Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2012: 14 young designers come together to create an ideal living space for an exhibition called The Front Room: Geometry and Colour inside a listed Milanese house this week.

The show includes a coffee table and wall lamp from Daphna Laurens‘ Cirkel Collection, Phil Cuttance‘s Faceture vases and Mieke Meijer‘s furniture inspired by industrial structures.

Henny van Nistelrooy presents a screen made by unpicking woven fabric, David Derksen and Lex Pott provided mirrors that have been selectively oxidised, and there’s a clock by Studio Like This that can only be read straight-on.

Seating includes stools from Earnest Studio made by expanding foam around the legs and fabric seat, and a rocking chair by Agata Karolina and Dana Cannam that takes centre stage on rugs with graduated colours by Franziska Wernicke.

Lighting takes the form of OS & OOS‘ lamps inspired by the alignment of celestial bodies and Miya Kondo‘s Composition lights leaning against the walls, while swing-seats made of twisted and knotted rope by Tom Price hang in the courtyard.

The Front Room is curated by Matylda Krzykowski and Marco Gabriele Lorusso, all the pieces are for sale and it’s on show at Ca’ Laghetto, Via Laghetto 11 until 22 April.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here are some more details from Matylda Krzykowski and Marco Gabriele Lorusso:

The front room is the most diverse of our domestic space. It is where we mingle and entertain, read in solitude, stay up late and doze off early. The front room must accommodate many versions of ourselves, yet it is a place where we present a singular identity through the language of the products that we choose. It is a room where our families gather, for which we gather a family of objects.

The Front Room: Geometry and Colour is a presentation of new objects for the front room. Each object is a fresh version of it’s predecessor, and all are united by the ritualistic nature of sheer geometries and strikingly contemporary color palettes. In a departure from the amorphous forms that have preoccupied the design world in recent years, this up-and-coming group looks to purity with an element of playfulness.

THE FRONT ROOM is a self-initiated project brought to you by Matylda Krzykowski and by Marco Gabriele Lorusso. The show is hosted by Ca’ Laghetto.

Phil Cuttance

FACETURE, 2012 – The Faceture series consists of handmade faceted vessels, light-shades and table. Each object is produced individually by casting a water-based resin into a simple handmade mould. The mould is then manually manipulated to create the each object’s form before each casting, making every piece utterly unique.

David Derksen and Lex Pott

TRANSCIENCE, 2011 – Over time, dark spots start to appear on mirrors. The silver layer is slowly oxidizing under the influence of oxygen and water, thereby showing some of its history. This process can be regarded as degradation, however this project shows the beauty of this material transition of silver. Normally, the oxidation process in a mirror occurs randomly and evolves slowly over time. These mirrors reveal the different states of this process. In this case, sulphur is used to create an accelerated oxidation process. Depending on the time that the silver is reacting with sulphur, different colour tones can be achieved, ranging from gold to brown, to purple to blue. The states of the oxidation process are being shown in a pattern that consists of the elemental geometric shapes.

Earnest Studio

SWELL, 2011 – Swell is a series of stools and benches which play with the conventional method of producing upholstered furniture. The project works by combining several steps of production into one. Instead of molding massive blocks of foam, cutting them down to size, gluing these separate pieces to a wooden frame and hand-sewing fabric on top, Swell uses the fabric and frame as the original mold for the foam. This results in fewer steps in production, less material and less time-consuming handwork. Because the foam fills the fabric, no material is wasted as cutoffs. Because the foam acts as a binding agent between the fabric and frame, no additional adhesives or sewing are necessary. Lastly, since the foam expands in a slightly different way each time, each piece is unique.

Agata Karolina and Dana Cannam

HUMMINGBIRD, 2012 – The hummingbird is a contemporary take on a classic rocking chair. The name reflects the calm state of suspension between being engaged and deep relaxation. When seated, the user is upright and alert, with a gentle tilt and shifting of weight, the chair creates an embracing sensation, producing the feeling of calm. The objects that surround us must adapt to a richer mix of uses, housing types, living and work situations. The Hummingbird accentuates this dynamic lifestyle without sacrificing the value of history and simplicity.

Daphna Laurens

CIRKEL COLLECTION, 2011 – The pieces of collection “Cirkel” have a shared basis, the circle. Composing, cutting and twisting the surface, adding or removing lines, applying materials and colour resulted in the design of the new coffee table 01 and wall light 01 and 02

Mieke Meijer

POWER PLANT 1, WINDING TOWER 01, 2011 – Inspired by the photographs of Bernd an Hilla Becher Mieke Meijer restored the disused industrial shapes and placed them in a new context. By reducing the scale and playing with volume, she created a series of autonomous interior objects with an architectural feel. The third piece in the series, ‘PowerPlant 01′, wasn’t based on a Becher photograph but on a marquant Eindhoven building, heritage from the Philips company. Mieke Meijer translated it into a low table with two conical shaped lamps.

OS & OOS

SYZGY LAMPS, 2011 – A continuous light source inspired by the sun, moon and planets. Syzygy [siz-i-jee] astronomical term from Nasa: a straight line configuration of three celestial like bodies produces eclipses, transits and occultations, but brought down to the human scale. The two foremost disks can be physically turned by hand to achieve the desired light effect. The light can only be put out when both are turned to the correct possession resulting in perfect black, for the light source itself remains constantly on.

Miya Kondo

COMPOSITION LIGHTS, 2011 – Composition Light describes the relationship between individual and object, and individual and space through the use of light, creating different perspectives, frames and shapes of light; offering light itself as a mutable spatial object. The result is a graphic light which, positioned in various ways, uses light as a way of communicating spatial dimension, the environment thus determining the form the light will take.

Lex Pott

TRUE COLORS Exclusively for foundbyjames.com, Lex created 40 limited edition artworks that capture the beauty and irregularity of metals. True Colours started as a research project into colour and was motivated by the desire to create a framework in which nature can express itself and still maintain beauty, a contrast to what is expected in our mass-produced world. Starting with 6 rectangle metal panels of processed brass, aluminium, steel and copper, he applies various chemical processes to generate oxidization of the material. He explains these chemical reactions with scientific formulas neatly recorded with typography on the face of the panels. As a result he creates a rich alchemistic colour palette against an industrialized metal framework: a fascinating contrast at the pivotal point in which nature and industry converge.

Henny van Nistelrooy

MYLTADA, 2012 – Myltada is a double-panel space divider which is the latest edition to the “Shelter” collection. Shelter is a collection of space dividers composed of specially selected fabrics, meticulously unthreaded into new geometrical patterns. In reaction to the machine woven structures Henny has been unthreading the fabrics by hand in order to create new geometrical designs within the fabric. By doing this the tightly woven, opaque textile become translucent and the relation between the different threads that make up the fabrics becomes clear. The project has been inspired by recent journeys to China. Here the beautiful architectural features appearing in many Ming/Qing imperial palaces and gardens have been of influence in the use of color and shape.

Fabian von Spreckelsen

The New York City Bulk and Wave collection – My sideboard is made up of powder coated steel and was painted in a bright colour resulting in a stylish contemporary look to give a smart impression. My object, a folded brick and its creation is like our mind and the way we change our paradigm. It takes a lot of effort to change our old patterns of thinking and to achieve the desired results. Whatever the outcome is, it is always unique and every person perceives it differently. The workings are asymmetric and cannot be seen like our inner mind. In addition to my “folded brick”, I created “welded waves” which functions as a transcript of our transience. The processed metal was exposed to nature as we are to our environment reflecting the paths we chose to live. Both objects were handcrafted in my studio in Maastricht and only the finest materials were used.

Studio Like This

TIME, 2012 – A clock which requires time be sought out rather than have it as a constant reminder of its passing. Only when approached front-on does the clock allow for the transparency to read time. Viewed from any other angle, it disguises itself as a discreet wall object. TIME is a marriage of classic analog time-keeping and modern nano technology.

Franziska Wernicke

ROOM MOMENT c2, 2011 ROOM MOMENT c4, 2011 – The rugs stand out due to their unique color gradation design and their rich, luxurious finishing. The subtle and smooth color gradient effect gives the impression of a change of dimension in the rug. the design opens up the room in which it is placed, it communicates with its architectural surroundings and invites the user to experience a whole new interior dimension. Manufactured entirely in the Netherlands, the rugs make use of an exclusive high-tech tufting technique that is able to create super smooth color changes within the tufted rug. the rugs are made out of 100% pure New Zealand wool through which a luxuriously soft and voluminous rug is obtained.

Milan 2012: British designer Lee Broom is showcasing furniture and lighting at an exhibition styled like a British public house at Ventura Lambrate in Milan this week.

Oak panelling and etched glass windows salvaged from an old English pub line the walls, while an reclaimed oak bar is positioned opposite.

Lighting suspended from above includes crystal light bulbs cut like whiskey decanters, which Broom is launching at the show. Read more about them in our earlier story.

The Ventura Lambrate design district is open from 17 to 22 April. Download the free map and guide here and see all our stories about Ventura Lambrate 2012 here.

Here’s some more text from Broom:

Launch Of Lee Broom, Public House
Salone Del Mobile 2012
17 – 22 April 2012

This month, the critically acclaimed British designer, Lee Broom, will launch his first, solo exhibition in Milan during the Salone del Mobile. Entitled Public House, the show will mark the fifth anniversary of the Lee Broom brand, showcasing a selection of Broom’s hero pieces in one curated space, for the first time.

Inspired by the age-old institution of the British pub, with a multi-dimensional, surreal twist, Public House will bring a truly British experience to the Ventura Lambrate design district. Reflecting a common theme in Broom’s work, materials used within the exhibition will be of authentic British origin, reclaimed from old pubs. Deconstructed oak panelling, etched glass and an ornate wooden bar will act as eclectic, statement backdrops to Broom’s British designed and manufactured collections.

This cultural amalgam of old meets new is reflected in Broom’s collections on show. New pieces, including a striking light and exciting new editions to existing products, will complement Broom’s core collections, showcasing the scope and variety of his work.

Public House will also complement the launch of Broom’s collaboration with renowned international Scotch whisky, Ballantine’s 12 Year Old. Broom has designed an exclusive serving ritual, influenced by vintage crystal whisky decanters, with a very modern twist, to be launched at the exhibition.

“I am very excited to be exhibiting for the first time in Milan. I wanted to showcase my work in a quintessential British environment, creating an experience for visitors which they could usually only experience in the UK.” – Lee Broom

Milan 2012: this lamp by Swedish designers Front blows a bubble every few seconds to form a transparent shade round an LED.

Over the 50,000-hour life of the bulb the lamp will blow over three million bubble shades.

Presented for new Dutch lighting brand Booo, the Surface Tension Lamp is on show at Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

See all our stories about Front here.

Here’s some more information from Front:

Surface Tension Lamp

A bubble is brief, and bursts at your touch. But while it lasts, it catches the light and reflects the room like a multi-coloured temporary structure. We wanted to create a constantly changing lamp that combines the most ephemeral of lampshade with an LED light source that will last for 50 000 hours. In the time it takes the LED to burn out, the lamp will have had 3 million different globe shades.

Milan 2012: in the fourth episode of our daily TV show from Dezeen Studio in Milan Zaha Hadid drops by to chat to us about what she’s installed at a secret garden elsewhere in the city and to give an architect’s take on the design fair, plus Yves Béhar demonstrates his redesigned SodaStream system for making fizzy drinks at home.

Our roving reporter Rose pays a visit to Spazio Rossana Orlandi, where curator Orlandi explains what’s on show there this year, while back in the studio Guardian critic Justin McGuirk discusses the arrival of hacking culture and open-source production to the design industry.

Today’s music track from Dezeen Music Project is Antagonic Urban Cities by Ral.

Dezeen will be filming and editing all week from Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST, located at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia. You can find it at the address listed below.

National Museum of Science and Technology,
Via Olona 6, 20123 Milan, Italy
Entrance through Via Olona 6

Dates: Tuesday 17 April, 10AM – 9PM Wednesday 18 April, 10AM – 6PM
Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 April, 10AM – 9PM Sunday 22 April, 10AM – 6PM
Press Preview: Monday 16 April, 3PM-7PM

www.mostsalone.com

Milan 2012: this week visitors to La Rinascente department store in Milan have been trading souvenirs from the moon, making plastic from plants and learning how to download a house, courtesy of Hacked Lab curated by Beatrice Galilee.

Architects Carmody Groarke have installed metal mesh cylinders to hack the colonnaded facade of the department store facing the Duomo cathedral, while the Hacked Lab performances, installations and workshops take place in the basement inside an expandable truck-shaped stage by EXYZT.

Promising “100 hours of rebellious imagination,” the program for the next few days includes food performances by Honey & Bunny and Caroline Hobkinson, low-tech alternatives to high-tech manufacturing by Something & Son and designer Dominic Wilcox in competition with a 3D-printing machine to build a model of the Duomo.

See the full program here.

Watch an interview with curator Beatrice Galilee that we filmed at the exhibition in today’s daily TV show from Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here’s some more information from Galilee:

la Rinascente welcomes rebellious imagination

‘Hacked’, 100 hours of rebellious creativity, will be rampaging and rollicking its way through Rinascente during Milan Design Week. Hacking – the thrill of modification and customization – will be celebrated here in bombastic style.

To celebrate the world’s original design festival, Salone del Mobile, la Rinascente’s flagship store proudly presents ‘Hacked’. Over the course of 100 hours the store will be radically altered – inside and out – as it becomes an interactive experimental lab space.

By collaborating with the most exciting young talents in design, la Rinascente invites everyone to ‘Come, explore and hack’.

Following a contemporary concept of appropriation, alteration and transformation which goes through art, design, web and technology, “Hacked” is an experimental programme curated by Beatrice Galilee which includes live activities, events, installations, performances and workshops.

Amongst the site-specific works by artists, architects and designers is a vast hack of la Rinascente’s colonnaded facade by Carmody Groarke and a flexible, expandable ‘Hacked Lab’ stage driven to Milan from Paris by EXYZT. The Hacked Lab programmeis intended to provide a platform for young designers whose work exists outside of conventional exhibition object parameters and crosses various disciplines.

The events range from scientific workshops on how to make your own Large Hadron Collider to performances, downloadable buildings and astronauts selling moon dust.

A programme of fleeting, yet arresting design events will take place at least three times a day, offering visitors interactive, visceral, playful, futuristic, scientific, choreographic, and informative, but always designed, experiences.