There’s been plenty of design news and new furniture launches this autumn, so here’s one last ‘On my radar’ piece before the year ends. In my round-up today, there’s everything from handcrafted lighting, mouth-blown vases and minimalist bar trolleys, to tables made of recycled yoghurt pots and cosy blankets inspired by ancient Stone Age art. Plenty of inspiration for simple, stylish, everyday homes with a story…
New lighting from HAY
HAY are always on point with their simple yet bright and colourful home accessories and this autumn they’ve added three beautiful new designs to their lighting collection.
First up, is the Bubble lamp, an iconic design from the Fifties by American designer George Nelson. The design was originally put into production by Herman Miller in 1952. Available in four sizes, the shape was inspired by a set of silk-covered Swedish pendant lamps that caught Nelson’s eye. He used an innovative self-webbing plastic spray developed by the U.S. military, wrapping it around a lightweight steel frame to give a soft, diffused light.
In contrast, Serbian-born and New York-based Ana Kraš’ delicate Bonbon shade is made by hand weaving threads of fine cotton-wool yarn through a powder-coated steel-wire frame. The shade comes in two colourways and due to the handmade nature, each one is slightly different.
‘I think the final product has a handmade quality to it, so you can feel the time and effort that goes into each one, but it doesn’t exactly look like a handmade piece. I think that’s a rare combination: things usually look either crafty or mass-produced, but I was curious about that mix, how we can make a handmade craft look like a polished piece of design,’ says Ana Kraš.
There’s also the characterful Matin table lamp by French designer Inga Sempé. With a pleated, fan-shaped, cotton shade and a fine bent wire frame finished in polished brass, it’s a charming design with a light touch. It comes in six eye-catching colours.
images courtesy HAY
A table top made of recycled yoghurt pots from Mater
Eco-friendly Danish brand Mater is known for pushing the boundaries with sustainable designs and recycled materials. They’ve already created an outdoor furniture range made of fishnet waste and now Mater has released a table with a top made of recycled yoghurt pots. The Column table, designed by OeO Studio comes in black and white, each colour dictated by the colour of the recycled packaging waste. The trestle bases are handmade by skilled artisans in Moradabad, Northern India as part of a programme to pay better wages and revitalise local craft skills that are in danger of being lost.
images courtesy Mater
New MP trolley by Massproductions
Everyone loves a bar cart – they add an instant element of sophistication and effortless style to a space. Chris Martin’s new MP Trolley for Swedish brand Massproduction is elegant and minimalist, with two large trays attached to a simple stainless-steel frame.
‘Truth said, it is quite difficult to comment much about this simple, well-designed trolley. Straight forward, I wanted to strip down the concept of the trolley to something that could simplify serving in private and public environments alike. My very first industrially produced design was in fact a tray table for IKEA back in 1998 and since we started Massproductions ten years ago, I had an idea of making a Massproductions edition of a Trolley, an MP Trolley’, says Chris Martin, head of design at Massproductions.
The round trays, available in natural oak and black stained oak, can be taken off the frame and used independently.
images courtesy Massproductions
New outdoor furniture from Skagerak
I know it feels a bit far off to be thinking of summer and sitting outside in the sunshine, but let’s just dream a little. Danish design company Skagerak has released two new outdoor furniture collections launching in 2020.
The Lily series, designed by multidisciplinary architecture studio BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), is bound to be popular with its clean simplicity and smooth, unfussy curves. Inspired by the port area in Aalborg, the versatile design pairs honest materials with a functional, urban look. The series is made of untreated, FSC-certified teak that will slowly patinate over time.
Gerda marks a departure from their usual wooden furniture for Skagerak. Conceived by design duo Chris L. Halstrøm and Margrethe Odgaard, also known as Included Middle, the series is made of perforated aluminium. The name of the collection comes from Gerda Henning, a pioneer in the art of Danish weaving. The pattern itself is a very contemporary interpretation of a traditional red-and-white chequered tablecloth. Gerda comes in two colour combinations – cream and olive, and burgundy and blue.
images courtesy Skagerak
New wool blanket by Andreas Engesvik for Fram Oslo
And now back to something that is perhaps better suited to the wet, grey days of winter… Norwegian design studio Andreas Engesvik has designed a new wool blanket for Fram Oslo. Engesvik – who studied archaeology and art history before becoming a designer – was inspired by petroglyphs, an ancient form of rock art that can be found in Norway.
‘There is something wild and beautiful about the petroglyphs. Our wish with this design is to recreate the lines found in the petroglyphs´ motives. Our design is an abstract interpretation of the crew often seen in drawings of ships,’ explains Andreas Engesvik.
The Helle blanket, produced in the Hadeland region of Norway using Norwegian wool, features a woven lined pattern and comes in a soft grey.
images courtesy Fram Oslo
New accessories from Menu
Danish brand Menu released some stunning new accessories for Spring 2019. We got a little preview at the new Audo hotel in June at Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design festival and they didn’t disappoint.
One of my favourites is the Nimbus mirror by Copenhagen-based design studio Krøyer-Sætter-Lassen. They were inspired by the way a painting or picture is framed. Available in bronzed or polished brass, the new design features a delicate, halo-like ring that seems to float around the circular glass mirror.
Inspired by the movement of air, the Aer vase by Gabriel Tan has a sculptural appeal. The name Aer comes from the latin word for air or vapour. Available in a smoked grey colour, the undulating, organic curves almost give it the appearance of swirling water. The form is made by mouth-blowing the molten glass into a double cavity tool. The vase comes in two sizes, high or low.
The Gravel rug by Nina Bruun is crafted from undyed natural wool fibres, woven in soft loops to create a textured surface akin to a pebbled beach. Tonal wool yarns of varying sizes are looped into tufts to create subtle variations in the unique texture. A beautiful neutral backdrop to ground furniture in any style home.
Lastly, there’s the Duca candleholder by Krøyer-Sætter-Lassen. Taking its name from the latin word for extend, it features a subtle detail that allows the height of the candleholder to be adjusted as the candle burns. A rattan covering gives a tactile flourish to the base of the polished or bronzed brass design.
images courtesy Menu
And finally… the only Black Friday deal you’ll find me talking about…
Scandinavian design shop Skandium is back with a pop-up store in London’s Shoreditch, running from 29th November to 23rd December.
And this Friday you can get up to 60% off timeless Scandinavian designs from the likes of Georg Jensen, Stelton, Fritz Hansen, Iittala, Flos and Louis Poulsen. The sale is open from 11am on the 29th November to 6pm on the 1st December. Race you there!
