It always takes me a while to work my way through everything I’ve seen at London Design Festival 2019 and process it all. So today we’ve got a two parter (part 2 will go out tomorrow morning), rounding up a range of simple and sustainable designs that caught my eye across the week-long event in September.
The main focus of my attention was designjunction in King’s Cross and London Design Fair at the Old Truman Brewery in East London; I find they’re the best places to find simple, contemporary design in one easy location (two in this case), without having to race around the capital looking at a myriad different things that are all spread out. It was great designjunction had such a top location next to Coal Drop’s Yard, but I find it’s become more geared towards the contract market and has lost the charm of some of the rough-around-the-edges locations from its early years. London Design Fair, on the other hand, was a highlight of London Design Festival 2019 for me; there was tonnes to see and plenty of new, young and independent names to discover.
At both there was a strong theme of sustainability. Other trends to note were curvaceous forms, minimalist black metal furniture, shades of dark green and russet tones.
noo.ma (London Design Fair)
Based in Poland, noo.ma is a small start-up brand that creates simple, functional furniture items. Their designs use high quality materials and each piece is custom made by hand to order.
The Folbi storage system is a modular design, made of black powder coated steel and plywood, that can be configured with inserts to create multiple arrangements, from sideboards to shelving displays. The Met media furniture comes in three colours on slender black legs and features a tactile, structured glass doors, while the Snu dresser has adjustable shelves and a lined pattern to the matte lacquered doors.
Designs are delivered flat pack to save space in transport and packaged in recyclable cardboard.
Images courtesy noo.ma
Kinshipped (designjunction)
You know I love all things monochrome, so I was very happy to stumble across Kinshipped (seriously check out her Instagram, it’s a monochrome dream!).
Founded in January this year, Kinshipped offers a selection of simple, modern and sustainable greeting cards made of FSC-certified paper and chemical-free wrapping paper. The minimalist designs feature abstract squiggles, geometric shapes and Matisse-like graphics.
Kinshipped designs have only been available wholesale until now, but the launch at designjunction makes them available to consumers for the first time at https://www.kinshipped.com
Images courtesy Kinshipped
Friends & Founders (designjunction)
I first discovered Friends & Founders at Stockholm Furniture Fair. Founded in 2013 by Ida Linea and Rasmus Hildebrand, they create contemporary, minimalist designs that take influence from their combined Scandinavian heritage. With a dedication to quality craftsmanship, they believe in surrounding oneself with fewer, more essential things.
‘We want people to understand that it’s worth investing in innovative, contemporary furniture where multi-functions are built in, thinking about how to expand the use of the product. Also where the manufacturer has thought about sustainability in designing and producing objects that will last,’ they say.
I was immediately drawn to the new striped version of the la pipe chair, with its elegant curves. Bauhaus seems to be a big influence on their designs – from the abstract black and white form of the new Novel lounge chair to the curved tubular metal of the FF chair series. Available with four legs or a sled base, the upholstered parts of the FF chair have been designed to be easily removed, recycled and reupholstered. The characterful Paris Paris lamp features a mouth-blown opal glass bulb topped by a hat-like shade.
Friends & Founders designs are manufactured in Scandinavia and Europe.
Images courtesy Friends & Founders
Vera & Kyte for Lundhs Real Stone (London Design Fair)
Norwegian design duo Vera & Kyte have designed a new accessories collection for Norwegian natural stone specialist Lundhs Real Stone. Epilogue brings new life to surplus material left over from Lundhs Real Stone’s production facilities.
Vera & Kyte have combined the off-cuts with tinted glass and colour-stained oak wood to create a series of vases and boards that celebrate the natural variations in the precious Larvikite and Anorthosite stones.
‘Working with Lundhs towards reducing waste and extending the life of this natural resource was a rewarding starting point of the design and collaboration. Using their standard measurements as our building blocks, the slabs are cut to precision and transformed into new decorative objects for the modern home. The exceptional durability of the material led us to create objects with a formal elegance for everyday use that will age beautifully and last a lifetime,’ say Vera & Kyte.
Images: Bent René Synnevåg
UTIL (London Design Fair)
Util is a Lisbon-based furniture and accessories brand that creates ‘everyday objects for a more rewarding contemporary life’. The style is minimalist, functional and refined, with a series of versatile and sleek powder-coated metal pieces.
Take, Plié, a flexible shelving system that is designed to be made with as little material as possible. Conceived by From Industrial Design, the thin aluminium side walls and shelves are folded to cleverly slot into one another. It comes as a self-standing bookshelf, a floor unit or a wall-mounted sideboard, with or without doors. My favourite was the Mini Bar Basso designed by Manuel Amaral Netto. Hand-crafted in metal and available in three colours, the design can be easily moved around on four concealed casters. The top is finished in cork and the open base can be used to store any number of things, for cocktail making or otherwise.
Util works with local manufacturers and their designs are produced in Portugal.
Images courtesy Util
Make sure to come back tomorrow for part 2 of my London Design Festival 2019 round-up!
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