiences

KEITH MCNALLY
Restaurateur, owner of several New York restaurants including Balthazar

KWAME ONWUACHI
James Beard award-winning chef

LAILA GOHAR
Artist working with food as a creative medium

RITA SODI AND JODY WILLIAMS
Founders/chefs of The Commerce Inn

SEAN SHERMAN
Chef

SIMON KIM
Restaurateur, owner of COTE Korean Steakhouse and COQODAQ

Designers and artists whose practice has become the basis for a larger scope, serving local networks and connecting people.

ALEX SCHATZBERG
Yoga instructor and entrepreneur

ANN STEPHENSON
Poet

BEN GREENE
Speaker and inclusion consultant

CATOR SPARKS
Life coach

DARRELL THORNE
Performance artist

DAVID GODSHALL
Co-Founder, Terremoto

ELIZABETH BAUDOUIN AND NATALIE SHIRINIAN
Filmmakers, founders of Not All Films and NES Creative

ERIN BESLER
Co-founder, Besler & Sons

JAY EZRA
Founder, Del Vaz Projects

JENNY NGUYEN
Founder, Hello Human

JONATHAN LYNDON CHASE
Artist

KAZEM NADERI
Founder, NAD Projects Inc.

LAUREN HALSEY
Artist, employs architecture and installation art to reveal the realities of urban neighbourhoods

MALI AND ALAN BACON
Founders, Butter art fair

MAXWELL L ANDERSON
President, Souls Grow Deep

MICHAEL FORD
Architect; Founder, Hip Hop x Design

MICHAEL K CHEN
Architect

NORMAN TEAGUE
Designer, maker, educator, focuses on connecting with local communities

PETER DO
Fashion designer, brand is rooted in community and dedicated to supporting New York’s garment district

RAUL LOPEZ
Founder of fashion brand Luar

RICK LOWE
Artist, champions people and communities through social practice-based art projects

RITESH GUPTA
Founder of Useful School, a virtual learning platform that puts people of colour front and centre

ROB AQUINO
Community builder and nightlife producer

SARA ZEWDE
Founding principal of design firm Studio Zewde, which focuses on landscape architecture, urbanism and public art

SEAN YASHAR
Founder, The Culture Creative

SHANE DAVIS
Co-founder and creative director of Public Records, a multi-faceted music, social and exhibition space for the community, and co-founder of new design studio for worldwide hospitality/residential projects, Public Service

SHEENA ZADEH-DALY
Founder of beauty brand Kosas, which offers inclusive shades in its make-up ranges

TAMARA HOUSTON
Author, entertainment producer, founder of heritage development enterprise Icon Mann, managing partner of a mobile design and educational installation, the Pavilion of the African Diaspora (PoAD), which she curated alongside Ini Archibong

WILLY CHAVARRIA
Fashion designer, explores and amplifies the Latino voice

Gallerists and collectors putting great design under the spotlight, bringing historical design, contemporary makers and emerging talent to the world.

ADAM BLACKMAN AND DAVID CRUZ
Founders of Blackman Cruz

ALEX TIEGHI-WALKER
Founder of Tiwa Select, a curatorial platform dedicated to craft and self-taught makers, with a New York gallery space (across the pond, Tieghi-Walker will curate the 2025 Brompton Design District in London this September)

AMAURI AGUIAR & BRYAN YOUNG
Founders of Verso

BENJAMIN CRITTON AND HEIDI KORSAVONG
Founders of gallery Marta, which champions emerging creatives from a diverse background

BENOIST DRUT
Head of design gallery Maison Gerard, which specialises in fine French art deco furniture

BIANCA CHEN & JOEL CHEN
Art and design curator (Bianca), and her antiques dealer father (Joel), who founded JF Chen Antiques

CHARLES CONSTANTINE AND CHRIS HELD
Co-founders, Dudd Haus

CLAIRE WARNER AND SAM VINZ
Co-Founders, Volume Gallery Chicago

DAVID ALHADEFF
Founder of Casa Perfect and The Future Perfect

DEIRDRE MALONEY AND MINYA QUIRK
Co-Founders, Shoppe Object and Afternoon Light

DOBRINKA SALZMAN
Gallerist

ED BE AND JARED BLAKE
Co-Founders, Lichen NYC, a design incubator and store

EMMA SCULLY
Founder of Emma Scully Gallery, which promotes applied arts through a curated exhibition programme

MARC BENDA & JENNIFER OLSHIN
Co-founders, Friedman Benda

GLENN LAWSON AND GRANT FENNING
Co-Founders, Lawson-Fenning

JEAN LIN
Founder, Colony

JEANNE GREENBERG ROHATYN
Founder of Salon 94 Design

JOHN RADTKE
Owner, Somewhere Someplace

KIM HOSTLER AND JULIET BURROWS
Founders of gallery Hostler Burrows

LIN AND MAGDALENA TYRPIEN
Co-Founders, Lyle Gallery

MASON VINCENT AND JACK REDPATH
Founders, Darling Studios

PAUL DONZELLA
Furniture dealer

REYES AND LILLIAN HARDY
Co-founders, Landdd

RODMAN PRIMACK AND RUDY F. WEISSENBERG
Co-founders of design gallery Ago Projects

STEPHEN MARKOS
Superhouse

TARIQ DIXON
Co-Founder, TRNK

YANCEY RICHARDSON
Gallerist

ZESTY MEYERS AND EVAN SNYDERMAN
Founders of R & Company, champions of collectible design from contemporary and modern names

The names defining American fashion right now, both on and off the runway.

ANN CARUSO
Fashion brand advisor and consultant

BRANDON MAXWELL
Fashion designer

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS
Fashion designer behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration outfit

DYLAN CAO AND JIN KAY
Founders of fashion brand Commission, inspired by memories of their mothers when they were women at work in Vietnam and Korea

EMILY BODE
Founder of fashion brand Bode, creating handcrafted clothing cut from antique fabrics, Victorian quilts, grain sacks and bed linens

FERNANDO GARCIA AND LAURA KIM
Creative Directors, Oscar de la Renta; Co-Founders, Monse

FRANCES HOWIE
Creative director, Fforme

HENRY ZANKOV
Fashion designer

JACK MCCOLLOUGH AND LAZARO HERNANDEZ
Creative Directors, Loewe

JOSEPH ALTUZARRA
Fashion designer

MICHAEL KORS
Fashion Designer

MICHAEL RIDER
Creative director, Celine

RACHEL SCOTT
Founder, Diotima

STUART VEVERS
Creative director, Coach

VERONICA LEONI
Creative director, Calvin Klein Collection

When these groundbreaking talents have a show, seek it out.

ADAM PUTNAM
Multimedia artist whose work puts the human body in dialogue with the spaces we inhabit

AMBERA WELLMANN
Artist

AMY SHERALD
Painter

ANNIE SCHLECHTER
Photographer

CINDY JI HYE KIM
Artist

CLARE CRESPO
Artist

DAHLIA ELSAYED
Artist

DOUG AITKEN
Artist

DYANI WHITE HAWK
Award-winning Native American artist

FIN SIMONETTI
Artist

IVANA BAŠIĆ
Artist

JACK PIERSON
Photographer and artist

JASON SCHMIDT
Photographer

JEFFREY GIBSON
Artist. His US Pavilion at the 60th Venice Art Biennale was the country’s first solo presentation by an Indigenous artist at the event

JULIAN WATTS
Artist, woodworker

LOUISE BONNET
Painter whose large-scale works in oil touch on multiple themes ranging from sex and beauty to tension and humour

MAMALI SHAFAHI
Artist

MARIA MOYER
Artist

MATTHEW PLACEK
Photographer and film director

PIA RIVEROLA
Photographer and artist

RACHEL ROSSIN
Artist

RASHID JOHNSON
Artist

RICHARD STAPLETON
Photographer

ROKSANA PIROUZMAND
Artist

SASHA MASLOV
Ukrainian-American portrait and documentary photographer

SHUO HAO
Artist

SHUYI CAO
Artist

SIMONE LEIGH
Multi-media artist from Chicago

THOMAS LOOF
Photographer

WENDY RED STAR
Apsáalooke contemporary multimedia artist

With more than 130 years of expertise in perfecting bathroom essentials, it’s no surprise that Laufen has a few impressive innovations in store for us this year. After four years of development, it has created a CO2-free 100m industrial tunnel kiln, powered by solar and green electricity to produce ceramic sanitaryware. It's a world first and it highlights the company's continued commitment to sustainability. Streamlining the production process, kilns continuously fire products as they move through the tunnel, so pieces do not need to be loaded and unloaded as with batch kilns.

This cutting-edge technology allows Laufen to produce ceramic sanitaryware more efficiently while significantly reducing its environmental footprint. It has also resulted in the launch of ‘Volta’, a sink imagined by Swiss designer Yves Béhar and on display during Milan Design Week 2025. ‘My inspiration for “Volta” comes from water, the element that [has] played an important role throughout my life,’ he says. ‘I wanted the motion of water to be part of the experience, so the water moves in a circular motion like a river.’

The ‘Volta’ basin marks Yves Béhar’s first foray into bathroom design

Crafted using Laufen’s innovative SaphirKeramik, an ultra-thin, high-performance ceramic material, ‘Volta’ features a complex interior and exterior profile that doesn’t increase the overall size of the basin. Its unique design is a harmonious blend of form and function, making it a standout piece that could become a true icon in bathroom design.

Although Béhar is well known within the tech design world for his collaboration with Samsung on the Frame TV, launched in 2017, this is his first foray into bathroom design. ‘Yves’ approach was fresh and resulted in an unconventional concept for the bathroom,’ says Marc Viardot, marketing and design director of Roca Group, Laufen’s parent company. ‘It feels like we reinvented the wheel, or at least reimagined how we engage with water in our daily lives.’

Volta’s design contrasts the simplicity of the outer form with the functional, yet unconventional, shape of the sink’s interior. ‘In addition to creating an aesthetic of movement with the swirling water that cleans the basin perfectly, it also allows water to pool at the bottom. This makes it ideal for activities like shaving or washing your face without filling the entire sink,’ Béhar adds.

‘I wanted “Volta” to express Laufen’s incredible sustainability commitment, embodied in the world’s first industrial electric kiln that produces CO2-free ceramics.’

laufen.com

Welcome to Wallpaper’s annual Design Awards issue, a fixture of our editorial calendar (this is its 21st year), but also a hugely valuable, time-stamped appraisal of the very best the world has to offer in terms of fashion, technology, architecture, interiors, travel and art.

As ever, the Wallpaper* team has been both avid in their appreciation and acute in their adjudication of each of our winners; mindful, too, that applying a ‘time stamp’ to achievement is necessarily limiting.

After all, truly great design isn’t for a month or a year, but has the potential to permanently alter our direction of travel, affecting lives in ways that might take a little time to comprehend. It’s with this in mind that we decided to shake up the awards process itself (and I would personally like to express gratitude to the 100-plus creatives who have, over two decades, lent their shoulder to the judging wheel) in order to bring a fresh perspective to our selections.

Choosing the Wallpaper* 2025 Design Award winners

Our editors have thus taken full ownership of this year’s winners’ enclosure, stipulating not only who won, but why and how they achieved their award.

To add further context, we asked five leading figures from across the creative industries to pen their own appraisal of what counts – and what doesn’t – in a world both buffeted by, and borne aloft on, seismic societal, technological and cultural change. I’d like to thank Es Devlin, Ilse Crawford, Lesley Lokko, Sou Fujimoto and Yves Behar for taking the time to share their thoughts, the Wallpaper* team for their diligence and insights, and all the winners for satisfying our insatiable appetite for the new, the novel and the next.

Bill Prince
Editor-in-Chief

The February 2025 issue of Wallpaper* is available in print on newsstands from 9 January 2025, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Solsea is a new concept catamaran from Rossinavi. We’ve previously covered the Italian shipyard’s Seawolf X, the first of its new generation hybrid-electric catamarans to be launched. The Solsea concept has debuted at this year’s Design Miami, showcasing not just Rossinavi’s pioneering tech, but also a sleek design, inside and out, by none other than Yves Béhar.

Béhar is an accomplished sailor and surfer, and the project has brought these passions together with his studio’s focus on sustainable technology. The design also extends to the use of durable cork flooring (supplied by Amorin) and, appropriately enough, ocean-sourced recycled plastic wherever the material is required.

For their part, Rossinavi has benefited from Béhar’s unconventional approach to naval architecture. ‘It’s been an incredible journey to see how Yves Béhar reimagined the naval platform of our hybrid-electric catamaran,’ Federico Rossi, Chief Operating Officer of Rossinavi, ‘His fresh, external perspective brought a style that is both luxurious and refined.’

Inside and out, the Solsea concept shows a softer, warmer approach to design at sea. The Solsea’s advanced battery and solar panel system has been incorporated into the superstructure, with solar panels doubling up as shading structures on the expansive deck.

As with Seawolf X, the combination of panels and on-board battery allow the yacht to give an 80% reduction in fuel consumption while cruising. It can even make a transatlantic trip under 80% electric power. For more relaxed day trips, Solsea is designed to operate 100% electrically. Fast charging should take around five hours at a suitably equipped marina.

Three years in development, the new catamaran also uses Rossinavi’s advanced onboard artificial intelligence system, Rossinavi AI, which manages the distribution of energy between the catamaran’s systems, batteries and powertrain. When moored and unoccupied, Solsea has a special hibernation mode that can transfer power from the solar panels to the quayside.

Inside, Béhar and his team have taken full advantage of the 43m catamaran’s broad beam, with a full-width owner’s cabin that offers 180-degree views and a private external balcony. The main deck has a lounge pool, while the rear sundeck has a bar and generous seating area. ‘For me, Solsea is a return to simpler, more respectful ways to enjoy the oceans while integrating the future of efficient propulsion, and cutting-edge technologies,’ says Béhar.

Rossinavi.it, @Rossinavi

fuseproject.com, @fuseprojectsf

Telo is a new company, based in San Francisco, that believes it has created ‘urban adventure vehicle with a difference’. Founded by Jason Marks, a specialist in Lidar and autonomous driving, and Forrest North, a battery specialist and one of Tesla’s early employees, Telo is debuting its first EV this summer.

American truck culture is out of control. For the past few years, the number one selling vehicle across the US has been the Ford F-Series; in its largest spec, the F-150 King Ranch, this pick-up is over 6m long. All well and good if you live and work in a field that requires heavy hauling capacity, but spectacularly ill-suited to the urban environment.

While the big names in trucks are pivoting to electrification, the prevailing approach is to retain the scale and cram in as big a battery as possible. Hence you get the GMC Hummer EV, weighing in at 9,000lb, the Dodge Ram 1500 REV (6,600lb) and Ford’s F-150 Lightning (63,60lb), vehicles that offset their lack of emissions with their propensity for blocking out the sun for everyone else. 

The design, branding, and digital presence of the Telo EV has been handled by Yves Behar and Fuseproject. Behar worked on North’s previous company, e-motorbike maker Mission Motors, and is a longstanding advocate and user of EVs. ‘It was a no-brainer to go with Yves,’ says Marks. ‘His experience in industrial design is unprecedented, and when we told him about what we were doing, the enthusiasm was palpable.’

‘The idea was to redesign the EV truck for city dwellers and weekend warriors, thinking about the pick-up in a completely different way,’ says Behar. The Telo EV takes full advantage of the benefits of EV packaging. The chief difference is scale. Without a long, long bonnet/hood, the Telo has the appearance of a cab-over-engine style van like the original Volkswagen Kombi. The overall length is truncated still further by locating the front axle right at the front of the vehicle, with wheel arches that double up as cooling vents for the battery pack. 

From A-pillar backwards, the Telo is more conventional, with a four-door cab ahead of a traditional truck bed. Behar points out that the Telo combines a standard 60in truck bed with a five-person cabin, yet it fits into exactly the same footprint as a Mini Cooper. At 3.86m, the Telo is a minnow compared to the largest pick-ups, yet it still packs in as much space as a Toyota Tacoma. ‘It is really adapted to urban environments,’ he enthuses.

The details are delightfully simple. Six oval LED headlights create a distinctive face, while a lozenge-shaped indent in the rear door ducts the air from the wheel arch vents, the shape mirrored in the door handles. The truck bed itself is endlessly configurable. ‘One of the beautiful things about our platform is that it's easily reconfigurable,’ says Marks. ‘All within the same vehicle, we can be a five-seater, five-foot-bed pick-up, or a two-seater eight-foot-bed pick-up, or an eight-seater SUV, or a two-seater cargo van, or even a no-seater driverless delivery van.’ Surfboards and pieces of 8x4 fit just fine, and there’s also a special bike holder attachment. 

The all-wheel-drive Telo is expected to have a 350-mile range, as well as the searing acceleration of any EV, with a four-second sprint to 60mph. ‘I’ve driven an EV for about 12 years – I’m a veteran of the genre,’ says Behar, who currently owns a Rivian R1T pick-up and enthuses about the low maintenance and running costs. ‘It’s not very often that an industrial designer gets to work on a mobility project,’ he says, adding that although there have been a few under-the-radar projects over the years, ‘this is the first one I’ve been able to share’. 

‘We think no one has introduced something that can solve so many of the challenges that our consumers have at once,’ Marks says. ‘You shouldn't have to trade off a 300-plus mile range, five seats, cargo, and four seconds to 60 in order to park your car outside your favourite restaurant in downtown. And we think consumers will be excited about that.’ 

The Telo EV is available to pre-order now from TeloTrucks.com

Fuseproject.com 

A version of this article appears in the August 2023 issue of Wallpaper* – a guide to creative America – available in print from 6 July, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Invest in an exercise kit that's as easy on your eyes as it is tough on your muscles with our edit of the best home workout equipment.

Bala bangles 

Bala is an online workout haven that spans workout gear, online workout tutorials, and in-person NYC classes. Their range of chic equipment includes everything from weights, to body rollers, jump ropes and pilates balls. Our favourite are the Bala Bangles, which are designed to be worn on wrists or ankles for an extra strength boost to your typical training. Available in seven colours and wrapped in ultra-soft silicone, these weights are a perfect addition to your yoga, boxing, pilates routine or even just your evening walk home from work. 

shopbala.com

Jaques x Vincent Van Duysen tools 

New York based men’s performance wear brand Jaques has collaborated with Antwerp-based architect Vincent Van Duysen to create a series of minimalist exercise tools that include a Bō Stick for martial arts, a wooden block that can be used in pilates or yoga, a sand bag and, our favourite, an elegant wooden meditation stool. 

The pair are devoted practitioners of meditation and were inspired to create the collection during lockdown when spending unprecedented time at home meant, for many, more anxiety than ever. The final result is a range that is worth the investment even in our post-lockdown era. 

Kenko wall sets

Berlin-based Kenko aims to elevate sports equipment to the level of high design and their range of ‘wall sets’ prove that it’s possible. Wall Set L (pictured here) includes two pairs of dumbbells, ‘Expander Double’ and ‘Big’ resistance bands, a pair of push-up bars, and massage balls to help loosen your muscles post-workout. All the sets are available in either in dark brown American Walnut or beige Canadian Maple, and coated with a special lacquer that makes them resistant to sweat and dirt.

kenkostores.com

Conran Shop jump rope

The Smart Rope from the Conran Shop uses high-tech LED technology to project your fitness data in front of you while you jump. The rope can also be linked to Apple Healthkit, Google Fit and other apps for in-depth fitness feedback. Better yet, its compact storage bag means it can be stored practically anywhere whether that means a five minute jump break in the living room or a cardio workout in the park.  

conranshop.com

Technogym Run 

Technogym has just launched its quietest treadmill yet, the Technogym Run. The treadmill features the brand’s unique 27 inch console which comes equipped with exercises for cardio, strength, and HIIT workouts through on-demand videos or trainer-led sessions. If you need a distraction to get through your run, the console also comes with Netflix and TV.  

technogym.com

Addition Studio marble weights 

Addition Studio is ‘obsessed with designer wellness.’ It might seem like a strange thing to say but for the Australian studio its just a pithy way of expressing their belief that well-designed objects can be an effective tool for enhancing wellbeing. It’s not a radical concept, but it is an idea that Addition has approached with notable ingenuity.

Their Marble Dumbell is a prime example, as an object that is both a functional piece of gym equipment and a decorative sculpture. Available in marbled black or limestone white, the dumbbells are another example of the growing trend for workout accessories that double as decoration.

additionstudio.com

Ergatta rowing machine 

Rowing is a muscle-toning, fat-burning exercise that simultaneously works almost every part of your body. But practising it requires space- a lot of it. Those who want to try rowing themselves will need access to either a large body of water or a significant swath of floor space for an indoor machine. That is, until now. 

Ergatta is a new brand of rowing machines that are specifically designed to be used and stored in domestic spaces. The compact machine, crafted from American cherrywood, can be folded into the space of a barstool and easily wheeled between rooms for storage around the house. The rower comes with a monitor that displays Ergatta’s personalised exercises and gaming-inspired competitive workouts that can be played with other members of the Ergatta community.

ergatta.com

Loro Piana wellbeing kits 

Italian textiles brand Loro Piana has elevated workout gear to the luxury realm with it’s new ‘Art of Wellbeing’ collection. Comprised of a mindfulness kit for low-impact yoga and mediation, a shape kit for more dynamic cardio workouts, and an exploration kit for outdoor activity, the collection sees the brand applying its signature, superlative cashmere to all manner of exercise equipment. Items like weights padded with cashmere, a leather-handled jump rope, and a cashmere covered fitness ball are so soft to the touch that, maybe for the first time ever, you’ll actually want to pick up your workout gear. 

loropiana.com

H-o-tt workout furniture

When it comes to exercising from home, the very act of manoeuvring a yoga mat around your furniture can be its own form of gymnastics, one that's even more exhausting than your actual workout. In response to this dilemma, Amsterdam-based design studio H-o-tt has developed a line of workout equipment that doubles as stylish home furniture. Called ‘Furfit,’ the range includes dumbbells that are also coffee table legs, push-up bars that can be used as stools, lightweight dumbbells that can be turned into a coat hanger, a curl bar that’s also a high stool, and a kettlebell that creates a side-table.


‘Frufit’ is still in prototype stages but H-o-tt is hoping to launch purchasable versions of the line at Salone del Mobile next year.

h-o-tt.com

Work in Use equipment

Rhode Island-based design studio Work in Use designs high-end work out tools intended to be displayed around the home, rather than tucked away under the bed. Furniture designer Wu Hanyen established the studio in 2019 after an accident in the workshop inspired her to create objects that encouraged strengthening movement through elegant design. 

Items in the Work in Use range include an over-the-door pull-up bar crafted from oiled walnut and leather, brass weights stored in a minimal wooden block, and a balance rail crafted from oiled cherry wood, amongst others. If the objects themselves aren’t enough to encourage you to get moving, Wu also offers video workout classes specifically designed for artists through her website. 

workinuse.com

Forme mirror 

Leave it to Swiss designer Yves Béhar to rethink the home gym. Two years in the making, Forme Life is a stylishly integrated piece of equipment that takes the eyesore out of the typical home gym. Comprised of a single six-foot mirror with touchscreen capabilities, Forme transforms into an intelligent gym portal that comes with its own exclusive programming, ranging from interval training and boxing to meditation, stretching, and barre. It also tracks all movements and collects data with every use to encourage progress.

Pulleys and adjustable cast-aluminium arms for resistance exercises can be deployed or retracted from behind the mirror at will, while integrated speakers, camera, and microphones enable users to be guided through their workout interactively by instructors. Any additional attachments and accessories are neatly stored behind the elegant piece, ensuring that it never takes up too much space.

‘Forme sets itself apart from competing systems by not being a single sport or single-use product,’ says Behar. ‘It was developed thoroughly to be a beautiful functional solution that encompasses many wellbeing activities with great on-screen user experience, as well as an industrial design that makes Forme disappear in the home when not in use. It’s the first multi-activity home wellbeing system that can provide a single user or an entire family with the full gamut of activities and world-class trainers.’

formelife.com

Saint Laurent yoga mat

Given how many ways the humble yoga mat can be used, we’re all for this joint effort from Saint Laurent and the Italian activewear label No Ka’Oi. Made using No Ka’Oi’s signature quilted polyurethane and spongy gummed trimming to prevent any slipping, while embracing Saint Laurent’s sharp and glamorous aesthetic, the mat is available as a textured all-black version or in an extroverted leopard print to provide the perfect foundation for your exercising needs.

ysl.com

Equipt weights

The Los Angeles-based fitness company Equipt is behind a collection of hand weights that are worthy of being given pride of place in your home. Equipt’s signature U-barre is an ergonomic piece that combines weight with an element of support so that it can be used in lieu of a kettlebell, dumbbell, yoga block, or a resistance weight while doing high repetition exercises. Available in several sophisticated colours and four different weights (4lb, 8lb, 12lb, and 16lb), the U-barre purposefully cuts a sculptural figure to motivate users to keep it close to hand.

equiptmovement.com

Nike SuperRep Go trainer

Nike brings the outdoors in with its SuperRep Go trainers, which have been specifically designed with circuit-based fitness classes and streaming workouts in mind. Designed with responsive foam cushioning and a soft lightweight mesh that breathes while providing additional support around the foot, the shoe also possesses rubber tread in high-wear areas for added traction and an arc up the outer side of the shoe that supports side to side movement.

nike.com

To the unfamiliar, the world of subsea research is weighed down by an ageing image of bright yellow bathyscaphes and soggy woollen berets. Although polar regions have recently received a major fillip in design distinction, serious underwater architecture has been overlooked, with only eyeball-snaring forays into restaurants and hotels surfacing.

Proteus is a new venture into design for the deep, overseen by Yves Béhar’s fuseproject studio for a very distinguished client, the filmmaker and ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the celebrated Jacques Cousteau. A proposed HQ for the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center, Proteus is designated to sit on a plot about 18m beneath the waves just off the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

The project has been a couple of years in the making. ‘Early in the project two years ago, Fabien Cousteau and I looked at many exploratory designs from the 1960s and 70s,’ Béhar explains, ‘it was a golden era of interest for the oceans pioneered by the Cousteau family history.’ The brief was to develop Proteus using new materials, especially composites, and create what Béhar calls a ‘a state-of-the-art scientific environment with a comfortable social interior space.’ 

‘I have always had a strong connection and appreciation for the ocean. There’s a respect for the ocean – its power and its mystery.’

This kind of lab is essential for long-term research, as they allow divers to become acclimatised to undersea pressures. Proteus is a modular design with space for up to 12 people at a time. ‘The technology to make Proteus a reality is here, from fabrication coming from modern hull design and the use of composite materials to sustainably powering the station with a mix of renewable sources including wind, solar and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC),’ Béhar explains. For Cousteau, a permanent underwater research station is a lifelong ambition, one that aligns with a lifetime of involvement with studying and conserving ocean habitats. Béhar is totally on board with the ethos. ‘As a California resident and long-time surfer, I have always had a strong connection and appreciation for the ocean. There’s a respect for the ocean – its power and its mystery.’

Ultimately, the Proteus station is projected to be around 4,000 sq ft, over three times larger than any other undersea habitat. Béhar’s early sketches show an organic circular structure, anchored to the seabed on legs, with a spiralling ramp connecting two principal cylindrical spaces. Mounted off the spiral are living and working pods, giving the facility the look of a piece of growing coral or an exotic shell. The winding ramp houses the common spaces, including the living room and galley and there’s also a moon pool, an open water dock for submersibles. Béhar is particularly proud of the inclusion of a ‘greenhouse’, a potentially vital source of fresh food for a habitat where open flames are banned. ‘The larger area is where scientists and aquanauts spend most of their indoor worktime. These are open and convivial as being underwater for weeks can be isolating,’ says Béhar, adding that the ramp is also a good spot for exercising.

There are still details to finesse. ‘Most of the technology is available today, but some will have to be created as we go forward,’ says Cousteau, ‘For example, the submarine coupling needs to be determined. It's a little like the International Space Station, when you have to couple other vessels to it. We have the same issue down below, but instead of the vacuum of space, we have to deal with the multiple atmospheres, or pressures, of water. It is also dependent on the type of sub used.’ Cinematic in scope and scale, Cousteau and Béhar are hoping that Proteus brings fresh awareness of the issues facing the ocean, as well as providing a platform for ongoing discovery.

INFORMATION

fuseproject.com
fabiencousteauolc.org

Yves Behar founded Fuseproject in San Francisco 22 years ago. The Swiss designer has been closely associated with rapidly evolving tech products and services ever since. His journey from Swiss punk to design guru effectively mirrored Silicon Valley’s own evolution from a chaotic, DIY-infused alt-cultural ecosystem into the engine room of the world economy. On the way, Fuseproject has had triumphs and missteps, dead ends and diversions, but every project is infused with the utopian ethos that technology – done correctly – is a powerful force for good. 

Yves Behar: Designing Ideas

A new design book, Yves Behar: Designing Ideas, charts the process behind his work, and is replete with images of prototypes and concept sketches. ‘Designing Ideas is not about a marketing solution – the final glossy picture – but showing the slow, winding road, the journey of design,’ says Behar. Rather than present Fuseproject’s output in chronological fashion, the book groups it into six sections: Reducing, Sensing, Transforming, Giving, Humanizing and Scaling. Each section captures Behar’s peerless ability to shape and direct how a product or service can best be streamlined for our new era of digitally driven, algorithmically guided consumption. 

‘The strength of Fuseproject comes out of the original concept: to fuse disciplines together in the service of an idea,’ Behar says. ‘Being multidisciplinary is what creates these fully fledged solutions. The other thing that has always defined the studio is how we marry this approach to the world of start-ups, where everything has to be created from scratch.’ 

Yves Behar and the transformative power of design

Although the turn of the century was a fertile time for start-up culture, vast numbers of ‘visionary’ ideas were never translated into physical form. ‘Design has had a tremendous evolution over the last 30 years,’ says Behar.
‘I came to Silicon Valley in the mid-1990s and design was not on the radar. Having studied in the European modern design tradition, I was interested in the opportunity to show how much value design could add to what were mostly engineered products. Design was seen as a decorative last-minute coat of paint.’ 

So what changed? The bursting of the first dotcom bubble was about the over-supply and over-valuation of services and platforms, rather than tangible, physical things. Ultimately, it would be studios like Behar’s that gave shape to the emerging genre of smart devices. ‘Design in the larger sense really became central to the success of a lot of companies,’ he says. ‘We experienced how it went from being an option to being an integral part of building a business.’

As the book’s sections imply, Behar believes strongly in design’s transformative power. ‘There are critical 21st-century ideas like sustainability, accessibility, and diversity, all of which can be accelerated by design,’ he says. As a designer, ‘you are in a position to influence new ideas and new behaviours. I believe design is about speeding up the adoption of new ideas.’ Some of Fuseproject’s highest profile works have addressed these issues. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which ran from 2005 to 2014, aimed to create hundreds of millions of learning machines for children in the developing world, at $100 per piece. It was fuelled by optimism: ‘That project showed design reaching out to people who weren’t being addressed by the industry,’ says Behar, calling the challenge ‘a true design adventure of the highest order’ in the book. Although the scheme didn’t have the global impact OLPC first predicted, 3.5 million devices were built. ‘I think it demonstrated that education and the digital divide is still a world-changing issue,’ Behar reflects. ‘The actual device was a cascade of decisions towards simplicity.’

Other projects have similar pioneering components. The ‘Sayl’ office chair for Herman Miller showed that low-carbon-footprint design can have a global audience, Behar notes, and the book’s ‘Reducing’ chapter chronicles many different approaches to packaging, production and presentation, and the ways in which design can help less be more. ‘Design is not a linear path. You have to let the ideas and insights and discoveries inform the original premise,’ says Behar. 

Designing the tech experience

Over the decades, the designer has also turned entrepreneur, not just shaping products but creating whole companies, such as August, a maker of home security systems that he co-founded with Jason Johnson in 2012. Advances in manufacturing and distribution have helped form this new ecosystem of smaller makers. ‘As a designer, to have your concept globally accepted is an amazing thing,’ he acknowledges. 

Fuseproject has flourished during an era when the dumb physical object has been transcended by app-driven ‘smart’ devices, a product universe of tangentially related ‘things’. Behar is unrepentant about the transition, while insisting this is in the service of user experience. ‘I’ve always believed that tech should simply disappear. The experience should be only what someone sees and not what’s behind it,’ he says.

Newer products, like the ‘Snoo’ responsive baby cot, embody this belief in technology as a facilitator. ‘It’s wonderful to see how design can intersect with key life moments,’ Behar enthuses. ‘The cot shows how technology can address the needs of parents and babies. Although Snoo wasn’t designed to be a robot that looks after your baby, I’d use this image as a provocative idea, because ultimately our design is the opposite – it just looks like a beautiful object. The tech isn’t obvious.’ 

From 2015 to 2019, Fuseproject was a partner on the Spring technology accelerator programme, which supported entrepreneurs across East Africa and South Asia seeking to improve the lives of adolescent girls, and was developed with the Nike Foundation and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Behar explains how the ethos of social enterprise is about reversing the traditional aid model in favour of funding and seeding local ideas. In Spring’s case, designing these support systems mattered far more than the physical appearance of objects. 

That said, the object – however discreet, elegant, elaborate or connected – is here to stay. ‘The idea that software will kill the physicality of things has been around for quite a while. The truth is that it just hasn’t been the case,’ Behar says. ‘Software is in everything – even in [something as apparently simple as] our “Leaf” lamp for Herman Miller (2006). I see the technology and software as an ingredient, a tool, not the be-all and end-all. Sure, there are certain things that we are less and less inclined to physically own. But we will always be really excited about new form factors. I want to be a designer who puts the human connection at the very centre of people’s lives – that belief has always animated my work.

INFORMATION 

Yves Behar: Designing Ideas, $85, published by Thames & Hudson, available from 20 July 2021

fuseproject.com
thamesandhudsonusa.com

The founder of design studio Fuseproject and a serial innovator, Yves Behar occupies a unique place in the creative industries. He played a pivotal role in convincing Silicon Valley that design should be an integral part of building a business, rather than ‘a decorative last-minute coat of paint’. From laptops to desk chairs, timepieces to eyewear, a home exercise unit to an internet-enabled self-rocking baby cot, there are few genres that have yet to experience Behar’s transformative touch. Naturally, he was Wallpaper’s top choice to headline our June 2021 Innovation Issue.

Within the magazine, Behar speaks to our transport and technology editor Jonathan Bell about his upcoming monograph, Designing Ideas (out in July 2021). They discuss how design and technology can combine to tackle key challenges of the 21st century – sustainability, accessibility and diversity – and the importance of putting the human connection at the centre of people’s lives.

We invited Behar to create the magazine’s limited-edition cover: on the left is an archival photograph of the designer sketching the webbed back of his ‘Sayl’ office chair for Herman Miller, shot from above and with a crop of his characteristically tousled hair just in view. On its right is a rendering of the pattern of his wireless Jambox speaker. The former, first revealed in the pages of Wallpaper* in October 2010, revolutionised a previously staid typology with its frameless suspension system; the latter led the way in miniature speaker design, and stood out for having woofers and tweeters on one side and the subwoofer on the other – so sound would come out from every side.

In juxtaposing process with product, Behar offers a glimpse of his design process, echoing the key message in Designing Ideas: ‘It’s not about a marketing solution – the final glossy picture – but showing the slow, winding road, the journey of design.’

The animated cover design by Yves Behar

Given Behar’s fluency in technology, it is not surprising that he also opted to create an animated version of his cover, now revealed exclusively on Wallpaper’s digital platforms. Like the print cover, the animation begins with the ‘Sayl’ chair. It then becomes a highlights reel of Fuseproject’s prolific and wide-ranging output. 

Featured are ingenious pieces of consumer technology: The ‘One Laptop Per Child’ learning machine, which aimed to bridge the digital divide; the keyless August smart lock system; and ‘The Frame’ television for Samsung, encased in a minimalist picture frame and programmed to show art when switched off. There’s something for every age, ranging from the ‘Moxie’ robot, a child’s companion with a benevolent disposition reminiscent of a Kazuo Ishiguro character; to the Mission One electric motorbike, the world’s fastest at the time of its launch in 2009. On the speculative end of the spectrum, there’s even an underwater research station, proposed last year to bring fresh awareness of the issues facing the ocean. 

Including hand-drawn sketches paired with details of completed designs (or in the case of the underwater research station, a lifelike rendering), Behar’s animated cover nods to the adage that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – encouraging us all to embrace our creative instincts and work relentlessly to refine ideas, so they might one day become reality. 

Read more about Behar, and discover more fresh perspectives and bold ideas from the creative industries in our June 2021 innovation issue – now on newsstands and available as a free PDF download.

INFORMATION

Yves Behar’s cover is the latest addition to the Wallpaper* limited-edition cover series, which features a specially created artwork by a different artist, architect or designer each issue. Limited-edition covers are available to subscribers only; for more information, see wallpaper.com/sub21

Yves Behar: Designing Ideas, $85, published by Thames & Hudson, available from 20 July, thamesandhudsonusa.com

fuseproject.com

Moxie is the debut product from Pasadena-based robotics company Embodied Inc. Fitted with the very latest form of AI, it is a sophisticated companion for the curious child, designed to work with a wide range of behaviours and approaches and set up a broad and cohesive understanding of social cues and engagement. Moxie’s distinctive form has been shaped by a team led by Yves Béhar at fuseproject, further cementing the studio’s reputation as a place for helping shape cutting edge technology.

‘I’d worked with [Embodied co-founder] Paolo Pirjanian ten years ago when he was building a cleaning robot,’ says Béhar, ‘We reconnected about three years ago. He’d assembled a team of child development and robotic specialists in order to build a kid’s companion, a robot that would help with a child’s social skills and developmental needs.’

Béhar explains that his previous robot-based projects hadn't required any kind of human traits. Moxie is very different. ‘The idea of helping build social, emotional and cognitive skills was interesting to us,’ he says, ‘from a design standpoint, children really need expressive human traits to help them stay engaged, so we focused on the eyes and the hands.’ The compact companion stands just under 40cm tall and is light enough to be lifted onto tabletops.

The design process involved a lot of necessary simplification. ‘We developed a back-projection screen for the face – it's not a complex mechanical piece. This enabled us to make Moxie very ‘character’ driven.' The little robot is expressive and reactive, programmed to ask gentle questions, challenge behaviours and promote dialogue, both with itself and with others.

The design process involved a lot of necessary simplification. ‘We developed a back-projection screen for the face – it's not a complex mechanical piece. This enabled us to make Moxie very ‘character’ driven.' The little robot is expressive and reactive, programmed to ask gentle questions, challenge behaviours and promote dialogue, both with itself and with others.

The designers have done well to steer themselves well away from the vertiginous slopes of the uncanny valley. Moxie's ‘face’ is augmented with a simplified ‘body’, driven in part by the need to simplify mechanisms for cost and durability. ‘The eyes and the face are where the conversation happens,’ says Béhar, pointing out that the robot is aimed at neurodivergent as well as neurotypical children, aged predominantly between 6 and 9. ‘It is also important that the robot's movements reflect its expressions.’

Embodied Inc's software allows the little machine to pivot and twist and wave its stubby arms, with ‘ears’ that are a natural spot for microphones (and can be whispered into). The glove-like hands with their pointing index finger were refined from a complicated articulated four fingered hand.

‘Building the robot was about editing the simplicity and seeing how few joints we could have and still have expressive behaviour,’ says Béhar, ‘it doesn't feel like a gadget or a toy, but like an intelligent being.’ In some respects, this little bright blue character is a fulfilment of a long-standing aspect of techno-utopianism: a robot that can teach. The overall look is that of a Pixar-esque space explorer, clad in soft-touch blue thermoplastic elastomer.

‘The minimalism actually increases the intended expressive effect,’ says Béhar. The designer and his team have transformed this advanced bundle of technology into a believable and credible character, one that is programmed to adapt and ‘learn' as it spends more and more time being used. Design works hand in glove with software to create the illusion of a sentient being. ‘I'm actually in awe at what the AI can do,’ the designer concludes..

INFORMATION

fuseproject.com
embodied.com

Acclaimed San Francisco-based designer Yves Béhar has thrown his hat in the prefab game, by launching designs for ‘fully-customisable accessory dwelling units' with LivingHomes (of Plant Prefab) as the Los Angeles' Summit festival this week. The relatively compact structures are set to offer a viable alternative to help solve housing issues, without compromising design or production quality. 

Called YB1, the design is extremely flexible and can adapt to different roof lines, sizes, layouts for windows, various interior requirements, as well as different climatic conditions. There are three versions currently readily available, with more in the pipeline. The residential interior can include a full kitchen, bathroom with a shower, a living room, and a bedroom or office, while some details, such as electrical appliances, can be selected by the owners. Overall sizes can range from 23 sq m to 111 sq m. 

Environmentally friendly production methods at Plant Prefab's facilities add to the scheme's environmental credentials; while materials such as Forest Stewardship Council certified wood siding and cement panels mean that the design is climate-sensitive too. 

‘Following our work on efficient living with robotic furniture company ORI, I’m excited to extend the passion for tiny homes and prefab by partnering with LivingHomes', says Behar. ‘For me, the next frontier of design is to think of the entire home as a product that a homeowner can shape to their needs in terms of size, usage, aesthetic and lifestyle. The design goal of the LivingHomes ADU is adding urban density with a range of sizes and home designs while providing a building system that delivers on sustainable and efficient living in urban areas'.

The small homes may offer a solution to housing issues caused by rising land prices and density in global metropoles like Los Angeles; in fact, their creation was sparked by ‘updates to California’s legislation, encouraging increased urban density while limiting the environmental impact of new construction', explains the team.

This is set to be just the beginning for the ambitious scheme. This design is only the first in a line of prefab structures to be launched by Behar and LivingHomes; watch this space.

INFORMATION

For more information visit the website of Yves Behar

The 360-degree smart home hub by Hive has gone 480 with a new outdoor camera addition to its home technology collection. The launch of Hive View Outdoor marks the first time the UK-based smart home company has branched out into outdoor security, having been known in the past for its interconnected smart heating systems, sensors, lights, and indoor cameras.

The new Hive View Outdoor, announced today and available from December 2018, sends a notification to your smartphone when it detects motion, sound or people, helping you monitor the outside of your home, whether you're in it, or not.

The new camera continues Hive's longstanding design collaboration with Yves Béhar and his firm, fuseproject. Clearly from the same aesthetic home as the original Hive View, the outdoor iteration comes with a newly designed detachable mount secured by magnets – allowing you to pick up and move the camera without having to uninstall it, the work of half-an-afternoon (or moments, if you chose to have it installed for you at extra cost).

The Hive View Outdoor has all the anthropomorphic Wall-E-esque qualities of the Hive View original – clean lines, pebble-like smoothness – without the interior-savvy champagne gold and brushed bronze finishes available on the indoor products. Instead, the petite, weatherproof white box discreetly monitors your outside areas; just visible enough to act as a deterrent.

Those already on the Hive train will be pleased to know that the Outdoor camera auto-links to the existing Hive app (famed for its usability and stylish UX design) along with the existing suite of products. You get a notification when your camera detects something – it’ll even send a head and shoulders thumbnail image to your smartphone when a person is detected. You can also set schedules so you’re only notified when you want to be (not when the binman comes). The mail carrier, you may wish to talk to, however; and now you can tell them where to leave your delivery from wherever you are in the world thanks to the smart doorbell feature, which allows you to speak to whoever's at the door with a touch of a button.

For an extra layer of security, link your camera to your Hive Lights in the app so they turn on the moment there’s motion outside, or (a fun addition) play a siren or dog barking sound as soon as motion is detected to scare intruders off once and for all.

INFORMATION
Launching globally from early December, available for pre-order now. For more information, visit the Hive website and the fuseproject website

Two years ago designer Yves Béhar tapped into the philosophy that a well-appointed environment, lacking uniform cubicles and sterile lighting, can boost work ethic and foster productivity. He collaborated investor Steve Mohebi and designed Canopy with developer Amir Mortazavi, an elegant and ergonomic co-working space in San Francisco with an emphasis on refined and innovative design.

Following on the success of Canopy’s inaugural space on Fillmore Street, the Swiss designer has created a second location on Jackson Square, with the aim of creating more communities for small American businesses. Known for his innovation within the realm of domestic design (recent hits include an intelligent vinyl record player and an crib that rocks babies to sleep), Béhar’s interior design projects bear ample evidence of his technological expertise.

Béhar has infused the space with references to nature, as suggested by the name ‘Canopy’. A prominent yet minimalist tree-like canopy stands in the middle of the unconventional office space, with its ‘trunk’ and imposing network of ‘branches’ pragmatically doubling as shelves. The material palette is rich and tactile, with solid ash communal tables interspersed among conference tables of blackened ash and green and black marble.

Canopy members can work on Béhar’s Sayl chairs and among his Public Office Landscape furniture system, both by US furniture brand Herman Miller – the latter implemented with Live OS technology to auto-adjust desks to their preferred height. Meanwhile, a handful of mid-century designs, including Eames chairs and Preben Dahl lighting create a warm atmosphere, perfect for mustering creative ideas. Glass-walled meeting rooms, a signature element from the original Canopy space, allow natural light to flood in, complementing the bold colour scheme of green and pink.

Canopy’s Jackson Square location is also is carefully considered – the neighbourhood borders the culturally significant North Beach, whose cafés and bars became the epicentre of the Beat Generation in the 1950s, and ultimately contributed to the rise of the San Francisco Renaissance.

See more co-working spaces here

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Canopy website

ADDRESS

Canopy Jackson Square
595 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco

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After a decade languishing on consumer tech’s back porch, the smart home has started to enjoy mainstream success. Voice-activated butler bots such as Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit chime in 39 million American homes, while Ring, a video-activated doorbell, has been snapped up by Amazon for $1bn.

But has good tech turned fad? Tech firms are embedding remote-controlled capabilities into everything, from ludicrous ‘Laundroids’ to help fold your clothes to toilets such as Kohler’s ‘Numi’, which monitors the pipes in a little too much detail. Meanwhile, potentially worrisome tech that exists to siphon data from our day-to-day lives comes cloaked in a stylish shell – like the Yves Béhar-designed Hive View security system – so it doesn’t feel like an AI alien has invaded your home.

Inevitably, we’ll keep welcoming ever brighter AI into our living rooms. But if we fear smart homes will make us stupid, we could heed Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking, and seek out domestic design that’s a little bit dumber.

Read part two of ‘Next stop’ on the uprising of autonomous door-to-door travel

‘Next stop’ is a three-part series which looks to the future of technology, from domestic AI, to the daily commute, and luxury medical breaks

Read part three of ‘Next stop’, where we look to the future of the medical makeover

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

London’s V&A Museum is engaging in a spot of reverse archaeology. For its latest exhibition, ‘The Future Starts Here’, it has scoured labs the world over – from Silicon Valley giants to Scottish start-ups – to collate more than 100 objects that point the way ahead.

Filled with prototypes, ongoing experiments and finished products, the exhibition avoids sci-fi fantasy and shaky speculations and is thoroughly grounded in ‘the real’, explain curators Mariana Pestana and Rory Hyde. With the input of expert advisors, they have assembled a collection of objects, from personal-use satellites to home DNA labs, that promise to change the mechanics of everyday life. And soon.

Tech titans such as Apple and Google are here in numbers, alongside a catalogue of smaller crowdfunded projects that have a chance of becoming Google-sized tomorrow. ‘The exhibition doesn’t aim to position good technology against bad, or big against small – all of it is exciting,’ says Pestana. ‘Contemporary technology spans the human and the interplanetary – and we want to represent all increments of it.’

By presenting new developments in their infancy, the exhibition hopes to demystify the future, not cower from it. It’s what the V&A has been doing since its inception – its original collection was formed of the cutting-edge products of the Industrial Revolution, first displayed at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Now, we’ve come full circle; the age of technology fizzes around us. Here is our pick of eight objects displayed in the exhibition that outline the shape of things to come.

DIY Bitcoin Miner, by Raspberry Pi, Adafruit and GekkoScience

Technology is developing its own new, improvised and sometimes awkward design language, and this is one of the ‘rawest’ objects in the exhibition. ‘It’s more or less an exposed, cobbled-together circuit board,’ explains Hyde. ‘There’s been almost no consideration for its aesthetic. Precisely because of that, it somehow ends up being extremely beautiful.’

The robot-shaped creation was assembled for the V&A out of elements easily available on the internet, including a Raspberry Pi 3 miniature computer and GekkoScience USB miners, and programmed to earn Bitcoins (although, due to its modest size, the amount is likely to be negligible), a digital currency issued via peer-to-peer networks on completion of complex maths problems. Invented in 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, the cryptocurrency is now the subject of scepticism and hype in equal measure, and has become the de facto currency of the Dark Web.

DIY Bitcoin Miner, comprising a Raspberry Pi 3; 32GB SD card; Adafruit Pi B+ case; Adafruit RGB 16x2 LCD + keypad kit; and GekkoScience Compac USB miners

Eternal 5D Data Storage, by University of Southampton

No larger than a coin, this deceptively robust nanostructured disc can store around 360 terabytes of data for up to 13.8 billion years, even when exposed to temperatures of up to 1,000°C.

Developed by the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre, the technology can be used to create digital copies of major cultural artefacts and documents – such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pictured here. Content is added using ultrafast laser writing, and the glass discs can be read by combining an optical microscope with a polariser.

In an exhibition centred on what comes next, the discs remind us of the past’s importance, preserving evidence of our civilisation for future generations. And, just as a diamond is highly organised compressed carbon, the discs compress data into a digital gem – they are the precious stones of the technological age.

southampton.ac.uk

Geological Epoch Marker, by International Commission of Stratigraphy

Orthodox geological thinking suggests we are in the Holocene epoch and have been for the last 11,000 years or so. However, a growing number of scientists suggest we need a new geological marker and talk about the Anthropocene, or the ‘age of humans’.

Since the 1970s, the International Commission on Stratigraphy has been recognising important geological moments past with so-called ‘golden spikes’ (or Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Points), which may be embedded in rock strata at symbolic spots around the world to mark one epoch shifting to the next.

There are now more than 60 spikes dotted across the earth, but where we will mark the Anthropocene era is still up for debate. One suggestion is to place it by a tree on Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean, which records in its wood a radioactive trace from the A-bomb tests of the 1950s. Wherever it is placed, the marker will reflect the ‘Great Acceleration’, when human impact on the planet intensified and went global and irreversible.

As well as being a symbol of passing geological ages, the spikes are also a sign of ‘important international scientific cooperation’, says Stanley Finney, secretary general of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The decision where each spike should sit is a complex, hotly debated matter, often put to a vote by an international panel.

stratigraphy.org

DNA Testing Kit, by Bento Bio

A symbol of democratised biology, Bento Lab allows anyone to experiment with DNA analysis, without expensive software or specialist knowledge. Perfect for field scientists, students, or anyone who wants to test their lactose intolerance at home or identify genetically modified organisms in their food, it is even being used by a brewer seeking to understand the genetic make-up of beer.

The testing kit was developed by Bento Bio in a tiny studio tucked away in Makerversity, a warren of creative spaces in London’s Somerset House.

The start-up got its big break in 2016, hitting its crowdfunding target in just one day. Without Kickstarter, ‘fringe tech projects like this might not be able to happen,’ explains Bento Bio co-founder, Philipp Boeing.

£999, by Bento Bio, bento.bio

Artificial Leaf, by Julian Melchiorri

Just like natural leaves, this delicate artificial version made of silk protein absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, offering a potential solution to climate change. Its creator, Julian Melchiorri – the V&A’s first engineer in residence – looked into our natural environments to help find a way to preserve them. ‘When nature has already found a solution, in use for billions of years, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel technologically,’ he says.

The leaf’s inclusion in the exhibition aims to promote ethical debate: just because we can recreate nature, should we? Meanwhile, Melchiorri is not stopping at folioles – he’s currently on a mission to make a bionic tree.

julianmelchiorri.com

Personal Satellite, by Clyde Space

Space exploration is no longer defined only by NASA and Hollywood. Private space fleets are launching across the globe – including from Glasgow, a city with strong engineering schools and a haven for ‘new space’ firms such as Clyde Space.

The company produces CubeSats, small open-source satellites that allow individuals, institutions and private companies to conduct research in space for a fraction of the cost of a full satellite. Weighing around 1.4kg each, CubeSats can be customized to host sensors, cameras, solar panels or propulsion units. Similar models have been used to search for new planets, detect earthquakes and demonstrate the use of solar sails.

clyde.space

Powered Clothing, by Yves Béhar and Seismic

If the Bitcoin Miner represents undesigned, raw technology, Seismic’s super suit lies at the other end of the aesthetic spectrum, encasing futuristic tech inside familiar shells. ‘For me, the future of wearable tech, robots and smart environments lies in how technology is in the background, a non-interruptive experience in the flow of our life,’ says Yves Béhar, who designed the suit in collaboration with new specialist company Seismic. ‘The suit represents how technology should be worn rather than displayed, and integrated into our everyday lives in ways that are discreet and personal.’

Made from lightweight and flexible material, and intended to be worn under everyday clothes, the ‘Aura’ powered clothing is ‘an early conceptual design of an electronic exoskeleton’, explains Rich Mahoney, CEO of Seismic. Marketed towards an older audience, it is integrated with sensors that react to the body’s movements, offering extended muscle power to the wearer, assisting with actions such as getting up, staying upright or sitting down.

‘Since this initial concept, Seismic has progressed significantly with both the technical development and design,’ adds Mahoney; expect the new-look suits to be on the market later this year.

myseismic.com

3D-Printed Prosthetic Hand, by Refugee Open Ware

Established in 2015, Refugee Open Ware (ROW) aims to encourage innovation in conflict-torn countries, and provide the tools, training and skills to teach displaced people how to digitally fabricate the things they need. One of its many endeavours is to invest in businesses that 3D-print prosthetic limbs cheaply and effectively.

This model is a replica of a prosthetic hand co-designed with a six-year-old Yemeni refugee, who was badly burned in a house fire. ‘Prosthetic devices are highly personal. Additive manufacturing simply allows a new medium for the creator to expand the intimate relationship between user and device,’ explains Adam Arabian, associate professor of engineering at Seattle Pacific University, who worked on the design. ‘This object represents the ability of a global community to convene and solve challenging – and often very unique – problems.’

After extensive interviews with the child, the ROW team 3D-printed a prosthetic hand in ABS plastic, customising a Flexy-Hand by British mechanical design specialist Gyrobot with branding from the child’s favourite television show.

row3d.org

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

INFORMATION
‘The Future Starts Here’ is on view from 12 May - 4 November. For more information, visit the Victoria & Albert Museum website

ADDRESS

Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge
London SW7 2RL

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Hive’s network of interconnected smart home devices, from Yves Béhar-designed Hive View, to lightbulbs, plugs and smart thermostats, have a new grand master – and it’s got built in WiFi.

Like the existing Hive Hub, the new, updated Hive Hub 360’s primary function is to organise existing Hive devices. It works through an integrated ‘Hive Actions’ feature, that cleverly and intuitively connects existing Hive hardware together via a mobile app, so you can control your temperature, lights, and secuity in one, functional space.

Though it may seem like the ‘Internet of Things’ has turned into the ‘Internet of Everything’ – the Hive Home Hub has a seriously impressive secondary function, which is getting smart-home aficionados and gadget collectors buzzing. The Home Hive 360 has powerful, 360-degree audio detection, thanks to in-built microphones. It’s able to listen in on worrisome noises, from a dog barking, to glass windows shattering.

Instinctively and immediately, it notifies you via the Hive app, wherever you are in the world, so you can take action remotely. Of course, you can turn it off when you’re at home so it doesn’t eavesdrop on your conversations.

It looks good too – taking its design-cues from Yves Béhar’s effortlessly stylish Hive offerings, the new 360 is available in of-the-moment colourways of brushed copper, or white and champagne gold. Millennial ears are pricking everywhere. (If we can’t own a home, at least we can technologically micro-manage a rental for £99.)

While smart speakers from Apple, Samsung and Sonos battle it out to be crowned the best smart speaker of 2018, who would have thought another tech titan would be claiming the title of best smart listener? Bravo, Hive!

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hive website

It won’t have escaped even the most ardent Luddite that our devices are trying harder and harder to fulfil new desires by creating ever more complex ways of connecting with the humble home. It started with bulbs and thermostats but now the array of smart devices extends to plugs, switches, sensors and cameras.

Of all the smart home ecosystems on the market, Hive is one of the best established. Hive is the consumer facing name of Centrica Connected Home, and presents itself as a thriving digital business, with a buzzy West End office and products designed by a familiar name – more of which later. Hive’s system is based around a Connected Hub that docks with your router and bonds with your wi-fi. Additional devices can then be plugged in as required, all controlled through a web interface, or app, or even Amazon’s Alexa. In practice, it's agreeably straightforward although as with all smart devices, it’s best to have an idea what you want to do before you invest, lest you waste time conjuring up silly lighting tricks or spookily self-starting electrical appliances.

Rounding off the current suite of devices is the new Hive View, a dockable security camera that once again has been designed by Yves Béhar’s fuseproject studio. Béhar is the hand behind all of Hive’s devices, imbuing them with a classic high-tech simplicity that brings to mind a Kubrickian world of smooth, pebble-like objects (or in his words, ‘discrete experiences and elegant designs’). Having snared a clutch of awards for the Hive thermostat back in 2016, he’s hoping the latest device will also grab aesthetes’ attention.

Hive View sits on a magnetic clasp on a magnetic stand, a little rounded cube with an almost anthropomorphic stance. Connect the camera via your phone (the work of moments if you’re already in the Hive vibe), and the device joins the cluster on your dashboard. Then it’s just a case of working out what you want to do. For most people, View is best as a high-end security camera, with a wide-angled, non-distorting lense that’ll capture great swathes of your living space.

The motion activation can be tuned to detect only people (otherwise pets, reflections and the wind in the trees all set it off) and notification options give you the choice of being told when it’s active. You then have the choice of checking in live through the app, or simply sifting through the short HD video (or audio) clips it records of the event (stored for 24 hours, or longer if you subscribe to the upgraded membership package). The camera automatically switches to night view (offering strong potential for creepy snippets of imagined spectral sightings) and also has a ‘grab and go’ feature that’ll let you detach it from the base and pop it down wherever you like in the house until the batteries expire.

Finished in white and champagne gold or black and brushed copper, Hive View will continue to be upgradeable with new customisable actions to come, including the potential for using the unit as a form of intercom. If you really need remote viewing in your life, and we’re not going to question your reasons, the Hive View is one of the smartest solutions you can buy.

INFORMATION

Hive View Camera, from £189

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

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Korean tech giant Samsung has joined forces with Yves Béhar’s Fuseproject to develop a new model for home entertainment. Launching tonight in Paris, The Frame is a concept television with a design created to fit seamlessly into a home and appear as appealing when off as it is when in use.

‘A home is an expression of personal taste, functional needs and interests,’ says Béhar. ‘The television is no exception.’ He and the Samsung team started looking at it as an integral part of the home and daily life: ‘What if the TV display in my home delivered a different experience? What if the TV disappeared in the décor when it’s not in use?’

The design that followed looks less like a television and more like a sophisticated picture frame, with a border available in white and wood veneers. Béhar’s clean, minimal aesthetic features subtle industrial design details, such as an attachment that allows the TV to be freestanding.

But it’s not just the discreet design that makes The Frame an innovative entertaining tool. The ultra HD TV features a sensor-based display that adapts to the light in the room and, when not in use, it can be switched to ‘Art Mode’, displaying a static artwork and blending in with the environment. A sensor turns the screen off when no movement is detected in the room. Béhar notes that the digital interface behind this was as important as the hardware design: the platform had to appeal to a variety of users, while also being respectful to the art on show.

For the ‘Art Mode’ contents, Béhar and Samsung partnered with art advisor Elise Van Middelem, who curated an initial selection of 100 works ranging from photography to illustrations, across 38 artists and ten genres (users can also add personal images to the cache). ‘I was immediately attracted by the possibility of demystifying the art experience,’ says Van Middelem, who worked closely with art industry experts to create the portfolio. ‘My goal was to find artwork that transcends the experience of traditional wallpaper or stock photography, and to replicate the feeling of entering a digital gallery exhibition, every artwork being carefully selected.’

The artworks include architectural photography by Todd Eberle and Nacho Alegre, works from Tobias Rehberger’s 2016 series Screamsavers and mixed-media collages by Barry McGee, among others. ‘Participating within The Frame is a step out of [the artists’] comfort zone,’ notes Van Middelem. ‘After all, we were asking them to show their work on an entirely new platform.’ The artists, she adds, were fantastic at embracing experimentation. ‘The Frame has the potential to change our perception of viewing art. How it is approached, collected and displayed. It allows anyone to learn about art through living with it.’

Béhar adds that the art selection was conceived as becoming a virtual museum for the home, expanding the television's traditional remit. ‘The Frame shifts our paradigm of what a television can be; on or off,’ he concludes. ‘It adds value to our walls and our daily life.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Samsung website and the Fuseproject website

Minimalism has always sat comfortably alongside the clutter of complicated watches, yin to its yang. Movado holds the honour of being both the first and the best at championing that state of utter simplicity, with its production of the Museum Watch, designed by Bauhaus-influenced artist Nathan George Horwitt in 1947.

His Museum Watch dial has no details save for a gold dot at the 12 o’clock position, the designer realising that the world was conditioned to viewing the positioning of the hands alone to tell the time. Numbers were therefore not essential. The name was appended to it when the watch was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1960.

This dot motif has become a Movado signature even on models that do have detailed dials, but the clutter is always kept at bay. Working with industrial designer Yves Béhar, Movado launched a new interpretation of the watch – the Edge – in 2015. Now he has created a new addition to the collection.

When he designed the Edge, Béhar reworked Horwitt’s original design in three dimensions, adding drama by raising the dot from the dial. He also moved on from the perfect smoothness of the original to a textured finish. Simple or not, it’s so cleverly executed that it can suggest the surface of the moon, the sun in the sky, the sea or even a volcano.

Further enhancement came in the form of sculpted ridges that could be the rays of the sun or the edges of a pie crust. Their purpose isn’t solely aesthetic, as they also correspond to minute markings in conflict with the original absence of any form of indices – yet still Béhar avoided clutter.

For the Movado Edge Special Edition collection, the concave dials sport a new texture, reminiscent of fine-grain leather or even stone. As Béhar says: ‘The organic patterns of the Special Edition are constructed through a unique casting process, while the accents celebrate the subtleties of the original collection.’ The new design comes in two sizes of the time-only model and a remarkably clean chronograph – in stainless steel with a blue dial and contrasting blue dot, and in black and rose gold-plated stainless steel, with a black dial and rose gold-toned dot. The casebacks are engraved with Béhar’s signature.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Movado website

Merchandising slogans like 'intelligent home' and 'automated home' have been banded around since the 1964 New York World's Fair. In recent times, these have become increasingly difficult to decode. Despite the unprecedented potential of smart home technology, when faced with the prospect of AI butlers and networking kitchens, it's easy to see why even the most plugged-in tech disciples begin to switch off.

New products range from the bewildering to the bizarre, as any trawl through crowdfunding platform Kickstarter reveals. This being said, there are a few brave pioneers breaking through the home-tech firewalls, building genuinely smart, beautiful solutions fit for the W* House. Unsurprisingly, it isn't the newfangled, futuristic ideas that we've been most impressed by of late, but the witty, stylish reinventions of old classics...

Ding doorbel

The doorbell is one of the original home tech inventions, remaining largely unchanged since it emerged in the mid-1800s. Yet Ding has fixed what wasn't broken – to brilliant effect. When a visitor presses the Ding doorbell, a pebble-shaped WiFi 'chime' sounds in the home, placing a voice call through to a smartphone app, allowing users to talk with the person at their door. It works when you're busy in the kitchen, at the bottom of the garden, or on the other side of the world.

'You could just pin a smartphone to your front door,' creative director and co-founder Avril O'Neil tells Wallpaper*, discussing the difficulties behind creating true home technology innovation. 'It has a button, screen, access to the internet and can do almost anything, but it's completely out of place. A lot of smart home products currently on the market are like this, they are driven by the technology rather than considering peoples' lives, homes and what they need.'

Bucking the trend, and finished with high quality fabric, the Ding chime looks unobtrusively at home anywhere, and can be table- or wall-mounted. The button itself is slim enough to fit on doorframes with a simple ‘click in’ installation. According to O'Neil, simplicity is an essential premise of successful home technology. 'It should make your life easier, rather than adding complexity. We've designed Ding to be simple and intuitive, working with how you run your life.' Already making noise on Kickstarter, Ding will be available from the end of November.

'Snoo' baby crib

Designer and father of four Yves Béhar has a 'no personal technology' rule at home, as long as the children are awake. 'But other technology, like the 'Snoo' smart bassinet, can actually augment our ability as a human, and can improve our daily lives and our health,' he explains.

The 'Snoo' crib, created in partnership with Dr Harvey Karp of the Happiest Baby company, is built on a wealth of personal experience and sleepless nights. The see-through mesh bassinet imitates the rhythmic sensations of the womb, helping babies sleep and responding to their fussing with increasing motion and even white noise. It is also lined with a patented 'sleeping sack' made from swaddling cloth that supports the baby in the best possible position, promising to be the safest crib ever created.

The simple genius of 'Snoo' is that despite having AI qualities, it doesn't look like a robot. Béhar explains, 'The philosophy of these discreet and integrated technologies is that the tech is designed to be invisible: the experience is in the background and causes no distraction.' There's an air of familiarity that makes 'Snoo' reassuring and homely; 'transparent, ultra-safe, pure and iconic', as Béhar says. 'Snoo' is like your own personal night nurse.

Miito kettle

Having collected their $150,000 Kickstarter goal in just 38 hours last May, the Design Academy Eindhoven graduates behind Miito have been busy finessing their kettle replacement, which will finally be available for purchase next summer. This kettle uses induction technology to heat any non-ferrous material placed on its surface, cutting down on the excess water, time and energy usage of traditional kettles.

Bells and whistles abound, which is impressive considering Miito's minimal aesthetic. The 'Precise' function allows a specific temperature to be selected, and it switches off automatically when your tea is brewed – all controlled by an iPhone-esque 'home' button. With an accompanying eco-tea brand landing next month, ahead of Miito's commercial launch, we predict big things from this lifestyle meets technology team.

'Eclipse' cable tidy

From the firm that brought us nautical cables, and the DOCK charging device, Native Union is 'thrilled to be back on Kickstarter' with this streamlined cable tidy and USB charging port. With the rest of the technology world going wire-free, this cable tidy might seem mistimed from the accessory gurus. Fabien Nauroy, head of design at Native Union, emphasises why broader tech trends often don't translate in the home. 'We’ve been waiting for wireless charging to become the norm, but the reality is we are still very much in the cable era. We continue to rely on cables every day to charge our tech, and with that comes the familiar eyesore of messy cables in our homes.'

Eclipse is a masterclass in judging the moment, balancing user-lead technology with style. A capacitive sensor emits a subtle light halo with one touch, so you don’t have to fumble around for your cable in the dark. Smart IC technology ensures that all three devices are charging at their maximum speed. Clever stuff, neatly disguised inside a classy cherry or walnut wood casing.

It seems the most successful home technology products start with the user's wants and whims, with beautifully designed human interaction at their core. As these ingenious inventions prove, we shouldn't be forced to pick between aesthetics and cybernetics when our home style is at stake. Call us greedy, but we demand both.

INFORMATION

Doorbell, by Ding, from £120; ’Snoo’ crib, by Yves Béhar, for Happiest Baby, $1,160; Kettle, by Miito, from £81; and ’Eclipse’ cable tidy, by Native Union, from £69.99

From the street, it might take visitors to Yves Béhar and Sabrina Buell’s San Francisco home a moment to find the front door. A seemingly unbroken stretch of black anodised aluminium – which looks flat from afar, but up close exposes a unique CNC-machined pattern of nicks and notches – spans the ground-level facade, disguising both a garage and the aforementioned entrance. Each fits flush within the mottled expanse; a pair of portals, hiding in plain sight. 

This interplay between raw materials and careful craftsmanship, the clearly visible and the cleverly, strategically obscured, is one that is repeated throughout their three-level home in San Francisco – itself a domestic dream-turned-reality that has been, in many ways, decades in the making. 

Béhar – a de facto design superstar who established himself with tech-forward projects like One Laptop Per Child, Jambox and Sodastream – and Buell, one half of the art advisory firm Zlot Buell, which caters to the Bay Area elite, bought the property in 2008 for themselves and their three children (they’ve since also introduced a newborn into the fold). For nearly three years, they lived in the ‘nondescript cottage with a 1990s-era Italianate renovation’, as Béhar diplomatically describes it, before gutting the space and embarking on a complete overhaul. ‘It was a renovation that felt like a ground-up construction, which was really, really difficult,’ he remembers with a laugh. ‘I would not do it that way again.’ Yet even this direct acknowledgement isn’t a regret. Béhar believes in experimentation as an integral part of the creative process, one that is informed by potential missteps in addition to perceived successes.

Not one square inch of the interior was left without Béhar’s figurative fingerprints. He designed the house’s masterplan and layout himself, with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout and a sense of social and visual flow in mind. The open-plan living room, kitchen and dining room is where most time is spent – bustling during breakfast, when everyone’s getting ready for the day, and mellow in the evening, when Béhar and Buell play board games with the kids before bedtime. It leads to a backyard terraced with angular concrete levels and landscaped with greenery native to northern California. 

The second level of the house is broken up by a communal office, suitable for early morning conference calls, distraction-free brainstorm sessions, or grade-school homework, while two adjacent kids’ rooms lead onto a joint outdoor play space. Unimpressed with the prospect of putting down standard all-weather Astroturf, Béhar and Buell imagined the artificial grass as a blank canvas and commissioned a piece from street artist Barry McGee to adorn it. His brightly coloured repeating triangles provide the perfect spot for makeshift hopscotch sessions, while the original print hangs across the hall. Buell’s keen eye for curation is evident everywhere, and most of the walls in the house are a gallery unto themselves, but the kids have freedom to live as, well, kids. They’ve been taught not to touch the art, but nearly everything else is interactive, as evidenced by the crayon scrawls on their closet doors, and the regular trampoline time on the Béhar-designed sofa set downstairs. (‘It actually has a really nice bounce,’ he says.) 

And then, above everything, is the cantilevered, minimal-to-the-max master bedroom and en suite, with a comprehensive view over the play space and yard to the back, and out to Alcatraz on the other side. Behind a bare white wall is a split bath featuring a Japanese soaking tub. Anyone washing who wishes to talk to someone on the other side can simply push open a peekaboo panel and say hello, face to face. 

Leveraging relationships with local craftspeople, industry insiders and manufacturers that he cultivated over the course of his career, Béhar willed his comprehensive vision to fully functioning life in the form of custom one-offs: hardwood stools and branch-like chandeliers, felt-covered cabinets and heated patio benches, leather drawer pulls and photo realistic rugs. ‘Typically, when I work on a project there’s some kind of compromise,’ he says. ‘The one place I don’t have to do that is my home. Here, I’m allowed to do my own thing.’

A large part of Béhar’s ‘thing’ is technology. He is fascinated by the minor and major ways in which it can make our collective day-to-days easier, more efficient and, by extension, more enjoyable. Electronic touches are ubiquitous but unobtrusive. The front door unlocks automatically when Béhar or Buell approaches, thanks to the (Béhar-designed) August smartlock system. With a quick tap of an iPhone, a flat-screen TV emerges from a downstairs console that doubles as storage for spare tableware. A trap door separates the master bedroom from the bustle of the rest of the house, and can be operated with the touch of a toe on a button situated at ankle-level. ‘A big part of the magic is the reveal,’ he says. While Luddites would still be comfortable – he didn’t eschew things like traditional light switches – there are always a few communal iPads out, should anyone invited over want to assume control.

And yet the tech is not all purely functional. There are cheeky flashes too, like the line of all-but-hidden LEDs that runs along the ceiling in the master bedroom and changes colour with a few swipes on a smartphone. ‘It’s like my secret disco ball,’ Béhar says of the installation, which recalls Leo Villareal’s Bay Lights by way of Saturday Night Fever.

It’s showing these details to others that allows Béhar a chance to do what seems to excite him the most about his home: sharing his stories. He has an anecdote about everything. There’s the love heart-shaped rock found on a walk in Marin, where he likes to surf, that shares shelf space with a vase painted by Picasso that was given to his parents at their wedding reception. Point to anything in the place and there will be a tale attached. ‘When I was about 13, I wanted to be a writer,’ he says. ‘I wanted to tell stories. Then I realised the medium doesn’t matter, and I actually see design as a powerful form of communication.’ 

For Béhar, his home is less a culmination so much as a continuation of all that’s come before, and an indicator of what’s still to come. There, cutting a sleek silhouette on a tree-lined hill, stands a home that is – like the city that surrounds it, and the family that lives within – forever evolving.

As originally featured in the October 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*211)

INFORMATION
Photography: Anthony Cotsifas. Producer: Michael Reynolds

These days, it seems bigger isn’t better — and with the unveiling of Ori, the intelligent, robotic house system designed by Fuseproject’s Yves Béhar – it’s further confirmation that slim is in.

Globally, as domestic spaces shrink and living costs rise, the sheer physical square footage of many homes has been reduced. Human needs – eating, sleeping, socialising and, more so these days, working from home – have, however, not followed suit. Founded as a MIT Media Lab CityHome spin-off, Ori offers a truly innovative approach to living; combining robotics, architecture and design.

Ori is a flexible solution, suited for small spaces, where, as Béhar details, 'a one room studio has the ability to become a bedroom, an office, a living room, or a closet, all with the touch of a button.' Think of Ori much like mechanical space-saving library stacks, but instead of only endless shelves of books, inside the unit is a standard-sized bed, dining table, kitchen counters, desk, walk-in closet and adjustable mood lighting — suited especially for the 300-square-feet or smaller apartment. The unit sizes have a few variations, depending on the house’s layout.

'Personally I am a big fan of micro living,' explains Béhar. 'I think it is a great way to make cities sustainable, and for people to align economic realities with the belief in living with less,' he adds. 'I think the convenience of the system is clear, but it also creates more financial value for the space, and that is important to maximise for developers as well as owners of the apartments.'

INFORMATION

Photography/Videography/Animations: Courtesy of Fuseproject

Frustrated with the idea of commuting to a business park or downtown to an office, Yves Béhar, Amir Mortazavi and Steve Mohebi decided to revolutionise the workspace with Canopy, a co-working space located right in the heart of Pacific Heights on San Francisco's Fillmore Street. Elevated and refined, Canopy, opening this September, will have a sophisticated membership program and concierge-style amenities.

‘Canopy is designed as a pioneering space, where classic radical designs of the 1970s such as Joe Colombo, Don Chadwick and Alexander Girard are mixed with today’s most collaborative and ergonomic furniture from Herman Miller, Flos, Tylko and others,’ says Behar. ‘In conceiving the space with Amir Mortazavi, we were intent on designing inspirational moments in the space, such as the lounge or kitchen, and also bringing together an eclectic mix of classic and current designs that are high concept and high quality.’

Behar sought to create something that’s a departure from the traditional start-up and co-working spaces located in Silicon Valley. ‘Canopy is a space for experienced workers: people who have careers and want to start their own thing,’ he says. ‘People with a mature and efficient approach to work don’t need foosball or ping-pong tables, so naturally we did away with those.’

The designer looked back on his 15 years with Herman Miller for inspiration for a space that’s conducive to idea making. ‘It's in our interpersonal interactions that stimulate collaboration and innovation,’ says Béhar. ‘My experience with designing office products naturally helped me conceive of a space that allows for open collaboration as well as focused private work.’

INFORMATION

For more information and membership inquiries, visit the Canopy website

ADDRESS

Canopy
2193 Filmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

To mark a seminal 50 years of its Architecture and Urban Design program, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture has announced 'A.UD @ 50', a gala honoring famed designer Yves Béhar and legendary architect, planner and urban designer, Denise Scott Brown. Brown and Béhar will be celebrated together with a group of 400 key figures, who have helped cement Palm Springs’ reputation as pioneers of mid century modern architecture. 

U.AD has been instrumental in developing new generations of designers, innovators and leaders. ‘Now more than ever, the world demands creative solutions to the many complex and pressing challenges of our time. There is no better time to recognise the essential role that architecture and design play in shaping our futures,’ says David Roussève, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Interim Dean.

The event, which will take place at the historic core of UCLA’s Royce Quad campus, will welcome numerous noted guests, spanning architecture, real estate, design, construction and the entertainment industries. 

A silent auction will be held during the evening, seeing U.AD’s faculty members delving deep into their archives to donate original and rare works, all of which will go under the hammer. The auction will also include a series of photographs by the internationally acclaimed photographer Iwan Baan, created exclusively for A.UD @ 50. All proceeds will go to the support of the university's innovative programs and help fund future student scholarships.

INFORMATION

For more information on A.UD @ 50, please visit UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture's website 

Iconic film and camera brand Kodak has teamed up with the famed Fuseproject founder Yves Béhar to relaunch its iconic Super 8 film camera, melding the best of the analogue and digital worlds into one slick device. 

Unveiled at Las Vegas’ CES tech fair, the new Super 8 aims to revive the old classic – originally launched in 1965 – for a modern audience. 

‘Kodak has always represented innovation that is approachable while delivering the craft of filmmaking,’ explains Béhar. ‘Our design aspires to express both these ideals. We are using robust materials and new ergonomic features to serve the needs of Super 8 fans, whether shooting action or static scenes.’ Among the Super 8 devotees are film directors Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams – all of whom have applauded the revival initiative. 

True to form, Béhar’s design pairs form and function with graceful ease. A rectangular body encases film cassettes on one side (visible only though a diamond-shaped hole) and an LCD screen on the other. An interchangeable lens and joint handle/microphone complete the appartus, along with the all modern adaptors you’d need; cable connection points, SD slots etc..

Due to be launched later this year, it is already being hailed as one of the most exciting releases from the Sin City technology trade fair.

INFORMATION

Photography courtesy of Kodak

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

It seems Yves Béhar is working his way through home appliances. Fresh from reinvigorating thermostats and fizzing up drinks with Sodastream, the designer is now taking over television screens with his latest project for Canal+.

Béhar's San Francisco studio Fuseproject has redesigned the set-top box for the French TV network, re-imagining its form while keeping true to a brand they've worked with for the past eight years. Named 'Le Cube S' and measuring in at an impressive 8cm x 8cm, the new compact contraption is less than a quarter of the size of its predecessor, Le Cube. 'This is the first set-top box to fit cleanly in the palm of your hand,' says Béhar.

'While the average set-top box will only display the channel number, we knew we had an opportunity to utilise the screen to create a more meaningful experience,' explains Fuseproject. 'The full-color LCD display [has a] 320 x 240 pixel screen, presenting channel logos [...] and programme notifications to users. At only 61mm x 46mm, the quality of this display is astonishing. But of course, it also is only present when needed – its surface hides discreetly behind the matte black colouring of the device itself, seamlessly disappearing when not in use.'

When turned on, the high-quality display shines through to the surface, providing full colour images. When turned off, the minimal box effortlessly fades into the background; a clean matt display with textured lid, contrasting perpendicular lines hiding the cube's limited buttons. An understated feat of design and technology.

The last time we spoke to Yves Béhar, he had just moved his team to a new office space in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill and launched the Public Office Landscape for Herman Miller, so the focus was on efficient workspace design. But now, he is returning to his favoured area of experise: the domestic realm.

A project falling under the British Gas Innovation umbrella, Hive Active Heating launched in 2013 with a thermostat and app system to control domestic heating and hot water remotely (and cleverly), and has since been installed in over 200,000 homes throughout the country. Now in its second phase, Hive has revealed a new thermostat designed by Béhar, with minimal features and an intuitive design, which aims to combine efficiency with environmental sustainability and user comfort – all recurring concerns in the Swiss designer’s work. 

At this week's unveiling of the Hive Active Heating 2 thermostat, we caught up with him to chat home environments, energy efficiency and how he's improving domestic user experiences.  

Wallpaper*: What is your approach to designing technology for the home?
Yves Béhar: I have a huge passion for bringing technology into the home, but I also recognise that it is a very different exercise at the moment. You are speaking to an entire household, not just to the designated techy in the house. It forces you to think about technology in universal terms, rather than requiring an effort by a sophisticated consumer. 

What is your method when working on domestic projects?
To me, the threshold is that everyone in the home has to be able to use it. The other one is that I want it to be discreet. I don’t need more screens in my life, I feel like it’s so important for technology to become invisible; this actually makes it harder to design because you have to be an editor about the functionality and make sure you deliver technology that people really want, rather than things that are too specialised.  

Through some of your other designs and also with the Hive, you have developed different ways to communicate with your devices. How did you do that?
To really deliver a great user experience you need to run both efforts in parallel, which is actually harder to do, but I think the rewards are much higher from a user experience standpoint. For this project, designers would be working with me on shapes and ways to display and control the device, while information architects and interaction designers would be working with me on how we walk people through this information. Neither of those could be developed in isolation. It’s really a different kind of design practice when you have to run both efforts in parallel and make sure that what needs to win out at the end is the simplicity of use, the accessibility of the technology. That doesn’t mean that the design is less beautiful, interesting or unique. It is our duty to explore the different ways that these technologies can be delivered, without really looking too hard at what’s already been done. 

Can you tell us about the research behind the thermostat?
Thermostats have been around for decades in the domestic space. We didn’t start from an existing technology, we didn’t even start from an existing information tree. We did a lot of visits in British homes, all kinds, to get a sense of what the key things are that they want to do; what we need to make as accessible as possible from a functionality standpoint. You can only find [this] out by spending time understanding the customer. When we develop a project, we turn into users as well. I install these products, discover the idiosyncrasies of their use and try to solve them.

How was it to work on something so specific to the British market?
I loved that, because the differences were important functionally; you need a connection to the water and the heater, or the notion of boosting temperature for a short amount of time. These are functionalities that exist only [in the UK], culturally. And so I loved the fact that the technology is able to acknowledge those differences. And from a design standpoint we also thought long and hard about how the product [would] fit into a huge variety of homes, from traditional Victorian to contemporary. 

Themes like energy and efficiency are recurring concerns in your works. Is that a choice? Or do they come to you?
It is both. We can imbue the products with notions of sustainability or notions of simple technology. There are ways to improve a product’s carbon footprint if you make the right decisions throughout the project. This is important because people try to save money, but people in general also have a sense of not wasting energy, [protecting] the environment. 

How do you think the Hive will stand the test of time?
It was actually expressively designed not to look trendy. For me what was critical is that the product feels new, smart, intelligent. But it’s also important that people feel familiar with it so it has longevity and will last in someone’s home. In addition, if you change the outer casing of it, you can have it adapted to different aesthetic needs. You don’t see people ripping their thermostats off the wall, so you want to design for that functionality to have lasting value. 

And design is evolving with that concept…
I think people want new experiences or want objects or services that allow them to have more experiences. Experiences have become more important to people than purely material things. Smart products in a way deliver experiences; that ‘just in time’ service which you can control, and that now we have become used to. We don’t want to plan, we want to be able to be free of foresight.

Ever restless, Wallpaper* Handmade upped its perfectly proportioned sticks again this year, installing itself (well, we helped) in a semi-retired stretch of Milanese store fronts to create the Wallpaper* Arcade. We were determined that this year's Handmade event be the biggest, best and most bountiful yet. And so it was; not least our opening bash, now well established as Salone's swingingest party.

This year we were joined by Tom Dixon, Patricia Urquiola, Konstantin Grcic, Philippe Malouin, Maurizio Cattelan and many other luminaries who enjoyed the more interactive elements of this year's exhibition: including the Wallpaper* nail bar; live hair styling by the legendary Jimo Salako; and the remarkable 'Rotunda Seronita' snack bar, dispensing not only savoury treats but their own handmade cherry wood trays.

Of course, such scale and ambition does not come easy and we again have to thank the many friends, old and new, who provided invaluable assistance and supplies. The champagne flowed freely thanks to Veuve Clicquot, whose Re-creation Awards installation of re-imagined mail boxes proved a particular favourite, while Royal Salute served wonderful whisky at their remarkable 'Neolithic' bar, designed by Studio Mackereth and crafted by Jack Badger. The highest-grade grappa came courtesy of Nonino (try saying that after a few glasses) whilst beer was supplied by San Miguel (summer in a bottle as far we're concerned).

Given this year's culinary theme, the catering had to impress and we served up a monumental stretch of Italian favourites, including generous dollops of organic panettone gelato from local favourites, Grom. We also flew in St John sous chef Arnold Hoeksma who cooked up bone marrow pizza at the Emeco space while the young craftsmen Josh Fisher bent, beat and shaped metal into unique editions of Jasper Morrison's 'Alfi' chair.

The Wallpaper* Arcade – a collaborative effort in the best tradition of Handmade – was brightened by Kvadrat's spectacular multi-colour colonnade as well as the multidisciplinary delights of d3 Dubai Design District; the contemporary crafted carpets of AfghanMade; and Gufram's prickly pop-up lounge.

Finally, a huge thank you to the event sponsors, Veuve Clicquot, Hästens and Monoqi Business, and, of course, Leclettico's Claudio Loria, whose ambition and drive matches our own.

For ten years we have cast our nets far and wide in our quest to uncover all that is excellent for our annual Design Awards. To wrap up the first decade in suitable style last month, we jetted over to San Francisco - the worthy joint winner of this year's Best City award - to throw a party inside Design Awards partner Airbnb's brand new headquarters.

A mariachi band serenaded guests - including the likes of Yves Béhar, the Haas brothers, Neri & Hu, Ambra Medda, and Johanna Grawunder – as they arrived en masse at the landmark 888 Brannan. Stepping through the doors, they were met by our gleaming Nendo-designed trophies, displayed on plinths, while pages from the Design Awards issued lined the walls.

Revellers then made their way into the building’s striking atrium, which was lit up in the prismatic colours of the cover of our February issue. Art director, illustrator and filmmaker Christian Borstlap’s eye-popping video of our Judges’ Awards was projected overhead, while shapes a-plenty were thrown on the dance floor below to beats provided by musician Adam Bainbridge of Kindness.

Bubbles flowed freely throughout the night thanks to Veuve Clicquot, while top local mixologist Rye on the Road offered up Caorunn Gin cocktails – including San Franciscos, of course. Guests enjoyed Asian-inspired nibbles with a twist, including steamed Berkshire pork buns and crispy panko-crumbed corn croquettes – a nod to our Best Bar Snacks victors. Our waiters, meanwhile, were clad head-to-toe in Levi's, winner of our Best Denim gong.

Not all good things must come to an end, however. Guests took home a bespoke tote bag containing a Wallpaper* City Guide to San Francisco, a miniature bottle of Caorunn Gin, chocolate from Pump Street Bakery (our Best Chocolate winner), a Levi's gift card, as well as a specially designed ‘Best of 10 Years’ commemorative supplement. Here's to another 10 years...

With a steady stream of personal audio devices flooding into the technology universe, we feel well within our rights to dismiss gadgets that don't look as good as they work. Ticking tech spec boxes while juggling our demands for streamline design is Jawbone's new multi-tasking wireless speaker and speakerphone, designed by Yves Béhar, the Jambox.

Acting as a personal sound conduit for any Bluetooth device you choose from the iPad to your mobile phone, the Jambox allows users to stream and share music, movies and games; while also serving as a pitch-perfect mobile speakerphone - a comforting thought if your only on-the-go option is the crackly phone-conferencing connection on your mobile phone.

Weighing in at 12oz and measuring a mere 15cm in length, the speaker is designed to be above all, completely mobile, but cynics shouldn't fooled by it's diminutive form - its inbuilt technology harnesses a powerful engine, heralded by two powerful acoustic drivers which produce extreme high and low frequencies from an ultra-small dome speaker. The resulting sound produced is a respectable 85db, which, to put it simply, is considerably louder than both city traffic and motorcycle noise, and overshadowed only by thrashing metal of a rock concert.

Technical details aside, the Jambox's stainless steel construction has been simply molded in rubber casing, with all four sides are wrapped in a single grill, adding to its temptingly minimal form.