24 www.thedesignermagazine.com Cover Feature
art and artefacts. Designer Tricia Guild was Left: ‘Contour’, another
give exclusive access to interiors, paintings
colour trend brought
into 3D life by
and jewels. At Osborne & Little, the Tanjore
Birmingham University
collection was redolent of the Indian Raj. students at Interiors
Maison Editeurs has in a short while
Birmingham
established itself as the premier site for Above: Clouds by Ronan
new textiles, wallpapers, trimmings and the
and Erwan Bouroullec,
produced by Danish
like – hence the tent extension. A permanent
manufacturer Kvadrat
structure has been promised for next year. Its
Below: Mole, the
success has had a knock-on effect on the
classic 1961 chair by
strength of other shows, and has already
Sergio Rodrigues for
affected Birmingham.
ClassiCon
But unquestionably in my mind, the
most arresting item in both the Cologne
and Paris shows was the brilliant asymmetric
Confluences collection by Philippe Nigro,
with sofas like you never saw. Nigro is a long
joined with over-sized and robust rubber ribbed surface in seven colours, including a and lanky French guy, sweetly modest and
bands. An ambitious installation hovered Gallic green ‘inspired by wine bottles’. somewhat laid back. Only 34, he is already
over the reception desk at Cologne’s Design First Birmingham and then Cologne were a master of proportion and balance. His
Post showrooms, appreciably softening subdued and a little under the weather - but sleek and comfy seats prop each other up,
the ambience of this early-20th-century at Maison & Objet in Paris, design was out cuddling and nestling into friendly informal
converted postal-service railway shed. front, feisty and fighting against global multi-coloured groups. He will be giving the
The manufacturers of ‘Clouds’ are economic gloom. Bouroullecs a run for their money bien sûr.
Danish firm Kvadrat, a leading fabric house. A seemingly unculled herd of global The manufacturer of Confluences
Incidentally, a chat with their MD revealed buyers displayed their usual feeding frenzy as is French Ligne Roset. Its driving force
that they commission/source their range they fell on the very latest things. The new is Michel Roset, with a 2009 portfolio
from around the world, rather than make Hall 7, just three years old, has the frenetic crammed with more new design than any
it in Denmark. The company is famous for title of Now! Design A Vivre. It has a happy of his European counterparts, including the
its fine woollens and felt and a lot of this hotchpotch of diverse products – furniture, Italians. Ask about the recession and you’ll
comes from Huddersfield – over 30 per cent to flooring, wallcoverings, lighting and get a very Gallic shrug: “What can you do?
of its complete range. Not a lot of people accessories – puzzlingly disparate at first, but Give up? Impossible!” says this imperturbable
know that, and it is a nice boost for national the common thread is high design. fourth-generation director of a French brand
morale here in the UK. This month Kvadrat This year at M&O, smaller firms dating back to 1860. “Design is the only way
opens a new London showroom, designed by (including many Brits – and to their surprise) forward.”
architect David Adjaye, in Islington. had been allocated stands in Hall 7B. This In a phenomenally active year, Roset has
Back in the main fairground of IMM, turned out to be a tented addition, and its hoovered up talent globally, from France,
➔
more ‘Clouds’ loomed large and lovely on the light fittings threatened to come down in
stand of Ligne Roset, its exclusive distributor. the high winds of the very first day. Hence it
In Paris, later, there was more of the same at was closed until Saturday, very unfair on stall
Maison & Objet. An ambitious installation holders, for whom Friday is busiest.
also filled the prestigious Parisian Gallerie Across the concourse (within what is a
Kreo, where I met its designers, Ronan huge show) ‘Maison Editeurs’ is a vast
Bouroullec, 37, and his brother Erwan, 32. international assembly of fabric houses,
They were adamant that their latest creation but it too is a tented addition, and was
was in fact ‘functional’ because it softened closed until Saturday lunchtime.
harsh surfaces and deadened sound. But, Then it was packed – with hardly
and even more important, because “beauty room to move, for example, on the
itself has a function”. stands of our own Osborne & Little and
The BBs have been very prolific of Designers Guild. Both were showing an
late, and at Cologne, and then Paris, OTT array of rich opulence. For example,
Kartell featured a production version of DG’s Royal Collection has been inspired by
their Papyrus chair, elegantly fashioned in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and
transparent polycarbonate with a finely the Royal Collection itself, with its glorious
spring fairs.indd 24 26/2/09 15:22:35
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