THE BIG IDEAS ISSUE NOVEMBER 2020 243
designer signer RAINBOW VISION
Turning industrial wasteland into a colourful place to live
SUPPORT STRUCTURE An innovative new role for the humble kitchen wall
BRIGHT IDEA
The backstory to an clever piece of light engineering
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 243
The key to creativity can often be thinking big, or at least in embracing the big ideas. Too often, we’re limited by our own imagination, which is why we believe Designer has a such an important role to play in bringing you examples of work in which designers and architects have thrown away the rule book and tried something truly bold. These brave ideas come in many shapes and sizes this month. On one level, we get the inside track on the development of an ingenious light creation by Dyson that takes innovative engineering to extreme levels, and we check out a clever new system for getting the most out of the often under-utilised kitchen wall. On an altogether bigger scale, we take to the skies to get a top-down view on a striking property development that lifts the gloom in a district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv boasting a colour scheme that takes your breath away with both its visual impact and sheer scale. Also in this issue, we finish what we started last month with a further look at some of the emerging innovations in home technology, plus we round-up some of the latest cooking appliance options to help make any kitchen project as future-proof as possible. Finally, good luck to all of the finalists in this year’s Designer Awards. The winners will be revealed in our first ever virtual awards ceremony on 18 November so be sure to join the fun and follow all the action across our social media channels on the day.
e: martin@thedsgroup.co.uk w: designerati.co.uk
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Martin Allen-Smith Editor, Designer
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 243
CONTENTS
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54 11 SOURCE Our monthly round-up of the people, products and events that matter from across the design sector 18 SHOWROOMS A visit to the fully-refurbished London showroom of contract furniture brand Brunner 22 COLOURFUL LIVING Turning an industrial landscape into a bright and welcoming residential district took plenty of brave and creative thinking… and a fair amount of paint 28 HOME IN THE HILL A futuristic house designed to look as one with the surrounding environment utilises natural curves and textures to dramatic effect
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32 THE HOME GETS SMARTER In the second part of a series looking at the future of home technology, Helen Mitchell, Chief Strategy Officer for tech specialist events company Ignition, looks at advances in smart tech for the home room by room
50 NATURAL EXPRESSION Wood delivers a multitude of benefits as a material for the home, and alongside its practical and sustainable attributes in this kitchen from L’Ottocento, it scores top marks for looks too
37 ROOM WITH A VIEW To mark 10 years of furniture brand Vitra’s iconic flagship showroom, its experimental loft space has been transformed into a film director’s stylish retreat
54 THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS As key components of any kitchen, cooking appliances are perhaps the most important element of any specification list. We round-up a few of the latest offerings to consider
42 WONDER WALL How an innovative new wall system aims to bring a whole new level of functionality – and simplicity – to the kitchen
66 EXIT A creative solution for socially-distanced seating
46 MORPHING IDEAS Helen Bermingham, Design Engineer at Dyson, provides insight into the development of the manufacturer’s innovative Lightcycle Morph
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RePlus table & Robin Day Polo Skid chairs The RePlus range offers a choice of table tops produced from 100% recycled waste, otherwise destined for landfill, on a selection of made to order bases Distinctive, environmentally friendly tables suitable for a wide range of applications
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WALDRON TABLE, DESIGN SEAN DARE. TOR STACKING CHAIR, DESIGN DAVID IRWIN.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 243
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020
designerati.co.uk
Home Advantage
Office furniture brand Bisley has addressed the widespread new ways of working by designing and manufacturing a new collection intended to encompass the move towards increased home-working. Called Belong, the new range attempts to bridge the gap between the traditional office and the new homeworking revolution. With the workplace ripe for reimagination as employers adopt more flexible working patterns, Belong has been created with versatility in mind. Bisley’s CEO Richard Costin said: “I asked our design team to think, if they had free rein over new and different products within our steel and wood factories, that we could sell to our dealers, our online shop and to the domestic home worker, what would they be? They came back with some wonderful ideas, and the result of that is the Belong Collection.” The range comprises of combinations of multiple collections designed by Bisley’s in-house team.
Bisley / bisley.co.uk
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020
Box of Delights
Lighting design practice Nulty has completed the lighting scheme for Connaught Patisserie, a new London retail space for Maybourne Hotel Group. This new patisserie and cake shop is housed next to the Connaught Hotel, with its own entrance on Mount Street, Mayfair. Nulty worked closely with Ab Rogers Design on delivering a polished aesthetic that invites guests to indulge in patisserie crafted by executive pastry chef, Nicolas Rouzaud. The textures and materials used in the design aim to recreate the inside of a chocolate box.
Luxurious packaging is imagined through pink blush walls that form the backdrop for hanging pendants which are carefully positioned along the ceiling to illuminate the marble tabletops. A central part of the design is centered around these striking pink crystal glass handblown pendants produced in the Czech Republic. Towards the back of the space, two bronze precision lighting tracks hover above the display counter, each one positioned with miniature bronze spotlights. Layers of illumination are deployed to each
section of the counter, with various spotlights acting as task lights to support the patisserie staff whilst serving customers. One layer of light pours directly downwards through the display case itself to highlight the texture of the cakes, whilst a second layer of task lighting illuminates the back bar where staff operate, and croissants and cakes are displayed. Nulty worked closely with Ab Rogers Design to review samples, experiment with colour temperatures and testing details, to ensure that all details were carefully considered.
Nulty / nultylighting.co.uk
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020
AERO DYNAMIC Using water friction, surface tension and precise engineering, The Aerofoil is a flat, floating sink, designed to ensure water never flows over the edges. Manufactured from Carrara marble or solid surface, The Aerofoil is a visually arresting hand-washing option for office, public and hospitality spaces. Made by The Splash Lab, The Aerofoil is a kit of parts: A flat, thin, single plane of hand-finished marble or solid surface is affixed to a wall using a concealed aluminium extrusion system. Hidden in-wall is the removable drainage system,
including one drainage funnel per tap to minimise the risk of flooding. A thin sheet of stainless steel is bonded to the underside of the sink for strength and safety, and a honeycomb portcullis grate at the back of the sink prevents unwanted debris or dropped items from entering the drainage system. Its modular design and in-wall extrusion system allows specification to any length. The Aerofoil is crafted from a single slab of marble or bonded pieces of solid-surface material and machine profiled to create the correct dimensions and surface tensions.
The Splash Lab / thesplashlab.com
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Details make the difference To experience the V-ZUG difference, get in touch with our Projects team: projects.uk@vzug.com | 0203 131 8080
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020
HEADLINE SPONSOR
AWARDS PARTNERS
Designer Awards 2020 The Designer Awards 2020 presentation event will take place as a virtual-only event for the first time in its history this month
The Designer Awards 2020 will be available to stream free of charge at 3pm on Wednesday 18 November. Full coverage of this year’s winners will also appear in the December issue of Designer. Designer Awards / virtualdesignerawards.com
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As a result of a further tightening of Covid-19 restrictions, the event will now be live-streamed via a public hosting platform so that all finalists and virtual attendees can take part in the event from their homes, offices or showrooms. The link to the live stream will be available from 3pm on 18 November via our brand-new dedicated website virtualdesignerawards.com. To ensure you don’t miss out, you can also join on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to stay up to date on the awards.
our judging panel of experts has assessed the very best of them. It’s only right that we recognise their efforts and incredible talent by announcing the winners and bringing some much-needed positivity towards the end of what has been such a tough year.”
Awards Director Clara Deeks added: “We are naturally disappointed not to be able to hold the Awards in the usual way, but of course the wellbeing of all our attendees and colleagues has to come first. These are unusual times so it calls for an unusual approach to the event this year, and although we will miss the Martin Allen-Smith, Editor of usual networking opportunity that the Designer, said: “Despite the huge awards so brilliantly provides, we look challenges facing everyone in all forward to announcing the recipients The Splash Lab / thesplashlab.com corners of our industry this year, of this year’s iconic Corian-made we received some truly fantastic Designer Award trophies.” entries to the Designer Awards and
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE NEWS
The Designer Awards Team are proud to announce the full line up of sponsors and supporters for the 2020 event. They are: HEADLINE SPONSOR kbb Birmingham AWARDS PARTNER Quooker UK AWARDS PARTNER Mereway TROPHY SPONSOR Corian Design TROPHY FABRICATION Materialise Creative Design BATHROOM DESIGN OF THE YEAR (UNDER £20k) Sponsored by Roca BATHROOM DESIGN OF THE YEAR (OVER £20k) Sponsored by Laufen ULTIMATE LUXURY BATHROOM DESIGN OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Duravit KITCHEN DESIGN OF THE YEAR (UNDER £30k) Sponsored by ArtiCAD KITCHEN DESIGN OF THE YEAR (OVER £30k) Sponsored by Quooker
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN OF THE YEAR Sponsored by SPEKVA
To create the flowing, organic lines of the magnificent Maris Free hood, designer Dror Benshetrit looked to the natural world. The result is a hood quite like no other; one that delivers the high-end functionality customers expect from Franke, in a design that challenges convention in a most surprising and beautiful way.
NEW DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by The British Institute of KBB Installation
The perfect partner to the Maris Free tap, the Maris Free hood is the natural choice for any kitchen.
BRITISH DESIGN & MANUFACTURING AWARD Sponsored by Westin
Make it wonderful at franke.co.uk
ULTIMATE LUXURY KITCHEN DESIGN OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Novy
BEST USE OF MATERIALS Sponsored by CD-UK SHOW SPACE DESIGN OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Whiteleaf Furniture
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE SHOWROOMS
BRUNNER
In the heart of London’s historic Clerkenwell, 62-68 Rosebery Avenue was built in 1896. Throughout the twentieth century, many tenants – including a cinema – would come and go, but in 2013, contract furniture brand Brunner acquired this classic but tired late Victorian warehouse style building, retaining the vaulted basement, ground and first floor for its London showroom. The appointment of architect Renato Benedetti and a ‘change of use’ brought about radical internal structural alterations that transformed the space into a shell and core showroom, full of natural light and volume. A 20-ton steel staircase connecting the three levels was welded together on site and a new 40m frontage was installed.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE SHOWROOMS
As Brunner UK’s Managing Director David Shirley recalls: “We wanted to breathe new life into this beautiful old building and convert it into a light, airy and gallery like space while preserving its original industrial character.” However, the cost of the remodelling left the showroom with a compromised interior that would have to be re-visited over a period of time. During the last two years, Brunner has meticulously refurbished the space, one level at a time, and now has a stunning showroom in which to display its versatile range of products.
Brunner UK / 62-68 Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London, EX1R 4RR / brunner-uk.com
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MADE EASY FOR YOU.
Handles for the design conscious. www.ldlonline.co.uk
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE ARCHITECTURE
Colourful Living Turning an industrial landscape into a bright and welcoming residential district took plenty of brave and creative thinking… and a fair amount of paint
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE ARCHITECTURE
Photography: Andrey Avdeenko / Alex Ivanov
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE ARCHITECTURE
G
lance out of the airplane window as you descend into Kyiv’s Borispol airport and you are likely to spot a 40-hectare explosion of rainbow-coloured concrete on the ground below. This is Comfort Town, erupting from its drab surroundings like Lego on a shabby grey carpet. Comfort Town’s 180 lowrise apartment buildings are indeed inspired by children’s building blocks; a playful response to the sprawling 1950s and 60s communist-era housing that encircles them. The secured grounds operate as a city-within-a-city, housing
everything needed for modern life, from shops and restaurants to schools and gyms. “Your little slice of Europe in Kyiv,” declares the brochure. Indeed, for the most part, its 8,500 apartments and manicured courtyards have been embraced by a generation of young families and urban professionals who feel culturally closer to Europe than to the country’s Soviet heritage. Its architects Archimatika say it is the first residential complex in Ukraine based on the block development principle, instead of the customary Soviet micro-district type, and a different number of
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Comfort Town in numbers…
The Comfort Town development includes the Academy of Modern Education, a children’s complex consisting of a 160-seat kindergarten, a 140-seat elementary school, and the 600-seat Academy А+ school; The residential complex also includes a 4,500 sq m retail complex with a supermarket, a 4,600 sq m fitness complex with three swimming pools and gyms, plus a large complex of outdoor sports grounds, cafes, stores and offices on lower floors of apartment buildings, and the site’s own maintenance service; The complex’s parking facilities include three multi-story above-ground parking garages for 1,000 cars. Another five parking garages for 1,500 cars are designed for the next phase of construction; The initial design featured an openaccess complex, but the neighbourhood’s surroundings prompted the residents to erect a fence; The total area of the Comfort Town site is over 500,000 sq m.
stories for adjacent buildings – ranging from 2 to 16 floors – forms a picturesque and characterful skyline for every street. Within the constraints of a limited budget, Archimatika created sections with simple geometric shapes and made flat facades. Instead of balconies and decorative elements, the focus was creating silhouettes through the different heights of dual-pitch roofs, integrating a window shifting system to avoid
monotonous rows; colour, and the most daring of colour schemes. The buildings have roads to the front but also conceal green pedestrian courtyards to the rear. The development includes full infrastructure services such as fitness clubs, shops, kindergartens, and schools. There is also a restored park with perennial trees, sculptures, and a fountain. The commercial objective was to create residential blocks that
would sell even in a time of financial hardship, with both an affordable price and attractive environment for residents. This involved developing a technique that would use several standard sections to create a district from 150 repetitions of these sections while making it both interesting and comfortable Comfort Town is the first medium-rise neighbourhood and first block development project in the Ukrainian capital.
Archimatika / archimatika.com 26
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Luv. Nordic elegance. The design of Cecilie Manz‘ bathroom series Luv combines Nordic purism and timeless, emotional elegance. Soft shapes follow a stringent geometry. The result is a new unique design language with precise, clear and fine edges. For more information visit pro.duravit.co.uk and www.duravit.co.uk.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE RESIDENTIAL INTERIORS
Home in the Hill
A futuristic house designed to look as one with the surrounding environment utilises natural curves and textures to dramatic effect
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uilt in the Chekhov district a few kilometres from Moscow, House in the Landscape draws inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture and gives life to a futuristic-style building that blends perfectly into the landscape. Made of reinforced concrete, the building emerges from the ground amid large stretches of grass and areas carpeted with flowers all around. The architectural composition unfolds from the outside towards the inside, where huge windows establish apparently seamless ties with nature. The uninterrupted mutual fusion of the landscape with the building is enhanced by the presence of a green roof covered with woody and herbaceous plants typical of this climatic zone, and skylights placed along the sun’s trajectory to capture its light throughout the day.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE RESIDENTIAL INTERIORS
Photography: Sergey Ananiev / Vasiliy Khurtin
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The interior environment has been designed in the fashion of a ‘home gallery’, with the white walls of the building serving as a backdrop for works of art and design, sculptures and decorative elements with Japanese themes and concealed symbolic forms, whilst the floor made of ceramic with a striated black marble effect calls to mind the halls of prestigious museums. The building is comprised of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room, coffee rooms and a study. A small balcony looks onto a rim-flow pool to offer an evocative vista. The bathrooms feature products from Italian brassware brand CEA, with taps in a polished finish and a special black diamond version alongside stainless steel.
Niko Architect / nikoarch.com CEA Design / ceadesign.it
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www.mereway.co.uk
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE HOME TECHNOLOGY
The Home Gets Smarter
Part 2
In the second part of a series looking at the future of home technology, Helen Mitchell, Chief Strategy Officer for tech specialist events company Ignition, looks at advances in smart tech for the home room by room
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE HOME TECHNOLOGY
NordicTrack’s X32i treadmill
The Living Room The living room – the centre of our home entertainment expectations – is where smart devices have traditionally been the most focused, with the TV screen at the heart of that. But will the humble TV even exist in years to come? For now, hybrid solutions are turning every which way to try and secondguess consumer preferences. New adaptations include LG’s rollable 65” OLED screen, which can be compacted almost entirely when not in use and Samsung’s 43” rotating Sero TV, which automatically matches the orientation of a mobile phone or tablet when turned horizontally/vertically, making it ideal for portrait-mode content from sites such as Youtube or TikTok. Chinese tech company Changhong’s Chiq Spin screen, meanwhile, can flip to reveal a bookshelf on its vertical axis.
Whilst 8K resolution is still in its infancy, numerous models from LG, Samsung and Sony are launching or have launched in 2020. The other major advance in TV tech is Filmmaker Mode, with major brands including Samsung, Philips, LG and Panasonic adding this new mode to ensure consumers can enjoy films and television episodes just as their creators intended, maintaining original aspect ratios, colour and frame rates. The Kitchen The second most-designed-for room is of course the kitchen. Italian brand Pedini has now developed AI features that respond to voice and you can ask its app to change your kitchen’s mood and lighting, open cupboards or update you on what’s needed for your grocery order, whilst the Tulèr concept kitchen features
integrated modular technology that can open drawers or activate countertop scales with just the brush of a hand. From Moen, the U smart faucet is a hands-free tap that can dispense as little as a tablespoon of water, at exactly the desired temperature. The refrigerator, one of the major focus appliances for kitchen tech, can now do much more than just keep your food cool. Features include setting meal schedules for your family, having recipes read to you while you cook, transparent touchscreens to look inside without opening, or being alerted to food expiry dates. When it comes to cooking, the Julia multicooker by Hong Kongbased CookingPal can perform multiple actions including weighing, chopping and boiling, whilst giving step-by-step video guidance, and can also self-clean.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE HOME TECHNOLOGY
Tulèr concept kitchen
The Motion Pillow from TenMinds
The Home Gym and Health-Centre In-home smart healthcare offers the potential to reduce some of the stress put on traditional healthcare channels by increasing life expectancy and a growing elderly population, from wearables that help us to lead a healthier lifestyle by monitoring activity levels, quality of sleep, and nutrition to devices offering interventionist services, allowing us to remotely connect with medical practitioners or alert carers when an elderly person falls in their home. For those wanting a more proactive approach, NordicTrack’s X32i treadmill offers on-demand class settings or virtual trails in locations around the world. A personal trainer on the other side of the screen will auto-adjust variables such as speed and push you towards your goals. For fans of yoga or meditation, fitness platform Peloton’s new App
LG’s compactable OLED TV
for Amazon Fire enables users to join interactive classes from elite trainers in any room boasting a smart TV. The Bedroom Lack of sleep is an issue for a huge number of people, with tech’s increasing tendrils in the home often cited as a contributor – though tech ironically also seems to have the answers. US-based manufacturer Sleep Number is releasing the Climate360 smart bed with a climatecontrol mattress that can cool or warm up to 37°C to aid sleep, whilst South Korean company TenMinds has designed the Motion Pillow, which claims to stop snoring via four pressure-sensing airbags that automatically inflate or deflate in response to a snore-monitoring box with built-in microphones. If your sleep is determined by the amount of sleep small people in your house are getting, then the MamaRoo sleep bassinet may be the answer; a
baby-rocking device that uses natural movements to calm and soothe. The Bathroom Spa-like experiences will soon be a feature of most new-build homes, but developments here have not sped up as quickly as many would like. We’re still waiting for digital assistants to start our bath, fill it to the right temperature/depth and release relaxing brain waves and aromatherapy. Nose-geared gadgets are in the works, however, to help create your bespoke aromatherapy sessions. As for the other key bathroom activity, Charmin’s Bluetooth-enabled Rollbot delivers a fresh toilet roll directly when needed, whilst also promoting its new SmellSense concept: a bathroom sensor with an LED display to alert homeowners when it is ‘safe’ to enter after measuring gas toxicity levels. Very civilised!
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE INTERIOR DESIGN
ROOM WITH A VIEW
To mark 10 years of furniture brand Vitra’s iconic flagship showroom, its experimental loft space has been transformed into a film director’s stylish retreat… Photography: Clemens Poloczek
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London Showroom
25 Bastwick Street
Clerkenwell, EC1V 3PS
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE INTERIOR DESIGN
Originally conceived as a showroom for the Vitra Home Collection, the VitraHaus is the centrepiece of the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The striking building designed by Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron is both an experimental laboratory and flagship store for the Swiss furniture manufacturer, and it has so far welcomed over 3.5 million visitors from all over the world. Over the past years, interior designers such as Ilse Crawford, India Mahdavi and Raw Edges have developed interiors for fictional residents in the VitraHaus Loft on the top floor. To mark the building’s tenth anniversary, the US design studio Charlap Hyman & Herrero (CHH) has transformed this space into an apartment of an imaginary film director.
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE INTERIOR DESIGN
While people retreated from the outside world into their homes this past year, Charlap Hyman & Herrero redesigned the Loft of VitraHaus as a lush landscape for living indoors; a surrealistic meditation on the tensions between inside and outside, public and private, old and new, modernity and adornment, uncanny and real. Binding the range of design pieces collected within is a thread of homages to artworks, films, characters, books and places that have inspired the architects since the firm’s inception.
VitraHaus / vitra.com Charlap Hyman & Herrero / ch-herrero.com
Adam Charlap Hyman, Principal at CHH, said: “At first, we were designing the house for an invented character, but this shifted throughout the process and as people retreated into quarantine. The loft became a kind of vessel for the things that inspire us and make us come alive. It is in many ways a dream house that contains layer upon layer of the things we love.”
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE KITCHENS
WONDER WALL
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How an innovative new wall system aims to bring a whole new level of functionality – and simplicity – to the kitchen
mid a sea of everchanging trends and specification options open to kitchen designers, the challenge of how to achieve the very best use of the space they have to work with remains a constant. Clever solutions for organising the internal spaces in furniture have become more and more ingenious over the years, but achieving the best possible use of wall space outside of these units is also an important consideration.
THEWALL is an attachable kitchen back wall system. In essence, it consists of just one component that is factory-fitted with a transformer, cable and one or two live four-phase rails. In its purist form, this simplicity enables fast assembly using Velcro pads, which can be reversed at any time if necessary. And yet it can be refined to meet more complex needs, as the system can be expanded and customised with a range of ‘plug and play’ accessories.
The system is the brainchild of Johannes Falk, Managing Director at Zurich-based kitchen manufacturer Orea. He explains: “It seemed to me that there had to be a better way than to have a kitchen installer on site having to unpack 50 separate packages and, in front of the client, work out how it all fits together. This is really where the idea began – with the goal of building THEWALL itself in ten minutes.”
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE KITCHENS
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE KITCHENS
“There have been over 100 versions during the research and development process and yet the end result looks really simple – as good design always does”
Developed at the company’s design office in Regensburg, Germany, THEWALL consists of mounting current-carrying rails as a modular wall in the form of a lightweight sandwich structure. Four-phase busbars enable a wide range of uses, while the 6mm thick shelves with integrated LED lights ensure a combination of aesthetics and practicality. Crucially, the whole principle can be individually adapted to the homeowner’s requirements. USB docks provide light and power exactly where required, while kitchen scales, contactless chargers, spotlights and other functions can easily be added or removed. The entire range of accessories for the
multifunctional and luminous back wall – including lighting modules that can easily be positioned to face downwards for illuminating worktops or upwards for ambient lighting – can be freely positioned in the rails for individual use. Some of the functionality is based on Falk’s own past experience of fitting kitchens – including the challenge of ensuring that power sockets are located in exactly the right place when it comes to finally fitting the furniture. “We wanted to come up with a solution that removes the need to commit to several fixed and permanent points for the sockets, and so once the wall is installed, all of these electrical components can be simply added or
removed.” Aside from the electrical credentials, THEWALL also utilises magnetic components to enable storage of metal jars and other kitchen equipment in a neat and organised way. It can be specified in a range of materials, with typical options including Dekton, glass or wood. Falk added: “We’ve partnered with Cosentino because they are such a strong worldwide company, and also they are promoting their 4mm product which works particularly well with THEWALL because it is very light and easily handled by a single installer, so it was a very good combination.” But he adds, THEWALL acts almost as an ‘operating system’ with which a wide
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE P R O J E C T – I N T E R I OKRI TDCEHSEI G NN S
“THEWALL acts almost as an ‘operating system’ with which a wide variety of different materials can be integrated to meet the needs of a particular project”
variety of different materials can be integrated to meet the needs of a particular project. Installation has been made as straightforward as possible – a special super-strong Velcro developed with 3M fixes the unit to the wall, before it is siliconesealed in place – as well as a rapid order turnaround time with the ultimate aim that a system ordered on Monday would be delivered on Friday: “At present we are working to a turnaround time of ten working days, but eventually we want to reduce this to five.” THEWALL – which will be exclusively available in the UK through Kitchen Alchemy, led by former Poggenpohl UK Sales and
Marketing Director Philip Winter – sits somewhere in between some of the traditional parts of the industry says Falk. “Our partners are lighting and material manufacturers on the one hand, and there are typically furniture manufacturers on the other. THEWALL is somewhere in between as we are not so much a furniture builder, more a design office. So, as you can imagine, it was an interesting journey for our design office to convince our furniture building parent company that no, we’re not proposing to build a kitchen, let’s just focus on splashbacks. Most companies would dismiss such an idea out of hand, but there is a real understanding that the potential here is huge.”
“We have invested heavily in developing the product because as simple as it looks, it was actually very difficult to create. There have been over 100 versions during the research and development process and yet the end result looks really simple – as good design always does.” The customisable nature of THEWALL means that its potential goes beyond the kitchen environment, with Falk explaining that it could equally be installed in a bedroom or bathroom. “The main principle behind it all is purely ‘plug and play’,” he said. “It is about achieving the very best high-end result but through what are ultimately very clever and simple ideas.”
Kitchen Alchemy / info@kitchen-alchemy.com / the-wall.com
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE PRODUCT WALKTHROUGH
Morphing Ideas Helen Bermingham, Design Engineer in Research, Design and Development at Dyson, provides insight into the development of the manufacturer’s innovative Lightcycle Morph
DESIGNER: What was the inspiration behind the Dyson Lightcycle Morph? Helen Bermingham: As a starting point, we worked with some of the world’s leading lighting designers to understand how people really use lighting in their homes. Our research showed us that to properly illuminate a domestic or office environment, you need four different lighting formats: an indirect light for blanket illumination of a space; task light for precision work; feature lighting to accent artwork or home features; and ambient light, a global light source that glows like firelight. With the Dyson Lightcycle Morph, we set out to create one light that combined all of these.
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DESIGNER: What materials are used in this light, and why? Bermingham: The interplay of technology, engineering and design is central to the Dyson Lightcycle Morph. The ambient stem is a precision-engineered polycarbonate-aluminium composite. The polycarbonate has high optical efficiency which means that light cascades down the length of the stem. Interestingly, the same material used in riot shields, it reinforces the entire light. The outer layer is rotationally punched aluminium, just 0.7mm thick – designed to achieve the ideal ratio between the frequency and width of the apertures for a comforting diffuse glow. The manufacturing process for creating such fine perforations, in a reliable way, was in fact inspired by the delicate micro-etched shroud from our cord-free vacuums; an intriguing synergy from one category to the next, and an example of how we are never afraid to look to less obvious avenues for inspiration. Development sketch of the Dyson Lightcycle Morph DESIGNER: What is the most satisfying aspect of the final product design? Bermingham: One of the most satisfying aspects of its physical design is the way the light transforms into the ambient lighting format, and all the innovations required to make this possible. A series of ball bearings integrated within the arm of the light enables 360-degree manoeuvrability. Requiring minimal effort, the docking mechanism feels seamless but is incredibly complex. As you push the optical head back towards the stem, it is righted by magnets to ensure they do not clash. Then guided by a spring-loaded cam wheel, a hidden magnetic baffle rapidly engages and lifts to create a tight seal. This prevents light bleed and creates a uniform lit effect from the optical head to the base of the stem. The magnetic auto-docking mechanism of the Lightcycle Morph DESIGNER: What were the main engineering obstacles in creating the Dyson Lightcycle Morph? Bermingham: Designing a product with versatility at its core – without compromising on light quality – presented various engineering challenges. Other than the complexity of the docking mechanism, the ambient stem itself posed the greatest design challenge. Striking the balance between physical strength and optical efficiency, the ambient stem required countless iterations of material combinations and researching unique manufacturing processes. Ultimately, on the floor variant of the product, the aluminium outer casing of the polycarbonate-aluminium composite stem is rotationally punctured by 16,740 apertures to create a diffuse and relaxing light. Meanwhile, our engineering team needed to run cables through the very centre of the machine to power the light and still obtain a near see-through effect. So, we clamped the cables at both ends under extreme tension to get power to the head in an almost invisible manner – achieving a 360°, uninterrupted lit effect. The result is really special, with an almost transparent aesthetic.
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Dyson / dyson.co.uk
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE KITCHENS
Natural Expression
Wood delivers a multitude of benefits as a material for the home, and alongside its practical and sustainable attributes in this kitchen from L’Ottocento, it scores top marks for looks too
The Archetipo island rests on three cylindrical structural supports and is distinguished by its groove doors covered in an Alpi wood finish in grey, with a pattern by legendary designer Ettore Sottsass, accentuating the beauty of the grain. The worktop in Lapitec conceals the underlying induction top, which can be used through a rubber mat that allows direct cooking on the top, maintaining the clean-cut look of the island. The top is completed with a sink also made from Lapitec
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE KITCHENS
The new Archetipo sideboard, in a glossy lacquered red brick finish and with a curved form, is designed to house a wine cabinet to serve the kitchen area. Also shown is the Archetipo stool in curved wood and charcoal grey metal, with an upholstered seat in Aspern nero fabric by Rubelli
A new kitchen furniture range designed by Italian brand L’Ottocento in collaboration with makethatstudio includes the Atlante panelling system in walnut featuring pocket and pullout doors. Designed at full height, the look is intended to add a striking aesthetic to both the kitchen and the wider living area. It is counterpoised by the striking Archetipo island with its sleek form and cylindrical base units, finished with the original wooden pattern designed by Ettore Sottsass for Alpi and complete with Lapitec worktop. The island extends to become a breakfast bar, paired with Archetipo stools upholstered in Rubelli fabric. 51
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In solid Italian walnut, the Atlante panelling features an opening grip integrated into the linear frame and is structurally defined by its intended use: it features pocket or pull-out doors to make the most of the pantry space and internal kitchen shelves, together with a sink complete with sliding cutting board, useful in transforming the space into a work area. It allows all household appliances used for storage and cooking to be concealed. In the living area (pictured), Atlante can be personalised with illuminated open bookcase compartments, as well as closed compartments lining the edge of the fireplace
L’Ottocento / lottocento.it Makethatstudio / makethatstudio.com
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE COOKING TECHNOLOGY
The Right Ingredients
As key components of any kitchen, cooking appliances are perhaps the most important element of any specification list. We round-up a few of the latest offerings to consider…
Falmec’s Sintesi induction hob. Falmec / falmec.uk
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The K-Series.8 KMI9850.0 2-in-1 hob and extractor from Küppersbusch is 90cm wide and available in black with stainless steel frame. Küppersbusch / kueppersbusch-home.com
Bertazzoni’s Modern Series F6011MODVPTC 60cm built-in electric pyro oven. Bertazzoni / uk.bertazzoni.com
AEG steam oven with PlusSteam offers steam cooking functionality to cook a wide variety of food. AEG / aeg.co.uk
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Built-in multifunction Hotpoint Class 9 pyrolytic single oven (SI9 891 SP IX). Hotpoint / hotpoint.co.uk
The NEFF N 50 B5AVM7HH0B built-in Slide&Hide oven with steam function. Neff / neff-home.com/uk
Franke’s Maris 2.0 wall mounted cooker hood is available in black (shown) or soft grey with a black glass front panel. Franke / franke.co.uk
CDA’s SL670 multi-function oven with steam. CDA / cda.eu
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From the first toast to the final bite, savour every moment with Sub-Zero, the refrigeration specialist, and Wolf, the cooking specialist. Entertain more often with thoughtfully designed, innovative appliances crafted to last for decades of beautiful, memorable meals.
Refrigeration. Cooking.
251 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2EP 0845 250 0010 www.subzero-wolf.co.uk
DESIGNER MAGAZINE COOKING TECHNOLOGY
V-Zug’s Fusion induction hob with built-in downdraft extractor. V-Zug / vzug.com
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BORA’s Professional 2.0 combines a downdraft extractor and 54cm cooktops. BORA / bora.com
Absolute built-in single oven AKZ9 6270 IX and combination microwave. Whirlpool / whirlpool.co.uk
Miele Generation 7000 VitroLine DGC7845 Steam Combination Oven, pictured with coffee machine, warming drawer and sealing drawer. Miele / miele.co.uk
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The VIVOscreen oven from Smeg is part of the brand’s smart range known as SmegConnect. Smeg / smeguk.com
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Wolf’s M Series Contemporary handleless built-in ovens. Sub-Zero Wolf / subzero-wolf.co.uk
Elica has relaunched its Rules cooker hood, available in black glass or Gres Dekton. Elica / elica.com
Novy’s MOOD steel 108cm recirculation island hood. Novy / novy.co.uk
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Westin’s Stratus 360 flush fitting ceiling hood. Westin / westin.co.uk
Caple’s CMS260 combination microwave with steam is an addition to the Sense Premium collection. Caple / caple.co.uk
Fisher & Paykel’s OB60SDPTB1 black touch screen oven. Fisher & Paykel / fisherpaykel.com
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SLEEK, CHIC & UNIQUE Bring a touch of luxury and unique styling to any kitchen with the new Wi6160 fully integrated undercounter wine cabinet. The innovative design allows you to create a bespoke frame to match your kitchen cabinets, ensuring seamless integration and an uninterrupted finish. With brilliant performance this model has been developed to store red, white and even sparkling wine in optimum conditions. The Wi6160 features perfect temperature, humidity and air circulation controls, with unrivalled low vibration technology to minimise disturbance, protecting the wines’ complex flavours. Always choose Caple for complete confidence in your wine cabinet.
www.caple.co.uk
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www.topform.ie www.topshapeworktops.co.uk
To order your next TopShape worktop Call 01257 478540 or email sales@deralam.co.uk
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23/09/2020 16:20
DESIGNER PRODUCTS
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ME by Starck for Duravit
Kaldewei #Natural Union for Miena
Bathroom design begins with the washing area. The new ME by Starck collection puts the spotlight on individuality with the white satin Matt ceramic finish providing exciting new design options.
Kaldewei Introduce playful new colours for Miena available in Mint, Pink, Petrol, “NavyBlue“matte and 13 more colours.
www.duravit.co.uk
Photographed by Brian Adams under the theme #NaturalUnion. www.kaldewei.co.uk
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Loft Furniture
Ballerina-Küchen
Loft Furniture exclusively manufacture the Robin Day designed Club sofa and Leo Armchair (featured). They have developed a customiser tool which enables you to personalise the finish of these products, as well as their Chesterfield sofa, with over 150 standard options to choose from and the results available to view immediately.
A trendsetter among German kitchen manufacturers, Ballerina- Küchen sets market trends, offers numerous innovations and exclusive features which are marketed through classical sales channels - kitchen retailers - worldwide. With more than 800 models, the product range offers a large variety of design options meeting all wishes, no matter how specific.
www.loft.co/customiser
ballerina-kitchens.eu
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DESIGNER MAGAZINE EXIT
EXIT
Architect Nick Tyrer and garden designer Victoria Philpott won the London Festival of Architecture & Network Rail ‘Sitting Pretty’ Competition with their Lacuna bench design and they have now revealed their prototype design at London’s Waterloo and London Bridge Stations. The bench is a social distancing seating solution intended to offer a new vision for public
One last thing from this month’s magazine… Photography: Luke O’Donovan
architecture in the age of the current pandemic. It aims to create an island of calm within the busy station concourse, whilst providing users with safe, physically distanced seating. The three seats are arranged to face away from one another, with dividing screens providing extra protection. The organic shapes help to enclose each user and offer a sense of privacy.
The bench is constructed out of tactile, layered Duraply plywood, with \colourful dichroic screens – that appear to change colour as they catch the light – adding a sense of fun. The integrated planting provides an oasis within a busy urban environment, with silver birches – beneficial to air quality by absorbing pollutants – create a visual focal point and reassuring canopy for bench users.
Tyrer.io / tyrer.io Victoria Philpott Gardens / victoriaphilpottgardens.com 66
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LIGHT THE NIGHT. DESIGNS THAT ILLUMINATE YOUR WORLD. Viega Prevista. The new generation of pre-wall technology. The new Visign for More 205 sensitive combines hygiene with sophisticated design. The chrome frame and black glass surface of the new touchless flush plate adds style to any bathroom. When a person approaches, the flush plate gently lights up. To activate, they simply hold their hand near the plate – touchless flush convenience at its best. Viega. Connected in quality.
viega.co.uk/prevista
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INTRODUCING RIMANO THE NEW MODERN CLASSIC The delicately proportioned bevel defines this solid Ash framed door with its veneered centre panel. Rimano is a modern classic comfortably at ease in every style of home. A choice of 18 painted colours including new Cashmere shown here. Available with a large choice of handles. Exclusively from Crown Imperial.
KI TCHEN BEDROOM LI VI N G
See more new innovations for 2020...
CR OWN-IMPERIAL.CO.UK /NE W
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