modern design fanatic: January 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

SERGE MOUILLE

“Known primarily for his design of lighting fixtures, Parisian born Serge Mouille (1922-1988) designed large, angular, insect-like wall, ceiling mounted and standing lamps with several arms and smaller, more curved wall-sconces. Some of his best known designs from the 1950’s period are his “Oeil” lamp (1953), “Flammes” (1954) and “Saturn” (1958). He worked to achieve a kinetic, sculptural aesthetic that evoked a sense of movement in space. He also claimed his lighting fixtures were “a reaction to the Italian models, which were beginning to invade the market in 1950,” and which he thought to be “too complicated.” His designs from this period were shown mainly at the Steph Simon Gallery in Paris.” * With education in metallurgy and a diploma in silversmithing, Mouille remains famous primarily for his minimalist designs and use of uniformly black painted metal materials. Re-editions of his designs can be sourced from select dealers and retailers.

* Excerpt from http://www.sergemouille.com/bio.html

Related links:
www.sergemouille.us
www.guéridon.com
www.maryannlemboantiques.com
www.1stdibs.com

Images: (click on images to enlarge)
Three arm standing lamp (top)
Ceiling lamp (2nd)
Wall lamp (3rd)
One arm standing lamp (4th)
Wall lamp (bottom)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

L'ABBATE

The L'Abbate collection is the fruit of long experience in interior design, of a passion for simplicity and beauty, of the desire to introduce new themes, to stimulate and adding values to everyday life. The object in this collection displays different design approaches, yet they are all designed to meet the needs in an easy and effective way. Successful or up-and coming designers, traditional or innovative materials, color and technology, Italian style and Scandinavian moods join together in a personal yet universal language that expresses itself in any setting: public environments or private homes, in indoor spaces or in the open air. My fascination with the collection stems from the numerous designs from Milanese luminary Gio Ponti.

related links:
www.lacollection.it

images: (click on images to enlarge)
Pole Position chairs by Luigi Caccia Dominoni (top)
Deco Boco pouf by Gio Ponti (2nd)
Livia chair by Gio Ponti (3rd)
Rosalinda table by Gio Ponti (4th)
Dormito armchair by Gio Ponti (bottom)

Monday, January 25, 2010

PASTOE

Established in 1913 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Pastoe is a company richly endowed with history.
The company mission is simple: “designing, producing, marketing and selling high quality, aesthetically durable furniture characterised by exceptional design quality.” In addition to several chair and table designs the Pastoe brand‘s focus is primarily cupboards, and by no means the ordinary type. Since 1918, Pastoe's manufacturing plant has been located at the Rotsoords in Utrecht. The premises are to be found on the bank of one of the Netherlands' waterways, the Vaartse Rijn, where a group of some dedicated 60 craftsmen devote skill and passion to the creation of top quality furniture.
In 1982 Pastoe took the initiative of opening the Dutch Design Center located in a section of the building.
This showroom open 6 days a week attracts a public with some 20 companies, including Pastoe. Refer to company portal for dealers/agents.

related links:
www.pastoe.nl

images: (click on images to enlarge)
Vision Elements cupboard by Pierre Mazairac (top)
Vision cupboard by Pierre Mazairac, Horizontals A-Line cupboard by Shigeru Uchida (2nd)
Vision cupboard by Pierre Mazairac (3rd)
Leather Lounge by Maarten Van Severen, Vision Next by Pierre Mazairac (4th)
Quadro table by Giampaolo Babetto (bottom)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

PIERO LISSONI

Piero Lissoni (1956 - ) is regarded as one of Italy’s most revered modern day designers. He began his career in 1978, got his degree in Architecture at the Milan Politechnic, and in 1985 started his collaboration with Boffi Kitchens as Art Director/Designer. Together with Nicoletta Canesi in Milan they found Lissoni Associati (1986) and Graph.x (1996) developing projects of industrial/graphic design, interior design and architecture, besides art direction and corporate affiliations. His impressive client roster includes: Alessi, Boffi, Cappellini, Cassina, Flos, Fritz Hansen, Glas Italia, Kartell, Lema, Living Divani, Matteograssi, Poltrona Frau, Porro, Tecno and Wella. In addition to the many Industrial and Graphic Design commitments that range from furniture, accessories, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting fixtures to corporate identity, signage and packaging, his scope of design also includes private residences and luxury hotels in Italy and abroad: the Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice (Italy), the Porto hotel by the Zurich Lake, the Bentley Design Hotel in Istanbul, the Garden Ginza business Hotel in Tokyo. Additionally, the main Boffi showrooms around the world; Cassina showroom in Parigi; Cassina IXC showrooms in Japan; in Italy the re-design of headquarters/factories for Boffi, Glas, Tecno and Living Divani and a series of private villas. In USA two luxurious resorts, one in Miami and one, the resort destination “Dellis Cay” in collaboration with other International well-known Architects in Turks & Caicos.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

PP MOBLER

Started in 1953 by brothers Ejnar and Lars Peder Pedersen, PP Møbler is one of the few remaining cabinet making workshops in Denmark. With a production covering the Japanese and the American market with furniture from Hans Wegner among others, the workshop today is an internationally recognized company. Wegner’s collaboration was born out of a shared trademark … uncompromising craftsmanship and quality by both company and designer. Consequently it comes as no surprise that a simple side/dining chair design can command a price tag of $5000. 1stdibs typically has a vast selection of vintage Mobler/Wegner designs in addition to the current reissue production pieces from Denmark.

related links:
www.pp.dk
www.1stdibs.com

images:
PP501 The Chair or The Round One by Hans Wegner (top)
PP225 Flag lounge chair by Hans Wegner (2nd)
PP250 Valet chair by Hans Wegner (3rd)
PP85 x-leg table/PP58 chairs by Hans Wegner (4th)
PP502 Swivel chair by Hans Wegner (bottom)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

PATRICIA URQUIOLA

In an industry dominated by male counterparts, Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola can hold court with the best of them after learning a bit of her career history, her design contribution, and her broad scope industrial association. From her early days as assistant lecturer with design icon Achille Castiglioni both at the Politecnico di Milano University and at the E.N.S.C.I. in Paris, to working for the new product development office of De Padova and with Vico Magistretti, to being head of the Lissoni Associati design group, working for Alessi, Antares-Flos, Artelano, Boffi, Cappellini, Cassina, Kartell and notably designing on her own for B&B Italia, Bosa, De Vecchi, Fasem, Kartell, Liv’it, MDF Italia, Molteni & C., Moroso and Tronconi … need I say more. Urquiola today calls Milan her home base. Her website is more of a contact portal rather than one that showcases product overview; hence the provision of the Architonic link.

Regretably due to hardware malfuntion i.e. a blown power board in the main computer''s LCD monitor, posting will lapse till hopefully no later than the beginning part of week 1/18. Apologies ...

related links:
www.moroso.it
http://www.bebitalia.it/
http://www.foscarini.com/
www.patriciaurquiola.com
http://www.architonic.com/pmpro/urquiola-patricia/8100777/2/2/1

images: (click on images to enlarge)
Tufty Time sofa for B&B Italia (top)
Caboche chandelier for Foscarini (2nd)
Canasta lounges for B&B Italia (3rd)
Lowseat chair for Moroso (4th)

Fjord "relax" chairs for Moroso (bottom)

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

GERRIT RIETVELD

Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1965) was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. A principal member of the Dutch artistic movement called De Stijl, Rietveld is famous for his Red and Blue Chair, his Zig Zag chair, and the Rietveld Schröder House. Built in Utrecht on the Prins Hendriklaan 50, the house has a conventional ground floor, but is radical on the top floor, lacking fixed walls but instead relying on sliding walls to create and change living spaces. The design seems like a three-dimensional realization of a Mondrian painting. The house is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Rietveld broke with the 'De Stijl' in 1928 and became associated with a more functionalist style of architecture known as either Nieuwe Zakelijkheid or Nieuwe Bouwen. Rietveld built hundreds of homes, many of which in the city of Utrecht. His designs are reproduced today by Cassina and Rietveld-by-Rietveld, an initiative in part by Egbert Rietveld grandson of Rietveld.

images: (click on images to enlarge)
Red and Blur chair for Cassina (top)
Rietveld Schröder House (2nd)
Utrecht for Cassina (3rd)
Zig Zag for Cassina (4th)
Mondial table & chairs for Rietveld-by-Rietveld (bottom)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

CERRUTI BALERI

Enrico Baleri founded Baleri Italia back in the mid 1980’s. The brand’s collection was representative of quality furniture and high design content. More pointedly “the path towards a personal interpretation of the design process led to the creation of a company that since the beginning developed products with strong formal and functional qualities and a commitment toward research and development and talent-scouting. In 2004 Nino Cerruti became a majority share-holder of Baleri Italia with the objective of developing a new industrial project that could also benefit from his long and successful experience in the textile and fashion businesses while remaining true to its design mission” * … hence Cerruti Baleri. Collaboration over the years with designers Alessandro Mendini, Angelo Mangiarotti, Denis Santachiara, Philippe Starck, Hannes Wettstein, Jeff Miller, Arik Levy, Ilse Crawford, Alberto Colzani, Xavier Lustand and Luigi Baroli has been a key ingredient to the brand’s success. Refer to company portal for area distribution agents.

* Excerpt from Cerruti Baleri portal.

Related links:
www.cerrutibaleri.com

Images: (click on images to enlarge)
Flipt by Jeff Miller (top)
Bill by Hannes Wettstein (2nd)
Bigbend by Jeff Miller (3rd)
Littlebig by Jeff Miller (4th)
Folded by Arik Levy (bottom)

Monday, January 4, 2010

SHIGERU BAN

Internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (1957 - ) is perhaps most famous for his innovative work with paper, particularly recycled cardboard paper tubes. With his Western education and influences, Ban is considered one of the forerunning Japanese architects to embrace the combination of Eastern and Western building forms and methods. “For Ban, one of the most important themes in his work is the “invisible structure”. That is, he doesn't overtly express his structural elements, but rather chooses to incorporate it into the design. Ban is not interested in the ‘newest’ materials and techniques, but rather the expression of the concept behind his building. The materials he chooses to use are deliberately chosen for how they aid the building to do so.” * His works range from residential, commercial to public projects.

* Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Ban

Related links:
www.shigerubanarchitects.com

Images: (click on images to enlarge)
Sagaponac House, South Hampton NY 2006 (top)

Takatori Catholic Church, Japan 1995/2005 (2nd)
Singapore Biennale, Singapore 2006 (3rd)
Maison S villa, Dellis Cay 2008-2009 (4th)
Nomadic Museum, New York 2005 (bottom)