Features

The Design Report

28 Dec 2018 by Business Traveller India

The design calendar is slowly drawing to a close and the flurry of activity in the design industry is winding down. The designs milieu was rife with dramatic changes in trends between January and September. Forecasting was challenging as each trend has been significant and game-changing. With the surge in the sustainability wave, there seems to be a paradigm shift in the design world — each curve, texture or colour representing a notion or thought.

THE EVOLUTION OF VEGANISM

Furniture giant Ikea set its foot in India with the launch of its first store in Hyderabad. This reminds me of the time when I was at Älmhult, Sweden for Ikea Democratic Day, where the ever-so-trendy designer, Virgil Abloh, launched his home decor collaboration. Virgil’s “Receipt Rug” had everyone Instagramming the unique art rug.
Also, it was a pro-vegan time in the Swedish company where Veggie Spaghetti “meat”balls and plant-based ice creams were “specials of the day”. These are words I never thought would be used together. Storage Plastic Box prototypes were made out of vegetable oil and carbon dioxide, with a focus on renewable energy. Out of the innovative line-up the most cutting-edge award goes to, a small cute nozzle that attaches onto any regular tap, and saves over 90% of the water just by altering pressure and speed. Now, that’s a solution waiting to hit the globe.

Ramy Fischler, the designer of the year at Maison et Objet said, “When we share ideas amazing things happen.” This was in response to me asking Ramy, one practical tip that every person could use to take a step towards sustainability. He used cork, a basic most natural material to create his space at Maison et Objet, this fall in Paris. We live in a time when design and innovation can solve anything that we put our minds to.

Everyone talks about trends, it’s not a colour or a print, it’s prevalence — the blurred lines between art, design and technology form your experience. Milan Design Week saw lighting company Preciosa set a huge lighting installation which illuminated solely with your breath. This was perceived as a movement of illumination through the senses of an inanimate object.

BOLD CHOICES

Bizzare and maximalist designs are pushing the envelope, making weird the new normal. From fashion to home decor, over-the-top designs seem to be on the design runway for millennial designers and brands like Fatboy, Studio Job, Seletti and AP Collections. Fatboy showcased their Velvet Collection featuring plush seating options, with giant stuffed animals as décor. They also collaborated with Jordy van den Nieuwendijk on the display for their wireless lamp collection. AP collection was started by Alexis and Pauline to find the match between design and individual preferences. They create exclusive quality art furniture embellished with plush stuffed animals and animal skins.

WHERE FASHION MEETS DESIGN

Interestingly, the advent of Instagram has amplified the impact of design. Fashion icons like Karl Lagerfeld and Gucci have introduced furniture and decor collections. Karl Lagerfeld’s sculptural collection is a testament to his creative mind. Titled ‘Architectures’, the exhibit combines 18th-century European design with modernism, minimalism and abstraction.

The collection includes gueridons, tables, lamps, consoles, fountains and mirrors – all influenced by antiquity. Crafted from two different kinds of marble, a white Arabescato Fantastico and a black Nero Marquina, the collection reflects Lagerfeld’s iconic monochromatic sensibilities.

Gucci, the Italian fashion house under the creative leadership of Alessandro Michele, unveiled the debut collection which was an interesting assortment of chairs, mugs, tables, trays, candles and more. This eclectic décor line preserves the brand’s individualistic style by featuring many of Gucci’s signature motifs and prints, as well as its maximalist overtones. My favourite pieces from the collection include the medieval-inspired capitonné porter’s chairs, made entirely by Tuscan artisans. Gucci’s famous GG patterned jacquard also finds its way into the line as upholstery for some of the chairs. The tableware from the collection is actually designed by Richard Ginori (a 283-year old Florentine company now owned by Gucci) and is heavy in whimsical, vintage floral motifs.

Esha Gupta 

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