Furniture polish

Design
Forget the make do and mend for a while and savour the seemingly limitless bounty of fresh new ideas bursting with style at 100% Design. Preview by Jan-Carlos Kucharek

01 Miss Jackson
Johnny Egg
Sorry Miss Jackson…
Furniture designer Johnny Egg first caught our eye with his bonkers ‘Twisted’, a completely mirrored chest, whose spindle drawers all bizarrely revolved independently of each other. Egg’s keeping up the mannerist slant with his ‘Miss Jackson’ sideboard, which slams together Pucci inspired patterning straight onto a pair of turned classical legs. Knowing full well that fashion is a fickle thing, Egg’s designed the fretwork inlays so that they can be removed and repainted, so ensuring the longevity of his design.
Stand J30
www.johnnyegg.com

02 Alle Design ‘Jelly Table’
Componenti
Jelly Baba
Brazil’s Componenti worked with 12 young designers on its Alle Design – Methylacrylate furniture and lighting. Brazilian designer Baba Vacaro’s ‘Jelly Table’ has turned the recycled Methylacrylate block into a highly desirable, illuminated Jelly table.
Stand E20
www.alledesign.com.br

03 Alto Desk
100% Norway/
Andreas Engesvik
Skandia on your own two feet
Norwegian furniture designer Fjordfiesta’s Scandia collection uses 1950s lamination techniques to create furniture that is both classic and contemporary. Engesvik’s desk was originally a student project to prove laminated forms could be bent counter to the line of lamination. The sleek, minimal look of white stained oak veneer and satin chrome design, proves his point beautifully.
Stand G40
http://tiny.cc/d8lj6

04 Lightben ‘Kaos 3D Black’
Bencore
Back to Black
Italian firm Bencore develops honeycomb core, translucent, thermoplastic, lightweight panels for interior use, including Kaos 3D Black, with a polycarbonate core of three diameters. Stare straight on and you see through it; from an angle the screen becomes opaque.
Stand G10
www.bencore.it

05 Buzzibooth
Buzzispace
Me, Myself and I
Belgian firm Buzzispace space commissioned designer Alain Gilles to give his take on the firm’s obsession with realising private spaces in an open plan world. This acoustic cocoon for mobile phone users is made of ‘Buzzifelt’ – 100% recycled PET bottles – and comes in six bold colours. It uses the typology of the rapidly disappearing telephone booth, which supplied needed privacy in public areas. This could be an anachronism, as we’re all used to hearing conversations of eye watering intimacy on the bus, but as micro-architecture, it hearkens back to a golden age of discretion.
Stand E30
www.buzzispace.com

06 Sun Tunnel by Lovegrove
Velux
Piping light where the sun don’t shine
Launched at the show, Velux has challenged the usually staid perception of sunpipes by commissioning designer Ross Lovegrove, no less, to apply his thinking to the technology. His sexy new diffuser, he believes, creates a contemporary interface between the tunnel of light and the interior design of living spaces. The pendant makes palpable the presence of light, a detail that helped it clinch the ‘Best of the best’ award at Germany’s Red Dot Design awards 2010.
Stand C28
www.velux.co.uk

07 Doona Sofa
Boss Design
Duvet Daybeds
Not to be confused with the similarly sit-upon-able ‘dunnie’, Boss Design has named its latest luxury seating, launched at this year’s show, ‘Doona’, after the Australian word for duvet. In doing so, the firm invites buyers to spend days as well as their nights cossetted in among the downy cushions that invitingly collapse over its black lacquered frame. Available in a number of colours and finishes, including leather, the range is available as a grand sofa, ‘snuggler’ armchair and a footstool, with a two seater and corner units available later in the year. It might be twice the price, but sure feels twice as nice.
Stand E10
www.boss-design.co.uk

08 Ondus Digitecture range
Grohe AG
Digital power shower
Grohe’s electronic Ondus Digitecture range of shower heads and faucets is based on a concealed 5x5cm module, and is the flattest and most integrated range it’s produced. Users can programme the water temperature and pressure, which is memorised, and use a ‘pause’ button to save water while shampooing. It’s an iPod for showers.
Stand B30
www.grohe.com

09 AluSID
Aluminium Silicate Design
One Planet Silicone
The University of Central Lancashire was behind this new eco-product of 100% recycled mineral waste – a sustainable alternative to ceramic tiles and sheet stone. Developers David Binns and Dr Alasdair Bremner collaborated to develop the material, which they claim is a genuine alternative to non-renewable stones. It can also be tailored to meet colour and texture requirements by varying the aggregate. AluSID will be launched at this year’s show.
Stand H121
www.davidbinnsceramics.co.uk

10 AROS pendant
Arturo Álvarez
Hoop springs eternal
There’s an element of nordic Empiricism with Spanish lighting designer Arturo Álvarez keeping things simple with his latest range, notably his Aros floor lamps and pendants, available in white or black polypropylene. The floorlamp stands at 15m high, and has a diameter of 600mm.
Stand G90
www.arturo-alvarez.com

11 SoundUnseen
Amina Technologies Ltd
The Wobble Board for walls
UK firm Amina’s speaker can be hidden behind plaster walls to create a completely invisible audio system. Unlike traditional speakers, which rely on the ‘piston’ effect to create sound, this strong, thin, composite panel speaker works in much the same way as a musical instrument. Vibrating behind the plasterboard, it produces a diffuse ‘surround sound’ effect that is also less directional than normal speakers.
Stand J81
www.amina.co.uk

12 BetteFloor
Bette
Flat Wet
German sanitaryware firm Bette’s ‘flat’ shower area drain, with its sexy, curved, flush drain detail, merges with the chosen bathroom aesthetic. Available in 20 colours and 42 shapes and sizes, the floor drain trims work to a drainage depth of 110mm.
Stand A18
www.bette.de

13 Snøhetta Show Stand
Premier Composite Technologies
Grand Stand
Premier Composite Technologies started in Germany making parts for the likes of Audi and Porsche, but in the 90s it was asked to build composite plastic domes for the mosques of the UAE. Its success has seen it move to the region, still picking up work from the likes of Foster, Hadid and UN Studio. PCT commissioned Norway’s Snøhetta to build its stand for 100% Design, to showcase its composite material used for complex 3D forms.
Stand C120
www.pct.ae

14 Windcatcher X-Air
Monodraught
What’s in the Box?
Monodraught’s new X-Air windcatcher uses its Actilouvre technology to provide roof-level ventilation control, optimise aerodynamic efficiency and prevent water ingress. The box comes in five colours, is made of fully recyclable materials, and can even incorporate an integral architectural solar powered lighting system. Subtle lighting at minimal cost.
Stand K130
www.monodraught.com

15 ‘70’ Series Towelrails
Aestus
Upping the temp of your Terry
These 70mm wide stainless steel square or circular section towel rails have a minimalist simplicity and come in sizes from 800-1800mm, with polished or brushed finishes. Designed to augment centrally heated bath and wet rooms, the rails come as ‘heating only’ or ‘electric only’, and can be installed vertically or horizontally.
Stand C30
www.aestus-radiators.com

16 Atelier Collection
Mirage
Geo-Italianate
Italian stone and porcelain company Mirage’s decorative new tiles range from Greco-Roman to Victoriana. All employ subtle reflections, glossy and matt overlay effects, and large patterning in a way that’s both dated and up-to-date. Under 5mm thick and sized 600x600mm, their patterns are bold but reassuringly eclectic.
Stand G60
www.mirage.it