Hasta La Ideas

Marcel Wanders loves a flash of brocade. The prolific Dutch designer has made a cheeky signature out of mixing ornate patterns with clean-lined shapes, bold colors, and modern materials for projects ranging from theatrical interiors and iconic chairs to MAC cosmetics and harlequin-patterned “jester” socks for British department store Marks and Spencer. Our gift guide pick is the Can Can pendant light ($232 at YLighting), which Wanders describes as “a dancing, seductive lamp that only shows her hidden secrets from a more private position.” Designed for FLOS, the linear suspension light conceals a delicate floral decoration that filters the light as it is diffused. During ICFF, FLOS’s New York showroom celebrated Can Can with the help of a tattoo artist, who was on hand to emblazon Wanders-drawn decorative flourishes on willing flesh, and now the company has teamed up with YLighting and Wanders to host the Pattern Play Design Contest. Design lovers are invited to apply the intricate inner pattern of the Can Can pendant light in “unexpected places.” And with this group of judges—Wanders, FLOS CEO Piero Gandini, and Sean Calahan, CEO of YLighting—the more creative and unusual the better. Entries are due by January 15, and full contest details are here.

Have a suggestion for the UnBeige Gift Guide? E-mail us at unbeige@mediabistro.com.

Previously on the UnBeige Gift Guide:
♦ A is for Adjaye’s African Metropolitan Architecture
♦ B is for Brinca Dada Bennett House

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