
Best trend
There's nothing puzzling about this new direction
Random patterns, asymmetric forms and a kind of modern marquetry were all part of one definite trend this year - designs put together like a puzzle. The traditional techniques of inlaying and overlaying have been updated, with unexpected assemblages of stone, wood, leather, acrylic and ceramic creating a new type of freestyle, decorative geometry.
'Azulej' tiles, by Patricia Urquiola, for Mutina
Based on ancient handcrafted majolica, but made of hydraulic cement with cold, digital-print glazing, Patricia Urquiola's tile patterns combine different, mixed-up aesthetics, including geometrical schemes and floral designs, which allow a puzzle pattern to be created in both a longitudinal and a diagonal direction.
€99 per sq m; www.mutina.it
'Bois de Rose' cabinet, by Massimo Morozzi, for Edra
Massimo Morozzi's return to hands-on design saw him rediscover old woodwork traditions, but with completely new results. Much of the random, rosewood veneers break the rules of cabinetmaking. Not to mention that they are opened
by piano pedals rather than handles.
€8,640; www.edra.com
'Fishbone' coffee table, by Patricia Urquiola, for Moroso
Patricia Urquiola's modern take on inlaying sees her using Alycrite to mimic natural materials such as horn, marble, mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell in a random, herringbone-style pattern. With its super-glossy finish and rich, shiny shades, we can't keep our hands off it.
€1,570; www.moroso.it
'Slab' vases, by Form Us With Love, for Cosentino/Silestone
Swedish design group Form Us With Love showed that quartz compound Silestone can be used for more than just kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Like a heavyweight pre-school puzzle, rings in all shapes, sizes and colours make for a different vase each time they're put on the bracket.
Prices on request; www.cosentinogroup.net
Photography: Daniele de Carolis; Interiors: Elisa Ossino; Writer: Paul McCann

Best Reissues
Our favourite second comings
Ferdinand Kramer table
The 1951 'Calvert' coffee table, by lesser-known Bauhaus architect Ferdinand Kramer, is part of the inspired Knock-Down collection, an early effort to create flat-pack furniture for ease of export. Today's versions by E15 come in oak or walnut veneer, or coloured lacquer.
'Calvert FK04' coffee table, from €390, by Ferdinand Kramer, from E15
Giò Ponti tableware
Using Giò Ponti's original sketches, Sambonet has produced stainless- steel pieces that were designed by the Italian rationalist in 1951, but never manufactured: asymmetric 'Conca' flatware, a tray made from one piece of metal, and a striking centrepiece made of two bowls.
'Conca' cutlery, from €13 each; 'Moka' spoon, €7; centrepiece/ bowls, €339, all by Giò Ponti, from Sambonet
Arne Jacobsen sofa
Conceived in 1939 for Søllerød City Hall, the 'Mayor' sofa is a fine example of early modernism from the granddaddy of Danish design, Arne Jacobsen. This three-seater version, produced by Copenhagen's &Tradition, features a frame of solid oak with Kvadrat upholstery.
'Major AJ5' sofa, €4,449, by Arne Jacobsen, from &Tradition
Le Corbusier light
Inspired by large-scale industrial lamps, the 'Projecteur 365' was originally designed by Le Corbusier in 1954. Now Nemo Cassina has produced wall, floor and ceiling models, with modern elements developed in collaboration with the Le Corbusier Foundation.
'Projecteur 365' light, €800, by Le Corbusier, from Nemo
Photography: Daniele De Carolis; Interiors: Elisa Ossino; Writer: Emma Moore

Best reinvention
Muriel Grateau, designer and gallerist, Paris
It's not that Muriel Grateau wasn't on our radar. Her name has been above the door of her seventh arrondissement gallery since 1997. Her colour-drenched ceramics have leapt out from the pages of interiors publications over the years and Grateau's striking, black-swathed figure has brought a discreet elegance to the Parisian interior's scene for as long as we can remember. But walking into her newly whitewashed gallery earlier this year, a whole new light shone on the work of the distinguished designer and homeware queen, who started off as a fashion designer in Milan. Grateau's ceramics, glassware and linen, all in fearless hues, are displayed on the ground floor, while her jewellery and new range of silverware and watches are on show upstairs. And with the likes of Peter Marino and India Mahdavi on her list of collaborators, the seasoned designer is definitely one to keep watching.
Photography: Arnaud Lajeunie; Writer: Emma Moore

Best use of material
'Clair-obscur' ring, by Chanel Fine Jewellery
The juxtaposition of diamonds and titanium, a somewhat industrial material, is at odds with the romantic image of high jewellery, but that's exactly what we like about Chanel's 'Clair-obscur' ring. 'The most diverse methods are legitimate, provided they are only used in the true spirit of fashion,' said Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1932, when she created her only high-jewellery pieces. So, when Benjamin Comar, Chanel's director of fine jewellery, re-interpreted the range, rather than just replicate her collection of diamond pieces inspired by stars and comets, he played something of a celestial joke: he set old-school, round-cut diamonds against a futuristic 'sky' of blackened titanium. The Apollo 17 space mission discovered the presence of titanium in meteorites in 1972; the alloy is now widely used in aerospace technology.
Photography: Charles Negre; Writer: Caragh McKay; Stylist: Ursula Geisselmann

Best plant shop
Qusamura, Hiroshima
The 2012 opening of Qusamura was a cause for celebration among plant enthusiasts and pottery lovers alike. The brainchild of florist Kohei Oda, the Hiroshima boutique specialises in pairing unusual cacti with characterful crockery. Beautifully presented to accentuate their strange, spiny shapes, his potted creations, much like spiky bonsais, are botanical sculptures for the home. Oda sources each one from horticulturalists across the country, often choosing cacti that are too weird or weathered for conventional markets. But through Oda's eyes, they have the exquisite potential of fine antiques.
2-26-21 Nishihara, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima, www.qusamura.com
Photography: Jun Sakamoto; Writer: Naomi Pollock

Best collection
2012, by Minotti
Minotti's powerful 2012 furniture collection evinced the grown-up combination of innovation and continuity that is the family brand's determining ethos. No affectation, no exaggeration, just fabulous detailing, traditional workmanship, sumptuous materials and, to misquote Raymond Chandler, lines to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window. With hints of midcentury flair (see the oak skids on the side table), a sprinkling of Scandinavian style (in the 'Prince' and 'Gilliam' armchairs) and unabashed Italian luxury (in everything) all in a contemporary package, consider us besotted. Under the coordinating eye of artistic director Rodolfo Dordoni, the 2012 collection injected more colour than in recent Minotti palettes and increased innovation on the quiet: we love the angle of the tapered leg on the 'Evans' table, for example, and 'Brice', the sofa-hugging coffee table, is a delight. The collection also has pieces adapted to more compact living spaces, such as the 'York Lounge' armchair and the 'Sherman 93' sofa. Minotti 2012: the past in conversation with the present and producing stunning furniture.
www.minottilondon.com
Photography: Tommaso Sartori; Interiors: Amy Heffernan; Writer: Paul McCann