Muuto's Fiber Chair By Designers Iskos-Berlin

I think there is one piece of furniture that appeals incessently to every design aficionado - a design chair. The offer is pretty abundant and thus are the piling worries and question how to make space for yet another wonderful chair in one's home. These kind of questions popped up in my head while I was attending the press launch of Muuto's latest design news earlier this year in Cologne. Especially once I had spotted the latest additions to the Fiber Chair designed by Copenhagen based design duo Iskos-Berlin.

I had the honor to meet one of the two designers in person and chat with him about the Fiber Chair, its design process and aesthetics - first hand information were given by Boris Berlin, one inspiring half of the design duo Iskos-Berlin. I was wondering how difficult it can be to design a chair - such a functional piece of furniture that has existed now for so many years and that keeps a rather usual overall shape. And as assumed, it is all in the details. And it's mostly the little details we do not see at first glance that require lots of thinking, designing, redesigning and sophisticated manufacturing.

Suddenly, you realize that each design chair is a masterpiece of its own - from the moment it was brough on paper over the careful manufacturing process to the hours we sit in and enjoy its comforts. And the designers put it in the case of the Fibre Chair as follows: "One of the most difficult and noble disciplines is to design without eccentricity." And I would say they have accomplished their mission with this beautiful and sleek chair.

The Fiber Chair by designers Iskos-Berlin was specially designed for Muuto with the goal to balance maximum comfort with minimum space. It is produced from an innovative composite material containing wood and plastic fibres - the chair has thus a wonderful texture and structure when viewed up close and touched. I loved the feeling way more than of simple plastic chairs - it has so much more character and feeling.

The Fiber Chair also comes in black and cognac leather finishings, the latter one being my absolute favorite. The other versions come in a range of colours containing white, grey, dusty green and nature (which is a sort of ochre hue in this case).

With no further addo I will leave you with that throbbing question: How to make space in your home for this wonderful design chair?

Photography: Images via Muuto, pic with designer by Igor Josifovic

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Speaking With Designer Erwan Bouroullec

There are many moments that marked my path as a blogger but there's hardly anything more spectacular than the unique opportunity I was offered at the recent IMM design show in Cologne by Italian design brand Magis: I was invited to interview the internationally renowned French designer Erwan Bouroullec. Together with his brother Ronan he has designed some of the most outstanding pieces of furniture for many brands like Magis, Vitra, Artek, Ligne Roset, Iittala and Habitat.

Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec have recently designed a new range of tables for Magis entitled 'Officina'. Contemporary yet traditional, the new range of tables and low tables in wrought iron combine an almost ancient production technique with a contemporary visual language - 'Officina' looks like a very modern table from afar while utterly traditional and handcrafted from close by with a hammered metal structure. Looking at those hammered details you see a forger in long past times before your eyes. Yet the refined and sophisticated details and the contemporary design tell another story: The handwritten design poetry by two French magicians - Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec.

When I was preparing my interview with Erwan Bouroullec, I was wondering: How would I approach him? How would I start the interview? What would I ask him? Then I thought: Oh my, he'll be so bored to answer the same questions over and over again. And then the moment approached and everything went very intuitive and fluid.

I was interested in learning about the design process for 'Officina' as well as the long lasting collaboration and partnership with Magis. Erwan told me that the initial idea for 'Officina' came from Magis. One of their neighbors in Italy is a traditional iron maker and they always wanted to collaborate with them. However, Magis wanted a contemporary range of tables made of wrought iron, nothing old fashioned and baroque. The only wizards who could tackle the challenge were the French brothers Bouroullec. They asked them and they were intrigued by working with an old material and a traditional production process and translate it into contemporary design pieces.

For Erwan, the allure was in focusing on a real, authentic process. Given the fact that we live in a world were things pretend to be something they're not (think of plastic perfume bottles covered with gold). Returning to the real, the authentic, handling materials with ancient techniques and creating something new, something that resonates with contemporary design aesthetics was a process that brought 'Officina' to life.

Erwan Bouroullec also revealed that their relationship with Magis is a long lasting one. Like in any kind of relationship, the more mature it gets, the more trusting and honest it gets including differences and long discussions. But the result is worth it: pieces that stand out and speak for themselves.

I don't remember at what point my interview went from being sort of semi-professional to being simply a fun chat between two guys. I just know that we ended up talking about social media and Instagram in particular (Erwan really likes Instagram and regularly checks the hashtag #Bouroullec), homes, computer games. Apparently lots of giggling and laughing took place and at one point the PR people of Magis were wondering what was going on.

I think that last part was my favorite part because it reveals that we all are simply people with likes, dislikes, passions, fun. And it shows that designers also like to talk about other things than design for a change. I'll remember those laughs with Erwan Bouroullec. Thank you, Erwan! And thank you Magis for this fantastic opportunity!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Interior Design News: IMM Cologne With Blogst

In my last blog post I've rounded-up a good deal of my design discoveries at this year's imm Cologne furniture show. However, that was not it - I have also spent one day touring the imm Cologne 2015 with my German friends and fellow bloggers from Blogst. The organized tour encompassed four very interesting fair booths: together we visited the Swedish design brand String, the German furniture manufacturer Kettnaker, the design brand Thonet and the German Association of the Wallpaper Industry. Here we rock!

String - because we all need the Swedish classic in our home
String is one of my all-time favorite shelving systems. Timeless, beautiful, unpretentious and super stylish - no wonder I was absolutely fascinated to see the full range of shelving systems, two new colours for the String Pocket shelves and the (home) office furniture by String. I need not mention that I was also very tempted to steal a few props from the fantastic styling done by the one and only Lotta Agaton (ok, ok, I did not steal anything but I brought some great news for YOU - stay tuned).

Kettnaker - furniture made by hand
Even though the German furniture manufacturer Kettnaker is based in southern Germany, it was a new discovery for me at the fair. When I entered their huge stand I noticed the huge photographies showing hands and wondered what it's all about. The secret was revealed by the owner of Kettnaker: all furniture pieces are handmade and this devotion to manufacture is showcased with supersized hand photographies. I particularly liked their sideboards with magnetic fronts (see the red and black drawer below, those front were simply attached magnetically to the drawer). These allow you to change the entire look and feel of the furniture without buying a new piece. Smart!

Thonet - for the design savvy dweller
Thonet is a famous German design brand best known for its refined selection of design chairs. Think of the bentwood classic No. 209 or the new and super comfy lounge chair 808 by Formstelle. I couldn't help but take a little break into the great lounge chair - after all design fairs are pretty exhausting. Moreover, their entire booth was lit up with the new pendants that will enter their range soon.

German Association of the Wallpaper Industry - where wallpaper has a sound
Last but not least we visited the funky stand of the German Association of the Wallpaper Industry (Deutsches Tapeteninstitut). This year their concept was to combine the visual impact of wallpaper with the audible dimension of our perceptive system. The idea is that you see a design and it evokes a certain sound in your head. They transported this idea by installing huge sound barrels that were covered in new wallpaper designs and featured various sounds. A very fun experience indeed!

 

Which of these four would be your favorite?

Photography by Igor Josifovic

This blog post has been brought to you through Blogst and in collaboration with the mentioned brands

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Highlights From The IMM Cologne 2015

Being a design blogger has its perks. One is that you are out and about when design fairs are taking place. Last week I spent in Cologne at the international furniture fair imm Cologne 2015. The design fair takes place on various places in Cologne: The majority is at the city's fairgrounds, but there are also interesting exhibitors in a showroom area called 'Design Post' and scattered all around town in various interiors shops and other showrooms. Consequently, I've seen lots of cool designs, I've spoken to fantastic designers and I brought back too many impressions as to squeeze them in one single blog post. So expect more to come!

Here are a few of my favorite observations during the imm Cologne 2015:

Jungle Fever!
Green is here to stay in 2015 - in two ways. I've seen lots of green as a colour in its various hues on home textiles, furniture and accessories. I have also seen many jungle prints on textiles and upholstery - one of my favorite was the jungle chair from Danish design label Gubi. I need not mention all the plants - again, many booths have been styled with plants abound. Particularly outstanding were the Vitra stand, the Belgian label Buzzi Space and the German furniture manufacturer Ewald Schillig.

Back To Nature!
Natural materials continue to convince in 2015. Lots of wood furniture was presented and the focus on natural materials is also interpreted in various material combinations like wood and leather. I particularly loved the new Danish label 'Woud'. Their collection features simple and refined furniture pieces created by various designers, mostly Scandinavian ones. I think they will be pretty interesting for all of you who love Scandi styled interiors!

Young Talents!
One of my favorite parts at design fairs is the young designers section. I like to see what the next designer generation is keeping in readiness for us. In Cologne I enjoyed the creative kitchen solutions presented by students from the interior design school of Stuttgart - among their solutions was a lighting idea with potted plants/herbs serving as fresh greens and light in one.

The shelf system 'Deep Forest' by Silvia Terhedebrügge is another cool solution inspired by nature - the shelves rise organically like leaves from branches.

The brass clothing rack 'Foldword' by Friederike Delius is another interesting piece. Its graphic appearance is inspired by German traditional half-timbered constructions and is foldable.

The concrete lamps 'Like Paper' by 'Dua' have a paper like appearance although they are cast in sturdy concrete.

The Berlin based design studio 'llot llov' presented playful solutions for urban homes. I loved the funky, macrame inspired hanging planters.

Neo/Craft is another brand new design label from Berlin. The designer Sebastian Scherer exhibited cool furniture and lighting pieces like the soap bubble looking pendant 'Iris' as well as the colourful 'Diamond' pendant.

The Austrian designer Martin Breuer Bono presented a very cool book shelf called 'Schlagseite' which literally means 'list' (nautical language for tipped over position) - pretty fancy for artsy interiors, isn't it? Read another round-up in German on Roombeez if you like!

Enough for today, I will share more highlights and designer talks with you over the next few days.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Young Italian Design At Formabilio

I like to think of design as a language. Similar to the linguistic equivalent, the design language tends to differ from country to country or region to region - think of Scandinavian design, Japanese design, German design. But yet the design language tends to remain an internationally comprehensible language of visual aesthetics. No idioms are necessary to decipher the meaning of design from various countries. Today I want to highlight two young Italian designs: The Antia Chair by the design  duo Alpestudio and the Tusciao Valet Stand by designer Andrea Brugnera. Both designs are produced and sold through the Italian design platform Formabilio.

The Antia Chair is a great example of the power of design - transforming a sturdy material like steel into an airy, graphic construction like this chair. The neat design seems so light as it could float, yet it is grounded by the repetitive structure of the rods of the back and seat. Another design highlight is the chair's base: the joint legs seem to counteract the chair's body and thus create a visual equilibrium that makes it so visually light. Designed by the siblings Luca and Alessia Perini of Alpestudio.

The Tusciao Valet Stand interprets a historical piece with a modern twist and Italian shapes. Forget times where you threw your clothes over a chair - with this valet stand you can combine form and function. Three elements in beech wood with metal rods are smartly conjoint with colourful leather junctions with snap buttons. The three wooden elements give a playful reference to Italian architecture - cubic houses of the Mezzogiorno, merlons of Italian fortresses and the pointed tips of typical Campanile bell towers - it is a little Italian voyage shaped into a wooden structure. Designed by Andrea Brugnera.

And now it's time for a Spritz. Have a great week!

Photography via Formabilio

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