London Design Festival is nearly upon us (19-27 September – I’m so excited!) and here’s one brand to look out for. Because, not only will online design brand Hem be presenting pieces as part of ‘Ten Designers in the West Wing’ in Somerset House, it will also be opening a pop-up store in London’s Seven Dials – it’s first UK store.
With new products launching this autumn, Hem will be bringing the wow-factor at Somerset House with 44 pendant lamps tethered to a grand piano. Each of these lamps will illuminate at the touch of the piano’s keys. The lamps are its new playful Alphabeta lamp (below) designed by Luca Nichetto. Described as ‘the world’s first digitally-customisable lamp’, it has more than 10 billion possible combinations (yes, you read that correctly…). Crafted in Venice, Italy, the steel design comes in eight different shapes with interchangeable tops and bottom shades, each available in a variety of bright colours as well as black and white. Quite fun, don’t you think?
‘My inspiration was really an ambition to create an alphabet; a system where you can combine different kinds of shades to create your own lamps. I researched different kinds of shades and effects of light, and tried to simplify that by creating a single piece that can be combined with the other shades, to create a kind of alphabet,’ says the designer Luca Nichetto.
There will also be a two-storey pop-up store in the heart of Seven Dials, running for five months. Here, more than 300 new Hem products and product variations will be put on display across the 2,000 sq ft space (I’m looking forward to this!). There’ll be customisable furniture, like Nichetto’s Alphabeta, as well as room set displays and interactive customisation technology allowing visitors to design ‘their own’ versions of Hem’s products. Genius.
Among this autumn’s launches, seen in the images here, are designs by international studios including Nendo, Form Us With Love and Max Lamb, to name a few. I love the soft, neutral tones seen in the bigger pieces of furniture, such as the tables and sofas, compared to the bright pops of colour from the innovative and playful accessories. Cork also makes an appearance, of course, as does one of my favourite colours of the moment, soft, dusky pink. Aren’t these images gorgeous? Scroll down for more…
All images courtesy Hem
You can see Hem at Somerset House from Monday 21 September – Sunday 27 September and visit them at their pop-up shop, open from Saturday 19 September at 9 Earldom Street, London, WC2H 9LS
(and psst… at Somerset House, while a pianist will be playing at the installation every day at 1pm and 6pm, visitors will be able to play the piano and alter the lighting display themselves.)
