Best bed
‘Bumper Bed’, by Marc Newson, for Domeau & Pérès
One of the lesser-known facts about Australian designer Marc Newson may be that until he conceived his playful ‘Bumper Bed’ in 1997, he slept on a mattress laid simply on the floor. Seventeen years on, the bed has finally been produced for the first time by design gallery and master crafts-maker Domeau & Pérès. Its wooden frame, into which a mattress is set, is filled with polyurethane foam, covered in buttery leather and encircled by a band in a matching shade or bright orange. ‘I thought it would give people like me the opportunity to transform their trusty mattress into a nice-looking bed,’ explains Newson. Each bed is made to size, signed and issued in a numbered edition, making it a true collectible.
Price on request, domeauperes.com. Now on display at the exhibition ‘Marc Newson: At Home’, Philadelphia Museum of Art, until 20 April 2014.
Photography: Victor Prado; Writer: Pei-Ru Keh
Best vanity unit
Sweet smell of success
Upping the ante in bedroom furniture this year is ‘Yang’, a striking seven-drawer chest made from solid walnut canaletto and topped with a leather tray and mirror set at the perfect pitch for grooming success. To that end, we’ve paired ‘Yang’ with our pick of perfumes for the year. In the men’s category is 1899, a fragrant tribute to Ernest Hemingway with notes of bergamot, juniper, iris from his beloved Mediterranean, and a sensual amber and vetiver base reminiscent of a waxed Cuban bar top. Marni’s entry to the world of scent impresses with a pleasingly unsugary rendition of rose topped with bergamot, pepper and ginger, tempered with patchouli, vetiver and cedar, all in the most covetable bottle around. Meanwhile, New York niche line Odin furnishes us with our favourite ungendered scent of the year, 11 Semma, a sensual blend of myrrh and sweet tobacco, interlaced with cinnamon, clove and tonka bean.
‘YANG’ Chest of drawers, £12,369, by Design MVW, for Giorgetti, from Mayfair Design Studio. Eau de Parfum, £48 for 30ml, by Marni. 1899, €145 for 120ml, by Histoires de Parfums. 11 Semma, $165 for 100ml, by Odin. Club Ebony Wood Brush, £139, by Taylor of Old Bond Street
Photography: John Short; Writer: Emma Moore
Best line work
Furniture phantasmagoria
We embrace the idea of furniture that redesigns space with black shapes and optical illusions. This is perfectly exemplified by Paul Smith’s hand-knotted Tibetan wool rug for The Rug Company, whose appearance changes with shifting points of view. Tokujin Yoshioka took the concept further with his table and chairs for Desalto – from one side, the elements look like simple flat lines, much like Arik Levy’s poetic chandeliers for Vibia: surreal compositions that play on geometry.
‘Umbra’ Rug, £795 per sq m, by Paul Smith, for The Rug Company. ‘Element’ Chairs, €1,581 each; Table, €7,163, both by Tokujin Yoshioka, for Desalto. ‘Wireflow’ pendants, price on request, by Arik Levy, for Vibia, from LSE Lighting
Photography: Michael Bodiam; Writer: Rosa Bertoli
Best showstopper
‘Lustre Gabriel’ chandelier, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for Swarovski
Newly installed in the entrance staircase of the Château de Versailles, the Bouroullec brothers’ showstopping ‘Lustre Gabriel’ chandelier is the first permanent contemporary piece to be installed in the palace. Brought to life by the crystal experts at Swarovski, the glittering installation is the winner of a competition launched in 2011, which asked entrants to design a permanent mobile artwork to adorn the palace’s Gabriel staircase. The Bouroullecs’ 12m-high composition is made up of three suspended crystal cords that majestically loop down into the space, creating an atmospheric glow. The piece uses 800 crystals in total, which are fixed to a steel skeleton structure embedded with LED light sources. While the design cleverly references the crystal chandeliers that were historically hung in the palace, the graphic, illuminated cords create a striking contrast with the ornate surroundings.
‘Lustre Gabriel’ chandelier, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for the Palace of Versailles, created by Swarovski. Dress by Dior Haute Couture
Photography: Jonathan de Villiers; Fashion: Grace Atkinson Writer: Ali Morris
Best reissue
‘Judd at Conran’ collection, with the Judd Foundation and Schellmann Furniture
The late US artist Donald Judd had a posthumous moment last year, with a surge in projects bearing his name. In New York’s SoHo, a new arm of the Judd Foundation opened in his former studio (W*171). Meanwhile, The Conran Shop became the first major retailer to sell his furniture designs. Motivated by the need to furnish his home in Marfa, Texas, in the 1970s, Judd’s foray into furniture was characterised by the same simplicity that typified his art, utilising materials such as raw pine, plywood, hardwood and sheet metal. The ‘Judd at Conran’ collection features five chairs, a library desk, a bed and this finely crafted standing desk. Made in collaboration with the Judd Foundation and Schellmann Furniture (W*145), the newly available desk is the ultimate altar piece for the Judd devotee.
Standing desk, £24,000, by Donald Judd, produced in collaboration with the Judd Foundation and Schellman Furniture, from the Conran Shop
Photography: John Short; Writer: Pei-Ru Keh
Best technique
‘Hôtel de la Lumière’ ring, by Boucheron
With its glacier-like qualities, rock crystal is both dense and delicate, making it tricky to craft. With the ‘Hôtel de la Lumière’ ring, the skills of the Boucheron workshops are rigorously tested during a complex process where a sphere is hollowed out of a shard of rock crystal then polished to transparency. The diamonds are mounted onto the crystal base without any use of metal framework (as is the usual technique for stone setting), like a fine-jewel version of a ship-in-a-bottle.
‘Hôtel de la Lumière’ Ring in rock crystal, diamonds and white gold, by Boucheron
Photography: Charles Negre; Watches & jewellery director: Caragh McKay
