The Wallpaper* Hallway: how to make a grand entrance with the finest welcoming designs
We invite guests into our digs with playful hanging lights, sculptural vases, modular sideboards and delicate ornaments. Make a sophisticated first impression with a dose of these W* House modern marvels...
Name: ‘Dish' wall clock
Designer: Atipico, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £97
In a contemporary interpretation of the decorative dishes often found hung on walls in Italian households, Alessio Romano has created the ‘Dish’ clock. Shaped like a plate, the metal wall clock presents a new, more modern guise to this custom, with a lightness and elegance as well as the ability to mark the hours and minutes of the day.
We're smiling at Jaime Hayon’s Happy Hooks for Fritz Hansen
Name: Happy Hook
Designer: Jaime Hayon for Fritz Hansen
Price: £52
‘The Happy Hook is an object that reminds us to smile in hard times,’ says Spanish designer and artist Jaime Hayon of his new hooks for Danish firm Fritz Hansen. Simple and playful, the design harks back to Hayon’s past on the skateboard scene, when this motif was his art tag. Happy Hook’s three-pronged model allows for multifunctional use, and brings cheer to the room via a plethora of colour options. ‘Smile and be positive is essential to life. This is why I made the happy hook ... function and a message melt together.’
Name: Melt Chair
Designer: Bower Studios
Price: $16,000
Building upon its knack for bending perspectives, New York design practice Bower Studios has created a concrete and chrome-plated brass chair which playfully experiments with materiality and its perceived traits. Inspired by an ancient Egyptian statue known as ‘Statue of a Seated Isis’, that has been dated to around 650 BC, the Melt Chair emulates the sculpture’s geometric seat, which also depicts a cushion draped over its back. In the contemporary version, the chair’s frame has been rendered in thin reflective planes of chrome-plated brass, while concrete playfully folds over itself to form the top, almost resembling fabric or ice cream.
‘This contrast between material and perceived properties shaped by form is the unexpected surprise we exploit in the Melt Chair,’ explains the firm’s design director Danny Gianella. ‘It’s the idea of [making] a material with a set of traits feel like a different material with opposing traits, simply by the way its formed and interacts with other objects.’ The chair has been produced in a limited edition run of 20 and is also available in a limited edition black marble version as well.
Name: Triplex Stool
Designer: Studio RYTE
Price: on request
Weighing less that 1.8kg, this stool is an experiment in art and science. Built by fabricators in Stuttgart, that usually work within the automotive industry, the modular piece is made up of flax fibre, with bio-resin as the binding agent. To further decrease the carbon footprint, Hong Kong-based Studio RYTE have designed the stool as multiple parts, and are aiming to go one step further in its switch to plant power – they are currently testing to create a more organic binder material. 3mm thick and biodegradable, the stool has a dynamic green textured surface, that compliments its highly engineered curves
Name: Vases
Designer: Bloc Studios & Tableau
Price: from €830
In an art and design collaboration, Bloc Studios, founded in Carrara teams up with Copenhagen-based flower studio Tableau for a set of ten vases. Mini mountains of stone get a contemporary intervention from steel producing an abstract house for simple arrangements to live. Available in stone included White Onyx, Red Francia and Travertino, the pieces are monolithic ornaments – described as ‘a clash between raw materials and the softness of flowers’
Name: ‘Boboli’ Console
Designer: Rodolfo Dordoni, for Cassina
Price: £2,450
A characteristically geometric design from Rodolfo Dordoni, this console is part of a series of new additions to the ‘Boboli’ family of products that includes side and coffee tables. The slick, burnished aluminium legs spiral upwards, like vertically trained plants in a classical Italian garden. Topped with a slick marble slab, the console is architectural in construction and altar-like in stature
Name: 'Trinidad' chair, black
Designer: Nanna Ditzel, produced by Fredericia Furniture, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £502
Bold and striking, Nanna Ditzel's 'Trinidad' chair is a statement piece in every sense. Cut from black ash wood and defined by cut-out fretwork on its curved shell back, the chair was ground-breaking when it debuted in 1993. As well as being well-ventilated and stackable, the lightweight design is decorative and functional in equal parts, making it equally suited to both public and private settings — no doubt a key factor in its standing as a modern classic
Name: ‘Grid’ sofa system
Designer: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Established & Sons
Price: from £3600
As discussion about the future workplace continues, Established & Sons brings something new to the table with the ‘Grid’ sofa system, launched during Clerkenwell Design Week 2019 and designed by the Bouroullec brothers. Functioning as a ‘room within a room’, the modular sofa is encased within a steel frame on which shelves, tables and screens can be mounted. Its cocooning shape allows for privacy, and can be adapted to create either a U or L-shape – allowing you to form an office practically anywhere
Name: ‘Charred’ vases
Designer: Gabriel Tan for Origin
Price: On request
In 2014, Gabriel Tan was inspired by the array of artisanal crafts that he encountered during a visit to Portugal. This in turn led to the launch of his new brand Origin, which seeks to tell the story of the craftspeople and where products come from. For its inaugural collection, Origin fittingly looks back to Portugal. The ‘Charred’ vases (pictured) are designed by Tan but made by João Lourenço who uses Barro Preto, a type of terracotta clay cooked at extremely high temperatures and pressured under the earth. ‘I wanted to work with this Portuguese heritage and material,’ states Tan, ‘while exploring unusual ways to arrange flowers.’
Name: ‘Revue’ side table, white
Designer: Andrea Steidl for Dante - Goods And Bads, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: from $940
Italian designer Andrea Steidl’s side table for Dante – Goods And Bads combines an unmistakably contemporary form with hardwearing functionality and versatility. Made using simply two folded, powder-coated steel sheets, the Revue comes in two colours – this is the black version
Name: Sconces, chandeliers and pendants
Designer: Esque for Cedar & Moss
Price: from $343
The enduring, midcentury aesthetic of lighting label Cedar & Moss has been injected with a breath of fresh air, thanks to a new collaboration with the Portland-based glass studio, Esque. Since training together at Brooklyn Glass, Esque’s Andy Kovel and Justin Parker have been pushing the limits with what qualities can be achieved in glass for the past twenty years. Their concept for a Cedar & Moss pairs the clean ethos of midcentury inspired sconces, chandeliers and pendants with colourful glass globes, each carefully hand blown and available in different varieties of transparency. From a pearlescent mint shade to clear auburn tones that individually play off the finishes off the fixtures themselves, the buoyant collection allows clients to mix and match the different components to create a look thats’s entirely their own. Writer Pei-ru Keh
Name: Sowden bottle
Designer: George Sowden for Hay, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £29
George Sowden's bottle series for Hay — a riot of colour and shape — presents this playful 350ml container. Made from stainless steel and featuring a plastic screw top, the bottle is suitable for both hot and cold beverages, while its ergonomic shape makes it ideal for carrying when on the go. Easily stored and pleasingly simple, the bottle is available is a variety of sizes and colours
Name: Cuckoo collection
Designer: Nendo
Price: on request
Humorous yet subtle, Japanese studio Nendo has reimagined the pendulum-regulated cuckoo clock. Stepping away from any embellishments, Nendo’s creates a trio of simple wood forms – one turned on its head, one that also doubles as a bookend and one that is framed within itself – all three are cleverly carved from the same wood with minimalist graphics for the numbers
Name: 'Imago' mirror object
Designer: Peder Jessen for Mater, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £293
Created from a single polished brass sheet bent at 158 degrees, Peder Jessen's 'Imago' mirror object is functional and sculptural in equal parts. The circular mirror is inspired by and named for the shape arthropods take on during the final stage of their metamorphosis from cocoon to winged creature
Name: ‘FCK’ vase cement
Designer/brand: Frédérick Gautier for Serax, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £64
From Frédérick Gautier’s 'FCK' collection for Serax, this vase was inspired by the floating bollards in the locks of the canals in Paris. As such, the vessel is crafted from tough grey cement that offers a stark contrast to any fresh blooms placed inside. Minimalistic, simple and architectural, the vase's puzzle-like silhouette may be combined with other shapes from the collection for a fully bespoke display
Name: ‘Piatto’ tables
Designer/brand: Sam Hecht and Kim Colin/ Industrial Facility for Fucina
Price: on request
Brianza-based brand Fucina launched at Salone del Mobile this year focusing on structural metal work that is effortlessly seamless. Under the art direction of Maddalena Casadei, the company unveiled a collection from Pauline Deltour, Jun Yasumoto, Casadei herself and these Industrial Facility tables. Adopting the appearance of lightness, the family of sleek tables are highly engineered with the solid steel plates joining together at the perfect vertical and horizontal angles to appear as only two legs
Name: ‘Glory’ table
Designer/brand: Rodolphe Parente for Pouenat
Price: €22,700
This geometric table sees marble and brass unite in an opulent arrangement of shapes. ECAL graduate Rodolphe Parente paid attention to detail combining constrasting textures in one piece; the brass has a magnitude of intense finishes, both brushed and grooved, which charmingly compliment the dramatic veins of the marble. Photography: Francis Amiand
Name: ‘Excavation’ sculptures
Designer/brand: Wang & Söderström, for Unique Board
Price: from $500
Copenhagen-based design studio Wang & Söderström was inspired by the science of archaeology and the readings of human activity for its series of sculptural vases ‘Excavation’. Brought to life by New York-based Unique Board, which used 3D printing to join together the plaster and monochrome resin. The result is a range of abstract and vibrant vessels that are imbued with a playful confetti-style design
Name: ‘What Metal Can Do’ collection
Designer/brand: Kin & Co
Price: on request
Steel might not have the warmth of wood or the tactility of concrete, yet the designers behind the New York-based design studio Kin & Co have chosen to hone in on its versatility for their latest collection. Inspired by Russian Constructivism and the principles of the Bauhaus, the new works are rooted in fundamental geometric forms, with a twist, of course. ‘We want to make furniture that is expressive,’ says co-founder Kira de Paola. ‘And metal is a medium that can take on so many different personalities.’ The five-piece range, which includes the parabolically curved Geo dining table, razor-width Thin stools, Crescent console with marble inset and the Slip mirror, is completed by with the Phase pendant light, which has been produced in collaboration with the resin artist Kim Markel
Name: ‘Tama’ vase,
Designer/brand: Nousaku, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £99
Made of brass, this golden spherical vase is available in two sizes. The solid piece’s refined shape makes them ideal for a simple, slanting flower arrangement, ikebana-style. Meticulously made, each item is hand-polished by Nousaku craftsmen in their Takaoka workshop
Name: ‘Mirror Mobiles’
Designer/brand: Elkeland Studio
Price: from DKK 1,150
Danish studio Elkeland’s geometric mirror mobiles are suspended on wax-treated flack string. The slim shapes (including half-moons, ovals, and gradated triangles) are made from double-sided plexi mirror and brass sticks. Catching light as they gently twist, the mobiles throw subtle plays of light against surrounding walls, floors and ceilings for a poetic entrance installation
Name: ‘Zodiac’ shelving
Designer/brand: Nichetto Studio, for Zaozuo
Price: from ¥88
Centred around a hexagonal metal framework, Zodiac is a multifunctional modular display system. Paired with attachable polyurethane accessories, its elegant geometrical networks form complex constellations, serving as a shelving device, mirror and coat hook. Nodding to its astrological namesake, Zodiac offers a sophisticated play with its web of lines to act as a sleek artistic wall hanging, as well as a multifunctional system
Name: Double-ended magazine bookend
Designer/brand: Folker Christensen, for Folle, available from WallpaperSTORE*
Price: £45
This award-winning, satin-polished stainless steel bookend was designed by Folmer Christensen. Featuring the flawless curves and simplicity of Scandinavian design, it’s manufactured in Denmark by Folle’s skilled craftsmen. Conceived specifically for magazines, the tall, double-ended piece will hold your favourite issues of Wallpaper* in style
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Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
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