CONTEMPORARY DESIGN NEWS
News of Contemporary Design, Architecture and Interiors
News of contemporary, modern objects including works around the world by both leading and emerging designers.
18 March to 1 October 2023
Stately Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England, continues the Devonshire family's tradition of supporting creativity by commissioning contemporary designers. 'Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chartworth', places works by 16 international artists and designers into the historic context of the house, creating unexpected connections. Photo Chatsworth House Trust. Chatsworth
HAY, the Danish furniture company, launches British designer Jasper Morrison's iconic Wall Clock, which was designed in 2008. Rolf Hay, the co-founder of HAY commented, 'We admire Morrison’s ability to create designs that are straightforward but never banal, simple but never boring, and always extremely relevant’. HAY, Jasper Morrison
8 to 14 May 2023
The 9th edition of London Craft Week utilises workshops, pop-up shops and exhibitions to showcase the work of celebrated and emerging artists, makers and designers from across the world. Locations for the events include the Pimlico Road, Chelsea, Mayfair and the newly established Park Royal Design District. Photo Maria Bell. London Craft Week
The Central Bank of Norway, Norges Bank, appointed Snøhetta and Metric Design / Terje Tønnessen to design its new paper currency. Snohetta's proposal for the banknote stems from the exploration of the boundaries of the Norwegian coastline and its pixelated representation as a metaphor for ancient mosaic. Snøhetta
Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen of OS and OOS designed the Matrix Bench as part of the Matix project. The project aims to create a system with endless configurations using a grid structure that changes from being almost transparent to solid depending on the perspective. Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen work from Eidenhover in the Netherlands and created OS and OOs in 2011. OS and OOS
The Melt Bookcase in matt finished white Carrara marble is designed by the architect Thomas Sandell for the Verona based stone workers Marsotto. Thomas Sandell founded the architecture and design practice Sandellsandberg in Sweden. Marsotto
Tomas Kral designed the playful Beak range of glassware for Sisecam Group's Nude brand. Thomas Kral established his design studio in 2008 in Lausanne, Switzerland and has exhibited his work in museums and galleries throughout Europe. Nude
The first architecture project by Phillipe Malouin is Core. Core is a small brutalist concrete modular structure designed as part of the Superbenches project to regenerate Kvarnbacken, a park in Järfälla, Sweden. Philippe Malouin
Launched at the Daniel Katz Gallery the Friction Table is designed by Heatherwick Studio. The Friction Table uses a pivot mechanism and a lattice structure to stretch from a 1.8m diameter table to an elliptical form that is over 4m long. Heatherwick Studio
Henningsen PH 4/3 Table Lamp is based on the principle of a reflective three shade system, which directs the light downwards. The shades are made of metal and painted white to diffuse the light. Louis Poulsen the Danish lighting manufacturer was founded in 1874 and born out of the Scandinavian design tradition where form follows function. Louis Poulsen
Designed by industrial designer Terence Woodgate, the Solid Table Light features a solid fine grain Carrara marble cylindrical base, and a hand blown opal glass shade which is acid-etched inside and out to provide a soft, diffused light. Terence Woodgate
The EM77 Coffee Vacuum Jug for Stelton was designed by Copenhagen born Erik Magnussen. The vacuum jug’s patented tilting top lets you serve with just one hand and also has a screw cap allowing it to be used on the move. Stelton
Buds, part of the collection of lamps designed in the 1990s by Rodolfo Dordoni, has been restyled. The hand blown five layer glass diffuser of the table lamp takes on a warm appearance when the lamp is on and cold when it is off. Foscarini
The wire s# lounge chair is part of a furniture collection designed by artists Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen. The collection sits been art and furniture, and the wire s# lounge chair is manufactured in powder coated stainless steel. Muller van Severen
The At Work models of watches from NOMOS Glashütte have a diameter of 39mm and feature a silver grey dial crafted after a nine step process. The gold and rhodium plated blank is varnished and wet blasted repeatedly, removing a thousandth of a millimeter every time. NOMOS Glashütte, founded by Roland Schwertner in 1990, is the largest manufacturer of mechanical timepieces in Germany. © Nomos Glashütte. NOMOS Glashütte
Bocci has created the 28 by a manufacturing process that manipulates the temperature and direction of air flow into the blown glass. This results in a slightly distorted sphere and an opaque milk glass diffuser. Bocci is a contemporary design manufacturer base in Vancouver and Berlin. Bocci
The MJA table lamp was designed in 1930 by Jacques Adnet. Jacques Adnet was a great exponent of French Modernism. MJA, Memory of Jacques Adnet, has been in production since 2005, prior to which it was only a prototype. The lamp is made of brass with a Palladium finish. Lumen Center Italia
The Cubo TS522 is based on the original 1969 design by Mario Bellini. The Cubo features Bluetooth, a clock radio, DAB and DAB+, LCD display, and is available in orange, yellow, white, red, blue, pink, purple and black. Brionvega
In 1982 Richard Sapper designed the 9091 kettle for Alessi. The central element in the design is the brass whistle which, when the steam exits, produces a short and pleasant melody. Richard Sapper wanted to avoid the usual anxiety-generating noise produced by other kettles then on the market, and by following this exquisitely poetic philosophy he produced what is probably the first multisensory object for the kitchen. Alessi
The Milanese graphic and product designer, Massimo Vignelli, designed the Stendig Calendar. The design of the calendar we sell today was realised in 1966 by Vignelli and so significant was its impact that it was taken into MoMA’s Collection that year. Massimo Vignelli's large (4'x3') wall calendar comprises tear-off sheets of 60lb paper printed in the iconic typeface Helvetica. The months randomly alternate black and white and the top binding strip has 3 black eyelets for easy level hanging. Aram
The iconic calendar clock, with its distinctive form and flip mechanism, has an established following in design circles. The Font Clock employs twelve different typefaces. These range from modern renditions of classic type families like Bodoni to 20th century classics like Franklin Gothic and Helvetica. By working with the Grayson Time Management system, Established & Sons partners with the premier manufacturer responsible for providing the timekeeping for banks, post offices, schools and institutions such as the London Stock Exchange. Established & Sons
Moritz & Ottisen's ‘blueprints’ series is inspired by intricate architectural drawings. These prussian blue prints capture the charming complexity of different cities. The London Blueprint features Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. High quality print on 240gsm Munken paper. The City Works
Metallic silver screen print on 120gsm Keaykolour Royal Blue uncoated paper. A history of electronic music mapped out to the circuit board of a theremin, which is widely regarded as one of the first electronic musical instruments. Electric Love Blueprint celebrates over 200 inventors, innovators, artists, composers and musicians who (in Dorothy's opinion) have been pivotal to the evolution of electronic music from the invention of the earliest known sound recording device in 1857 to the present day. Dorothy
Olio is new range of tableware by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for the ceramic company, Royal Doulton. In the English language Olio means ‘a miscellaneous collection of things’ and the range is built from a combination of materials and surface finishes: ceramic, wood and stainless steel, different clays, glazed and unglazed elements. The extensive range of 40 pieces, includes cutlerly, wooden serving pieces, and a full table top ceramic range, all designed for everyday use. Royal Doulton, the 200 year old English ceramic company was founded in Lambeth, just a couple of miles from the Barber & Osgerby Studio. Royal Dolton
Arne Jacobsen's cutlery was revolutionary. With extremely simple and bold lines, it was unlike anything that existed at the time. It was a departure from Georg Jensen’s earlier styles and made a huge impact in the design world at its debut. His Functionalist approach went on to dominate much of design in subsequent years. 1957. Georg Jensen
The Original Plumen 001 is the world's first designer low energy light bulb. The dynamic, sculptured form contrasts to the dull regular shapes of existing low energy bulbs, in an attempt to make the Plumen a centrepiece, not afterthought. The Plumen 001 works like any other high quality low energy bulb - saving you 80% on your energy bills and lasting 8 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb. Designed by HULGER and Samuel Wilkinson. Plumen.
Arne Jacobsen created a tea and coffee service in stainless steel for Stelton. The simplicity of cylindrical shapes and specially designed plastic handles characterized the line which, along with its brushed steel surfaces, stood in striking contrast to the highly polished curves of its day. Cylinda-Line was awarded the ID Prize in 1967. Stelton
Characterised by colour, simplicity and innovation, the upholstery textiles are designed for use in public, commercial and private spaces. All are the products of innovative collaborations between leading international designers, artists and architects, and Kvadrat's product development team. Kvadrat's headquarters are in Ebeltoft, Denmark and was formed in 1968. Kvadrat
In 1968 Verner Overgaard and Arne Jacobsen created the first VOLA mixer 111 for the National Bank of Denmark building in Copenhagen. The design hides the mechanical parts of the mixer are leaving only the handles and spout exposed. Vola taps have been manufactured in Denmark for over 45 years. Vola
The Jasper Morrison 1144 door handle was designed in 1990 and manufactured from cast aluminium and finished with clear anodizing. Jasper Morrison 'believe(s) that it was not the designer’s job to invent form, just to apply it in the right places at the right time and for good enough reasons'. FSB manufactures the door handle, and was founded by Franz Schneider in 1881 and is based in Brakel, Germany. FSB, Jasper Morrison
David Mellor, Royal Designer for Industry, trained as a silversmith and specialised in metalwork particularly cutlery. In 1953 the Pride cutlery designed while David Mellor was at the Royal College of Art was included in the first Design Centre Awards in 1957 and is still in production. The cutlery is manufactured in a purpose built factory in the Peak District National Park at Hathersage, near Sheffield. David Mellor
