Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2012: in this interview filmed at Dezeen Studio, Guardian critic Justin McGuirk gives us his take on the future of design criticism, as fast reactions on platforms like Twitter and Facebook are balanced by long-form analysis in e-books and online journals.

He goes on to discuss how the fetishisation of traditional crafts by mass-producers is pushing design in a new direction and agrees with previous guest journalist Joseph Grima that the arrival of hacking culture and open-source production is the big story in Milan this year, describing it as the antithesis to the luxury design industry that the city normally centres around.

We published an abridged version of this interview in our Thursday TV show (below).

Dezeen was filming and editing all week from Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST. See all our TV shows here.

Dezeen Studio we’ve been back from Milan for a week now and have fully recovered from filming a TV show every day for Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST.

Here’s a roundup of the highlights from MOST at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia, which took place among the ships, fighter jets, submarines and canons of the museum from 17 to 22 April, plus another chance to see the daily movies we made. 

MOST instigator Tom Dixon set up a mini-factory among the museum’s steam trains where two sheet metal machines were punching and folding chairs that Dixon either gave away to visitors or used to furnish the Spring Table restaurant upstairs.

He also presented a show of lighting design called Luminosity and furnished our own Dezeen Studio. We made several interviews with Dixon throughout the week (see below) and you can watch him introduce MOST here.

Faye Toogood created a soothing pavilion in the hall of a cruise liner, where guests moulded small clay sculptures before giving them over to attendants in white as contributions to a central collaborative sculpture. Watch Toogood talk about the installation in Saturday’s movie.

Also surrounded by ships in the Air and Water Building, Yves Behar launched his redesigned SodaStream Source system for making fizzy drinks at home and created a bar and chandelier made of 550 disposable plastic water bottles. Watch him demonstrate the SodaStream in Thursday’s show.

New French brand La Chance showed two versions of their inaugural collection: one in vibrant colours and the other in more subdued tones. See our interview with the founders in Friday’s movie.

Dezeen Studio was located at the entrance to MOST, where we made our daily TV shows. We roamed around MOST filming interviews and product demonstrations with exhibitors, interviewed surprise visitors to the studio, took the pulse of the furniture fair and wider design scene with guest journalists, reported from exhibitions all over the city and even broadcast weather reports.

Look out for longer versions of these interviews on Dezeen soon but for now here are all the daily shows in one place:

On Monday we went behind the scenes at MOST to show designers and brands including Faye Toogood, Jambox, Tom Dixon and La Chance rushing to get everything ready.

In Tuesday‘s movie Tom Dixon showed us the restaurant he created in a former monastic dining room at the museum, and Johanna Agerman-Ross from Disegno magazine popped into the studio too.

Wednesday‘s film featured MoMA curator Paola Antonelli’s tips for the best shows in Milan and Tom Dixon showing us the mini-factory he set up at MOST, plus reports on the Scandinavian design scene and Hacked Milan at the city’s most famous department store.

Zaha Hadid popped into Dezeen Studio for Thursday‘s show to give an architect’s take on the design fair and talk about her Secret Garden project – you can now watch the full-length interview with Hadid here. Yves Béhar demonstrates his redesigned SodaStream fizzy drinks system, Guardian critic Justin McGuirk discusses the arrival of hacking culture in the design industry and curator Rossana Orlandi tells us what’s different about this year.

Japan was high on the agenda on Friday with Pecha Kucha founder Mark Dytham popping in to the studio to talk about the scene in Tokyo and Elle Decoration UK editor Michelle Ogundehin tipping Japanese design and manufacturing as the hot story at Milan this year. We also spoke to new French brand design brand La Chance and New York designer Dror.

In Saturday‘s movie we spoke to Faye Toogood about curing visitors with clay, Sheridan Coakley of SCP about upholstering a chair every day on their stand and Joseph Grima, editor-in-chief of Domus magazine, about collaboration, open design, crowd-sourcing and hacking.

Sunday‘s movie rounded up  some of the other things that had been happening during the week, including the MOST party on Wednesday night, a tour of Carpigiani’s Gelato University and The Great Stamp Giveaway where 400 lucky visitors got their hands on a free Tom Dixon lamp.

See all our stories about MOST here.

MOST

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: it’s Friday and Japan is hot on the agenda for today’s edition of our daily TV show from Dezeen Studio, as we chat to architect and Pecha Kucha founder Mark Dytham about the design scene in Tokyo and our guest journalist Elle Decoration UK editor Michelle Ogundehin tips Japanese design and manufacturing as the hot story at Milan this year. Ogundehin also tells us about the campaign the magazine is launching to protect the rights of UK designers, which you can find out more about here.

The episode also features new French brand design brand La Chance, who have created one colourful and one sober version of each piece in their inaugural collection, an interview with New York designer Dror about the luggage collection he’s presenting and of course our daily weather report.

Today’s music track from Dezeen Music Project is Engine by BEAKR.

Dezeen are 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 cabinet that looks like scaled-up dolls’ house furniture by London designer Donna Wilson is on show with design brand SCP at MOST this week.

The Bertha cabinet is accompanied by an armchair and two-seat sofa, and was inspired by boat houses on Fogo island, Newfoundland.

Wilson also presents new colourways in her floor cushions, pouffes, rugs and blankets for SCP.

Like Dezeen, SCP are based in the London borough of Hackney, while Donna Wilson works in neighbouring Tower Hamlets. See all the stories in our showcase of design in the borough here.

MOST takes place in Milan’s Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia from 17 to 22 April. Download the free map and guide here and see all our stories about MOST here.

Here’s some more information from SCP:

SCP present a new range of products for Spring / Summer 2012. Launching internationally for the first time are new designs from Matthew Hilton, Donna Wilson, Ineke Hans, Faudet-Harrison and Kay+Stemmer. Also in the collection are new versions of designs from Lee Kirkbride, Peter Marigold and Gareth Neal.

Bertha cabinet / Donna Wilson

The Bertha cabinet by Donna Wilson is the latest addition to the Bertha range.

Like the Bertha armchair and sofa, the cabinet takes inspiration from the traditional boat houses found on Fogo island, Newfoundland. The curved wooden panels emulate the shingle clad buildings on the island and the feet, which are part of the frame design, gives the piece the sense of a beautifully crafted continuous line.

The frame is made from FSC approved ash and is designed to provide both rigidity and strength. Made in the EU.

Bertha armchair / Donna Wilson

The Bertha armchair by Donna Wilson is an exciting joint project between SCP and the Shorefast Foundation on Fogo Island.

The design takes inspiration from the traditional boat building found on the Island.

The frame is made from FSC approved Douglas Fir and is designed to provide both rigidity and strength. The sides of the frame are flat whilst the four back panels gently kick outwards like a boats hull.

The feet are part of the frame design, this gives the piece the sense of a beautifully crafted continuous line. The loose drop seat has elasticated webbing with neatly fitting feather and down seat and back cushions upholstered in Bora Da Willow fabric.

Bertha two seat sofa / Donna Wilson

The Bertha sofa by Donna Wilson is an exciting joint project between Wilson, SCP and the Shorefast Foundation on Fogo Island, Newfoundland. The design takes inspiration from the traditional boat building found on the Island. The frame is made from FSC approved ash and is designed to provide both rigidity and strength.

The sides of the frame are flat whilst the back panels gently kick outwards like a boats hull. The feet are part of the frame design, this gives the piece the sense of a beautifully crafted continuous line.

The loose drop seat has elasticated webbing with neatly fitting feather and down seat and back cushions upholstered in Bora Da Willow fabric. Made in the EU.

Milan 2012: new French brand La Chance launches at MOST in Milan this week.

Top and above: Tembo by Note Design Studio

Each piece comes in two colourways: the Jekyll versions feature shiny surfaces and primary colours while Hyde alternatives present the same designs in a muted palette and natural materials.

Above: Bolt-Jekyll by Note Design Studio

The inaugural collection includes work by Luca Nichetto, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Note Design Studio and Francois Dumas.

Above: Bolt-Hyde by Note Design Studio

Photography is by Stanislas Wolff.

Above: Climb-Jekyll by Bashko Trybek

Watch an interview with La Chance founder Jean-Baptiste Souletie while he sets up the show in our first daily TV show filmed at Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST.

Above: Climb-Hyde by Bashko Trybek

MOST takes place in Milan’s Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia from 17 to 22 April. Download the free map and guide here and see all our stories about MOST here.

Above: Rhythm of light-Hyde by Suzanne de Graef

Here are some more details from La Chance:

La Chance debuts at MOST in Milan

An ambitious new design company, La Chance, launches at the Salone del Mobile, Milan this April, with Jekyll and Hyde, a furniture and lighting collection created by several of the hottest young designers around the world.

Above: Float-Hyde by Luca Nichetto

By debuting in Milan at MOST – the high-profile platform for creative innovation instigated by Tom Dixon – La Chance is hitting the ground running. It’s the brainchild of Jean-Baptiste Souletie, 28 and Louise Breguet, 27. Souletie was previously in finance, and Breguet is an architect. When they met they discovered they were both inspired the spirit of the Art Deco movement, where objects were valued for their decorative attributes.

Above: Rocky-Jekyll by Charles Kalpakian 

“We like things to be warm, colourful, and good quality,” she adds. “And in terms of style, you can see all the workings of the furniture, even the upholstered pieces, as we have nothing to hide.” The French duo has taken a commercial approach to their business, thoroughly researching their market, and sourcing manufacturers around Europe.

Above: Rocky-Hyde by Charles Kalpakian

This commercial approach is reflected in the collection’s theme: dual identity. “We see two potential audiences for luxury furniture,” says Souletie, “there are the design enthusiasts, who want uncompromising pieces in bold colours. Then there are people who love contemporary design but prefer more muted tones.”

Above: Iconic-Jekyll by Pool Design

To accommodate these two audiences, each piece comes in two versions: Jekyll and Hyde. The Jekyll version features prime colours and shiny finishes, while Hyde is in monotone or natural materials, like brushed metal and oiled wood. La Chance is combining a market approach with a design statement; “we’re saying to consumers: choose your personality,” says Souletie.

Above: Iconic-Hyde by Pool Design

PARTICIPATING DESIGNERS

This stunning collection is created by some fresh talent alongside some better-known names, who are yet to establish themselves on the international stage:

1 Pierre Favresse (FR) was appointed artistic director of Habitat in December 2011. His dining table, Magnum, has sturdy elements – chunky legs and a weighty top – joined by a delicate-looking metal grid structure.

2 Bashko Trybek (PL) was selected as one of Elle Deco’s Young Designer Talent 2011. His Climb shelving system, with its exposed wire elements, epitomizes La Chance’s interest in revealing an object’s workings.

3 Suzanne de Graef (NL), based in Eindhoven, has designed Rhythm of light, a pendant light influenced by the classical lighting found at The Château of Versailles.

4 Luca Nichetto (IT) has collaborated with Foscarini, Established & Sons, Moroso and others. His Float coffee table comprises a large aluminum cone seemingly floating over a circular mirror.

5 Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance (FR) designed London’s Sketch club, and has since won a Red Dot award for his Corvo chair for Bernhardt Design. His Borghese sofa is a light, sculptural piece, its shape paying homage to the pine trees in Rome’s Villa Borghese.

6 Charles Kalpakian (FR/Lebanese), who is based in Paris, has created an angular credenza or storage unit, which plays with 3D and colour.

7 Note Design Studio (SE) is a collective of creatives in Stockholm. They’ve designed two pieces for La Chance: Bolt, a stool of four pieces of ash wood looped by a metal ring; and Tembo, a high stool of cork, , wood and metal.

8 Francois Dumas (FR) worked at the Bouroullec brothers’ studio in Paris, and has since set up Krux, an art and design collective in Amsterdam. This tufted wool carpet, Anenome, is based on one of his own paintings. His second piece is Sealed, an elegant chair of bent wood.

9 Dan Yeffet and Lucie Koldova (IL/CZ), worked with Arik Levy until 2010. They were originally commissioned by La Chance to design two pieces: a mirror and a screen. They combined the two to create Private in metal and felt.

10 Pool Design (FR) took part in the Nouvelle Vague exhibition in Milan in 2010. Their table lamp, Pool, is a deceptively simple piece in aluminum or Corian.

11 Jonah Takagi (US), was born in Tokyo, and has collaborated with Matter and Kvadrat, among others. His Tip-Top table lamp has an aluminum base and comes with a shade of either grey gall or transparent glass.

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