Archive

Good design is everlasting. But it does not need to be carved in stone. On the other hand it can be, and this precisely is the idea of design-mad Murat Patavi, the owner of the Haaz Gallery in Istanbul. He came up with a very special idea to mark the first anniversary of the art and design gallery for young Turkish and international creative talents: he invited 18 well-known designers to each make an exclusive design for the occasion - and what's more, in marble.

If one and the same chair looks as good in the living room as it does in the office or a hotel lobby and in each location looks as though it were tailor made, it could well be a chair by arper. The company, founded in 1989, is one of the most innovative furniture manufacturers in Italy and specializes in seating.

Foscarini is not only an Italian luminaire manufacturer but also a supplier of insights into the multifarious aspects of light, which they gather in a variety of ways and, time and again, show that light is not just light: lighting determines the character of a room and interprets it in a certain way. Foscarini are extremely sensitive when it comes to registering these different moods and in moulding them into luminaires, the designs of which embody the different requirements placed on them with great clarity and precision.

To date, when buying a new kettle you could choose between various stainless steel or plastic models. Indeed, while current models display greater differences in terms of the quality of production and material, as regards form, they do not differ considerably from one another. They are all based on a water boiler or a cylindrical pot, have a handle, a spout on the opposite side and a water gauge.

Be it touchscreens or kitchen units with no handles or doors that open automatically, with the digitalization of our everyday surroundings the surface has increasingly gained importance. Yet they are still about, analog operating devices. Berker, a company which manufactures switches and electronic systems, offers them both as new products and re-editions.

In Italy, the institution of the family traditionally has a high standing, and keeping it together requires a constant, active entrepreneurial spirit. As such it is no wonder that precisely in Italy there is an above average number of family-run companies - and extremely successful ones at that. In the case of Molteni & C, with a payroll of 250 the family business has long since reached corporate size, and is one of the most important manufacturers in the furniture industry. Its history is typical of such firms.

No sponsor, and instead unconventional and successful ideas. Swedish design quartet Defyra sets itself high standards in terms of commitment. In its studio in Stockholm, it recycles discarded skis to form chairs.

Cologne has had to take a lot of criticism this year. Ben van Berkel's already almost legendary carpet flop in Hall 11, which was heralded as an urban master plan, visibly lacked an overarching concept, and the international audience increasingly shied away from Cologne, hitting it very hard.

How do you celebrate the big birthday of a seat, which has even been honored by a museum? In this particular instance it is quite simple: you take a run and jump into it – and by way of thanks are lovingly embraced by this universal favorite.Only a few items of furniture can withstand such a celebratory feat but for the Sacco beanbag it is a walkover. The flexible bag for sitting and lying on has always been an exception and precisely its ability to mold and conform exactly to the human body make Sacco the most nonconformist piece of furniture ever.

"Fashion" is as good as a synonym for the City of Paris. For a long time now, haute couture has not only referred to clothing, but the exquisite and tailor-made design of one's own home is often mentioned in the same breath. The Maison & Objet in Paris is an example par excellence of this. Originally a classic specialist fair for interior decorating, tables and gift items, today it is a major event for dealers and creative professionals from all interior design and fashion branches.

Every year, when the Christmas turkey has been digested, New Year endured and maybe even a couple of days skiing successfully overcome, design aficionados, tired of all the exuberance of the festivities and about to enter a state of long-term lethargy, head to Cologne for the Furniture Fair and the Passagen program.

Ettore Sottsass died in his home in Milan aged 90 on the very last day of 2007. Not only in Italy, and not only in the world of design and architecture are people mourning the loss of a designer of genius, as the world has lost a great humanist. For Sottsass, who construed design as the incessant search for a possible metaphor of existence, the search has come to a dramatic end.

When an international chemical conglomerate, an Italian furniture manufacturer and a German designer collaborate on the development of new materials and their application then legends are born. For example the new plastic cantilever chair "Myto".