On My Radar: recent interior finds – October 2020

I can’t believe it’s been four months since my last ‘On My Radar’ post – the lack of new furniture launches aside, I took a bit of a back step from work for the last few months. It was summer and my first trimester of pregnancy had me longing for my bed rather writing my blog… But I’m back with another round-up of favourite interior finds and minimalist furniture launches. From chairs that envelope you like a duvet to sustainable wooden beds and handwoven textiles, these designs give you even more reason to stay at home and get cosy!

New Puffy chair by Faye Toogood for HEM
Design brand Hem has collaborated with British designer Faye Toogood to create the Puffy lounge chair. And it looks like one big comfy hug!

We’re all familiar with the minimalist lines of modernist steel-framed furniture, yet they’re rarely comfortable in practice. The Puffy lounge chair offers a tactile alternative, combining a simple tubular frame with a soft, quilted fabric seat that can be detached.

‘The idea behind the Puffy Seating Collection is to emphasise the two almost contradictory ideas at play in the furniture. First, stability and strength, highlighted by leaving the stainless-steel framework on display; and second, comfort and reassurance, in the form of the puffy upholstery. The resulting pieces have a dependable durability coupled with all the enveloping warmth of a familiar duvet.’

I think a chair in the form of a padded duvet sounds like something we could all do with at the moment. The chair comes in three duvet colours and three frame finishes that can be mixed and matched, including natural canvas as seen here. Available from 7 October, priced at €1599.

All images courtesy HEM, photography: Heiko Prigge

Kalon Studios launches in Europe
Good news for Europe – Los Angeles-based minimalist furniture brand Kalon Studios is launching on this side of the pond. And I think you’re going to love them! Founded by husband-and-wife team Johann Pauwen and Michaele Simmering, Kalon Studios aims to create ‘the simplest, but most elevated version of an everyday object’. Their furniture designs are built to last a lifetime, with durability and flexibility in mind, so that any piece can adapt to the users ever-evolving tastes and needs (exactly what my simple everyday ethos aims to advocate). Sustainability takes a top priority too – they use local manufacturing (in the US and Europe), timber from sustainably managed forests and organic, non-toxic, plant-based oil and wax finishes.

‘The ancient Greek concept of ‘kalon’ meant beauty linked with moral worth and usefulness, a value we seek to express in our designs,’ they say.

A good intro to the brand is Kalon’s Simple Collection – not surprisingly, their most popular range. Quietly understated, the collection comprises a series of hardwood beds, dressers and bedside tables characterised by simple, refined forms. One of my clients has chosen their Simple bed for their Feng Shui-inspired bedroom, so keep an eye out for that soon!

Also of note is their Rugosa Collection, named after a summer house in Rhode Island that offered a creative retreat for artists and scholars. I love the elegant Japanese-inspired wood details that create a feeling of quiet and calm. This year Kalon are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Caravan Crib by reissuing the design in walnut and oak. The solid wood bed can grow with the child – adapting from a cot with four sides to a low toddler bed.

All images courtesy Kalon Studios, fifth image: Gillian Stevens

 

Carl Hansen & Son adds Nanna Ditzel’s High Chair to its collection
Now that I’m pregnant, I’ve got my eye on all things baby! And that includes well designed furniture that will fit seamlessly into my home. On my wishlist is Carl Hansen & Son’s new, beautifully refined, High Chair.

The ND54 High Chair was designed by Danish design couple Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel in 1954 for the simple reason that they needed a functional and beautiful chair for their own twin girls. The design perfectly fits with Carl Hansen & Son’s collection of design classics – it is elegant and considered, yet lightweight and easy to move. To ensure the design offered form and function, Nanna and Jorgen actually based the design on accurate measurements they took of their daughters.

An heirloom to stand the test of time and be passed down from generation to generation, each chair will be finished with a stainless steel plate that can be engraved with the names of the children who use the chair.

Available from November 2020.

images courtesy Carl Hansen & Son

Kam ce Kam launches new collection
You might remember that I wrote about an exciting, new design brand called Kam ce Kam last October. Founded by designer Jehanara Knowles, who grew up between New Delhi and London, Kam Ce Kam creates contemporary furniture that marries tradition with a cool, contemporary edge.

To mark their one year anniversary, Kam ce Kam has launched a collection of new designs. Knowles took inspiration from her personal experiences during lockdown, drawing on the values which became so important in these challenging times: including a sense of nostalgia, familiarity and comfort. Staying in the UK and working remotely from the artisans she usually collaborates with in India, Knowles designed a range of pieces made of 100% natural materials. The results are simple, tactile and timeless, while also helping creative communities in India continue working and earn a regular income during the pandemic.

Five new designs have been added to Kam ce Kam’s original collection, including a cane cabinet, lounge chair, decorative wall shelf, coffee table and modular stools. Knowles has also introduced a ceramics collection made of terracotta and cane, as well as a series of textiles made by a community of female weavers in East India using banana fibre and hemp.

All images courtesy Kam ce Kam