Reporting direct from the 2014 Milan Furniture Fair, Architecture Media editorial director Cameron Bruhn presents some of the best products by Australia and New Zealand’s emerging and bespoke designers, and a selection of other highlights. One trend he saw popping up all over Milan is compact, practical furniture that combines many functions into the one piece – this can be seen in designs from Mette Schelde, Caesarstone and Federico Peri. For more highlights of the fair, follow Artichoke magazine on Instagram and Twitter.
Caesarstone Islands exhibition
Caesarstone is currently presenting Islands by London studio Raw Edges at the Palazzo Clerici, in the heart of Milan’s Brera District. Islands is an exhibition that highlights concepts for kitchen and bathrooms of the future. The project seeks to reshape the typical interior arrangement of a kitchen or bathroom by positioning the surface as the starting point of the design process. The presentation shares with visitors the design, beauty, quality and functionality of Caesarstone surfaces, whilst reflecting the signature creativity and playfulness of Raw Edges’ work. Cabinetry and appliances are slotted into purpose-built voids within the surface itself instead of being placed atop or around it, highlighting the surface’s value and functionality within the interior environment.
Caesarstone is available in Australia from Caesarstone.
Pick Up Sticks chair by Resident
Simon James, co-founder and creative director of New Zealand studio Resident, has designed the Pick Up Sticks chair. The chair features a solid oak frame, which is available in black or a natural finish. The upholstered seat cushion can be taken off the chair for versatility. When creating their products, Resident combines an authentic blend of craft, engineering and innovation.
For more information, visit the Resident website.
Pavilion project by Nathan Goldsworthy
Pavilion project by Nathan Goldsworthy.
Auckland-based designer Nathan Goldsworthy has created Pavilion, a furniture-based collection that is intended to occupy space in a more confronting manner, and to propose new ways of interacting with everyday objects. The objects are constructed using a single shape that is repeated in various configurations in order to build them. While the variations are hypothetically endless, three distinct objects are included in the exhibition: an arch, a mirror and a container. These have been selected specifically to represent and to exploit the key characteristics of the shape.
For more information, visit the Goldsworthy Studio website.
EtKøkken by Mette Schelde Studio
EtKøkken by Mette Schelde Studio.
EtKøkken consists of three stations – water station, block station and fire station – that set the frame around the processing of commodities and preparation of the meal where the individual is actively engaged. Designer Mette Schelde says, “The starting point was a desire to break today’s kitchen standards down, because I don’t believe that the over-equipped kitchens make better food or save more time. Cooking is a basic discipline and with good ingredients you don’t require more than basic cooking techniques.”
“I went out in the nature, butchered a chicken and prepared a meal on fire, water and chopping block. Those elements set the frame around the processing of commodities and preparation of the meal and cover the kitchen’s basic functions. I intended to pull these elements into a contemporary context. It’s not about having to settle, but a quest for grades from the past that makes sense to let shine in a new light.”
For more information, visit Mette Schelde’s website.
The Paperclip task light by Rebecca Crooke
Made by Melbourne-based industrial design student Rebecca Crooke, The Paperclip task lighting piece helps maintain a functional workspace through a streamlined stylish form. Its innovative nature demonstrates a modern, clean use of space.
For more information, visit Rebecca Crooke’s website.
The Mariposa Sofa for Vitra
The Mariposa Sofa for Vitra.
The Mariposa Sofa, designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, is spacious and comfortable, yet maintains an understated presence thanks to its balanced proportions. The sofa owes its extraordinary comfort to the soft upholstery. An ingenious adjustment mechanism makes it possible to individually tilt the side and backrest elements for various sitting or reclining positions.
Space Furniture is the Australian supplier of Vitra.
I-O-N pendant light by Porcelain Bear
The original idea for the pop-inspired I-O-N pendant light, designed by Melbourne-based Porcelain Bear, evolved from childhood memories of children’s television program Playschool, in which viewers were given the choice of seeing the world through a square window, an arched window or a round window. This is a memory that many Australians would easily relate to and augments the playful nature of I-O-N’s design. I-O-N forms a simple visual play within the space it occupies, its unadorned, minimal form in three geometric embodiments flaunts the user’s favourite light bulbs.
For more information, visit the Porcelain Bear website.
Gas swivel chair from Stua
Gas swivel chair from Stua.
The Gas swivel chair, designed by Jesus Gasca, has an exclusive base that has been developed to match the frame design. The comfort of the Gas swivel chair is due to its extraordinary lumbar support. The chair is available in two configurations: the task armchair with castors and an adjustable height; and the visitor or conference chair, featuring a fixed height on a five-star base with glides.
Stylecraft is the Australian supplier of Stua.
Scaffale D’Arte by Federico Peri
Milan-based designer Federico Peri has transformed the ubiquitous shelf into something much more. Here, the shelf has many more features – a desk, bookshelf, pendant light, and even places to hang items from. The use of precious materials, including leather and metal, give the shelf’s industrial look an update.
For more information, visit the Federico Peri website.
Sila collection from Discipline
Designed by Barcelona-based trio Lievore Altther Molina, the Sila collection of chairs are made with versatility in mind. The base construction of the chair is made from eucalyptus wood, a hardwearing and sustainable timber and available in natural, dyed grey and walnut. The body can also be fully or partially padded and upholstered in wool or leather. In addition, the myriad of leg options, including stackable, makes the Sila collection a range of more than a hundred permutations of the single chair.
Stylecraft is the Australian distributor for Discipline.
