Back To Basics
In recent months new realities have forced many of us to pause and reflect on what truly matters. The importance of home has perhaps never felt more prescient, nor has the value of appreciating simple things: the raw beauty of natural materials, the functionality of design objects and the skill of craftsmanship. The designers featured in this issue were inspired by everything from Tuscan sunsets to ancient cities to childhood gardens and their creations invite us to dwell in the here and now.
By: Sophie Kalkreuth
Otto Blood Orange by Fort Street Studio
Husband-and-wife design team Janis Provisor and Brad Davis have spent decades traveling the world sourcing inspiration and materials for their luxurious hand-knotted carpets. Provisor created the original painting for this carpet while the pair was in Roccantica, Italy, and witnessed blazing sunsets from their terrace. The painting ended up resembling the number 8--—the luckiest Chinese number—so she named it Otto for 8 in Italian. Her design is rendered via a blend of hand processed, high-altitude wood and cultivated silk, using Tibetan hand-knotting techniques. Meticulous dyeing of the yarns produce complexity and depth of color, while the wool and silk blend creates a shimmery mix that is subtle yet polished.
The Grand Life Collection by Christophe Pillet
French designer Christophe Pillet studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Nice so he could go surfing after class. Known for his work with Philippe Starck and brands like Cappellini and Lacoste, the designer has long advocated for a design approach that is less about the objects and more about how we live with the objects. His collection of sofas and over-sized loungers for Italian brand Ethimo blends a classic Mediterranean aesthetic with a contemporary sensibility. Pieces are made from teak with a sturdy metal core and woven acrylic rope, while the generously filled pillows are covered in all-weather fabric in a range of neutral shades.
Talisman Sconce by Apparatus Studio
Husband-and-husband design team Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson are known for an approach to craftsmanship that recalls a Renaissance atelier. At their New York studio, materials like marble, suede, horsehair, lacquer and porcelain are combined with patinated brass for distinctive creations that are luxurious without being effusive. The Talisman Sconce and Pendant lamps feature a strict arrangement of semi-precious stones inspired by the fine details of statues in the ancient city of Persepolis. Agate, jasper, or jade beads are pierced by finely fluted pins and affixed to a leather-bound brass structure.
Blessed Lands by Esvedname
Also showing as part of VDF x Ventura Projects, Istanbul-based Esvedname Studio presented two brass tables decorated with dried wheat, a nod to the ‘fruitful lands’ of southeastern Turkey where the crop was first grown. Each table is finished with calligraphy or inlaid art, two elements the studio considers essential to Middle Eastern culture. On The Blessing Table, this includes a Hadith engraving, while the Ceremony side-tables are decorated with brass inlays.
Grooves Cupboard by Ethnicraft
Belgium-based Ethnicraft strives to make contemporary wood furniture imbued with character and warmth. The new Grooves series, which premiered at Maison & Objet, includes a storage cupboard and sideboard, both made from varnished teak panels imbedded with hand-carved lines. Small imperfections are part of the story here, and each piece has its own unique surface of dynamic rhythms. The dark tinted teak continues on the inside, with shelves and drawers designed to hold cherished objects. Ethnicraft was born in 1995 when co-founder Philippe Delaisse brought a container of decorative objects back from a holiday in Indonesia. The company continues to sources its teak in Java, both from sustainably managed plantations and deserted buildings.
The Peacock Lounge Chair by Bend Goods
Gaurav Nanda used to work as an automotive sculptor for General Motors. Now he makes whimsical furniture pieces at his Los Angeles-based studio by hand-shaping and spot-welding metal. “It’s always fascinated me how you can take a material like metal and mould and shape it into something very sleek and beautiful,” the designer says. The Peacock Lounge wire lounge chair is his take on the iconic wicker Peacock Chairs of the 1970s and it comes in a range of powder coated colors suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, as well as metallic plating in gold, copper or chrome meant for indoor use only.
bendgoods.com
Soulmate by Martina Guandalani
As design fairs around the world were canceled this spring, some decided to go virtual instead. Among these was VDF x Ventura Projects, which presented the work of over 80 international designers, schools and brands online. Participants included New York-based designer Martina Guandalani who debuted her ‘Soultmate’ collection. Her tables and vases explore the link between the ancient Scagliola technique, in which stucco columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements are produced to resemble marble and semi-precious stones, and modern materials like resin. The halves are meant to create a single solid object “in harmony as a love story”.
The 410 Light Collection by Meshary AlNassar
A highlight of Dubai Design Week in December, Meshary AlNassar’s 401 Light Collection features limestone lamps inspired by childhood memories of his grandfather’s sunlit home in Kuwait. The collection includes the Ulivo Light, with tubular branches inspired by olive trees and the sculptures of Constantin Brancusi, Tramonto, meaning sunset in Italian, and Radici, inspired by the roots of plants in his grandfather’s garden. Each lamp is made of travertine sourced from Italy and features elongated tubes imbedded with LED lights.
mesharyalnassar.com