Wallpaper* Handmade

The making of ‘Taking Care of Wild Relatives’, by Sebastian Herkner, Lobmeyr and FAO

The Viennese crystal and chandelier manufacturer Lobmeyr knows a thing or two about fine craftsmanship. Founded in 1823, it was a pioneer of Austrian and Bohemian crystal production, supplying the Imperial Court and the world with fine tableware and chandeliers...

Feat of clay: modular column, by Tijmen Smeulders and Olivier van Herpt

Despite being graduates of the same design school (the illustrious Design Academy Eindhoven), Tijmen Smeulders and Olivier Van Herpt have followed distinctly different paths. Smeulders set up his Rotterdam studio upon graduating from the academy in 2013. His work, encompassing...

Piece offering: the making of the ceremonial rug, by Craig Green and Stepevi

Back in 2011, we teamed up with luxury rug-making company Stepevi for a Handmade collaboration with the Paris-based designer Vincent Darré of Maison Darré, resulting in a striking surrealist rug with a body-part motif. We so enjoyed working with the...

The making of Smallbone and Paul Helbers’ wardrobe for Holy Handmade!

For this year’s edition of Wallpaper* Handmade – our temple to divine design at Salone del Mobile – we asked global purveyor of bespoke British cabinetry Smallbone of Devizes to team up with Parisian menswear label Helbers on the design of a bespoke...

Public hanging: ’Worshipful’ wardrobe, by Paul Helbers and Smallbone

Paul Helbers likes to make daily dressing effortless. He has a fascination with everyday workwear and his eponymous label, launched in January 2016, mixes athleisure and tailored pieces in luxurious fabrics. Now our Handmade brief has allowed the Dutch designer, who...

Tony Chambers on reworking ritual and worship for this year’s truly elevating Handmade quest

At this year’s Salone del Mobile, that most sacred of design gatherings, we called the Wallpaper* flock to the Mediateca Santa Teresa, a deconsecrated church on Via della Moscova. And there did true believers, as well as the odd agnostic...

Loom large: ‘The Veil’, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Lesage Intérieurs

This piece currently holds the Handmade record for taking the most time to create, and is unlikely to see it broken any time soon. When we originally approached designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec with an invitation to collaborate with legendary...

Frond on frond: in the pink at our Instagram-friendly Salone oasis

The most Instagrammed project of Salone del Mobile, designer Marc Ange’s ‘Le Refuge’ – an oversized lounger comprising a cushioned bed protected by a parasol of stylised palm leaves – offered much-needed respite from the sun, as well as a...

Keep on moving: wonder wheels and hot tubs in our Travel & Transport special

Putting together the post-Salone issue is always a challenge. A week of high-intensity furniture foraging and fine dining can leave you dazed and carrying a few extra pounds. Between overseeing the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, catch-ups with design-industry colleagues and a...

Storm force: Ishinomaki Laboratory has turned utility into a fine art

Keiji Ashizawa and Takahiro Chiba, the dynamic duo behind Ishinomaki Laboratory, like to describe their operation as the world’s first DIY furniture company. Chiba, a former sushi chef, heads up operations in a large, former wakame-seaweed hangar in the small...

Holy Handmade! Tony Chambers introduces our biggest ever May issue

Welcome to our biggest ever May issue: 344 pages of the best design from across the globe. As in previous years, our primary focus this month is Milan and our preview of the upcoming Salone del Mobile. Our highlights include...

Salone del Mobile 2017 preview: the top exhibitions and installations