ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN FURNITURE LIFESTYLE Marbella · London · Milan
SEPT – DEC 2018
INTERVIEW MARCEL WANDERS 7 KOOL KITCHENS BEST OF BRITISH THE LIGHT FANTASTIC ICONS OF ITALY HEART OF GLASS DESIGNER ESCAPES
The company moved to a much larger premises in San Pedro. Upholstery & soft furnishings added to workshop. Team of 18.
UDesign was set up at the start of the financial crisis with a 150 m2 carpentry workshop. 2 designers, 1 carpenter.
2010
2008
2015
2012 Workshop size doubled to 300 m2 for an additional specialist paint finishing facility. 3 designers, 7 craftsmen.
Now 2 showrooms terraces & living/ accessories. Team of 26. International interior design projects in Marrakesh, Ireland & Luxembourg.
Added Architecture Department to enable us to create from the ground up. Team of 30. International design projects in Paris, the Cayman Islands and Verbier in Switzerland.
3.500 m2 of showroom & workshop space. New Kitchen showroom. Team of 44. Architecture & interior design projects in La Zagaleta, La Reserva del Alcuzcuz and Los Monteros.
2017
2016
2018 Interior design & bespoke furniture for one of the UK’s most exclusive properties in London’s Belgravia. Team of 36. Extended showroom from 2 to 3 floors. Started UD Magazine.
Many thanks to our clients & friends for all their support! udesign.es
Welcome to our Marbella showroom
LIVING
BEDROOMS
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Open: Monday – Friday 10 am – 7 pm & Saturday 10 am – 2 pm Polígono Industrial San Pedro de Alcántara, C/Países Bajos 6, San Pedro (Marbella) (on the Ronda road) Tel: (+34) 952 794 117 Email: info@udesign.es udesign.es
We are delighted to bring you five great names in the design world – five people who live, talk and breathe creativity. Marcel Wanders is the Dutch revolutionary designer who transforms space into extraordinary experience. Flynn Talbot is a lighting artist and designer who took his place at the top table with an installation at London’s V&A Museum. Michael Vasku is the bright light of Austrian and Czech design. Lisa Whatmough is the force behind Squint, one of the most creative interior design and accessory companies in the UK. And Andrea Bonaveri is an established icon of the Italian fashion business. This issue is jam-packed with their inspiration and of course, the very best in design. Andiamo! Jason Harris CEO & Creative Director UDesign
“Modesty is great, and quietness is nice, but sometimes it’s much more fun to be decadent.” (Robin Standefer)
Editor: Cheryl Gatward ud@udesign.es Sub Editor: Vivion O’Kelly Design, Layout & Production: Next Idea S.L. info@nimarbella.com Contributing Writers: Fiona Flores Watson, Giles Brown, Sophie Gatward-Wicks, Anastasia Sukhanova Architects & Designers: Anja Maria Catharina Dekkers, Ignacio Garrido González, Milda Kazlauskaite, Margarita Mariscal Burgos, Kristina Petrauskaite, Diana Robezniece, Carlota Rodriguez-Zúñiga Cofiño, Patricia Sánchez Martínez 3D Virtual Artists: Diego Camacho Sánchez, Dmytro Dubchak, David Jesús Espada Ruíz, Pablo Aranda Varo Interior Design Assistant: Stephanie Georgiou Photography: UDesign, SPCA Visual Marbella, Marcel Wanders, Moooi, Squint Ltd, Preciosa, Nich Kelleher Advertising: Diana Robezniece diana@udesign.es Social Media: Ben Pandoo ben@udesign.es Administration: Patricia Jiménez Martínez patricia@udesign.es Published by: UDesign Polígono Industrial San Pedro de Alcántara, C/ Países Bajos, 6, 29670 Marbella, Málaga, Spain Tel: (+34) 952 794 117 info@udesign.es udesign.es Printed by: I.G. Solprint, S.L. solprint.com Deposito Legal: MA-1335-2017
CONTENTS SPECIAL FEATURE 10
WONDERS OF WANDERS
ARCHITECTURE 30
LUXURY REDEFINED
64
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
INTERIOR DESIGN 74
KOOL KITCHENS
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HEART OF GLASS
104 SHOWCASE FURNITURE 116
BEST OF BRITISH
LIFESTYLE 130 ICONS OF ITALY 140 DESIGNER ESCAPES 152 DESIGN TRENDS UD is published three times a year in January, May and September.
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the WONDERS of WANDERS INTERVIEW WITH MARCEL WANDERS
A neat introduction to Marcel Wanders is not an easy task, because all those loose ends that make up our lives seem, in his case, to wander off in different directions.
Dubbed the “Lady Gaga of Design” by the New York Times, he is a constant font of ideas and energy. As a Dutch designer, or indeed any designer, he is the wild cat among the cool kittens.
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arcel Wanders is difficult to classify with precision: more than a product designer who designs extraordinary and often bizarre objects, more than an interior designer whose works are genuine art installations, more than the leading light of one of the most reputable design studios in the world. He is an idea, and ideas, especially good ones, know no borders and respect no limits on how far they can travel or whom they can reach. Even as a child, he was interested in making the unworkable work, and design seemed an obvious outlet for his ingenuity. He attended design school, showing early promise by being expelled from the Eindhoven Design Academy before graduating cum laude from the Institute of Arts Arnhem in 1988. He set up his own studio in Amsterdam in 1995, and came to the attention of the international design community with his Knotted Chair a year later. He moved into interior design in the late 1990s, which was, as he says, “a completely different animal”, in that it demanded a different thought process and an increased awareness of context.
Right: part of the lobby of the Mondrian Doha Hotel, where Marcel Wanders (above) created a multilayered sensory experience.
In 2001, along with partner Casper Visser, he founded the design company Moooi. Although he is owner, artistic director and product designer of the company, he describes it as “a platform that allows designers’ work to shine”, and by that he means other designers. Apart from their core function being pure design, they do interiors, photography, art direction and some architecture.
More on the new Mondrian Doha Hotel on page 140
The Marcel Wanders interior design studio (a separate entity from Moooi) is located in Amsterdam and has a multi-disciplinary team of fifty or so designers, backed by Gabriele Chiave as creative director since 2014. They work with many of the leading brands of our time, including
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Swarovski. His work is in some of the top museums in the world, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, MoMA museum in New York and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In 2005, Business Week selected him as one of Europe’s “25 leaders of change”. A full life so far, but hardly the stuff of an Oscarwinning biopic, except that this man touches our souls in a way Hollywood never could. It’s not that he has the unusual gift of thinking new and making it work, but he looks to the past, of which he has a great appreciation, to see the future, and does it now. His work, always surprising and sometimes even weird, is also classical and timeless, rooted in knowledge, experience, intelligence and a healthy disregard for the norm. He regards modernism as unsustainable and therefore the enemy of the future: “modernism was created by the throwaway society, because nothing ages as quickly as the new.” Minimalism, he adds, is little more than the invention of modernism. And yet... And yet his work is as up-to-date as the average teenybopper’s mobile phone. The thing is, it will never be out of date. His designs are based on the accumulated knowledge of the centuries, almost exclusively made by craftsmen drawing on the traditions of yesterday when appropriate and using the technologies of tomorrow when necessary. It is what he calls the “contemporary renaissance of humanism”, a passionate desire to make things that will make the world a better place and will surprise and delight us, however strange some of them may seem at first glance, because nobody has ever seen their like before.
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Right: The Eurasian Garden Spirits, by Marcel Wanders, for the Oita Prefectural Art Museum in Japan. This was inspired by the historical narrative of Dutch explorers who first arrived in Japan in the 16th century, and symbolizes the cultural union between Holland and Japan. Left: Monster Chair Divina Melange, designed by Marcel Wanders for MOOOI in 2014, now available in 25 different colours.
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Your Snotty Vase, as a name, says as much about your irreverent outlook on life as its design. Is that a fair comment? It’s called Airborne Snotty Vase, the name is selfexplanatory. It’s both visually and sculpturally interesting. The name catches your attention but doesn’t try to take you into some abstract thinking. It just is what it is. This piece is the first ever 3D printed product in the world. It’s super hi-tech, and we won the WIRED Technology Award with it. Just consider that in 2001, people weren’t thinking about 3D printing. It was called Rapid Prototyping back then. We were the first to make a product this way, and it was supercool back then. The chandelier (and mirror) in Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait almost looks like you had designed it. And some of your floral designs could be the work of Bruegel the Elder. How close do you feel to this early period of Dutch art? Airborne Snotty Vase. Grotesque beauty, the first ever 3D printed commercial product, was made from enlarged microscopic mucus particles emitted in a sneeze. It won the WIRED Technology Award in 2001.
That’s Flemish art. I understand the question but I just want to make it clear that it’s Flemish art. A few years ago, when Castiglioni died, I was asked to write something for the newspapers. I suggested he was my uncle, that he was always there watching over my shoulder. I always thought it was a good idea to see your peers, the creative people surrounding you, as your family, and it has always made my life more interesting to think that way, both today and in the past. I do like to feel that relationship with creative people through time and space. Nevertheless, I think the work we do in the studio is contemporary. It learns and borrows from the past, yet it tries at the same time to be very contemporary. We like to make work that shows its respect for the
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Art doesn’t always hang on a wall. Sometimes, it is the wall. Illusions Collection, design by Marcel Wanders for Graham & Brown.
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“If modernism considers the past irrelevant, what does that mean tomorrow, for the things we create today?”
past while being innovative and contemporary in the here and now, but also looking to the future. We are fighting modernism. Modernism, in one of its most important dogmas, states that the past is irrelevant for the future. So what does that mean for the things we create today? It means they are irrelevant tomorrow. This is fundamentally a throwaway society, and we can’t live that way! So it’s really important that we start to see that the past is relevant for the future. We have to live in peace with our past and appreciate the beautiful things in our culture and bring them forward. That’s why I am doing new antiques and lots of things that are criticised in a modern context. But for me they are a step forward in a more beautiful, sustainable way. Design, art…if the question is not too philosophical, what’s the difference?
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Delft Blue Rug, nders for M l Wa o oo e c ar i
Ca rp et s
Design is about our hope for a better future; art has a more profound conversation going on. I do think that design aims to speak to a lot of people and art tends to be a deeper conversation with fewer people. The aim of art isn’t to reach a lot of people but to be pure and straightforward. You were called (New York Times) “the Lady Gaga of Design”. Can you see the resemblance? She’s an amazing entertainer. She changes herself, she changes the status quo, it’s exciting. She’s certainly not boring! Virtual design is a key step forwards for design. What other steps do you expect to see in your lifetime? We have to make sure we’re on the same page here. Design is basically for free. People think design is expensive,
SPECIAL FEATURE Pool with a 30+ metre cascade and bar. An iconic hotel design created by Marcel Wanders for Grand Portals Nous, in Mallorca, Spain. Below, the entrance to the hotel’s spa.
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but they have no idea. Designers make their sketches, drawings, prototypes – they put them in a shop, a fair, an exhibition, a magazine, otherwise they can’t be communicated. Communication allows them to be seen, read and understood by people. You don’t own a Snotty Vase but you’ve experienced it, you’ve thought about it and you’ve enjoyed talking about it. What designers do, whether or not it exists in real life, is there for all of us to enjoy, and that is the value of design. If you read a design magazine, it’s not because you want to buy a sofa. You just want to be entertained, you want to see something new, you want to grow, you want to feel something. So design is for free. It doesn’t have to be physically realised to be enjoyed. It can be virtually realised. This all started, in the context
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Below: Marcel Wanders’ Power Nap with the Raymond Floor Lamp by Raymond Tensegrity for Moooi.
SPECIAL FEATURE
“I don’t think less is more. I think more is a word that means nothing unless it’s in relation to something.”
Above: Marcel Wanders at Salone del Mobile 2018 with the Diamond Mirror – the newest addition to Louis Vuitton’s Objet Nomades collection.
of true design, in the 1990s, and I think it was a super important change. It was only possible because there were more and more international design magazines, and of course later the internet gave us the ability to communicate all around the world in that virtual way. What’s going to happen next? So much that I don’t even know where to start that conversation! Dutch design is typically minimalist and you are clearly maximalist. How Dutch are you really? I don’t think more is more. And I don’t think less is more. I think more is a word that means nothing unless it’s in relation to something. More of something good is better. More of something bad is worse. It’s that simple, right? I do think design is a positive thing, and we can create value for the world. So I don’t think that less of something positive is negative. I think more of something positive can only be a positive thing. It’s relative.
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THE WONDERS OF WANDERS Le Roi Soleil chandelier, a tribute to Louis XIV, and the New Antique Table, by Marcel Wanders for Baccarat.
“A minimalist designer is someone who just doesn’t like his work, who can’t come up with an idea that’s good enough to be better than nothing.” 22
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I am not a minimalist or a maximalist. I’m an optimalist. If I were a minimalist I’d do another job. What’s a minimalist grocer? What’s a minimalist hairdresser? What’s a minimalist politician? It’s a person sitting at home waiting for more coffee. A minimalist designer is someone who just doesn’t like his work, who can’t come up with an idea that’s good enough to be better than nothing. Basically, he feels guilty about being alive so he does less. I believe we should make real value for people. That’s not minimal, that’s optimal. I’m an optimalist. Do you think Louis XIV would have been comfortable holding one of your wine glasses, and if so, would that please you? You look at my designs and think they are so wild and baroque that Louis would have liked them. I think he would puke on the austere minimalism that we have today, even in my work, because it’s way too minimal. If you look at the beauty and the generosity that was prevalent in these days, I think he would not like to drink from my glasses. Obviously, back then, that came with a political situation that was abusive to our people, so it’s not something we should like to go back to. That doesn’t mean that the beauty of these things that were made then is something that we now should walk away from. We should all live as kings and queens today! That would be very easy to do if designers would take the responsibility to make things that are truly remarkable, truly durable, truly ecological and truly lovable. If you had a Louis XIV glass, a beautiful crystal glass from that age, would you love to own it? Would you love to use it? Would you ever
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Above: from the Neo Royal Collection, wall coverings to reawaken the traditions of aristocracy, by Marcel Wanders for BN International.
THE WONDERS OF WANDERS
drop it? Would you pass it down to your children? Yes, you would. And that’s why it’s ridiculous that we aren’t able to make these things today, because that is what ecology is all about: to make things that are so important to people that they will make sure they survive, and pass them on to their children. You shouldn’t make recyclable things, you should make things that last, that parents will hand down to the next generation. There’s a hint of the Middle East and Arab world in your work, especially with regard to abstract patterns. Why is this? Well, if you are referring to work we have done in the Middle East, that’s to make sure there’s a sense of authenticity in the work. If we are not in the Middle East we put in elements that come from all over the world, so obviously also from the Middle East. A while ago, one of the techniques we used was to create different patterns and then overlay them, putting one on top of the other. By doing so we show the world we can live together, we can be one while being very different, but all together. It would be beautiful if we were all overlaying each other. We don’t all have to be the same, and that wonderful pattern that you get when you put all these elements together is amazing. We have done some graphics that also include Middle Eastern patterns. Besides that I have a few projects in the Middle East, and obviously I like to show respect for their culture and make my language closer to theirs, while staying in my own terrain. It’s all about giving and receiving. marcelwanders.com / moooi.com
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“We should make things that last, that parents will hand down to the next generation.” The Mega Chandelier by Joost van Bleiswijk, for Moooi Works, hangs over an Eden Queen Rug by Marcel Wanders for Moooi Carpets.
SPECIAL FEATURE
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Architecture and interior design is art you can live in, and like art, some of it is bad and some of it is good. And some of it is pure genius. Welcome to the Concept Villa.
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Vivion O’Kelly discovers the latest in residential tech in one of Marbella’s most enviable locations, La Reserva de Alcuzcuz on the road to Ronda. he Concept Villa is basically a showcase villa, but it has a great deal more to show than any other of its kind (the high-end market) on the Costa del Sol, or indeed anywhere else in the world. Earlier this year UDesign entered the luxury villa market hoping to build a villa that would epitomize the spirit and soul of the company: overall excellence both visually and functionally, attention to detail, exactly the right furniture and fittings in exactly the right places, the effortless flow from one space to another, proportional perfection and the use of light as an essential design element. “Good design is not just about making a space look good. It’s about making it feel good,” says Creative Director Jason Harris. “In each space we design we’re trying to combine visual and functional aspects to perfection. Good design is both of these working together in harmony.”
View across the pool to the Formal Lounge. The ancient Moors knew all about water: it has to be close to the living area, and this concept has become a UDesign trademark in the positioning of all their pools. Left: Main entrance. The imposing geometry of the main entrance is echoed by the formality of the cypresses in the garden behind.
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“Effortless flow from one space to another and proportional perfection.”
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Terrace. This magnificent terrace manages to cleverly contain five distinct areas – the sunbathing area, the fire pit with comfy sofas, the TV room terrace, the kitchen and dining terrace, and the formal lounge terrace. Whether entertaining with friends, just having a family BBQ or sitting alone with a glass of wine, each space has its own purpose and function.
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Formal Lounge. An inspiring room of grand proportions with its own terrace space (opposite page)
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Knowing what works in harmony is the key to design excellence, Jason insists. “A great chef will take a few ingredients that, on their own, are fairly ordinary, and put them together in such a way that he achieves the extraordinary. It’s a question of how to use these ingredients, and that requires the same kind of knowledge and understanding that both architects and designers have been striving for over the years. The Concept Villa is our chance to show what can be achieved.”
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“The balance between the visual and functional is the key to good design.”
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ARCHITECTURE All the details, big and small, come together in this stunning view of the Mediterranean from inside the formal lounge. Perfectly symmetrical, designer fittings with the ceiling lights redefining the sky and the two warriors inviting us to look outwards, the perfect blend of tone and colour - this is designer opulence.
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Formal Lounge. The high ceiling running into two floors, the lighting an imposing design element in itself and the large mural on the wall - it all adds to the splendour of this room.
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There is science in all art – from the science of harmony and rhythm in music to the science of colour, light and perception in art - and this includes interior design. There is a reason something looks and feels right. It doesn’t happen by chance, but by the application of certain basic design principles whose discipline is welcomed by designers as a way of liberating their creativity, rather than restricting it.
See more images of the kitchen/dining area in our Kool Kitchens feature on page 74
“There is science in all art, and a reason that something looks and feels right.”
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ARCHITECTURE The kitchen-dining room also has stunning views, which is not surprising, given that the house was designed to maximise the views from every single room.
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“We try to ensure that our kitchens always enjoy the morning sun.�
The kitchen and its vertical eco herb garden. The floor-to-ceiling window in the kitchen brings you across a walkway (photo above) to the vertical herb garden just metres away. Here you can pick parsley, rosemary, mint, basil and other herbs, all year round. You can also pluck oranges and lemons from the mini orchard.
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We don’t need to know why, but when we walk into a room and everything feels right, we can be sure that this is the result of it having been designed this way. As Jason says, “distances between pieces of furniture and between furniture and the walls have to be big enough so you don’t feel cramped when you walk between them. And not too big so it feels empty. We design our rooms according to the furniture we will be putting in them. That way we create a perfect balance, always considering light and views.”
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The family TV room. A TV room has to be designed for comfort and practicality, but this one, with a wall of glass separating it from the outside, makes it quite different from the standard version. The glass slides wide open to merge the inside and outside spaces into one.
ARCHITECTURE
“In an open-plan house you need a line of sight from every individual area.”
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“Windows in a room should follow the sun, one for sunrise and one for sunset.”
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“For example, windows in a room should follow the sun, one for sunrise and one for sunset. They should maximise the views and allow the light to flood into each space during different times of the day (depending on the orientation of the plot). There are, of course, many other technical aspects to building and designing a house, and although they might not shout at you as you walk into a room, you know they are in place because the space just feels so good.�
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The family TV room and terrace: the seamless flow to the outside space is inside/outside living at its finest. The swinging day bed is the perfect place to take your siesta.
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Master Bedroom. The view of the sea from the master bedroom can be enjoyed as you wake up in the morning.
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If ever a house could think, this is it. We all know about walking into a room and the light going on, but this house actually knows what you want to do and helps you do it. It can turn the heating on from a mobile phone, open entrance gates for a specific car from a specific distance, open doors by walking towards them, turn lights on and off, recharge phones by placing them on surfaces like the kitchen counter, and more importantly for the safety and comfort of the house, detect immobility in a room where windows have been left open, and close them after a specified period of time.
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Master Bedroom & Bathroom: the beautiful backlit onyx wall behind the headboard is subtle enough not to dominate the room. The television set is hidden in the mirror, making it invisible when not on (you only see your own reflection!). The walk-in wardrobe is connected to the bathroom by a small, naturally lit hallway.
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Luxury redefined? To do it properly, you must have your very own entertainment space. Just look at the images over the next few pages and you can see for yourself how luxury can take on a new meaning. The basement in this villa covers it all: cinema areas (that’s plural!), a sports bar, games area with pool table, VIP seating areas, DJ booth, a state-of-the-art golf simulator, spa, a fully-fitted gym, wellness zone with treatment rooms and relaxation areas: it’s all here to be enjoyed and to enjoy looking at. 54 54
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Entertainment room: the swimming pool can be seen on either side of the cinema screen, a lovely way to bring light and a different dimension into the room.
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Entertainment room: this view looks towards the golf simulator. There are two VIP seating areas opposite the bar which would rival the coolest nightclubs in Marbella.
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“The level of design and the quality of materials is evident in every detail.”
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All in all this is what it’s all about, and the Concept Villa is all about attention to detail, practicality, pure comfort and visual aesthetics, using the most advanced know-how and technology to build a house that quite simply looks magnificent, is magnificent and feels magnificent. For further information on this project please contact UDesign by calling (+34) 952 794 117 or emailing info@udesign.es. 59
Entertainment room: image on the opposite page shows the view from the golf simulator across the entire entertainment space to the wall of greenery beyond. Above: the cinema seating area.
INTERIOR DESIGN
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FLYNN TALBOT
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The Reflection Room, created by Flynn Talbot, is an immersive, coloured light experience – the first London Design Festival installation to be housed in the V&A Museum’s Prince Consort Gallery.
“Light connects to people on a basic, visceral level.” 66
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lynn Talbot is an Australian lighting artist and designer based in London. With a growing reputation for creating lighting installations and commissioned pieces for galleries and unique buildings, Flynn shot to prominence last year with a stunning installation at London’s V&A Museum. He spoke exclusively to Giles Brown about his influences and inspirations. Flynn, how did you get involved in lighting? I studied product design in Western Australia, although I didn’t actually do anything on lighting there. I got a job in a lighting store and soon realised the power that lighting has to influence a mood or a space; that you could build a new experience. There is something more intangible – an emotional layer to working in lighting – than there is to furniture. The V&A installation brought you to a wider audience. How do you approach a project like that? That was quite a tricky one. At the V&A there are a lot of factors to consider. Early on I had a choice of different spaces there and it took me a while to work through a variety of options. I settled on the Prince Consort Gallery because, unlike a lot of spaces in the V&A, it doesn’t have a lot of natural light. So I didn’t have to battle against that and there was a long tunnel-shaped space which I thought was perfect. I decided on saturated light as I’ve dealt with that a number of times. The V&A is a pretty amazing space, with many layers and many buildings connected together, each with its own story. So I just thought about what my story was and the blue and yellow combination that I’ve worked with a number of times since my very first light work,
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which is a connection with my Western Australian background – sunsets over the water and things like that.
The Contour Mirror
Do you take a lot of inspiration from Western Australia? Does nature give you that creativity? Certainly in the way that light works in the natural world, because I think that when you are creating an exhibition in a place like the V&A, which attracts people from all over the world, if you can connect with them all on a simple human level you can create a strong experience with an installation. Is that what attracted you to working in light, in that it connects to people on a basic level, a visceral
“I’m always studying this relationship between light and people”
level if you like? Absolutely. I think you can connect with people in a very simple but powerful way, probably more easily than you can in other media. When you start a new project, where do you take your influences from? The contour mirror for example? With the contour mirror I was trying to build a connection with people in a different way. I guess that I’m always studying this relationship with light and people, and how I can use light to create a new experience, just targeting that aspect from many different angles. The early concept was how you’d feel if you saw a reflection of yourself within light, and that made me think about identity. Then I thought about the
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“Light is being used all over the world in lighting festivals to create more immersive and tactile experiences.�
Primary Seoul: an exploration in colour and light. Primary is a three sided wall installation which is illuminated by three LED light sources. This is a reference to the primary colours of light: red, green and blue (RGB).
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Horizon, an exhibition shown in Sydney, London and Frankfurt, recreates twilight. It captures this moment in time, but re-imagines it as an ever-changing, interactive light show.
fingerprint pattern, which was a good graphic to play with as a symbol of our own identities. Tell us a little bit about the actual process that you go through in creating your work. If I’m lucky I’ll be able to sit in the space for a while – at the V&A I did that. I do quite a lot of lighting projects in Western Australia and collaborations with architects there, where some of them are new builds and I don’t get to sit in the building at all. But certainly with existing buildings I’m happy to travel and take the opportunity to visit the space and consider the best way to approach a job. Sitting in a space and considering what the light does during the day and talking with locals who can tell how the light changes during the seasons. It’s all important to consider. Any building can look fantastic, and then the sun goes down and it’s up to people like me to think about how the building is perceived or how it looks in the dark. There are a million options. What developments have changed the way in which you work? It’s an aspect that has kept me enthralled, to be
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The slowly shifting bands of light were programmed but visitors were also invited to create their own sky-inspired patterns by interacting with the colour of light.
honest – the development of technology with light sources getting smaller and brighter. You can really hide the light source away and create a project where people are considering the light effect more than the product that’s creating the light What current trends are interesting you right now? Light is being used all over the world in lighting festivals to create more immersive and tactile experiences. One of the projects that I’ve designed is called Freeline. Light has become more than just a light bulb hanging in the middle of the room; it has become more detached from the architecture. It’s become much more flexible – how you want the physical structure, how you want the light fitting and the light source. You can do a lot more now. Finally, what are you working on now? I was invited to represent Australia at the London Biennale, which takes place in September this year, so I’m working on a new coloured light installation in Somerset House. It’s going to be a career highlight if I can pull that one off! flynntalbot.com / londondesignbiennale.com
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Today’s kitchen has to be beautiful, welcoming, user-friendly and the perfect blend of form and function. And the seven kitchens we feature here are just that: places for all the family, at any time of the day or night.
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By Sophie Ann Gatward-Wicks
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kitchen and its cook are like an old married couple: they’ve long forgotten why they love each other, but they do, and in any case, they never had any need to ask themselves why in the first place. That is, of course, if the kitchen was well designed in the first place, and if it suited, and continues to suit, the needs of its user. A kitchen may be many things to many different people, but it’s certainly the heart of the home and definitely much more than just a place to cook. The kitchen began to be used as more than a cooking room in the 18th and 19th centuries with the invention of the kitchen stove, and more importantly, its chimney. While still usually separate from the dining room, it became the informal gathering place for the servants in a big house and for the entire family in the homes of the non-titled masses. With the widespread use of the extractor hood in the latter part of the 20th century, kitchens began to open out into dining rooms first, and then
If you’re lucky enough to be in Marbella you can see this snazzy kitchen for yourself in UDesign’s showroom. / udesign.es
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1 The Snazzy Kitchen
“You’ll always find me in the kitchen at parties...”
sitting rooms, and there is hardly a kitchen anywhere in the developed world these days that one cannot comfortably eat in. Today’s well-designed kitchen has become the heart of the home: office, entertainment space, breakfast bar, lounge, dining room and - no surprise - a place for cooking in. “You’ll always find me in the kitchen at parties”. Those of us of a certain age will remember the lyrics of this witty song, but looking back at the video, one sees Jona Lewie dance his way across a number of beautiful kitchens, all very modern and a party going
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on in each. Then he opens a kitchen drawer and out pops an electronic keyboard. He wasn’t far off the mark. Modern kitchens are packed with electronic gadgetry, most of it hidden, thankfully, and much of it used once in a blue moon. But it’s there when we want it, one hears the homeowner scream, so let’s not dwell on that expensive microwave oven that does everything we don’t want and that we all use for heating up cold coffee. Or the fancy dishwasher used mainly for storing dirty dishes. Like it or not (and most of us love it!), the appliances are here to stay, many of them beautiful works of design in themselves that should never be hidden from view. And some are so hidden you cannot
More photos of this home can be seen in the feature ‘Luxury Redefined’, starting on page 30
Elegant minimalism, with the high wooden ceiling drawing the design together. The window slides open to allow access to the vertical kitchen garden.
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2 The Fusion Kitchen
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The essential luxury dining room kitchen, with four different seating areas for different occasions and times of the day.
3 The Mediterranean Kitchen
see them at all: the hotspots now being built into new kitchen countertops, for example, where you simply put your phone down to be charged, without cables or sockets. The new Scandi open-plan kitchen design concept may seem easy – leave out a wall or two – but it’s not. In the kitchen as a kitchen, the golden rule (known as the Golden Triangle, in fact) was to keep the most-used areas close enough together to make work easy. This meant the sink, stove and fridge could not be much further than arm’s length from each other, thus the triangle. Opening up the kitchen into the living and/or dining room, or in warm climates, into the terrace, presents its
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The vertical garden brings the outside in and the overhanging herb garden provides the essence of flavour at arm’s reach. This is ecology in action, where the flow to the living area makes cooking a shared experience.
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4 The ECO Kitchen
own interior design challenges. The necessary flow now flows further, and anybody who has ever prepared and cooked a meal for more than half a dozen people at a dinner party will appreciate flow. After all, the whole point of the new kitchen design is that the party is in the kitchen, just like the song says. And the whole point of clever and thoughtful kitchen design is that nobody is in anybody else’s way. The designer now has to consider the lounge, dining room and kitchen as a single multi-purpose space, and has to accommodate all the special needs of a good kitchen into the overall design. Functionality, practicality and personal taste have to come together as one, and that can be a daunting task.
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For those of us lucky enough to live in a warm climate, the party may be on the terrace, and nobody wants to miss it. They don’t have to. Many well-designed kitchens now allow for free flow to the terrace, and whether cooking teppanyaki style inside or on a traditional western barbecue outside, part of the kitchen is almost part of the terrace. Then you have the kitchen garden, once, thoughtlessly, a trudge through the mud if it rained to a plot of land about the same distance as the nearest supermarket, which made one think twice about which Ample seating with the entire living, dining and cooking areas all in one. This beautifully designed kitchen is form and function in perfect harmony.
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5 The American Kitchen
The designer now has to consider the lounge, dining room and kitchen as a single multi-purpose space
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trip was less painful. Now, no dream kitchen is absolutely complete without its own organic garden, usually, if climate allows, small-walled with limes, lemons, oranges and herbs, and all right beside the kitchen. Some go a step further, whether for reasons of space or aesthetics, and build a vertical garden in the kitchen itself. It may have become unfashionable in this age of populist politics and do-it-yourself expertise to hand it all over to those in the know, but remember: undoing a design problem in your house, especially in a room as complex as a contemporary kitchen, usually turns out a lot
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With space at a premium in Belgravia, this vertical kitchen garden wall around the terrace is a beautiful and creative solution.
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6 The Rolls Royce Kitchen Floor to ceiling Italian Marble, Gaggenau appliances and bespoke mahogany cabinets make this a top-of-the-line family kitchen.
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7 The Streamline Kitchen
more expensive than getting it right in the first place. So do yourself a favour and spend a little more on your own peace of mind. Consult an expert before dashing off a drawing on a napkin after a glass or two and presenting it to the builder the next morning. Otherwise the party may never make it to the kitchen.
All the kitchens featured in this article were designed and created by UDesign. udesign.es 88
White, clean and fresh, just right for the location of this small, but perfectly formed kitchen in the Caymen Islands. The surfboard on the wall is not just for decoration...
Diversity of Style
geronimo collection
TOUR DU MONDE
DEDON COLLECTION MBRACE Design by Sebastian Herkner www.dedon.de
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INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL VASKU
Andreas Klug & Michael Vasku amidst the awe-inspiring, interactive Breath of Light installation by Preciosa at Salone del Mobile, 2018. If you breathe on it, your breath travels as light across the entire installation. The installation was awarded a Red Dot: Best of the Best 2018 for outstanding design quality.
HEART OF GLASS
Glass is made of one of the most common materials on earth which, like words, musical notes or blobs of paint, is worth nothing in the hands of people who don’t know what to do with it. But add knowledge and creativity and you get something that is very rare indeed. Interview by Vivion O’Kelly ichael Vasku is one of the key names in Austrian and Czech design, his reputation having spread throughout Europe and beyond, in large measure, though his work (along with Andreas Klug) as Creative Director of Preciosa, the Bohemian glass company founded in 1724. Although Michael has been successfully involved in education, especially in the Faculty of Multimedia Communications at the Tomas Bata University in Zlin, and makes up half of the award-winning Vasku & Klug architectural and design partnership, his professional life (so far, because he is still a young man) is more closely associated in the public mind with Preciosa Lighting. The company’s main production facilities are located in the Bohemian region known as Crystal Valley, where the history of glass making goes right back to the Middle Ages, and which is still one of the most important areas in the world for the making of glass chandeliers. While the company makes chandeliers for public buildings, palaces, exhibitions halls, private houses and even luxury yachts, the work of Michael Vasku is probably best seen in his installations, from his Behind Locked Doors show in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna in 2014 to his Breath of Life interactive installation at Milan’s Salone del Mobile 2018.
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Behind Locked Doors – an installation by Vasku & Klug in cooperation with Preciosa in the foyer of the Hofburg Palace, Vienna.
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In speaking of your Hofburg Palace installation, you don’t stress the incongruity of 60 tons of sand and eight exquisite chandeliers, which to us was the most relevant aspect of the show. Was this deliberate? Actually we stated that the exhibition displayed 158 Chandeliers, which included eight hanging chandeliers and the material – crystal silica sand – for about 150 chandeliers, which had not yet been produced. In fact, the silica sand from the exhibition was transported back to the factory where it was used for producing chandeliers the following winter.
“It’s extremely inspiring to understand where certain ideas in different cultures originate and how they are adopted” You appear to be as interested in design cultures worldwide as in mid-European design. Is that at odds with your natural desire to promote the latter? I believe one can only understand the relevant qualities of their own culture, not only design culture, once they see how it relates with others. Different design cultures are, of course, not isolated entities. History proves that easily. It’s extremely inspiring and interesting to understand where certain ideas in different cultures originate and how they are adopted. Designers can speed up such processes. Does your creativity for installations derive from your day-to-day work, or vice versa? It’s more a case of my thoughts wandering off the day-to-day track. :-)
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Muutos: the design of this light stems from hundred-yearold wooden moulds, used historically in glass blowing. Each Muutos piece is hand-blown by Preciosa masters.
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Cultivation of Chandeliers - Crystal Biosphere: this installation tells the story of natural life. It consists of three concepts that work as a single unit as well: Crystal Tree, Crystal Field and Crystal Automata.
Your interdisciplinary approach to design is reminiscent of the Bauhaus. Is this a valid observation? The Bauhaus was certainly the most salient representative of it, although I prefer to look at the decades before the Bauhaus, which was what also, very probably, inspired the Bauhaus professors. You find this interdisciplinary approach in the concept of the “Gesamtkunstwerk”, a German word which has been adopted by many languages and can be translated as “total work of art” or “synthesis of the arts”. This is a widely known form from the Art Nouveau period, but you’ll see very similar approaches from Renaissance artists like Michelangelo. As creative director of Preciosa Lighting, do you have total creative freedom? It’s important to me to point out that I share this position with Andreas Klug, my friend and business partner at our studio Vasku & Klug. Certainly we don’t have total freedom, because in such a position you need to respect constraints. But what I really enjoy is that we ourselves create these constraints. Should a great chandelier be as beautiful with its lights off? There is no general answer to the question. Chandeliers need light, either natural or artificial. Historically, crystal chandeliers were often hanging so low in front of the windows that the sun illuminated them and created truly amazing effects. What do you think you’ll be best remembered for? Let’s put it this way: my aim is to share my passion, make people smile and make their eyes sparkle with my work. If I achieve that, I’ll be happy. Do you have a chandelier in your bedroom? No, personally I’m a radically formal minimalist. preciosalighting.com / vasku-klug.com
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A Room with a View. Here, one could claim that the room itself is the view, with a high wall of glass separating the sea, the terrace with its age-old olive tree and the pool from the lounge.
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Our Showcase property for this issue is a beautiful house overlooking the Spanish Mediterranean, whose interior design does justice to its architecture, its location, the natural materials used in its construction and the concept of exquisite taste.
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hink of a wood and stone house beside the sea, and think again. Because this is what the designers of the Showcase in this issue did, and the result is stunning. Using the same natural materials that have been used for millennia, but with a touch of opulence and a lot of creativity, they take pride in showing us around a house that is beautiful, comfortable, practical and unique. One would assume its main design feature is the extensive use of onyx and walnut panelling, Lounge: the pale tones, including the off-white velvet Capitone sofas with brass and steel Henge lamps overhead, and the slabs of onyx and walnut panelling, are brightened by splashes of fresh Mediterranean colours in the cushions and pouffes.
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Formal Dining area. The rich stone and wood textures of the onyx wall, floating over a natural fire, the walnut panelling and the subtle lighting bring warmth (both literally and metaphorically) to this opulent space.
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A Kitchen that looks like a dining room you can cook in, its large circular Henge lamps overlooking a dark wood table and light velvet chairs. Brass stools at the counter complete the picture. See more views of this kitchen area in our feature on Kool Kitchens on page 74
but it could be all the features together, from the fabulous pieces of designer furniture and fittings to the mirrored ceiling over the formal dining table or the fact that the kitchen, with its panelled Calcutta ceramic tiles, is unlike any we’ve ever seen before. Or it could be the overall tone of the house achieved by the perfect blend of texture, material and colour throughout, both natural and manmade. But searching for a single feature that stands out from the rest is probably misinterpreting the concept of wholeness in the overall design.
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Apart from a few pieces of specially selected leading brands, most of the furniture, including the kitchen, was custom-made by UDesign.
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Master Bedroom: the main feature of the room, the 4-poster bed, is divided from the seating area by a floating wall of travertine marble, allowing the fire to be enjoyed from both areas.
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Wood and stone, two natural materials that become less common when used uncommonly, alongside the restrained use of other materials that do not overshadow them. If the essence of good design is less, there is a great deal of it here. And that’s also the essence of good living. Master Bedroom Seating Area. This part of the bedroom, with its own fireplace, sofa, coffee table and television, gives that touch of luxury one would expect from a worldclass 5-star hotel suite.
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The tour of our Showcase property ends with a view from the bedroom. For more information about any proposal you might have, don’t hesitate to contact us for a presentation at udesign.es.
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Cultivating chandeliers since 1724
www.preciosalighting.com
A CHAT WITH LISA WHATMOUGH OF SQUINT LIMITED
Those in the know know, but for those who don’t, Squint is one of the most creative interior design and accessory companies in the UK. Founded thirteen years ago by Lisa Whatmough, it produces exquisite vintage fabric-covered pieces of furniture coveted by clients all over the world.
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“Love what you do and feel the gratitude.”
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left art college as a qualified sculptor, skilled in welding, but couldn’t afford a proper studio, so you concentrated on painting for a decade or so until you realised you weren’t a 2D person. Then, having collected vintage textiles for years, you began what you called “a strangely circuitous route into design”. Your initial efforts at wrapping lamps, tables, chairs and mirrors in vintage fabrics resulted in a very successful association with Liberty and Anthropologie. You started Squint in 2005, and now, based in London and working with a number of long-established workshops to produce astonishing pieces, essentially British in their exuberance, you sell globally. It would not be an exaggeration to say that you take up a full chapter in the story of contemporary British interior design.
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This page: the Highgate Sofa and The Two Tier Chandelier in patchwork, the Giant Jug and Wine Table in a velvet finish. Opposite page: the Double End Chaise, commissioned by Transport for London as part of the London Design Festival.
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You say that your work has become “hotter and brighter” over the years... I’m much more confident in my choices these days, which is a reflection of the business and clients’ reactions to my work over the years. This has been a creative gift, because often the artist or designer is removed from the end user and doesn’t get to luxuriate in positive feedback. Also, textile design, particularly for the home, has come on a long way technically. When I set out, Designers Guild was really the only company working with fluorescent base dyes, and they weren’t colour fast; upholstery fabric was a variety of creams and beiges, but now I have many delicious textiles to choose from and I can work to any colour palette. Are you thinking of anything specific when you begin a new piece – what is fundamental to your philosophy and process? I think both my client and I have to love it. Pieces for home are so personal, and in Britain we have a history of passing down quality furniture, so quality is supreme. Then it’s really about the brief: some clients want formal, others fun, and we can fulfil both ends of that... there must be some synchronicity for a client to come to Squint in the first place.
Lisa and Stan in Shoreditch, close to where it all started for Squint Limited.
What’s your biggest seller? Sofas. Usually, after art, they’re the most expensive piece in a room, and they really should be the starting point for everything else. Then probably mirrors. Occasionally clients will show me a paint colour as inspiration but I always tell them paint is cheap and taste in colour does change over the years, so start with your absolute favourite fabric/s and then pick the wall colours which best complement.
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The mahogany George 1 dining chair made to commission, as shown in velvet, silk and cotton prints.
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Paris and Mercury marble lamps with patchwork shades, sitting on a matching patched Coffee Table.
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How do you organise the competing demands of modern day business and home life? That takes time to work through, but I love what I do and who I do it with. There isn’t really work and home: there’s just life, and it flows seamlessly these days. Because of technology I don’t need to be in the studio all day every day, although I am constantly responding to emails and calls to keep on top of it all. Much of it is international, so I can be in conversation online in the evenings. Likewise, I wake up early to messages from Asia and the States. It doesn’t feel like a job, just conversations with fab and fun people and making beautiful things. Do you agree with Tom Dixon that the bed is the most important piece of furniture in the house? I absolutely do. The late and wonderful David Tang always said the greatest of luxuries for him and his wife was not the house or cars or holidays, but that they got to have fresh bedding every night at home. I have several very wealthy friends whose guest beds are awful and I always complain long and loud when I stay over in an attempt to shame them into an upgrade! What do you feel is the most challenging part of your work? I think owner/makers are unusual, and we have to be both driven and prepared to just get the job done on time to the highest standard, whatever it may be. The larger the team the more stress one feels, and as a creative person, that stress sapped my creativity. Designing became the last thing of the day, after all the structural and practical jobs with the team management. I was tired and often frustrated. I’ve
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“There isn’t really work and home: there’s just life.” The Small Oval Leaf Mirror, made to order and wrapped in single colours or patchwork.
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come around almost full circle now and the team is much smaller and stronger, so I don’t have to micromanage every single thing, because I trust they’ll get the job done. Are you inspired much by other designers or artists? I’m inspired by anybody who is prepared to put their money where their mouth is and jump in feet first. It’s a scary thing to put yourself out there in any realm, but if you don’t do it how will you know if you can? London is so vibrant, in every arena there’s an overflow of entrepreneurs who aim to be the best and bring whatever they have to the market. For me that’s inspirational. It’s all about the energy. What would be your dream project or collaboration? I don’t really think in those terms. I guess I’ve been so lucky and had all kinds of utterly amazing collaborations so far, and I do like to collaborate. Luxury homeware for Disney is top of my list at the moment and we are working on Mickey products, it being his 90th birthday this year. But any order we take gives me a bit of a buzz.
Marble Study Bookends and Giant Jug, made to order in a velvet finish, sitting on a wrapped G Plan Cabinet. Opposite page: a selection of velvet finished accessories, with a waterproof and heat resistant finish.
What’s the best mistake you’ve ever made? I think having a showroom in Knightsbridge. It was an amazing space, over two floors with a courtyard and very edgy, an unusual place in such a smart location. However, it was very expensive to lease, to staff and to fill with stock, and was a real drain for a time on our expenses. I felt we needed that postcode, which has always been prestigious for the mere fact of being an East London brand, but after three or four years, when we finally gave it up, I realized that our clientele is really only interested in the product and doesn’t need the retail validation.
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The Carved Mahogany bed made in a classic French style, as shown with a patchworked head and footboard.
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How would you define success? Wanting to get up early every day and get to it. Stan, my beloved 16-year-old beagle, sums it up for me: he is always joyous in whatever moment doing whatever we are doing, while always eager for more. That’s an attitude towards life we should all aspire to, I think. What’s the process of commissioning a piece of furniture from Squint? Clients are directed to our website, both for shape and colour inspiration, as anything can be the starting point for something else. A client may like the colours on a particular sofa but want a bedroom cabinet to go with it, for example, so we work out the fabrics for that palette. We e-mail them a selection of textiles and then post the real samples for the final okay in situ. We deliver internationally, so can arrange the courier or shipping agent if needed. Once the order is complete, we send over a selection of photos for approval. It’s very straightforward and we’ve fine tuned the process over the years. What projects have you in the pipeline? We have a variety of private clients coming up, including some London property developers and Disney, of course, with Mickey’s big 90th. We’re also working on a project for China and the Shanghai Design Fair next year, in collaboration with a commercial client. A number of things going on in Seoul too. It’s very much a global proposition now and I do enjoy the differences in taste, territorywise. The internet has made shopping overseas so very simple... it’s great. What’s your motto? The Best of British. That and be happy. Love what you do and feel the gratitude. squintlimited.com
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Atlas with candle holder sculptures, a Grand Tour pair made to order in a bespoke velvet finish
“I’m inspired by anybody who is prepared to put their money where their mouth is and jump in feet first.”
ICONS ITALY One of the most spectacular design installations of the year (so far) took place at the Pallazo Pucci in Florence in June. Maybe not strictly interior design, but the coming together of two of the most iconic Italian design-related companies, Bonaveri and Pucci, with one dressing the other, is something not to miss. 130
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onaveri, whose mannequins have featured for many decades in the most prestigious fashion shows and museum installations worldwide, now produce some 20,000 of them each year. Emilio Pucci, aviator, aristocrat, politician and fashion designer, founded a company whose style is still instantly recognizable for its geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours, and whose outfits some of us remember being worn by the likes of Sophia Loren and Jackie Kennedy. The brand has built up a global network that includes more than 50 boutiques, and now also produces a wide range of fashion accessories. The Florence installation was a joyous celebration of creativity and craftsmanship in which Bonaveri’s mannequins and bust forms became the leading characters in a series of installations that explored the Pucci universe, demonstrating the brand’s significant role in the visual arts. Given that Emilio Pucci was a pioneer in the use of stretch fabrics in the post-war era, and thus could be said to have contributed in some small way to the women’s liberation movement of that time, we asked Andrea Bonaveri (creative director of the almost 70-year-old company) if there was
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“The mannequins were like an audience watching a runway show and we were the models.” Visitor to the installation 133
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an underlying political message in the show:
Andrea Bonaveri. Today the company is led by Andrea and his brother Guido, who faithfully follow the example set by their parents, Romano and Adele Bonaveri.
“The exhibition has mainly an aesthetic message. Emilio Pucci wanted to give women the freedom to use colours and to feel free from constraint. The main installation of the exhibition (which gave the title to the whole project: Bonaveri - a fan of Pucci) plays with that idea of freedom through the use of a powerful fan. I wouldn’t say that there is a political message on what we have put on stage. Our desire was nothing more than to amuse people with the beauty of our interpretation.” This prompted us to ask Andrea about the possible influences of the great Italian sculptors on the mannequins his company makes:
THE INSTLLATION IN NUMBERS 609 metres of fabric 360 kilos paint 115 manequins 107 people 100 miniatures 97 different colours 31 busts 27 Pucci prints 1 giant
“Our culture, sensitivity and vision has been shaped by those great artists who explored the boundaries and the meanings of aesthetics in the representation of bodies, from classic to contemporary art. Ultimately, every mannequin is created by a sculptor in our sculpting atelier, and therefore it is made as a unique piece of art, even if afterwards it goes to industrial reproduction. We feel particularly close to Giacometti’s work”. Considering his family name is synonymous with the Made-in-Italy brand, we asked how he meets the challenge of juggling the forces of business and creativity: “For us this has never been a choice. We were born in a small atelier where my father
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A Fan of Pucci: A Fan of Pucci: two of them, in fact, bring a Bonaveri mannequin to life in this flowing Pucci print.
started shaping figures and bodies. That’s in our DNA and still is the key to understanding the way we build beauty at every collection. With time we have developed all the tools and processes of a modern factory to assist and develop the growth and needs of the fashion world.”
Visit bonaveri.com for videos of the installation and more inspiration.
We were surprised such an amazing installation had such a short life. Will we ever see it again? “We’ve had so many requests and proposals... but no time to discuss it yet. We would love to tour it somewhere else. Follow us to know more :-)” 136
DESIGNER Arabesque fantasy meets Dutch exuberance in the interiors of this extraordinary hotel in Doha, designed by Marcel Wanders. by Fiona Flores Watson
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The Mondrian Doha is a must-visit for contemporary hotel design fans. Housed in a stunning building called the Falcon Tower in the Quatari capital, it features the ultimate in luxury and creative expression, and has been called a game-changer by Conde Nast Traveller.
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W
ith interiors by audacious Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders, this luxury hotel opened less than a year ago, in October 2017. Among its more unusual interior design and decor features are oversized, Alice-in-Wonderland ish whimsical white pillars dotted with golden eggs, and a black, swirling staircase with Arabic motifs which spirals up from the lobby. How many hotels can combine a quirky fairytale feel with Middle-Eastern exoticism? As Marcel Wanders has commented on the hotel design process: “You need 1,000 ideas and they all need to work together in a respectful, beautiful way. It’s a process of one and a half, maybe two years, to design a hotel. It’s a rollercoaster.” Traditional Arabic celosia (lattice screen) designs can be seen as a motif throughout the hotel, from the bold designs on the lobby floor to the floating staircase and the pretty metal floor lamps in
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The Mondrian Doha, housed in a spectacular tower (left), is full of quirky touches, such as the black & white patterned floor and gold details (below).
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the rooms. The designer also looked to 1001 Nights for ideas - Arabic script, local patterns and historic souks, while white walls and huge windows make an elegant, light-filled atrium space. Colours follow a sophisticated palate of monochrome with gold accents. Guests can experience the ultimate indulgence in the 211 bedrooms and 29 suites over 24 floors, including royal penthouses, and VIP units, with Islamic-style mosaic ceramic tiling and glamorous black and gold floor rugs. The bridal Opal suite has a dressing room, make-up room and bridesmaid’s bedroom, with a 24-carat lift straight down to the ballroom for the ultimate dramatic entrance, while the 850 m2 two-storey Penthouse suite has three bedrooms, private quarters for butler, chef and maids, as well as an entertainment room. As you’d expect, the gastronomic offerings are top-notch, with sophisticated contemporary dishes at Cut, whose chef is the famous Wolfgang Puck, and the Japanese restaurant Morimoto, the chef’s first restaurant in the Middle East, while Walima offers Middle-Eastern food with a suitably souk feel – a maze of coloured lamps hanging from the ceiling, creating a fun and joyful atmosphere. Hudson Tavern has a more urban ambience, with parquet floor, wooden tables, and exposed brick walls offering informal meals like burgers. Along with Magnolia Bakery in the lobby and a poolside bar, the global feel is completed by a Cuban bar which features a Maarten Baas Smoke Chair for Moooi. A striking design statement from every angle, the lobby’s circular floor rugs create islands of colour against the blank canvas of a white floor.
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The swimming pool manages to combine Art Nouveau-style stained glass with English country garden (a hedgecovered bridge over the pool), and Moroccan bronze lamps and bold tiling.
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As the hotel’s website has it... “The sky’s not the limit. It’s our address.” Located on the 27th floor, Rise cocktail bar offers spectacular views, while the handpainted glass dome fills the room with magical hues.
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The ESPA delivers an unforgettable wellness experience hidden in the Secret Garden. Shimmering mosaic walls lead guests to the 12 treatment rooms, a heated experience garden, relaxation rooms and a traditional Turkish Hammam. The female spa is a haven of peace and purity with beautiful white and pink mosaic walls creating a perfect feminine energy. Dark blue, grey, white and black combine to create a bold, masculine environment in the male spa (pictured above). Marcel Wanders has said “Interiors are much like creating an orchestra, where each piece plays its part and brings the ensemble into a harmony. Each day in this luxury hotel offers a new concert of design and the creation of new memories.”
“It is my aim to design with a twist of surprise, to explore all types of ideas freely and celebrate humankind.” Marcel Wanders
morganshotelgroup.com / marcelwanders.com Read our interview with Marcel Wanders on p10
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Wall hanging and seat covering, Loco Rainbow. Right: Geronimo Klein
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Heaven’s Break Vellum, featured on our front cover
GERONIMO! Decorative prints, weaves and embroideries The Geronimo Collection by Zinc Textile (part of the Romo Group) is made up of powerful patterns and colours inspired by the Navajo Indians. Trippy patterns and vivid colours give a fresh twist to the Navajo theme, with chunky fabrics formed of jute and subtly refined linen pointing to the rustic origins of this delightful trend. An intriguing and exuberent collection of must-have fabrics. zinctextile.com / romo.com 153
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DESIGN TRENDS VERY VALENCIA The Rug Society’s Graphic Collection goes back to the 1950’s design through geometry and graphic, repetitive patterns. Our favourite rug from this collection was inspired by a summer trip to Valencia, a Spanish city where the heat is intense and the colors vibrant. The strength of the yellow is intensified by the use of neutral tones in the rest of the rug. Valencia is a hand-tufted, highly durable rug that will weather foot traffic for years to come. Made from wool and botanical silk, Valencia is available in three sizes: 200 x 300 cm, 300 x 450 cm & 400 x 600 cm. rugsociety.eu
REALLY RETRO Designed for retro lovers and James Bond fans alike, this Monocles Sideboard by Essential Home is an eye-catching piece of statement furniture. Built from solid walnut with gold plated brass front doors, the sideboard has four drawers and cupboard space, perfect for storing your Martini and Gin bottles. Shaken or stirred? essentialhome.eu
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A FAIRYTALE RESTAURANT MADE FOR DREAMING Next time you’re in London, head to the recently opened Glade Restaurant & Bar for a magical, enchanting experience. Tucked away below ground in Sketch, one of Mayfair’s hot spots, this nature-inspired revamp has turned the original cocktail and brunch destination into a heavenly garden. Designed by Carolyn Quartermaine, everything in the room is a one-off. The hand-crafted nature of the design has brought a ’journey into the forest’ to life. “We need to create interior spaces that let us dream a little more,” says Quartermaine.
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The Glade, Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1 (+44) 20 7659 4500 sketch.uk.com Dress Code: Art Smart
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DESIGN TRENDS IRENE INFANTES FOR CHRISTOPHER FARR Up-and-coming Spanish textile artist Irene Infantes has designed a collection of four contemporary rugs for Christopher Farr. Gravitation (left) is hand knotted in India using a Persian blend of wool yarn, while Levitation (right) is hand-knotted in Afghanistan. A really striking collection – expect to see more of Infantes’ work, she’s hot news! christopherfarr.com
CIRQL OUTDOOR STYLE From award-winning German designer Werner Aisslinger comes a new and fresh outdoor collection for Dedon. The intricate design was developed by Aisslinger in collaboration with a master weaver in the Philippines. “From the beginning we set out to create a very light, simple and transparent chair that was at the same time extremely cozy and comfortable,” says Aisslinger. The collection includes an armchair, dining chair, sidetable and footrest. dedon.com 158
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DESIGN TRENDS BELL SIDE TABLES For outdoor living, this small side table from Gloster is a must-have. Inspired by the shape of a bell, it not only has beautiful curves but is super practical as well. Pop open the top to reveal a simple tray for storing small items such as a mobile phone, keys, or a book. Or a bucket that turns the table into a cooler for drinks. Very nifty. gloster.com
MIRANDA TABLE LAMP This quirky mid-century table lamp from Essential Home is definitely one of the best finishing touches for your living or dining room, and we love it! The pineapple, known as the princess of fruits and symbol of hospitality, has been put on a pedestal, quite literally, since colonial times. It has been used again and again as a motif in architecture, in furniture, in textiles, in lighting, and of course, in food. Miranda is a fancy, gold-colored pineapple table lamp, finished in gold-plated brass and named after Carmen Miranda, who used to wear colorful and tropical fruits on her head. essentialhome.eu
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MAGICAL FURNITURE FOR KIDS With the Bun Van (top left), bedtime becomes an adventurous road trip! The inside has several storage boxes, a bed, a TV, desk, sofa and of course, a mini bar. The Rocky Rocket (above) is an interactive chair which features an educational light and sound system. With its red velvet upholstered walls and cushioned flooring, it’s a space that children will love. The Sky B Plane (left) is a kids’ bed that has several storage compartments with the top wing designed as a bookshelf. The decorative suitcases even include secret storage compartments. What fun! circu.net
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26-27-28 October • Palacio de Congresos SAVE THE DATE
Discover the best Marbella has to offer at this home & living fair In case you are planning to purchase or refurbish a property, or you want to discover the latest living & house trends, you best pay a visit to this international home and living expo. The last edition received more than 1400 visitors.
Participating exhibitors interior and outdoor design construction and renovation companies real estate providers
architects home design and art telecommunication and lifestyle
www.homefairmarbella.com
WHAT’S NEXT?
MADE IN TUSCANY For an authentic Made in Italy experience we talk to the creative half of the Cattelan brothers, Lorenzo Cattelan.
GAME CHANGING DESIGN A mountain-top hotel, a resort under the sand dunes and a floating hotel in Zanzibar. We talk to Steve Crummack about his left field disruptive design philosophy. MAGNIFICENT PRESENCES We join Henge, and their Creative Director Massimo Castagna, on a journey to the highest expression of Italian style. SURPRISE EVERYONE! Marco Costa, CEO of Boca do Lobo, was born to break monotony. We talk motivation, inspiration and creative freedom.
DESIGNER ESCAPES Following Vincent Van Gogh to Arles. 164
Custom-made artwork available from UDesign (+34) 952 794 117 info@udesign.es udesign.es
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