darc 02

NATURAL INSPIRATION SALONE DEL MOBILE PREVIEW PROFILE: STUDIO DRIFT BJÖRN BORG HQ

BY R . & E . B O U R O U L L EC

AIM

2013

Flos_SingleLeftPg_darc.indd 1

21/03/13 14:05

U K D i s t r i b u t o r : A t r i u m Lt d - Te l . 0 2 0 76 8 1 9 93 3 - f l o s @ a t r i u m . l t d .u k

F LO S .C O M

004

INTRO & INFO

Welcome After a brief hiatus, we’re back with the second issue of darc, our new magazine focusing on the very best of ‘decorative lighting in architecture’. For those of you who caught issue one, you’ll already know what to expect: lighting projects and lighting pieces where the aesthetic of the fixture itself, and not just the illumination it provides, is a vital element of a space’s interior architecture. This is the first of four bimonthly editions we’ll be producing in 2013 (April, June, August and October), so if you’re involved in the field of decorative design and have something worth sharing, we’re happy to hear from you. Since our launch last year, we’ve been busily scouring the design world for the latest in decorative lighting, including a trip over to Stockholm for the Northern Light Fair - which also explains our cover story this month, the new headquarters of the Björn Borg fashion brand.

And talking of shows, we’ve also been helping to edit the new-look ARC Show as it joins forces with KBB, Interiors and DX to form the May Design Series. As you’ll see from our preview on p42, this 4-in-1 event at London’s ExCel is shaping up nicely. I look forward to seeing you there!

- Pete Brewis • darc Editor

Contents 006

....

SOUTH PLACE HOTEL • LONDON

012

....

QUADRANGLE ARCHITECTS • TORONTO

018

....

BJÖRN BORG HEADQUARTERS • STOCKHOLM

022

....

SEVEN SHOPPING CENTRE • DÜSSELDORF

026

....

JAMIE’S ITALIAN • YORK / KENT

028

....

TANTRIS • MUNICH

030

....

FOLIO: IGLOODGN

032

....

COMMENT: NATURE & NURTURE

034

....

PROFILE: STUDIO DRIFT

036

....

ROTHSCHILD HOTEL • TEL AVIV

038

....

RIVA • AMSTERDAM

040

....

LIGHTING GALLERY

042

....

MAY DESIGN SERIES PREVIEW

044

....

SALONE DEL MOBILE PREVIEW

048

....

NORTHERN LIGHTING FAIR

050

....

IF...

COVER IMAGE: Björn Borg Headquarters, Stockholm. © Felix Bridell EDITOR : PETE BREWIS : p.brewis@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR : PAUL JAMES : p.james@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING : JOHN-PAUL ETCHELLS : jp.etchells@mondiale.co.uk / JASON PENNINGTON : j.pennington@mondiale.co.uk PRODUCTION : DAVID BELL : d.bell@mondiale.co.uk / MEL ROBINSON : m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk darc is a supplement of mondo*arc magazine ltd, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK

006

PROJECT / SOUTH PLACE HOTEL, LONDON, UK

WELL PLACED H o a r e L e a L ig h t in g w e r e p a r t o f t h e t e a m h e l p in g t o r e a l is e t h e v is io n o f D & D L o n d o n - b e s t k n o w n fo r t h e ir w o r l d - c l a s s r e s t a u r a n t s - a s t h e y p r e p a r e d t o o p e n S o u t h P l a c e H o t e l .

D&D London, owner of some of the world’s most successful restaurants in London, Paris, Tokyo and New York, opened its first hotel in September 2012.

Located in the City of London, between Moorgate and Liverpool Street, South Place Hotel features 80 bedrooms, studios and suites; two restaurants, three bars and a roof terrace; five meeting and private dining rooms; and gym treatment rooms and residents’ games room.

South Place is a collaborative effort, created by D&D in partnership with property owner and developer Frogmore. The new purpose-built structure is by Allies & Morrison, with interiors by Conran & Partners.

Hoare Lea Lighting was engaged by Frogmore to work with Conran & Partners to develop a lighting design concept for the

hotel.

The main challenge was to achieve the drama of Conran & Partners’ proposed interior whilst meeting and exceeding all technical and energy efficiency requirements. While there was some flexibility in the restaurant and brasserie areas, all rooms and corridors, together with the health spa and conference spaces, needed to be very efficient.

Early in the design process it became apparent that LED lighting was appropriate in terms of energy for the majority of spaces.

However, in a market previously dominated by halogen light sources, the proposal for LED systems offered a number of challenges, for example a host of decorative wall and pendant luminaires were required, which would absorb any allowed quota for halogen light sources in all but the main

dining spaces.

Hoare Lea Lighting began by considering the boutique and eclectic style of the interiors proposed by Conran & Partners, setting out a lighting design concept which looked to provide good ambient illumination and which worked to create a backdrop for the decorative lighting. Depth and texture was added by integrating lighting into joinery and bar features to ensure that the appropriate scenes could be established.

Once approval was achieved on the lighting concept drawings, the package moved to NG Bailey for construction. Some natural modification of the design took place through the construction period, but the majority of the Hoare Lea Lighting concept as developed with Conran & Partners remained.

007

Entrance The Hurricane Chandelier by George Singer for the entrance of South Place Hotel features 100 polished aluminium aeroplanes, suspended to form different paths of flight.

Background illumination is created using downlighting with focal wall washing to feature walls and reception spaces. In the main reception, lighting concealed within the reception desk effectively announces the entrance, while integrated lighting within the ‘pigeon hole’ feature creates a dynamic backdrop.

Rooms South Place Hotel’s Dominion double rooms, larger South Place (king) rooms, studios and suites are intelligently designed and generously sized.

The bedroom lighting creates minimal, luxurious spaces, not dominated by scatterings of downlights. A subtle LED halo indicates the bed head and valance line, serving as both a light source in itself, while creating a night-time scene to allow for comfortable movement from bed to ensuite. Decorative pendants with layered shades to diffuse light and reading lights by Dernier & Hamlyn at each side of the bed provide the base of the lighting in the rooms. Touch-sensitive lighting panels were made especially for the hotel by Jonah Hoad.

Bathrooms are similarly illuminated, with integrated linear LEDs echoing the theme of the bed head. Lighting located behind the mirror panels gives a comfortable light to the guest’s face, while down lighting with narrow beam LED spotlights highlights the

Opposite: Oversized floor lamps by Diesel for Foscarini help provide visual interest and intimacy at South Place Hotel’s top-floor destination restaurant, The Angler.

Above: Pendants add a classic touch to the meeting rooms. These were selected by Conran & Partners to complement the character and narrative of each room and include bespoke designs by Dernier + Hamlyn.

All photographs used by kind permission of South Place Hotel and copyright © Guy Montagu Pollock / Arcaid Images (Arcaid.co.uk), except for Hurricane chandelier photography by George Singer.

008

PROJECT / SOUTH PLACE HOTEL, LONDON, UK

Right: South Place Hotel’s Dominion double rooms, larger South Place (king) rooms, studios and suites are intelligently designed and generously sized.

Each meeting room has LED downlighting and wash lighting to walls, supplied by Erco, with a central coffer and decorative pendants as a centrepiece.

basin area.

In the sixth floor suite, Moooi’s Raimond chandelier creates a statement, while downlighting highlights the tabletops.

Restaurants and bars The ground floor features a laid-back all day British ‘diner’, with service for 80.

This is complemented with a table-service Champagne and cocktail bar.

Here it was possible to use tungsten halogen in the form of AR-111 downlights. Selected for its ability to provide an intense, controlled beam of light directly onto the centre of tables, this creates strong visual contrast and high pools of illumination in the dining zones, allowing guests to feel the intimacy of a candle lit restaurant within the context of the wider dining environment.

Lighting integrated into joinery, bar counters and glass and bottle displays creates a visual backdrop to the spaces, highlight-

ing the products and using the inherent quality of the liquids to carry the light and enhance the illuminated impression. The centre piece within the bar and restaurant is a long, low concrete table, above which hangs a bespoke trough style chandelier in polished steel by Dernier & Hamlyn.

Garden Bar The Garden Bar on the first floor is one of the hotel’s most popular spaces. A commissioned art installation and water feature dominates the seven-floor atrium bar, making this a coveted venue for evening cocktails.

The lighting concept plays on the external nature of this space, with lighting sympathetic to the evening environment providing a backdrop of light through illuminated perimeter wall finishes, sculptures and water features. The back-illuminated bar uses an LED wash behind opal glass, adorned with a bespoke steel sculpture by Grace and

Webb featuring a delicate filigree pattern.

Rechargeable artificial candles by Neoz create the delicate lighting and atmosphere of candle light within an outdoor space.

The Angler restaurant Crowning South Place Hotel is The Angler, a quintessentially British seafood restaurant.

Again, intense beams of focal light create intimacy on the table tops. A back-illuminated mirrored glass ceiling balances the interior contrast from windows and creates an impressive visual feature in the evening.

Oversized floor lamps by Diesel for Foscarini provide further visual interest and intimacy.

In the far corner of the restaurant, the private dining room commands spectacular views of City landmarks, including the Gherkin and Tower 42.

Rest and relaxation The first floor incorporates a fully equipped gym, beauty and wellness treatments cen-

009

THIS IS THE STORY OF A HURRICANE...

tre and Le Chiffre, a games room with the ambience of a private members’ club.

At the entrance to the gym, a linear perimeter wash of light illuminates the woodland graphic wall patterns, while narrow beam downlights highlight key routes with intense pools of light on the floor. The dramatic impression continues into the main treatment rooms and changing facilities.

Art at South Place Hotel Art is an integral part of the South Place Hotel, with art works carefully commissioned and sourced by D&D and Conran Design to reference the history of South Place, the character of the neighbourhood and to showcase British talent.

The collection of art works on display includes a set of Lichtenstein-inspired prints

by John Vincent Aranda, for 3 South Place Grill. Other works by contemporary London artists include Quasar art prints by Nicola Green to commemorate the London Olym-

George Singer describes the process behind

wing span but it needed some adaptations.

the creation of this distinctive chandelier

I gave it to a professional model maker who

above the reception area.

smoothed the surface, thickened the wings,

Tina Norden, one of the senior interior

and generally made a version of the plane

designers at Conran & Partners, contacted

which was much more ‘friendly’ a shape for

me about the job last May. I’ve worked for

casting and polishing. The master was given

Conran before when I did the chandeliers in

to Lost Wax Development in Birmingham who

Chelsea’s famous Bluebird restaurant, so we

made one hundred planes using the lost wax

were already well acquainted. I was delighted

casting process. These were polished and

to hear from them again and they invited me

drilled and suspended on thin stainless steel

in for a brainstorm about the project.

wires. The ceiling plate was hand-polished

They described the clientele of South Place

and made in three sections to give an aero-

as hip young professionals who enjoy a very

nautical aesthetic. Six art-deco-style globe

smart and sophisticated atmosphere at the

light bulbs were incorporated around which

same time as incorporating strong elements

the planes appear to fly underneath, around,

of fun and eclecticism. Some of the key

and above. These fun and dynamic flight

aspects of the brief I was particularly inter-

patterns were planned meticulously through a

ested in was when they spoke of playfulness,

three-dimensional computer model.

Englishness, and childhood memories. After

I’ve always wanted to make something using

exploring themes such as British agriculture,

lost-wax casting, and now I also feel I’ve

the Battle of Britain, childhood toys and

made up for never making any model planes

collections, two concepts were conceived: a

as a young boy! It was a lot of fun installing

ten-thousand-crystal full-size pot belly pig,

the chandelier and suspending each plane

and a chandelier made from a collection of

individually, creating the elegant flight-paths

models of Hawker Hurricanes - an aeroplane

I was so familiar with in the computer model.

which was renowned during the Battle of

It is also very satisfying that whenever anyone

Britain. I was invited to present both to the

sees the Hurricane Chandelier for the first

owners of South Place, Des Gunewardena and

time, it brings a big smile to their face. This

David Loewi of D&D, and they liked the Hurri-

is the reaction I wanted and is the reason why

cane Chandelier concept very much.

the Hurricane Chandelier is the most satisfy-

I borrowed a solid aluminium Hurricane

ing installation I’ve built.

from a friend in Colorado. It had the perfect

www.georgesinger.co.uk

010

PROJECT / SOUTH PLACE HOTEL, LONDON, UK

Left: The ground floor features a laid-back all day British ‘diner’, with service for 80. This is complemented with a table-service Champagne and cocktail bar. Dernier & Hamlyn supplied a 10m long trough style chandelier in polished steel.

Above: The hotel’s games room - dubbed the Le Chiffe after the Casino Royale Bond villain - is given a relaxed gentlemen’s-club feel.

pics and an interactive wall of mechanical pixels made by AMD Studio with video feeds of ‘London on the Move’ by Gavin Mitchell.

Art works are sensitively lit, using a variety of lighting sources to ensure that the art remains very much the focal point.

Meetings and events Tipping a nod in the direction of number 49 Moorgate, a Soviet spy centre in the 1920s, South Place Hotel’s meeting and event rooms take their names from classic spy fiction. Five of them – Purdey, Steed, Peel, Solo and Kuriyakin – are used for meetings, presentations and private dining.

In these areas, flexibility was a key requirement to cater for the variety of functions.

Each has LED downlighting and wash lighting to walls, supplied by Erco, with a central coffer and decorative pendants as a centrepiece. The pendants were selected by Conran & Partners to complement the character and narrative of each room and include bespoke designs by Dernier + Hamlyn.

“Lighting plays an important role in creating a harmonious environment for our guests, whether they are socialising in one of the bars, entertaining in one of the restaurants, or relaxing in their bedroom,” said Bruce Robertson, General Manager of South Place Hotel. “Getting it right is crucial to the success of the business.” www.hoarelealighting.com www.conranandpartners.com

PROJECT DETAILS South Place Hotel, London, UK Client: D&D London Architect: Allies & Morrison Interior Design: Conran & Partners Lighting Design (concept design & spec): Hoare Lea Lighting M&E, Lighting and Acoustics Consultant: Hoare Lea

LIGHTING SPECIFIED Moooi Artemide Santa + Cole Foscarini Dernier + Hamlyn (bespoke feature lighting) George Singer (bespoke reception chandelier) Zonca (bespoke feature lighting) De La Espada, Jielde

012

PROJECT / QUADRANGLE ARCHITECTS STUDIO, TORONTO, CANADA

Pic: Naomi Finlay

HOUSE PROUD n convertin an old of ce space into a new self desi ned st dio adran le Architects has created the perfect showpiece for their odern creative s staina le desi n philosoph .

Toronto-based Quadrangle Architects have built a solid reputation on their ability to create innovative office environments, often transforming old industrial sites into modern, healthy workspaces. So when the time came to relocate their studio, the practice was presented with a unique opportunity: to apply their hard-held design principles to a site of their own, and in doing so produce a practical example of the team’s creative skills. True to form, they took on a space on the seventh floor of a former data centre in the city’s King West neighbourhood and set about converting it into a fully accessible, highly sustainable creative hub.

Since its formation in 1986, Quadrangle has applied an open plan concept to their studio space, with everyone from principals to interns based at open workstations. As well as promoting dialogue and cooperation, this helps to maximise access to natural daylight, an essential element in the firm’s

emphasis on healthy, sustainable buildings.

In the new office, daylight is supplied (along with sweeping views of the Toronto skyline) by windows that run the full perimeter of the space. Natural light is supplemented by a lighting system that uses motion and daylight sensing to adjust light levels. The system can be controlled remotely by smart phones and by each staff member’s VOIP phone and computer, conserving energy and improving lighting quality, particularly for those with low-vision.

“Lighting is one of the four main tools of our craft along with space, materials and movement,” explains Quadrangle principal Caroline Robbie. “The quality of light is essential and is never separated from these other elements in our design process.”

The firm’s relocation and its renewed emphasis on openness has been used to refocus its office culture in subtle but significant ways. Staff are asked to eat in the lunchroom rather than at their desks, prompting

the kind of informal interactions that help foster a shift towards a collaborative team spirit. To encourage this shift, various touches have been added to the space to make it an attractive, pleasant environment, including the use of custom pendants, created in collaboration with Castor Design. Lined with a golden metallic sheen to create a warm glow and finished on the outside with old technical drawings, these pieces are a product of the two companies’ shared design vision, as Robbie explains: “Quadrangle approached Castor at an early stage of the project for a joint exploration of how our core architectural materials

Above: An open plan concept allows the free flow of staff - and ideas - throughout the office.

Individual light fittings are matched to the needs of each workstation - such as the multi-headed Dear Ingo lamp in the model-making area.

Opposite: Custom pendants in the Annex dining area are coated in old architectural drawings.

013

Pic: Derek Shapton Photography

014

PROJECT / QUADRANGLE ARCHITECTS STUDIO, TORONTO, CANADA

Pic: Naomi Finlay

Pic: Naomi Finlay

Pic: Derek Shapton Photography

The palette of materials selected by Castor Design and Quadrangle Architects can be seen throughout the studio. Old technical drawings are used not only to cover the custom pendants in the Annex (top right), but also in reconstituted paper bricks that form one meeting room wall. Another custom pendant - a sheet of steel folded over a linear LED light source - is etched with the profiles of Quadrangle’s past projects.

Pic: Naomi Finlay

palette could be translated into objects that would become a demonstrable part of the space.

“Castor brought back initial thoughts on processes to de- and re-construct these materials and over the course of the project, the palette was reduced to paper, metal and fabric.”

In tandem with this, the team focused on the use of decorative lighting within the space. “The collaboration process was fluid with everyone contributing drawings, test prototypes, material research and sourcing,” Robbie continues. “The resulting fixtures successfully blend the material explorations that the collaboration originally sought, with elements of sustainability, beauty and wit.”

Most of the fixtures created by Quadrangle and Castor use CCFL sources. In addition to the pendants in the lunchroom area, a cluster of traditionally shaped lampshades, created in simple white fabric, hangs in the reception area. The largest of the meeting rooms has been given one of Castor’s Invisible Chandelier’s - a cloud comprising hundreds of burnt out light bulbs, illuminated from within - while one of the smaller meeting spaces boasts a Steel Streetscape fixture, a single metal sheet, bent in two around a linear LED lamp.

As well as the bespoke fixtures, there are five decorative pieces located in prominent areas throughout the studio. Each was chosen for both the quality of light it produced and the suitability of its design character

to an individual space. In the Snug, for example, intimacy is created with the large dome of Lightform’s Sky Garden, while the multi lamp-headed Dear Ingo fixture by Moooi was ideal for the needs of the model-making and materials area.

A glazed meeting room between the founding Principals’ workstations – wryly dubbed the Penalty Box by staff - has been treated with a mobile of Sentry fixtures by Metalarte. Elsewhere,the Heracleum, a flower-like LED fixture by Moooi, and the clean white, bent form of the Ketamina fixture

by Lucitalia both provide an element of juxtaposition to their locations in a muted meeting room and above the industrial metal reception.

All these pieces work alongside a general

dj_edit_2360x333mm_01.pdf

1

22/03/2013

12:35

In Partnership with

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

016

PROJECT / QUADRANGLE ARCHITECTS STUDIO, TORONTO, CANADA

Pic: Naomi Finlay

Pic: Naomi Finlay

Pic: Derek Shapton Photography

Pic: Naomi Finlay

architectural lighting scheme based around a principle of high sustainability. Given the amount of natural light available in the new location, the design incorporates individually addressable fixtures, motion and daylight sensing and high efficiency lamping selections. There are linear pendant and recessed strip T5 fluorescent, CCFL track and LED under-cabinet and circular down lights throughout the space providing ambient lighting.

The lighting design for the studio was developed holistically with decorative and architectural lighting elements to ensure that sufficient levels of ambient and task-specific lighting levels were provided.

Each of the decorative fixtures contributes to the illumination of the space, in levels appropriate to the individual character of each area.

By practicing what they preach, Quadrangle

has already seen huge benefits from the new space.

“Since moving, the studio has been able to attract a higher calibre of staff and to convince clients to try unconventional ideas,” notes Robbie. “Thoughtful attention to user needs and comfort and the strong brand message conveyed throughout has resulted in tremendous staff and client satisfaction. Employees have found their favourite spaces to work and this staff ownership fosters collaboration and a strengthened office culture.”

Having completed their own studio, the practice has widened its focus, working with the building owner to attract other creative industries to the site, and so help establish a new, artistic hub in an otherwise overlooked corner of Toronto. www.castordesign.ca www.quadrangle.ca

PROJECT DETAILS Quadrangle Architects’ Studio, King Street West, Toronto, Canada Client: Quadrangle Architects Architect/ Interior Design: Quadrangle Architects Ltd Interior Design Lighting Consultant: Castor Design Electrical Engineering: Dynamic Design and Engineering Lighting Suppliers: Klaus by Neinkamper, Eurolite, Lightform

LIGHTING SPECIFIED Decorative Lighting Custom pendant - by Castor Design/Quadrangle Invisible Chandelier - by Castor Design Sky Garden - by Marcel Wanders for Flos Dear Ingo - by Ron Gilad for Moooi Sentry - by Paul & Christopher Massie for Metalarte Heracleum - by Bertjan Pot for Moooi Ketamina - by Gabi Peretto for Lucitalia Talo - by Neil Poulton for Artemide General Lighting Fifthlight Technology (lighitng control) Sistemalux

018

PROJECT / BJÖRN BORG HEADQUARTERS, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

Pic: Felix Bridell

DESIGN BRIEFS A new Stockholm headquarters for fashion label Björn Borg embodies the vibrant confidence of a brand best known for colourful underwear and stylish sports-gear.

The image conjured by the name Björn Borg has changed radically over the decades. Once firmly associated with the ‘70s Swedish tennis legend himself, today the Björn Borg name has expanded into a global fashion brand.

In 2012 the company created a new headquarters in the centre of Stockholm, converting an old red-brick factory building into a contemporary space incorporating not just offices, but a large showroom – a space that could help wow clients and host catwalk events for their global distributor network. Fredrik Bengtsson and Mikael Abbhagen of design agency A-B-D were brought in to help translate the label’s identity into a fresh, functional working environment.

“One of the biggest challenges, but also the fun part of this project, was to balance how you perceive the brand from different angles and needs,” says Abbhagen. “You have the heritage point of view with Björn Borg,

and you have the visitor’s point of view, but also the aspect of people coming to work here every day without getting bored or stressed.”

The factory shell provided a blank canvas on which to engineer an interior that would perfectly suit the client’s needs. In addition to the offices and showroom, the new building includes a reception area, refectory and a series of glass fronted meeting rooms, each featuring its own bold and colourful interior.

In terms of lighting these spaces, the initial approach was to follow a scheme drawn up by the electrical engineers. As briefed, the engineers produced a very cost- and energy efficient design to meet the required lux levels within a given budget. Their solution was largely comprised of traditional 60x60cm recessed parabolic troffers with T5 fluorescent tube sources, alongside compact-fluorescent downlights and T5 pendant

task lights. The client soon realised that the lighting was at odds with the high-end interior designed by A-B-D and so turned to lighting designers Fredrik Amnäs and Niklas Ödmann of Black Ljusdesign AB. After assessing the exisiting scheme, they worked in collaboration with both A-B-D and the electrical engineers to create an improved design. The first move was to replace the parabolic troffers in all circulation areas with recessed adjustable CDM spotlights. In the offices, the T5 pendants were replaced by repeated rows of Lens pendants from Zero lighting. Created for Zero by Jens Fager, the pendants provide the perfect balance between the space’s former industrial character and the Björn Borg brand’s stylish identity.

“There are a number of different design elements with integrated lighting which are a result of our collaboration with A-B-D,” notes Amnäs. “The main example is the re-

019

Pic: Felix Bridell

Pic: Patrick Johansson

Pic: Patrick Johansson

Pic: Felix Bridell

Left: A-B-D took samples of the patterned fabric used in the Bjรถrn Borg range and created huge spherical feature pieces.

Pic: Patrick Johansson

020

PROJECT / BJÖRN BORG HEADQUARTERS, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

Pic: Felix Bridell

Pic: Felix Bridell

Top: Zero’s Lens pendants hang over the office space on the upper level, an alternative to the T5 pendants that were originally specified in the engineering plan. Each is fitted with a 55W circular fluorescent, 3000K light source.

Above: Glass fronted meeting rooms were given bold colour schemes with a custom A-B-D-designed pendant fixture to act as a focal point. The pendant was used in the office’s dining area.

Opposite top: The reception area includes a mirror fronted desk that, from a certain angle, reveals a backlit image of a model wearing Björn Borg underwear.

Pic: Felix Bridell

ception, which has lighting integrated in the desk and in the back wall. The desk itself is basically a big light box with integrated T5 fluorescent fixtures behind a big Björn Borg print that is mounted behind a prismatic plastic. This brings a nice holographic trick to the reception; seen from one direction the front of the desk appears as a mirror, but as you move through the room a holographic image of a woman in Björn Borg underwear appears.”

The desk is framed by the white, cubic form of the back wall in to which T5 fluorescent fixtures are integrated to give a smooth grazing of light.

For the showroom at the heart of the space, a very flexible lighting solution was created. Large-scale light boxes from Modular, giving soft general lighting, were combined with CDM spotlights mounted on trusses to provide accent lighting, aimed as required depending on the room’s use.

“We had a close cooperation with A-B-D and the dialogue was always open and direct,” says Amnäs. “For example, when ABD wanted to put pendant fixtures in the dining areas, we adapted our design and layout to work around that.”

The pendants in question were one of two custom fixture designs created by A-B-D for

021

Pic: Felix Bridell

Pic: Felix Bridell

Pic: Patrick Johansson

the project. Constructed from planes of white metal and fitted with a single light source, they echo the cubic aesthetic of the reception space wall. The pieces were also installed in meeting rooms and above seating areas to provide a subtle focal point for each space.

The other key lighting feature draws on the bold patterned fabric designs of the brand’s core underwear range. Square samples are mounted onto a wire frame to create suspended spheres of colour. Initially, it wasn’t clear whether these would be spotlit from the outside, but the decision was made in consultation with Black to include light

sources within the globes themselves. Of all the elements in the new offices, they are the most literal example of how the lighting - and interior as a whole – expresses the aesthetics and values of the client’s brand.

“The branding of our new headquarters fits very well with the positioning we have,” says Björn Borg CEO Arthur Engel. “We’re saying we are happy, sexy fashion with a sporty twist and I believe that, when you walk around, you feel this office reflects that very well.” www.a-b-d.se www.blackljusdesign.se

PROJECT DETAILS Björn Borg Headquarters, Stockholm, Sweden Client: Björn Borg Lighting Design: Black Ljusdesign Interior Designer: A-B-D (Stockholm)

LIGHTING SPECIFIED Decorative Lighting Lens - by Jens Fager for Zero Custom pendants - by A-B-D General Lighting Modular - Diablo Alhaled - Pinhole Fagerhult - Marathon iGuzzini - Deep frame

022

PROJECT / SEVENS SHOPPING MALL, DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY

LUCKY NUMBER ardorff n enie re ichtplan n co issioned a series of espo e t res to add colo r a n d w a r m t h t o t h e r e d e s ig n e d a t r iu m a t D ü s s e l d o r f’ s S e v e n s s h o p p in g c e n t r e .

The Sevens shopping centre on Düsseldorf‘s Königsallee had already run through twelve successful years of operation before owners Centrum decided it was time for a revamp. RKW Architektur und Städtebau were brought in to re-engineer the space to create a more inviting entrance area, open out the central atrium, and expand retail units on the lower levels.

The centre, named after its seven storeys, houses around 35 tenants in a retail space of approximately 19,000 sqm, including a number of high profile retail brands.

The electronics chain Saturn is the anchor tenant, occupying a large multi-level unit within the space, while on the mall’s ground floor, fashion and lifestyle retailers predominate. On the lower level there is a food court with nine restaurants and bars.

The remodelling took place partially during normal operation, with Kardorff Ingenieure

Lichtplanung responsible for redesigning the lighting.

Upon entering the mall, a new, calmer spatial effect is immediately evident. RGB LED cove lights have been embedded in the ceiling above the passages around the atrium, leading into the building to the escalators and elevators, located at the far end of the mall. LEDs with RGB control are integrated into the coves and can be adjusted to match the tenants’ colour preferences: orange, for example is the colour of choice for the Saturn store, which occupies floors one through five.

The atrium space was redesigned to provide a clearer overview of the mall, achieved by centring the arrangement of escalators and introducing a clean, fresh look. Circolo fixtures from Sattler are suspended from the undersides of the layered atrium ceilings creating a pleasing repeated pattern

as visitors look upward through the space.

These large scale, chrome rings incorporate an LED light source to illuminate the soffits above.

In a move to accommodate fewer, but larger tenants, the retail units on the ground, first and second floors, were gutted and replaced by a new floor plan. The food court on the lower level was also reformatted, with a custom-made luminaire, designed by Kardorff, introduced into the space. Dubbed Galanthus, these special fixtures provide

Above: By aligning the escalators, the architect RKW has created clear views up through the atrium space. Kardorff’s use of Circolo fixtures from Sattler create a repeated pattern of illuminated rings as visitors look up into the space.

Opposite: The custom Galantus fixtures have vividly colourful interiors that are hidden by their chrome exteriors when viewed from above.

023

All photography: Kardorff Ingenieure Lichtplanung

024

PROJECT / SEVENS SHOPPING MALL, DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY

a warmer, cosier atmosphere, with warmwhite light sources to contrast with the relatively cooler light in the atrium.

The Galanthus - manufactured by Interferenz Lichtsysteme in floor standing and pendant versions - have a flowing, organic shape. Tubular armatures open out into large scooping shades with opaque glass diffusers at their heart to conceal the standard ceiling luminaires that have been integrated into the piece for ease of maintenance.

Each head is flocked on the inside to create a velvet-like lining, alternating between red-yellow and green-blue to match the branding of the associated tenant. From above this vibrant interior is hidden from view. A chrome-plated exterior proffers a distorted reflection of the surrounding space, helping the pieces to blend with the more stylish aesthetic of the atrium.

“Architecture is always unique - a rare thing in our industrialised world,” notes Volker von Kardorff, principal at Kardorff

Ingenieure. “Clients like to have a bespoke fixture – it’s like the icing on a cake.

The Galanthus fixture is a unique design object created exclusively for Sevens. Its extroverted form and expressive colours form a strong contrast to the subtle, white architecture.” www.kardorff.de

PROJECT DETAILS SEVENS Shopping Mall, Königsallee 56, Düsseldorf, Germany Architects: RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur und Städtebau Lighting Designer: Kardorff Ingenieure Lichtplanung GmbH Structural Engineer: Schüßler-Plan MEP: Hetzel, Tor-Westen + Partner

LIGHTING SPECIFIED Decorative Lighting: Interferenz Lichtsysteme Galanthus custom fixtures General Lighting: Sattler Circolo pendant; LED Linear VarioLED Flex RGB ceiling cove

Above left: Warm-white LED light sources are concealed behind an opaque glass diffuser at the heart of the Galanthus heads. This, combined with the colours on the interior of the shade (arranged to match the branding of the associated retailer), helps create a more intimate space at the base of the atrium.

Above: Concealed LED strips can be controlled to match the colour of the main tenants on that level.

On floors one to five - home to the centre’s anchor tenant, Saturn - an orange colour is used.

026

PROJECT / JAMIE’S ITALIAN, BLUEWATER CENTRE & YORK LENDAL CELLARS, UK

LA DOLCE VITA W h e n N o r t h e r n L ig h t s w e r e a s k e d t o c r e a t e a b e p o k e s o l u t io n fo r t w o n e w J a m ie ’ s I t a l ia n r e s t a u r a n t s , t h e y t u r n e d t o P h il ip s fo r a s o u r c e t o s u it t h e b r a n d s c o s y ‘ n e ig h b o u r h o o d ’ fe e l .

It is difficult to find two locations more different than a lovingly refurbished Tudor wine cellar in York and the Bluewater shopping centre. Jamie Olivier’s Italian restaurant chain unites them both, and in the case of the York Lendal Cellars project, continues the company’s strong record of choosing neglected historic buildings as locations and undertaking their restoration, from the art deco splendour of the Midland bank in Manchester to the former Cheltenham county court house.

Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and Blacksheep were asigned interior design duties on the York and Bluewater projects respectviely. Having worked with both on innovative projects in the past, Northern Lights, the Chesterfield based lighting manufacturer, was approached to realise the bespoke lighting design for the new restaurants. Luminaires had to produce a similar aesthetic in both, despite being based in two entirely different settings.

The interior scheme of the restaurants

comprises rustic wooden boards and green tiles, the retro metal chairs and table tops bringing to mind those family run Italian cafes in Brooklyn and Queens, where everyone is welcome and the atmosphere crackles with people having a good time.

Lighting which suited the relaxed atmosphere and neighbourhood feel fostered by the chain was therefore required, with the warm feeling of dimmed halogen lighting being replaced and replicated in a cost effective and energy efficient manner.

It was decided that a lighting solution was required that would mix mains voltage lamps with integral control and a broad compatibility with dimming control systems.

Jamie’s Italian insisted this was achieved, but with no sacrifice in light quality.

Northern Lighting consulted Philips Lighting to help identify a satisfactory solution. They proposed the use of the Master LED Dimtone range, which offered a warm and intimate dimmed light that matched the criteria required.

The Master LEDbulb dimTone creates a dimmable glow effect that produces a welcoming and warm atmosphere, encouraging the comparison of the interiors to an Italian countryside kitchen, which places, the table, good food and good conversation at its centre. www.northern-lights.co.uk www.philips.co.uk Northern Light liaised with the designers throughout the project to ensure the engineering and manufacturing principles being employed retained the original design intent.

PROJECT DETAILS Jamie’s Italian, Bluewater Centre, Kent, UK Interior Design: Greg Austen, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio Landlords Enabling Architect: Tony Pringle of TP Archtiecture Jamie’s Italian, Bluewater Centre, Kent, UK Interior Design: Jordan Littler, Blacksheep Both projects: Client: Jamie’s Italian Custom lighitng: Northern Lights

028

FOCAL POINT / TANTRIS, MUNICH, GERMANY

Photography: Andreas J. Focke

INSTANT CALMER S il v e s t r in D e s ig n a n d L ic h t l a u f c o l l a b o r a t e d t o c r e a t e a n e w v ib r a n t in t e r io r o f G e r m a n d in in g in s t it u t io n T a n t r is .

For over 40 years, Tantris has held its position as one of Munich’s top dining experiences. In addition to Michelin-starred cuisine, the restaurant’s rich interior scheme has been key to its success - not least that of the Main Room designed by renowned Swiss architect Justus Dahinden.

‘Red as a lobster, black as truffles,’ this is the heart of Tantris - with walls that arch steeply to the centre of the room and wide glazed façades.

In November 2012 owner Fritz Eichbauer asked interior designer Danilo Silvestrin to create a new light piece to sit above the reception area to the main room, one that would work alongside the existing Asian sculptures and striking colour scheme.

Previous glass chandelier installations had proved unsuccessful, so Silvestrin adopted a

e n t r a n c e p ie c e t o m a t c h t h e

different approach.

“I recommended a gold colour that would, in my opinion, represent a congenial match with the existing rooms, while I was convinced that the form of the new chandelier should be something very much contrasting with the restaurant’s architecture,” he explains.

Silvestrin contacted Christoph Matthias, the owner of Lichtlauf, with a proposal to adapt the company’s existing Lichtenfest piece, amplifying it to over two metres in height and giving it a new computer-generated shape.

The pendant is created from ten layers of aluminium, worked together by hand and finished in gold leaf. Three dimmable 230W Osram Halolux Ceram lamps sit within the piece. Manufactured and installed by Mat-

thias and his team, the new chandelier fills the space with smooth golden light, while reflecting the fiery colours of its surroundings.

“In collaboration with Mr Matthias, we created a real marvel,” says Silvestrin, “One that harmonises perfectly with its orange-red ambience and which - as a counterpoint and real eye-catcher - blends in with the surrounding architecture.” www.silvestrin.de www.lichtlauf.de

PROJECT DETAILS Restaurant Tantris, Johann-Fichte-Str. 7, München Client: Fritz Eichbauer Interior Design: Danilo Silvestrin Design / Production: Christoph Matthias, Lichtlauf

Lichtlauf Munich custom-tailored luminaires and lighting objects

ALITY

IALS

TING

TATE

S TO

NTS,

AND

LFIL

GNS.

TE

Lichtlauf.de

030

profile

folio

Hotel Van Gaal montreal

Each issue we showcase the importance of decorative lighting in the work of one interior design practice, starting with Montreal-based Igloodgn...

Established in 2005 by award-winning interior designers Alain Courchesne and Anna Abbruzzo, Igloodgn has an illustrious international roster of projects. Based out of Montreal, the company is internationally renowned for creating innovative spaces, from hotels, restaurants and retail projects, to residential and condominium design. With a focus on designing for profitable businesses, the firm’s branding, graphic design and interior design concepts foster advocacy, and ultimately, result in increased lucrative customer experiences.

In 2012, Igloodgn opened its second office in Shanghai to service its strong demand in the Asian market. Both designers bring an unprecedented passion and fresh approach to design, focusing on building a detailed brand identity in each project from inception to completion.

Deeply rooted in distinguishing the overall experience and essence of a brand, Igloo design creates a space while simultaneously establishing its identity. All elements of an experience must be in harmony with one another from branding to interior design to custom furniture design. At Igloodgn, excellence can only be reached by a combination of disciplines that collaborate to create a well-balanced entity. www.igloodesign.ca

Go Fish! montreal Go Fish! is a small intimate restaurant with a mission to serve only the freshest ingredients in clever and innovative ways.

Igloodgn created a brand identity and restaurant interior design that communicated the benefits of Go Fish!, focusing on a brand that would appeal equally to all five senses. We maximized the expression of the brand through all possible avenues, from fryer boxes and specialty sauces to funnel cakes, coffee and frozen yogurt, all housed in a cool urban interior.

With a wonderful restaurant design, clever packaging and a new way to enjoy fish and chips, Go Fish! has instantly become a neighbourhood classic. The Igloodgn team was able to successfully reinvent the classic fish and chip to the point where employees and customers alike continue to be delighted by the new experience.

Ingo Maurer’s Lucellinos ceiling fixtures completed our concept; Go Fish! is a whimsical reinterpretation of dining by the sea.

Recognised for its consistency in great customer service and attention to detail, Hotel Van Gaal is a 12-room, family owned establishment that goes above and beyond to offer that home away from home experience. Hotel Van Gaal includes features like individually designed guest rooms and their own in house line of specialty products, which adds to the overall custom experience of the hotel.

We were asked to give the hotel a complete new personality through the creation of an emotional pathway using interior design and branding.

By focusing on brand communications and environmental design, we created an exceptional customer experience by offering guests a number of different spatial solutions that can satisfy every individual’s needs.

Skygarden by Flos represented the concept behind this hotel - a modern idea married with classic details of the past. The original architectural details of this mansion were the perfect backdrop to the streamlined furniture we specified throughout this hotel; the design element of contrast was key.

031

Playground Poker montreal This is a project born out of passion. A poker club conceived by poker players built to rival the local Casino in size, quality, design and commitment.

We developed a new strategic brand positioning and brand identity by beginning with a name that customers could engage with. We designed an environment where people choose to enjoy themselves and it perfectly captured the essence of a modern poker club while giving it a twist of fast urban cool. We then created an interior casino design that was sophisticated, vibrant, energizing and masculine, which perfectly reflected the poker club’s personality.

H.O.R.S.E. is an acronym in poker. Knowing that made the Moooi Horse lamp a sure bet and a crowd pleaser to say the least. The lamp has become a conversation piece among patrons. We committed to specify Moooi lighting exclusively throughout the project to ensure cohesiveness.

Adler Park Clinic santa ana, california

Dom Rebel montreal The Dom Rebel showroom is located at the Chateau St. Ambroise, a structure that dates back to 1882. Our vision is to bring a new element of excitement to men’s fashion with a strong meaning and purpose behind each creation. Each garment, which is created by a small team of artisans is treated like a work of art.

Inspiration for the design of the showroom stemmed from Dom Rebel’s very own hand mounted Swarovski Crystal Collection, which is the whimsical manipulation of a beat up cotton t-shirt decorated with luxurious gems, a look that says style without pretension. The interior design of this space very much reflects the sophisticated nature of the brand’s identity – a contrasting mélange of rugged and refined.

Viso’s Thin allowed us to create movement all while embracing its simplistic form.

Adler Park is a highly successful cosmetic practice that has developed a fantastic referral network based on good solid business practice and impeccable results.

Igloodgn was asked to create an environmental design that patients and staff would find pleasant and stimulating, and ultimately contribute to patient recovery.

We welcomed the challenge of taking on the demands of patients, doctors, complex medical technology and a number of functional relationships to combine them into a spectacular interior design.

Tom Dixon’s Etch pendant inspired the logo of Adler Park Clinic. The lines of the fixture are echoed in the floor pattern and contrasted by the organic shape of the Maurice Calka Boomerang desk.

If you’re an interior designer with an eye for decorative lighting and have five projects worth sharing, contact: editor@darcmagazine.com

032

COMMENT

NATURE & NURTURE P r o d u c t d e s ig n e r T h o m a s W e n s m a c o n s id e r s t h e r o l e o f n a t u r a l a p p e a l in t h e c r e a t iv e p r o c e s s , a n d s u g g e s t s w a y s w e c a n a l l t a k e a l e a f o u t o f m o t h e r n a t u r e ’ s b o o k ...

As the painter Edward Hopper once observed, “No amount of skilful invention can replace the essential element of imagination.” He was absolutely right; imagination and the human, emotional experience of imagining are an essential element of design. When we look at a product, we start thinking about what it can do, how it would feel to hold, touch and experience.

The same happens when we look at the beauty of nature. Whether on a holiday or just viewing a photo of a beautiful place in nature, we start imagining; we desire to indulge in the feel and experience of all that attracts us to that place. It is the result of visual beauty and the exciting promise of novelty, adventure and mystery.

From extensive psychology and neuro research, we know that many of our decisions are reinforced by affective memory structures1. Essentially this means that as our brain recognises things, it produces associated emotional responses to them.

These are the result of neuro connections, the strength of which is important as they

lead to more predictable decisions. Neuro connections made during emotive experiences, for example, are stronger and more durable. Subsequently they will have a stronger effect on the brain’s decision-making. There are numerous designs that incorporate influences from nature - either as a consequence of, or an attempt to capitalise on, our deeply rooted emotional connection to it.

Nature consists of both subtleties and extremes. It is diverse and dynamic, but always in harmony and many times visually just beautiful. When harmony is at risk, it will self-adjust and recover. Nature is a system. Everything is connected and continuous in an infinite (yet flexible and adaptable) loop. Nothing is waste. Everything is used and re-used. It is the opposite of the thoughtlessness and arbitrariness with which many things are designed these days and what seems to be acceptable. An understanding of - in part - how we make decisions and at the same time the way nature

seems to work, is important for the way we design products. If a natural (influenced) aesthetic has an appeal and could positively affect our decision to buy products, should we as designers apply this? From a corporate perspective the answer would most likely be yes. If there is an appeal and desire, companies will be in favour, as it means the products will sell. To design this way would be a marketing driven choice though. Instead, the design process should always be exactly that: design driven. The design process should focus on users and how they will interact with and experience the product. From that, the ‘right’ aesthetic decisions will become clear. Design and nature have one strong similarity; only the strongest will survive. As designers we brainstorm and ask ourselves many questions as part of the ideation, prototyping and iterating process. At every part of that process only the strongest ideas are carried forward. So it might not be survival of the fittest, but definitely survival of the best.

Only from a deep understanding of the users

033

and the design process, should product shapes, material, feel and overall aesthetic arise. It is a result of careful considerations and constant iteration. Instead of just looking at aesthetics, I believe there is something far more important to consider though. We should be looking at nature for how it works as a system. This is something the Japanese have understood and done well for a long time. They are known for using natural forms and materials in their designs. They have a very clear understanding of how things should be; simple, quiet and functional. Using influences from nature not just because it looks good aesthetically but also because it works so well as a system.

A great example of this is their traditional housing. It is simple, very adaptable and incorporates natural materials like wood, rice fibres, clay, paper and glass. These traditional-build homes are never cluttered or ‘out of style’. Every part can easily be replaced or adapted. The Japanese know how to design and make things in a way that is simple, balanced, functional and aesthet-

ically beautiful. Not superfluous or screaming for attention. Nature teaches us that we need balance. Harmony is better than divergence. Nature can show us how we can design things that are very interesting and appealing visually, and at the same time are calm and consistent. Every detail is correct.

It is clear that designing with nature as inspiration should not only mean exploring visuals and materials. As designers we should above all think about what is natural for us as humans. Like how it is natural for us to feel texture, detail and shape. That is what our hands are made for. It is also natural for us to desire and want something that looks beautiful and evokes certain emotions. This is how we are ‘wired’. In nature everything has certain colours, form and material for a reason. Genuinely designing with nature as inspiration should result in making those same types of considerations.

As designers we need to focus on what the interaction and experience should be like for the user, how it should function and how

its users will feel. We need to obsess about every little detail and use the right design principles. Only then can there be a product that not only looks right, but also feels right. Not just in the present, but also five, ten or twenty years from now. I’m making the point that the first thing we need to do is always be conscience about the fact that designing products needs to make life easier and at the same time should respect nature, our natural resources and make use of what is natural for us humans. That is the truly important thing we can learn from nature. We simply need better design, and to start applying these principles now.

Citations: 1 - TNS – The Secret Life of the Brain.

Thomas Wensma is founder of Ambassador Design. info@thomaswensma.nl twitter.com/thomaswensma

034

PROFILE

desi n le

STUDIO DRIFT

drawin to ether the worlds of science and nat re t dio rift are a le to create pieces that capt re the delicac and inetic splendo r of the nat ral world.

Above: Flylight’s glass tubes react to the presence of observers, flocking together in mesmerising swirls of moving light.

There is a tendency among many to draw division lines between science and nature, to paint one as clinical, progressive or dangerous; the other as wild, rich or untamed.

Not so Studio Drift, a Dutch collective who have taken on the role of mediator between these two worlds. “Our goal is to create a dialogue between nature and technology, a perfect combination of knowledge and intuition, science fiction and nature, fantasy and interactivity,” they state. “In this way, we hope to emphasise the metaphysical quality of human sensations and to make manifest spiritual and emotional values.

“At the heart of everything we create is the fluctuating relationship between nature, technology and humankind.”

Founded in 2006 by Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn, graduates of the Design Academy Eindhoven, Studio Drift have exhibited their work across the world. From the V&A in London, to Salone del Mobile in Milan, via World Expo Shanghai, Design Miami, Design Week Tokyo, Museum of Arts & Design New York (and many more) – the warm reception received in each country bears witness to the universal appeal of their bio-inspired approach.

The duo cite their complimentary skills Nauta’s expertise in crafts, materials and production techniques, and Gordijn’s sense for shapes and strong concepts – as the key to their successful amalgamation of nature and technology. The Fragile Future 3 series, created in collaboration with the London based Carpenters Workshop Gallery, is a perfect example of their work. Each piece incorporates real dandelion seeds, hand attached to an LED core and hard wired into a modular network of phosphorous bronze wires. Both modern laser cutting and traditional metalworking techniques are used to construct the cubic framework that can be custom created to grow across walls, around corners or into three dimensional sculptures and chandeliers.

“Light is an important aspect of our work, but it is used as a material or an ingredient not as illumination,” says Nauta. “The Fragile Future chandelier is not about being able to see in the dark – it is about con-

veying emotion and referencing the fact that light is the basis of all life. It is also a piece that demands to be nurtured and cared for in order to preserve its aesthetics and continue to enjoy it, and that too was important to us.”

While Fragile Future speaks of the delicate balance of nature, two further pieces Flylight and Shylight reflect the beauty that can emerge from patterns and responsive movement found in the natural world.

Flylight comprises a flock of suspended glass tubes that individually illuminate in response to their surroundings and in doing so create poetic waves of movement across a space. The piece uses electronic sensors that detect the presence and proximity of an observer and cause the tubes to react in self-organising patterns in accordance with an inbuilt set of rules - developed in cooperation with mechanical engineers, industrial designers and nano technology specialists Klaas van der Molen and Luuk van Laake.

Shylight replicates the processes employed by flora when attracting pollinators and protecting itself from danger. “With Shylight we wanted a whole range of different stages that a flower can be, translated into a product that touhes the viewer in multiple ways. Using technology, both mechanic and electronic, we wanted to show a living picture that has many manifestations.”

Each piece comprises an aluminium ‘cocoon’ that houses the movement and lighting controls – deliberately made visible from below. Multiple silk layers slowly emerge, fanning out like a ballerina’s skirt until, sensing danger, it darts back into a budlike shape. On its own or in multiple piece ceiling-mounted displays, the Shylight can be iPhone controlled, or programmed to dance to a choreographed musical score.

Studio Drift continue to tour the world with their work; having just shown Flylight - the biggest version yet - at PAD in Paris, they will soon be launching a new collaboration with a brand at Euroluce in Milan and will be exhibiting a new coloured-glass work at Design Miami Basel later this year. www.studiodrift.com

035

Top left: The silk petals of Shylight slowly emerge from their metalic cocoons and expand into floating-light blooms before suddenly darting back into their protective shells.

Left: An onlooker causes a flurry of activity at an installation of Flylight in Moscow.

Above: The Studio Drift team harvests Dandelions twice a year and glues the individual dried seeds onto LEDs to create Fragile Future 3. The ‘clock’ seems impossibly delicate - a subtle reminder of the need to safeguard nature.

036

FOCAL POINT / ROTHSCHILD HOTEL, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

STAIRCASE STUDY D e s ig n e r A v ia d P e t e l c o l l a b o r a t e d w it h h o t e l ie r A v i I fr a c h t o c r e a t e a s p e c ia l t e n - m e t r e p ie c e that spans the floors of the new Rothschild Hotel in Tel Aviv.

Located on Rothschild Boulevard at the heart of Tel Aviv’s cultural and financial quarter, the Rothschild Hotel occupies one of many modernist classics that make up the White City UNESCO world heritage site.

Built in 1934 in the ‘International Style’, the building recently underwent a complete renovation, creating 25 luxury suites for both short- and long-term accommodation.

Included among the hotel’s many design flourishes is a bespoke, ten-metre tall lighting piece that climbs through the centre of the main staircase.

The installation is a collaboration between the interior design team (Michael Azulay and hotel owner Avi Ifrach) and lighting designer Aviad Petel.

The group came together after Petel wrote to the Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel – also run by Avi Ifrach - to enquire about exhibiting some of his recent work on a

temporary basis. After reading the proposal, Ifrach came back with an alternative offer – to create a piece for the new Rothschild.

Inspiration for the installation came from the climbing Ipomea Tricolor plant. The ‘stem’ – constructed from rolled metal and wrapped in fabric by designer Orit Barzelai – curves organically through the space. Starting in the ceiling, its descent is unsupported until it reaches its lowest point, just two metres from the ground.

The nine lamp heads are a continuation of Petel’s Grappa range, constructed by sewing together wood veneers to create structurally solid shapes that reference both petunia flower heads and old gramophone amplifiers.

“The installation was tricky,” Petel notes.

“There were various constrains including variable angles at every floor and the need for accurate lampshade positioning relative

to the stairs.”

With technical assistance from two further team members, Oren Berry and Avi Saina, the perfect balance – both structurally and aesthetically – was achieved. Each fitted with a standard 7W lamp, the Grappa heads emerge at different heights and angles, carefully positioned to throw light towards the stairways, and provide a sympathetic drama to the tastefully restored 1930s interior. www.aviadpetel.com

PROJECT DETAILS Rothschild Hotel, 96 Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv, Israel Client: Avi Ifrach Designer: Aviad Petel Interior Design: Avi Ifrach & Michael Azulay Technical Design / Installation: Oren Berry, Avi Saina

037

All photography: Adi Likvornik

038

FOCAL POINT / CAFÉ-RESTAURANT RIVA, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

THE LIGHT AQUATIC A S h o a l c h a n d e l ie r b y S c a b e t t i c o m p l e t e s t h e A m s t e l - in s p ir e d a r c h it e c t u r e o f A m s t e r d a m ’ s n e w r iv e r s id e c a fé - r e s t a u r a n t , R iv a .

The historic character of Amsterdam will forever be indelibly linked with its waterways. The rivers and canals that run like veins through the Dutch capital, delivering the lifeblood of first trade and later tourism, have helped forge the city’s identity and, of course, inform its architecture.

In its own way, Café-Restaurant Riva continues this tradition. The venue, sitting on the banks of the Amstel, is the work of architect Cees Dam, whose portfolio credits include The Stopera, Amsterdam’s city hall and opera house.

In keeping with these previous projects, Riva is a strikingly modern building, whose extensive use of glass offers clients stunning views over the river. The interior, an equally impressive blend of polished concrete, hardwood and leather detail, is trimmed in sailcloth white, including the ceiling panels that curve and undulate in reference to the

flowing water outside.

To complete the space, a version of Scabetti’s sculptural light piece Shoal was installed above the void that links the venue’s two levels.

Shoal comprises fine bone china fish, each carrying delicate sculpted detail, that circle a central light source in a reproduction of aquatic life. Each piece is lit not only by reflected light from its neighbours, but also from within, as light passes through the translucent ceramic body. Like all of the pieces produced since Shoal’s launch in 2007, the sculpture is made by hand, to order, in Scabetti’s North Staffordshire studio, using china from the UK’s renowned Staffordshire Potteries. It is precisely this mix of the modern and traditional that makes it the perfect complement to Riva’s stylish interior. www.scabetti.co.uk

A Shoal light sculpture from Scabetti hangs in the central atrium of Riva. A second identical piece has now been added directly below the first. The combined piece comprises over 1,000 unglazed, English fine bone china fish that help create a visual link between the two floors of the venue.

All photography: Michael van Oosten

51 0 0 3 6 6 �

1069860 �

1099299 �

1092886 �

1085083 �

1106414 �

1020458 �

1084379 �

1106072 �

1109142 �

1022248 �

1070763 �

11 0 3 0 9 4 �

1127738 �

1109088 �

1131444 �

1106213 �

1096525 �

1103512 �

1091889 �

1115629 �

1078536 �

1096735 �

1074563 �

1105228 �

10 6 0 2 4 9 �

11 0 6 1 3 4 �

1116905 �

1104512 �

10 8 4 1 1 7 �

1126519 �

5100704 �

1091483 �

1018668 �

1120646 �

1059937 �

1106940 �

1121631 �

1066034 �

1013947 �

1132488 �

1059947 �

1105138 �

1075654 �

1037136 �

1127742 �

1111534 �

1124868 �

1116715 �

1116445 �

1076823 �

1000164 �

1116341 �

1054105 �

1119806 �

1116284 �

1036196 �

1106579 �

1059218 �

11 1 4 3 5 5 �

51 0 0 5 9 8 �

11 2 6 4 0 7 �

1106965 �

1109049 �

10 0 0 8 5 5 �

1105160 �

1103397 �

11 0 4 3 6 2 �

1109304 �

10 9 7 8 3 4 �

1127467 �

5100797 �

10 7 9 7 6 3 �

1115441 �

1114596 �

1080681 �

1052802 �

1121628 �

1106937 �

1106246 �

1045333 �

11 1 9 5 3 1 �

1086673 �

1027483 �

1080678 �

1085205 �

1106724 �

1119725 �

5100741 �

WWW.ARCHITONIC.COM www.architonic.com/PRODUCT CODE 1089995 �

1105033 �

5100200 �

1030391 �

1090979 �

1129817 �

040

PRODUCT

l ig h t in g GALLERY A m ix o f b o t h n e w a r r iv a l s a n d m o d e r n c l a s s ic s m a k e u p t h is is s u e ’ s G a l l e r y s e l e c t io n o f n a t u r e - in s p ir e d il l u m in a t io n ...

Cactus Prisma Slamp

Bar-Gavia Collection Naama Steigman

Following the success of the XS and XM versions (heights: 21cm and 37cm), Slamp’s Cactus Prisma by Adriane Rachele is now available as an XL floorlight. With a height of 155cm and constructed from Slamp’s patented Lentiflex material the Cactus adds an eccentric touch to any interior. www.slamp.it

Tel Aviv based artist/designer Naama Steigman creates her Bar-Gavia Collection using the Moluccella Laevis plant – considered a weed by many farmers due to its hardy nature. Harvested from the outskirts of fields in her native Israel, the plant is naturally dried and preserved before being incorporated into layers of hand-made paper. The low-tech process is designed to create a piece that brings wild nature into our daily life. www.naamasteigman.com

Ebony Sky Ango Ebony Sky has a diffuser comprising a random configuration of individual hand-died silk cocoons, each hand soldered to a wire mesh core. The design is the culmination of Ango’s experimenting with the use of chrysalis shells as a light diffuser and continues their narrative of fusing nature and technology. www.angoworld.com

Radiant Flower Forestier The influence may be more abstract than most, but the title of Forestier’s Radiant Flower bears witness to its inspirational roots. Designed by Nicolas Daul and Julien Demanche, this table light uses a single 4W LED to cast light through overlapping coloured gels to create a bloom of light. www.forestier.fr

MamaCloud Belux Since its design by Frank Gehry in 2005, Cloud has been adding a peaceful grace to many interiors, and for those that have the space, MamaCloud provides a supersized option. www.belux.com

042

ON SHOW / PREVIEW

MAY DESIGN SERIES A n e w e v e n t o n t h e e x h ib it io n c a l e n d a r , M a y D e s ig n S e r ie s w il l b r in g t o g e t h e r fo u r d e s ig n - l e d s h o w s in t o o n e in s p ir a t io n a l e x p e r ie n c e . W e p r e v ie w j u s t s o m e o f t h e h ig h l ig h t s ...

AB ROGERS : DESIGNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR Underlining the importance placed on quality design, organisers of the May Design Series invited Ab Rogers to act as creative director with a brief to bring new life to the trade show experience. Rogers is renowned for his original and playful schemes, designed to engage visitors to the likes of Tate Modern, Pompidou Centre, the Science Museum and Comme des Garcons.

Rogers has described his vision for the exhibition as like a city-scape environment.

This city will contain four distinct districts for each individual show; kbb LDN, The ARC Show, DX and INTERIORS LDN, that link together to form one complete experience.

Guiding visitors through the urban sprawl of the exhibition, Rogers will use colour and geometric forms to create excitement, challenge the way that people behave and help them navigate through the space.

Rogers explained, “We were excited by the angular planes within the graphic template of the May Design Series logo; that became a very strong inspiration for this direction,” Rogers explains. Shapes will “fold and articulate, wrap around and fold back, different shapes will intersect, creating new and

intriguing forms.” Rogers describes these bold shapes and lines as a “Matisse-like collection of planes” that will tie the space together visually and embody the May Design Series identity.

Rogers’ new creative design aims to excite and engage visitors so that they feel intrigued, invigorated and satisfied by the experience. As a designer, he can create a space in which other designers will feel at home, leading to sales and a successful return on investment for exhibitors. Rogers has devised the show so that visitors will be led through the space as they visually connect with features spotted in the distance.

An element of surprise is also key to the experience, with Rogers devising; “a play on showing and revealing at the same time”.

“The May Design Series will be a totally different experience from your typical trade show environment,” Rogers concludes. www.abrogers.com

043

ONE EVENT, FOUR GREAT SHOWS...

May Design Series will bring together four design-led shows, each with something different to offer.

The ARC Show will bring together the entire spectrum of lighting disciplines to source the very best in architectural and decorative lighting design. www.thearcshow.com

Much like a piazza can provide respite and a place for communion in a bustling city; Rogers will use the breakout areas in the show to bring people together.

Design and technology are evolving and merging faster than ever before, bringing unparalleled change to the way we create and furnish the interior, and exterior, spaces in which we live, work and play. Discover the latest at DX. www.dx-london.com

NEW TALENT : RCA BAR DESIGN COMPETITION Ten student groups from the Royal College of Art’s MA Interior Design programme have been shortlisted in a competition to design two public spaces within the event: the DX Bar and the Champagne Bar. Tasked with the challenge to create lively hubs with a distinct design aesthetic, the brief stated that the bars must serve an essential practical role, allowing visitors to meet up, relax, reflect and re-energise, to decide where to set off next around the show. The brief set the bar high, asking the aspiring interior designers to create dynamic spaces with visual impact whilst considering temporality and sustainability.

Project groups were guided by guest tutors and experts in architecture and interior design including Tomoko Azumi, Chiara Ferrari, Rachel Forster and Ian Higgins. The groups were led by Ab Rogers, Head of the RCA’s Interior Design programme, and the show’s creative director.

The judging panel includes UBM’s Andrew Vaughan and Kali Nicholson, Ab Rogers Richard Greenwood and Louise Martin from Ab Roger’s Design. The two winning designs will be revealed at the opening of the show.

INTERIORS LDN 2013 is designed specifically for retailers, interior designers, architects and contractors to source the very latest mid to highend interior products from new and up-and-coming design talent as well as established brands. www.interiorsldn.com

kbb London is the capitals only trade exhibition dedicated to kitchens, bedrooms & bathrooms. The industry’s leading suppliers will showcase highly innovative designs and solutions. www.kbb.co.uk

MAY DESIGN SERIES MAY 19 - 21 EXCEL LONDON www.maydesignseries.com

044

ON SHOW / PRODUCT

m il 2 a 0 1 n 3

Squares Atelier Areti

A LOOK AHEAD...

With the imminent return of Salone del Mobile and all its associated satellite events, we’ve pulled together this preview of pieces to look out for.

With its official associations to the main event, Euroluce will undoubtedly be the first port of call for many of those with an eye for lighting details, but visitors shouldn’t feel confined to the fairgrounds in Rho. Key alternatives include EDIT by designjunction - which, as the by-line suggests, comes courtesy of the same curators-of-fine-design that regularly draw a crowd during London Design Festival.

Also worth a look is MOST - “the ultimate destination for design creatives” - at Milan’s Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo Da Vinci. Instigated by British designer Tom Dixon and sponsored by light source innovator Megaman.

We’ll have a full review of everything Milano in our next issue.

Tetatet Davide Groppi

EDIT

Squares is a sculptural object. Though designed to simply lean against a wall, it can also be wall-mounted or suspended from the ceiling, either vertically or horizontally. Formed from powder coated aluminium and opaque glass. 2W warm white LED light sources provide a welcoming glow. www.atelierareti.com

Blossoms Blackbody

EURO

Blackbody are at the forefront of creating imaginative pieces from OLED lighting panels. Blossoms is in this vein.

“A journey to the land of the rising sun.

A celebration of Hanami. A meditative pause under a cherry blossom with interlacing branches and tips embellished with flowers of light”. www.blackbody-oled.com

Honeycomb Innermost

EURO

EDIT

Honeycomb creates a simple effect from the application of two overlaid fabrics. Its collapsible design is deliberately creased and casual, making it ideal for use in as multiples, to create a moody cluster, or as an individual pendant providing low, direct light over a table or lounge area. www.innermost.net

A portable lamp which ‘turns every table into a place to meet and to love and finally to consider light like a fundamental ingredient of life’. Tetatet is designed to create pools of intimate light whilst maintaining a discrete presence. It comprises a metal base and battery-powered LED head. www.davidegroppi.com

Container Benjamin Hubert

EURO

A creation for Ligne Roset, this ceramic table lamp stems from the designers’ ‘materials driven, process led, industrial design’ approach. Container utilises the ceramic to both contain the electronic lighting components and produce a soft, reflected illumination output from the interior glazed surface. www.benjaminhubert.co.uk

045

Polaris Manooi

Material Pendants Nevvvorks

EURO

EDIT

With the Material Pendant, the same unique idea is expressed in just about every material imaginable. From oak to marble, from cork to terracotta, from concrete to cryptonite. The pendant is made for bars and restaurants, but it just as easily lights up a conference room or hotel lobby. www.nevvvorks.com

Polaris is a series of polished stainless steel structures strung with Full-cut crystal octagons and pendants in various sizes and forms, fitted by nickel plated ring pinnings. Traditional 60W light sources illuminate each ring from within. Polaris is available in 100cm and 70cm widths. www.manooi.hu

Floor Cloud Molo

EURO

The new Table Cloud and Floor Cloud are a part of Molo’s modular soft collection, joining the existing cloud pendants, cloud mobiles, and urchin softlights. The white textile shade comprises hundreds of cellular honeycomb forms and is internally lit by LED to radiate a gentle, glare free light. www.molodesign.com

Club Oty Light

Diemos La Murrina

EURO

Made in Tuscany, entirely by hand, Club is a lamp composed of an ecofriendly ceramic material that makes the shade completely recyclable. Available in black or white versions and with halogen or LED light sources. The ceiling canopy can be surface mounted or recessed. www.otylight.com

EURO

Among the new pieces on show at Euroluce, La Murrina will be bringing two pieces Diemos and Pallene. Both are a fusion of the old and new: traditional Murano glass created by master craftsmen, combined with the most modern (not to mention efficient and controllable) of lighting technologies, LED. www.lamurrina.com

Stick Fabbian

EURO

Designed by Matali Crasset, Stick is part of a family of products developed as a reinterpretation of the traditional floor, pendant and wall lamp. It has a modular design comprising wooden slats, stretched into place by a central support, giving rise to an intriguing array of light and shadows. www.fabbian.com

EURO

WWW.COSMIT.IT

EDIT

WWW.THEDESIGNJUNCTION.CO.UK

MOST

WWW.MOSTSALONE.COM

046

ON SHOW / PRODUCT

Spillo Icone

Halo Vibia

EURO

EURO

This light design floats in the air as harmonious lines or circles while generating sensations similar to those experienced in nature. The Halo lighting collection, designed by Martín Azúa for Vibia, evokes technology, design, art and life to create a family of pendant lights that is unique for its type. www.vibia.com

Spillo is a built-in wall and ceiling lamp with a 7x7mm brass rod section that can be angled to achieve a variety of effects. Available in various dimensions and power levels, the rods contain efficiency LED micro-strip. Each requires a power supply unit and wall housing, which is not included. www.iconeluce.com

Gaia Brand van Egmond

EURO

Named after the ancient Goddess of Earth, Gaia’s organically formed branches dance around the crystals, protecting them in a playful yet harmonious embrace. Rather than mere decoration, the Swarovski crystals become the heart of the piece, radiating an array of reflection and colour. www.brandvanegmond.com

Jar RBG Lasvit

OBRANCH d signed by

EURO

Arik Levy’s Jar RBG combines glass blowing techniques with the idea of RGB color mixing. A central piece in white glass acts as a large light bulb, illuminating the coloured jars that hang around it. Both transparent and lightweight in space, it is both efficient light source and delicately colourful piece. www.lasvit.com

EURO

OBRANCH combines both the traditional and modern. It is a classically designed chandelier using the newest OLED Tabola TG330 Destruct transparent lighting tiles. Each tile is 33 x 33cm and supplied by COMEDD, the Center for Organic Materials and Electronic Devices, based in Dresden. www.dsigned-by.com

Sand, Fire and Air Prandina For its thirtieth anniversary, Prandina will present Sand, Fire and Air, an installation telling the story of glass from its material origin: sand.

Designed by Filippo Protasoni, the piece will take up residence in the Triennale di Milano’s Gallery of Architecture throughout the city’s Design Week. www.prandina.it

!

! "

#

048

ON SHOW / PRODUCT

N o r th e r n L ig h t F a ir

Pharaoh Lightyears

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN FEB 5 - 9 2013 In recent years, Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair has been the catalyst for events beyond the walls of Stockholmsmassen with the growing importance of Stockholm Design Week, featuring events at different locations around the city.

Among the mix was Barcelona Design Flash, a special event held at the Cervantes Institute, organised by the Barcelona Design Centre with the support of the Institut Ramon Llull. Its aim was to show the creativity of businesses from Barcelona.

Companies present included Santa & Cole, Marset and Estiluz with work on show from designers Crouscalogero, Javier Mariscal, Miguel Milá, Lagranja and Toni Arola amongst others.

Northern Light Fair will return next year on 4-8 Febraury. www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se

Pharoah appear to be a mirrored, solid pendant until illuminated, when the piece takes on a metallic transparency.

The light source becomes a key feature and Pharoah has been designed with Hulger’s Plumen bulb in mind. The piece is made of injection-moulded ABS plastic with mirror coating. www.lightyears.dk

Bake Me A Cake Northern Lighting Bake Me A Cake is a playful table lamp made from oak wood and smoked, tinted glass. The piece is made by inmates of the Bergen Prison in Norway as part of a collaborative outreach program with Northern Lighting and designers Morten & Jonas. Inspired by the cartoonesque file-in-a-cake escape plan. www.northernlighting.no

Vinge Örsjö Belysning

Isabel Weplight

Designed by Note Design Studio, Vinge (Swedish for wing) is a table lamp with an unadorned exterior and a moveable wing that controls dimming by rotating 180° around its own axis. The dome is in mouth-blown opal glass and the base is available with monochrome white or red, or black with solid matt brass. www.orsjo.com

Weplight has developed a flexible wood veneer that allows them to create quality products with a unique aesthetic. Designed by Marcelo Dabini and Nadia Corsaro, each Weplight has its own independent character. Both floor and penadant lights are available, in customisable sizes and materials. www.weplight.com

Disha SPK Valo Designer Kunal Shah was making toys with lacquered wood before he decided to apply the same process to lamp production. Disha, proves that traditional crafts can be applied to new technology with exciting results - or as Shah poetically puts it, “a handshake between craft and technology.” www.spkvalo.com

049

Silo Zero

Agatha LZF

Inspired by the silhouette of an agricultural grain silo, this minimal pendant has a distinct industrial character. Silo has a colour range of black, white, yellow or a soft green. It works just as well visually as a single pendant or more dramatically in a group or linear installation. www.zero.se

Agatha, created by Spanish designer Luis Eslava for LZF, is a hanging lamp whose shape is achieved through the concentrical superposition of materials.

Its lines echo those in nature; Agatha suggests simplicity and originality. This lamp ‘blooms’, forming a semi-spherical object. www.lzf-lamps.com

NOA Valoa by Aurora NOA pendant lights combine ecological LEDs with recycled felt and are designed for use in homes and public spaces. The pendant light is available in two different sizes: diameter 500mm and diameter 300mm, and three standard colours: black, grey and natural white. www.valoabyaurora.com

Norwegian Forest Cathrine Kullberg

Graphic Lamp Delightfull

This pendant and table lamp series has shade elements made of double-layered, natural birch or white ash veneer, depicting a pine forest scene.

The intricate pattern is laser cut by skilled craftsmen in Sweden. When lit, the blonde veneer offers a warm glow, filtering out light between carvings. www.cathrinekullberg.com

Delightfull’s new Graphic Lamp Collection is a series of floor, table and wall fixtures based on a wide selection of iconic type fonts. The eclectic range comprises letters, numbers and symbols with a diversity of light sources from neon to filament. www.delightfull.eu

Cloud bsweden Cloud is a glass globe pendant which provides a gradient light that is amplified downwards. The Cloud’s characteristic silhouette resembles its namesake: an evolution of the common pendant globe, its form appears to change depening on the viewer’s position in the room. The piece’s upper face incorporates a light filter to create a decorative gradient illumination and attenuate uplighting. www.bsweden.com

conditional thinking

if...

the fear-mongering media predictions for CERN’s large hadron collider had been given the slightest credence, it seems unlikely that the Geneva-based atomic super-accelerator would ever have left the drawingboard. Prior to its activation in 2008, the machine designed to hunt for the elusive Higgs-Boson particle was cast in the role of doomsday machine, a leap of scientific folly with the potential to bring total destruction to existence itself. As we now know, the only immediate consequence of the LHC switch-on was the studious silence of five thousand scientists as they churned through the flood of data it produced.

In fact, the collider turned out to be a source of creative inspiration for artist Ilona Rista, who installed this special piece in CERN’s main auditorium. Her representation of particle energy is achieved by placing hidden lamps and mirrors behind precise cuts in the birch acoustic panelling.

Another of Rista’s works will form the backdrop to a series of classical concerts at Helsinki’s Design Museum from 14-19 April. www.ilona.rista.net

Photography: Helmut Wenzel

050