The V&A has become an unmissable venue on the London Design Festival trail, with commissions and conceptual explorations on show throughout the museum. It hit you as soon as you walked through the main door with Omer Arbel’s 280 piece chandelier for Bocci, pouring down past Edmund de Waal’s porcelain circle (just seen at the […]
Products
Crash luggage – would you pay for pre-damage?
How funny is this: a luggage range that already looks bashed about. The boys on the stand really made me smile at Maison & Objet.Italian company Crash baggage was born out of the idea that you shouldn’t have to worry about dented luggage as it’s been done already. Any more will just add to the effect.It’s heartening to […]
Rugs by Chuk Palu made in Afghanistan
With so much negative news about the hardships in Afghanistan, it is easy to forget the richness of the culture and that wonderful things are produced there. These rugs, which I saw for the first time at Maison & Objet, impressed me with their colouring and subtle design. Rahim Walizada, owner of Chuk Palu, told […]
Branksome China with the BTC
Hooray! Another classic British brand has been saved. Seen at 100% Design, Branksome China, established in 1945, has been bought by a newer classic company the BTC Group, (whose timeless BTC lighting I have in my house) doing a Chanel by buying up small specialist manufacturers thus retaining skills which might otherwise be lost. Production has […]
Light Junction at Design Junction
Lighting has become a larger product area than ever before, and not before time as it’s such an important aspect of any interior, a fact recognised with the introduction of Light Junction, a new section within Design Junction this year. Here are a few of the lights seen, as ever only a taster (in a […]
New materials
I find new materials endlessly fascinating, both for their designed use as much as their creation. Here are three seen recently at the MateriO stand at Maison & Objet. Mushroom skin from South America with a suede-like feel One of my favourites and a badly needed invention, UV reflective coated glass, the finish almost invisible […]