Le cercle #16

Bentley and Fendi* for your home

The Sleekest Sleep* B&B Italia beds by Antonio Citterio Naoto Fukasawa Patricia Urquiola Gabriele & Oscar Buratti

Paris in your pocket*

Hello Sunshine* The hottest outdoor furniture

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s k i e s a r e f i n a l ly h e r e

to stay, at least for the coming season, and it’s time to dream of hours spent lounging in the sun.

Le Cercle has thought of everything and brings you the top picks for stylish outdoor furniture. It’s also the time when thoughts turn to weekend getaways and summer vacations. If Paris is on your must-visit list, check out Le Cercle’s concise guide to the design, culinary and hospitality hotspots not to be missed, including the fabulous Hotel de Nell, now basking in its redesign : by famed architect Jean-Michel City News Privilege Wilmotte. The French capital on behalf of Le Cercle Hitti played host once again to Maison et Objet earlier this year, : and we bring you a selection of Anastasia Nysten the highlights that were on show, including a new Bentley : line for the home and Fendi’s Helen Assaf 2014 collection with architect and designer Thierry Lemaire. In : this issue we also bring you a Peter Korneev new bed collection from B&B : Italia, currently celebrating 40 CHAMAS years at its innovative www.3achamas.com headquarters, in collaboration with four distinguished : designers guaranteed to take Owen Adams pillow talk to an entirely new Miriam Dunn level. There’s also plenty of Kasia Maciejowska other ideas to whet your Vincenzo Albano appetite for home furnishings in Alberto Mucci our shopping pages, and a John Ovans selection of art exclusively : available at Le Cercle. All this and summer has yet to start. Let sales@citynewsme.net t: +961 3 852 899 the dreams begin.

the spring

wishlist JuuyoPEACHFLOWERS

goes window shopping for some of this season’s must-have purchases.

Bubbles&bottlesset4

Lorenza Bozzoli

Mixed full coloured glass.

Glazed ceramics with decal inside

2 x Ø18xH33cm, 2 x Ø13xH44cm,

Ø14 x H24cm

stopper size 4 x Ø9xH12cm.

Moooi

Pols Potten

AppleglassL 100% recycled glass

Candleholder foldingnickelround

Ø32 x H36cm

Nickel plated aluminium

Pols potten

W3 x L14 x H19cm pols potten

Platewithgun

JuuyoFishlight

Glazed white porcelain

Lorenza Bozzoli

Ø40 x H6cm

Glazed ceramics with decal inside

pols potten

Ø14 x H24cm Moooi

accessories

shopping

photo credit: Art photography (background) by Massimo Listri / Photography by Nicole Marnati

Valentine table light Marcel Wanders

Moooi

Moooi’s new collection presented at Salone

shopping

Seven - Table Jean-Marie Massaud Light MDF wood fibre panel satined, painted or oak veneered.

Painted tubular steel W234 x D157 x H74cm B&B Italia

Shelf X - Bookcase Naoto Fukasawa DUPONT™ CORIAN® (white acrylic material) W131 x D37 x H145,5cm

Lazy ‘05 - Chair Patricia Urquiola Fabric or leather.

Chromed drawn steel W53 x D57 x H100cm

B&B Italia

B&B Italia

Ficelle

TudorCapboard

Osko Deichmann

Kiki van Eijk & Joost Van Bleiswijk

Lacquered steel

Solid ash frame and woven polyester textile

W50 x D69 x H89cm

W120 x D65 x H225cm

Ligne Roset

Moooi

NutLoungechair

VanityShelfMirror

Marcel Wanders

Outofstock

Moulded foam on steel frame with oak leg

Leather, glass,

W44 x D68 x H40cm

W55 x D8 x H93cm

Moooi

LIGNE Roset

Lazy‘05

Propfloorlight

Patricia Urquiola

Bertjan Pot

Fabric or leather covering.

PMMA lightguide, glass bulbs

Tubular steel and steel profiles

W18,5 x D24 x H102cm

W80 x D73 x H77 cm

Moooi’s new collection presented at Salone

B&B Italia

Moooi

TaffetaChair

Floolight

Alvin Tjitrowirjo

Liran Levi

Moooi’s new collection presented at Salone

Conical opaque shade with

Moooi

black chintz exterior lower Ø 54.5 / upper Ø 42.5 x H31cm Ligne Roset

accessories

shopping

CONTAINER TABLELAMP Benjamin Hubert Ceramic W14 x D31 x H40cm Ligne Roset

shopping

Landscape LS5D chaise longue Jeffrey Bernett Fabric. Drawn steel chromed or painted W61 x D161 x H79cm B&B Italia

Mera MTR60- small tables Antonio Citterio Statuarietto marble.

Painted or Chrome steel profiles Ă˜60 x H32cm B&B Italia

Tobi-Ishi - table Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby Cement grout or glossy finish Ø162 x H72,5cm B&B Italia

Charlestonvases

Bottlefatsmoke(left)

Mouth-blown vase adorned

Coloured glass

with hand-cut decorations.

Ø18 x H36cm - 4,4 ltr

LSA International

Pols potten

Bottletallamber (right) Coloured glass Ø13 x H47cm - 3,1 ltr pols potten

Vaavuvase

Platewithapples

Carlo Nichi & Vittorio Locatelli

Glazed white porcelain

Ø22.5 x H40cm

Ø40 x 8cm

Hand crafted silk screen decoration

Pols potten

with raised finish using 980/1000 hammered silver Egizia

BellLamp

Lantern wild silver

Marcel Wanders

Glazed earthenware

Small: Ø22 x H. 23 cm

Ø15 x H21cm

Large: Ø35 x H. 36 cm

Pols potten

Moooi

Iron wire, coated with

Candleholderfolding nickelsquare

shiny black epoxy paint

Nickel plated aluminium

Wirebraidflatbowl

Ø45,5 x H11cm

L55 x H40cm

pols potten

Pols potten

accessories

Ironvotivesset3xcolors

Nilssofa

Iron with copper, gold and

Didier Gomez

silver leaf coating on inside

Large settee: W236 x D102 x H62cm

Ø10 x H10cm

Ligne Roset

Pols potten

Profilesofa

Ovnitable

R. Tapinassi & M. Manzoni

Vincenzo Maiolino

Upholstered in cabaret velvet

Varnished aluminium and

W95 x L279 x H76 cm

grey smoked glass top

Roche bobois

Ø120 x H26 cm Roche Bobois

Precioussidetables

Plichair

Cedric Ragot

Maurice Marty

6mm Steel wire, top in 6m tempered glass

Altuglas

Available in different sizes

W40 x D49 x H90cm

Roche Bobois

Roche Bobois

FreedombirdTeapot

Lanternwildsilver

Glazed porcelian with gold plated bird

Glazed earthenware

W25 x L16 x H14cm

Ø15 x H21cm

Het Paradijs

pols potten

accessories

shopping

Nils sofa Didier Gomez Available in various combinations Available in fabric, Alcantara and leather Ligne Roset

Cuts - Coffee table Philippe Nigro W100 x D100 x H32 cm satin white lacquered expanded moulded

Fifty - Armchair Dรถgg & Arnved Design W74 x D88 x H113 cm Steel structure, hand-woven cord

Ligne Roset

Ligne Roset

Contours dining table Didier Gomez Base and shade in matt-finish very light grey enamelled ceramic (with blue textile cable) or in matt-finish light khaki enamelled ceramic (with pink textile cable) Ligne Roset

Bloom suspension light Hiroshi Kawano Shade in black or white sculpted foam Ă˜80 x H255cm Ă˜55 x H185cm Ligne Roset

Felt - Chairs Delo Lindo Felt covered chair W45.5 x D55 x H84.5cm Ligne Roset

news

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You don’t get much more useful than a sofa-bed, and this year, German brainbox Rolf Benz has turned the world’s favourite bit of hybrid furniture into a sleek, elegant-looking must-have, and were duly recognised for superlatively marrying style with function by the German Design Council.

The winner of the Interior Innovation Award, 2014, the NOVA was

For the poster for new exhibition Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam, designer and subject Marcel Wanders was quite literally affixed to a life-size pinboard – laid bare, as it were, to be prodded and analysed as a museum context invites.

The exhibition offers a rich retrospective of Wanders’ wacky design work, ranging from furniture and interiors to wallpaper and jewellery, dating back to the 1980s, detailed through an expansive selection of disciplines, including sketches, prototypes, experiments, and even brand new digital creations, or the futuristic-sounding ‘virtual interiors’. Visitors to the Stedelijik will view the 400-odd works by stepping into Wanders’ ‘brainspace’, as Pinned Up is curated into three separate zones: the left brain, which invokes ten different themes that have defined his body of work; the right brain where things get a bit more personal; and an Art Direction lounge. Vivid and imaginative, much like the artist himself.

designed by Joachim Nees. It has an easily adjustable frame breezily described by the brand as ‘organic, seamless, gliding’, and can be used as a single or double long chair.

In other words, it’s perfect for those who regard comfort as a serious business. The award is regarded as one of the highest honours during the IMM Cologne awards, and the NOVA was the only sofa to be singled out.

Also rewarded by the German Design Council with an Interior Innovation Award was Swiss studio Atelier oï, with a furniture capsule collection entitled Hive. The concept of the project, first presented during Milan Design Week, concerned building an innovative, premium fabrication from waste leather, repurposing strips left over at the B&B Italia factory. Successfully promoting craft, handwork and upcycling as viable routes to creating a luxury product, the label achieved a mean feat in the difficult field of eco design. The quirky range of ottomans and tables comes in a variety of colours, woven geometrically to an effect reminiscent of a hologram, and actually takes its inspiration from the basalt columns that make up the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. The hexagonal shapes, meanwhile, mean they can be combined as the hive intended, or simply arranged independently.

news

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While you’d be unwise to get too comfortable sat astride a statement about sexist society, that was exactly what Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce slyly suggested his patrons did in 1969 when he produced ‘The Up Series’ – specifically with the ‘Big Mama’, on show at B&B Italia in Sotheby’s, Paris.

The voluptuously sculpted armchair was intended as a metaphor of a woman subjected to patriarchal constraints – or, in the chair’s case, chained to a matching pouffe. The anthropomorphic design became Pesce’s most iconic, and saw his influence on his creative field furiously accelerate throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

Maybe you’re the sort of other half who likes to celebrate all different kinds of anniversaries – from your first date to your first kiss to your first… well, you get the picture. Marcel Wanders has entered the millennia with his very first smartphone app, Milestone, which allows users to electronically chalk up momentous occasions – chronicling how long since, or until, the occurrence of something important. Unveiled before the opening of Pinned Up, the app constructs a visually

engaging timeline, and suits those with celebratory inclinations due to its precision: for instance, Milestone can tell you that it’s been exactly a thousand, million, or billion seconds since you gave up smoking, meaning the opportunities for congratulations are multitudinous. “Measuring special moments in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, or days gives a new perception of time,” posits Wanders, although he’s also inadvertently generated a whole new lot of anniversaries for people to forget.

news

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W o r d s : A l b e r to

M ucci

The Italian design company recently celebrated four decades of groundbreaking work

I

t’s an anniversary that cannot be ignored. Last November B&B Italia, the world-famous designand-furniture company based just outside of Milan, celebrated the fortieth anniversary since the building of its eclectic headquarters.

The owner, the late Piero Ambrogio Busnelli, was, besides a voracious entrepreneur, first and foremost a man with a vision and a desire to break boundaries.

Forty years ago, with no guarantee except those stemming from his gut feelings, he entrusted the construction of his company’s headquarters to two relatively unknown but very ambitious architects: Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.

Given carte-blanche the acclaimed duo designed B&B Italia’s headquarters using steel pipes for its external structure, large transparent vertical surfaces to convey the idea of an open and flexible space and soft walls conceived as ornaments rather than load-bearing components.

It’s no exaggeration to say that B&B Italia’s headquarters represent the preamble of what shortly after became Paris’s Centre Pompidou, the building that launched Piano and Rogers to enduring international fame. B&B Italia’s success story followed a similar path.

Since Busnelli bet on Piano and Rogers, his company has won four Golden Compasses, the most prestigious award for Italian design. In 1974 in partnership with Studio Kairos B&B Italia launched a line of elegant and minimalistic wardrobes that brought the company’s name to the international spotlight for the first time; in 1979 in collaboration with Mario Bellini they created Le Bambole, a sofa renowned for its stylish and compact design; then almost a decade later, in 1987, Antonio Citterio’s sofa, Sity, with its open-space slant brought the company back to the podium; and finally, in 1989, the Golden Compass was awarded directly to B&B Italia instead of the designer it picked to work with. An achievement that the recent anniversary rightfully celebrates.

Transformative

Architecture Words:

K a s i a

M a c i e j o w s k a

Zaha Hadid’s curvaceous Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics is finally open to the public

H

aving hosted the professional athletic forms of champion divers and swimmers when the world descended on London for the Olympic Games two years ago, the London Aquatics Centre, by Zaha Hadid Architects, is now open to everyone. As of 1st March this year, Londoners – and visitors too – can take a dip in this leading example of visionary contemporary architecture.

The building is most recognised for its emblematic wave-like roof and iconic space-age diving boards. The exterior is clad in glass (the 628 panes took 70 days to install) which sits on a steel framework containing hot water, acting like a giant radiator to warm the building and prevent condensation from forming on the glass.

The space hosts a diving pool and a fullsized swimming pool, and is characterised by its smooth monolithic forms.

Hadid is one of the very top architects of our era, and notably for her field, a woman, and of Middle Eastern descent (she was born in Iraq). It is highly unusual – and therefore a very good thing – that members of the general public are

The building is most recognised for its emblematic wave-like roof and iconic spaceage diving boards

welcomed into such a piece of high design at an affordable cost. As it is now run by the GLL, a charitable social enterprise on behalf of London Legacy Development Corporation, swimming and diving lessons, plus fitness classes and casual swimming, are available to all at low prices.

One of the main concerns when commissioning new buildings for temporary events is, of course, what the architectural legacy will be for

permanent residents. As such, many of the stadia built for London 2012 were designed with removable elements that could be deconstructed following the games. Two wings of seating have been removed from the Aquatics Centre, leaving enough seats to host a far smaller 2,500 viewers for events such as the FINA/ NVC 2014 world diving series and the 2016 European swimming championships.

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High design

but humanitarian too Words:

A l b e r t o

M u c c i

E

arlier this year Shigeru Ban, the Japan-based, worldfamous architect won the Pritzker Architecture prize.

The nomination of the 56-yearold for what is considered the highest accolade for a living architect is the last one in a long list of achievements in a unique career.

In fact if architecture is the realm of permanent monuments, Ban has built his career Buildings such as the Naked focusing on temporary House in Saitam, Japan, the Pont du Gard buildings and on the use in southern France or the Christchurch of sustainable and local Cathedral in New Zealand are good exmaterials much before ample of Ban’s work. The first is a building this became the trend it of glass and white walls where the inside is today. stands as one continuous structure while the bedrooms are built with clear corrugated plastic and can be moved anywhere in the house according to the owner’s desire.

The second was conceived by the Japanese architect when he was asked to design a structure bearing relation to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct in the south of France. He did so using his signature cardboard tubes and recycled paper to create a contrast to the heavy stone of the ancient structure.

left: Paper Temporary Studio, 2004, Paris, France Photo by Didier Boy dela Tour

below: Japan Pavilion, Expo 2000 Hannover, 2000, Germany. Photo by Hiroyuki Hirai

The third is a church built after the 19th-century original Christchurch Cathedral collapsed as a result of the 2011 earthquake.

Inspired by a humanitarian disaster that killed 185 people, Ban developed and donated to the local community a transitional sanctuary with his signature cardboard tubes.

Such charitable work may also have carried weight in the decision to award him the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Throughout his career Ban has always remarked on how architects should be socially conscious and engage in projects that do more than serve

left: Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club House, 2010, Korea. Photo

by Hiroyuki Hirai

the rich. Coherent with his belief, at the ceremony for the award he stated that the prize is an encouragement to continue in this direction, rather than an achievement he will use to further establish his name.

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Le Cercle basks in the warmer weather and makes its pick of the latest and greatest outdoor furniture

01

02 This page and facing, all items for Dedon

04

05

04_____ Rayn _ Philippe Starck

05_____ WA _ setting, dining table, extendable Toan Nguyen

06_____ WA _ Toan Nguyen

03

01_____ RAYN _ Philippe Starck

02, 03_____ DALA _ Stephen Burks

06

01

This page and facing, all items for Coro.

04

05

02 01,03_____ NL1212 Linear sofa_ Stefano Gallizioli

02_____ NL1212 Linear sofa_ Stefano Gallizioli

04_____ NL1212 Linear sofa_ Stefano Gallizioli

05_____ NL1212 Linear sofa and ottoman_ Stefano Gallizioli

06_____ NL1212 Linear sofa_ Stefano Gallizioli

07_____ NC9090 Circular sofa_ Stefano Gallizioli 06

03

07

03

01

04

02

This page and facing, all items for Ligne Roset.

05_____ aluchair _ dining chair Jacques Ferrier

06_____ serpentine _ armchair éléonore Nalet

07_____ fifty _ ottoman armchair Dögg & Arnved Design Studio

06

05 01_____ Soixante 3 _ occasional table Thomas Rodriguez

02_____ grillage _ dining chair with or without quilted pad & dining table François Azambourg

03_____ Grillage _ chair, occasional table, & loveseat François Azambourg

04_____ fifty _ armchair & chair Dögg & Arnved Design Studio

07

This page and facing, all items for B&B Italia.

01

02

04_____ Canasta _ Patricia Urquiola

05_____ Mirto _ Antonio Citterio

06_____ Charles Outdoors, Chaise long _ Antonio Citterio

04

05

03

01_____ Canasta _ Patricia Urquiola

02_____ Charles Outdoors _ Antonio Citterio

03_____Husk Outdoor _ Patricia Urquiola

06

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If four words had to be chosen to describe Dori Hitti Studio’s new interIor desIgn work at the 17th floor of the luxurious le Patio apartment complex in Achrafieh, BeIrut, these would be

black

minimalist

orderly & elegant Words: O w e n Photographer:

A d a m s Ma n s o u r

D i b

S

pacious yet intimate; offering seclusion, yet at one with the city –Dori Hitti’s latest groundbreaking interior design concept conceived together with architect Walid Asmar encapsulates the powerful feeling of towering over the spectacular urban landscape while being cocooned from its street-level distractions.

To experience this Le Patio apartment is to make a grand entrance into a concerting dimension where everything is tastefully and enterprisingly re-ordered, and all elements are provided room to breathe and co-exist, with an energising tilt which must aid the release of creative energies.

Diagonal shadows are cast on the clean white ceilings and walls by slender, sculptural towers in the centre: everything

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appears to be in order, but not at boringly straightforward right-angles and not off-kilter enough to cause any kind of disturbance. This is clearly the product of a designer at the top of his game, where symmetrical sublimities are undercut with a dynamic chi-like essence.

Carefully selected design pieces bring life to this sleek interior, such as the giant Marcel Wanders for Moooi clock on the wall, or the Patricia Urquiola yellow Bend corner sofa and Husk chair for B&B Italia. Zaha Hadid’s Moon sofa for B&B Italia is among the other design triumphs from the stylish Italian manufacturer situated throughout the penthouse.

Perhaps the most incredible and awe-inspiring aspect of the apartment is the decking where once again B&B Italia and Moooi provide the furnishings. Here a transparent glass bridge leads to a glasscovered rooftop conservatory which almost feels like you’re floating in a bubble through space, the stuff of fantastical fairy tales. But, pinch yourself, this is real. A pool and roof terrace bar beyond this esoteric living-room, which straddles the barrier between inside and

outside, takes in a vista including the skyscrapers of downtown Beirut and the glittering Mediterranean. How can anyone not fall in love here?

You can sit with the cityscape flickering and buzzing all around, or opt for seclusion and intimacy within a living room and L-shaped communal seating separated from the open-plan hub by a slender glass veneer. Like a beacon, a fountain of ideas, a bright yellow dining table contrasts with the uncluttered but excitingly angled lines, monotones and smooth textures.

As it must be, the master bedroom with its Minotti furnishings is the ultimate sanctuary, its uncomplicated rectangular block features designed for soporific, restful effect, but still with windows on the world to achieve the sheer sense of place – in such a location, it would be a waste not to accentuate the life-affirming. This is a design for living to the very full.

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One to watch

Combining first class audio and visual entertainment with exquisite design, the Loewe Art will enhance any room, whatever its style i r i a m

F

D u n n

or those who have yet to be convinced that topquality home entertainment systems can dovetail with elegant home furnishings, Loewe AG’s latest models may have been created with you exclusively in mind.

Many of us will admit that reconciling TVs,

music systems and other hi-tech appliances with our beloved home décor has never been easy, with one often ultimately sacrificed for the other.

Yet the latest Loewe home entertainment systems, complete with 32, 40, 50 or 60-inch flat panel, exude levels of style and elegance which would enhance any room, while also offering a sound-picture combination to thrill even the most discerning technophile.

While some of us will simply delight at feeling immersed in, rather than a viewer of Gone with the Wind,

the Super Bowl or Rihanna in Concert, others may prefer to count off the impressive list of features the Loewe Art boasts, such as its 3D settings for depth and Digital Noise Reduction (DNR).

Other plus points include high-performance LEDs, ensuring vivid and realistic colours, an impressive picture repetition rate for optimal sharpness of movement and integrated 2D-3D converter.

The TV’s perfect contrast and crystal-clear colour

brilliance is superbly supported by 80 watts of rich sound from integrated broadband speakers, guaranteeing a perfect audio experience.

The Loewe Assist Media interface provides users with a fast and efficient navigation through the wide range of media available, including TV channels, digital radio stations, internet pages and private media collection, which can be accessed via USB or home network. An app for the iPad also allows

users to operate the entire TV menu via a mobile device.

Available in on-trend Raspberry and Havana, the Loewe TV is set off by cleanlined, high-quality chrome-trim elements. Whether you set it on a cabinet or leave it in freestanding mode, rest assured that the system is as aesthetically pleasing as it is high performing.

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Dream on B&B Italia introduces its new, highly desirable bed collection s : Alberto Mucci

Naoto Fukasawa

in your life, everything is integrated

Based on the belief that “in your life, everything is integrated”, the Papilio bed created by Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa is a homage to his attitude towards life.

As people’s life-styles have changed over the past decade to incorporate tablets, laptops and smart-phones in an increasing number of aspects of daily life, the bed, the place where people usually rest, read the news or check their e-mails needs to accommodate this new reality. The result is a wide, butterfly-like back added to the frame of the Papilio bed to allow the person resting on it to feel as if he or she was wrapped around something comfortable, something that can be used in a variety of different ways – especially with a tablet, a smart-phone or a laptop.

Patricia Urquiola The Husk bed is best understood as a follow up work to the now world-famous series of armchairs that the Spanish born designer conceived a few years ago in collaboration with B&B Italia’s labs. Continuity between the armchair and the bed can be seen in a design that puts the clients’ comfort on top of every other feature.

The back-frame is wider than average and is conceived in order to give the impression of a mattress always ready to welcome you with a warm hug.

Made up of soft, symmetric cushions elegantly stitched to the frame, it is also thought of as a perfect back-rest against which to relax, drink a morning tea or read.

Continuity between the armchair and the bed…

Antonio Citterio

yes! this room is lived in

In a recent interview the Italian designer stated his belief that most people spend too much time thinking about the “dayareas” of their house rather than the “night-areas”. Yet, the latter should have the same – if not more – importance than the first. It may be for this reason that Citterio’s bed, Erik, is built with an imposing frame, one that cannot be missed. The idea behind this choice seems to give the bed its own life, a proper space and the unambiguous feeling that “yes! this room is lived in.” The backframe Citterio chose for Erik serves the same purpose. Taller than most bed-frames, it’s made up of a first straight part and a second inclined one that conveys the idea of expansion and relevance. The elegant embroidery that decorates it is a homage to the Cantu district just north of Milan where the dressmaking tradition is centuries old.

Gabriele & Oscar Buratti

LEATHER, in many ways similar to paper

The two brothers worked as designers with B&B Italia to test new and original ways to work with leather. In a recent interview they described this iconic material as something in many ways similar to paper: it can have a variety of incredible and beautiful usages, but one needs to know how to work with it in order to achieve anything worth exposing. When conceiving their new bed, Alys, Gabriele and Oscar Buratti also wanted to emulate the paper’s thinness in their new creation.

The bed-frame is in fact a slim leather stratum that resembles more of a silhouette than a sturdy support. The same can be said about the back-frame: again conceived as a thin leather contour, it has a concave shape and gently cloaks around the pillow area.

Words:

A l b e r t o

M u cc i

Probably the most important interior design fair after Milan’s Salone del Mobile, IMM Cologne is a must for all players in the industry.

During a whole week thousands of companies and designers showcase the best of their production to 100,000 visitors eager to understand the new trends. To select and choose among such talented and innovative participants is not an easy task. But one thing is certain: the furniture pieces presented by French luxury-design company Ligne Roset are worth a mention

I don’t stand if I can sit.

I don’t sit if I can lie down

Prado sofa by christian werner

Ruche armchair

by Inga Sempe

Cosse sofa

by Philippe Nigro

Christian Werner’s Prado sofa is a homage to the individual, to his unique taste and the creative process of finding out exactly what one wants. “I don’t stand if I can sit. I don’t sit if I can lie down,” said the designer in a recent interview summarising the ethos behind the design of his new sofa. Prado (the Spanish word for prairie, one of the ultimate symbols of freedom and self-expression) is made up of a vast sitting space (sizes: 100x200 cm and 120x240 cm) that can be changed according to specific personal needs. When looked at from the front the cushions seem to have a standard oblong shape, but just on their rear is a stable base that allows them to be placed in different parts of the sofa and to be interchangeable. But how does it work?

Thanks to metal inserted at the cushions’ base combined with a non-slip surface that prevents the cushions from moving once the perfect spot has been found. Werner’s clever design also allows the owner to arrange the cushions on the floor and to enjoy a few leisurely moments around a low table. Last but not least, when needed Werner’s Prado sofas are able to become a bed by a simple turning over of the pillows. And ultimately Prado is a well designed three-in-one.

Presented at this year’s January Maison & Objet fair, Inga Sempe’s new Ruche armchair perfectly fits in the elegant tradition of the Paris-born-and-raised designer. This can be recognised by the simple wooden frame and Ligne Roset’s padded cover draped over it, two elements that speak volumes about the designer’s main concern: the absolute comfort of the customer. Despite a traditional focus, innovative thinking is at the core of the Ruche. The armchair’s design is asymmetric: one of the armrests is of the same height as the backrest while the other is sitting just proud of the seat. This witty feature allows the user to take a number of different positions over the armchair: legs can be draped over the side; the classic straight-up position can be assumed; and with the addition of an ottoman, lying down for a quick rest is also possible.

The armchair’s frame comes in natural or varnished beech, blue-grey or red, while the upholstery can be made up in a choice of Ligne Roset fabrics including velour, wool, thick cloth, microfibres or leather.

When you look at Philippe Nigro’s new Cosse couch it seems simply to float.

Its thin clean lines, the softly welcoming contours, the delicate natural wood selected as the underpinning structure of the sofa, all add up to create a unique sensation of lightness: as if instead of sitting on a couch, one was lying on a warm morning haze. The elasticwebbed suspension of Cosse make it a welcoming space where one can stretch and flex without feeling constrained by its structure. As the late American architect Frank Lloyd Wright said, “God is in the details”, a saying Nigro surely had in mind when he conceived this new model.

Paris goes Elsewhere Maison et Objet’s designers seek out a brave, new world Words:

J o h n

O v a n s

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above: Tom Dixon’s commission for the McCann Erickson Headquarters in New York.

Credit: Peer Lindgreen.

below left: Dimore Studio’s interior design for Chicago’s Pump Room restaurant.

Credit: Public Hotel Chicago.

below center: Dimore Studio’s interiordesign for a private Paris apartment interior.

Credit: Mai Linh.

below right: Tom Dixon’s interior for the Royal Academy restaurant.

Credit: Morley Von Sternberg.

W

ith thoughts of travel and journeys on its mind, this year Maison et Objet cloaked itself in the theme, ‘Elsewhere’, with artists and designers creating a “shifting cartography of a mobile, fluid, cosmopolitan and more human world”. From cabinets of mythical curiosities – think sea-punks and mermaids –to robot explorers and drifting astronauts, the stretch of the exhibition’s imagination was untethered. Philippe Nigro was named Creator of the Year, with

a project on show that revealed the story underlying the production of an object. The likes of sketches, photos, 3D renderings, and early prototypes were all relayed via a collection of 30 short videos, and thus viewers were invited to understand the beginning-toend process of design, and push-and-pull between manufacturers, model makers, and artisans. Other winners included Tom Dixon, who launched his apparel, footwear and luggage collaboration with Adidas, and interior design firm Dimore Studio.

top: Philippe Nigro’s Stripes for Ligne Roset

above: Philippe Nigro’s Passio sofa for Ligne Roset.

top right: Philippe Nigro.

Credit: Mercedes Jaen Ruiz

bottom right: Tom Dixon.

Credit Peer Lindgreen.

Bentley comes home

Following on from last year’s capsule collection, British carmakers Bentley premiered its newest collaboration with Italian furniture specialists the Luxury Living Group at the Parisian design show. The range was developed by architect Carlo Colombo, and endeavours to extend the ‘exclusivity and charm’ of the Bentley brand into your living room. Design features in homage to the Bentleys themselves – such as quilt stitching, pinstripes and

moulded shapes – were combined with a natural colour palette of deep reds, mocha, brick and cognac across a range of luxury furniture, which included sofas and armchairs for the first time. The choice of materials and textures similarly reflected the car interiors – and as you kick back into the combination of leather, silk, wool, cashmere and wood, you know that when it comes to luxury, Bentley definitely knows what it’s doing.

top: Bentley Home Collection

above: Bull Armchairs

opposite page top: Rugby Armchairs

opposite page bottom: Kensington and Butterfly 4 seater sofas and armchairs, Harlow and Madeley Coffee tables

above: Artu 4-seater sofa and small armchairs with Geneva coffee tables.

below left: Cocoon high armchair.

below centre: Star dining table and Stardust chairs.

below right: Tudor sectional sofa and Regina coffee tables.

Fendi’s style goes from catwalk to the couch

Fashion house Fendi similarly has taken its materials from catwalk to couch via its new collaboration with architect and designer Thierry Lemaire.

Its 2014 collection, launched at Maison et Objet, sees a tri-blend of aesthetics, comprising a base of Italian opulence with a dash of Park Avenue and a sprig of British aristocracy, converging in clean lines and luxurious fabrication (and fur cushions) for the Artù sofa and armchair.

Elsewhere there’s the Faye suspension lamp and striking, sci-fi style of the ovalshaped Star table, constructed from ebony macassar and polished brass. Meanwhile, singletons can avert their backsides from Toan Nguyen’s Loveseat, a high-backed design that is added to his existing Cocoon range for the design house, along with the sleek, graphic Cocoon sofa, and Pierre coffee and side table.

FF Artu Sofa

FF Star Table

FF Faye Suspension

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Burning the Magical Forest Along with rose petals, oils, and corny saxophone music, candles are a customary tool in the art of romance. But can they be poetic? According to Belgian candlemakers Baobab there’s a dreamy lyricism to be found in a burning wick, embodied in its ‘Magical Forest’ collection in collaboration with photographer Peter Lippmann. Imbued with the heavily fragrant scents of black rose and oud tree, the Estella and Astra four-wicked candles made their debut at Maison et Objet, encased in metal, dark green leather, and crocodile skin.

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Capital ideas How to have Paris in your pocket W o r d s : John

Hotel de Nell w o r d s b y : Vincenzo Albano

Paris is a city of more than a thousand wonders, and the Hotel de Nell represents a new marvel to discover, having been rethought by famed architect designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Its location in the IXth arrondissement puts you between the panoramic Montmartre and the café society of Saint Germain, as well as in walking distance of major sights such as the Palais Garnier Opera House. Just outside is the Church of St Cecile, where Jules Verne got married in 1857. But, it’s the inside and Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s refined décor inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian simplicity that will really make you feel at home. Everything is elegantly composed, from the juices at the bar arranged by colour to the lobby and its tall mirrors, and the sofas designed by Wilmotte himself. The rooms are sleek, cosy, and a pleasure from

the first moment of entering. Once again the details triumph and constitute a delightful journey of discovery, starting with the miniature patisserie arrangement from A La Mère de Famille on the desk. Lighting plays a memorable role in every guest stay, whether the influx of natural light reflecting off the white façade of St Cécile, or the imaginative lamps designed by Artemide.

Combined with the subtle, modern combination of colours - the sable, indigo and white of the organic Swedish wool carpets and the alpaca cover – the lighting gives a radiance that brings life to the details. The choice of natural materials also adds ambiance: the Oregon myrtle wood for the bath accessories, the heated parquet flooring, and the bath cut from a single block of white Turkish marble together create a harmonious symphony, making every stay an experience in itself.

The food at the hotel bistro La RĂŠgalade, on the ground floor, is mastered by the renowned resident chef Bruno Doucet, and it is a joy

Well worth a look PAD Paris The intimate space at this art and design fair caters for a variety of modern and historical objets, including collectors such as Jacques Lacoste, winner of the Prix du Stand, and purveyor of decorative 1950s designers such as lighting master Serge Mouille and glass worker Max Ingrand. A feel for the organic continues in the work of fellow prizewinner Victoria Wilmotte, who dramatises dinner time with a table made from stone of lava, resin and painted metal, and Lebanon’s very own SMO Gallery, who exhibit for the first time. While 2014 sees a focus on primitive art, PAD – now in its 18th year – always entertains a dialogue of different styles, and comprises a vast catalogue of everything from Peruvian antiques to contemporary Chinese art. Well worth a look.

Mini Palais Adjacent to the Champs Elysées and replete with imperial columns, this distinct looking eatery is all about location, location, location. Pass through an enormous bronze door and you’ll discover interiors that have been conceived by architects Gilles & Boissier as an ‘artists’ workplace’ – dine inside surrounded by tapestries, statues and a fabulous view of the Nave of the Grand Palais through the large vertical windows, or on the terrace, which is outfitted with a fully restored mosaic. There’s a menu to match the ambiance, too: we’d recommend the merlan en croute d’amande, tétragones micuites and baba au rhum géant, courtesy of head chef Eric Frechon.

this distinct looking eatery is all about location, location, location

L’Etage de Pastavino Given that the word ‘pastavino’ is probably the most Italian-sounding portmanteau ever fashioned, one arrives to this hidden-away restaurant in St Germain with expectations of optimum Italianity – the good parts of which are duly met, thanks to talented chef Fabio Flagiello. This is assuming you’ve managed to find the place, of course.

Marked only by a couple of innocuouslooking blackboards propped up against a scuffed-up staircase at the back of an Italian deli on a market street, this is one that firmly belongs to the unofficial secret society of Parisian foodies, offering a varied menu – we enjoyed the inkily black risotto followed by the panettone perdu – which, unless you speak the language of love, you’ll need translated by the ever-helpful waiters.

we enjoyed the inkily black risotto followed by the panettone perdu

begin with the bocal de tarama, sink into a speciality hamburger as a main, and then stuff yourself silly with the family-favourite Le Moelleux de Jéjé

Denize A cosy, communal atmosphere and barstyle dining greets patrons at Denize, granted by design touches that include long wooden tables and exposed brickwork.

Open since March, the restaurant on Rue Marie Stuart is already making a name for itself as a favourite new brunch spot, and is sure to continue into the summer, with rustic tables of raw-cut wood and log seats found outside. Expect a simple, countrystyle menu served up with some city flair: begin with the bocal de tarama, sink into a speciality hamburger as a main, and then stuff yourself silly with the family-favourite Le Moelleux de Jéjé.

“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture”

Henri Cartier-Bresson at Le Pompidou “There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture,” said Henri Cartier-Bresson. “Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” Ten years after the death of the famous photographer, curator Clément Chéroux gathered together more than 500 photographs, films, paintings, drawing and documents for a critically successful retrospective – which, from the Roaring Twenties and the American boom to Colonial Africa and the World Wars celebrates a restlessly expansive portfolio.

Varied in topic but testament to CartierBresson’s singular vision – the nick-of-time ‘decisive moment’ that became his legacy, and earned him the modern reputation of the original photojournalist – the exhibition moves chronologically, beginning with the blurry streetscapes of ‘Rising Signs’ through to the visceral brutality of Nazi Germany and on to to flower children in the ‘70s.

In witnessing such a narrative we silently acknowledge Cartier-Bresson as the undisputed photo historian of the 20th century, as well as a man unrivalled in the art of second-guessing.

Martine Franck, Paris, France, 1967 Silver gelatin print Vintage print30.2 x 44.8cm Eric and Louise Franck Collection, London©Henri CartierBresson/Magnum Photos, courtesy Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Behind Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, France, 1932 Silver gelatin print, printed in 1953 49.8 x 35.1cm Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris©Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos, courtesy Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Islam Reinterpreted W o r d s : Kasia Maciejowska

This year’s Jameel Prize exhibition features ornate architectural dresses by Dice Kayek and a concrete carpet by Nada Debs

T

he works on show at this year’s Jameel Prize exhibition at the V&A Museum in London reveal how 21st-century technology is being merged with aspects from traditional Oriental craftsmanship to create an Islamic design aesthetic for today. Submissions come from all over the world, meaning that the Jameel exhibition does not represent only Middle Eastern design work but rather a multi-national consideration of how Islamic culture continues to influence contemporary artistic practice.

opposite page: Technologia, Mounir Fatmi, 2010, (video projection).

Courtesy of the artist and Paradise Row

top left: Dice Kayek, Installation shot, ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London

above left: Ece Ege and Ayse Ege–Dice Kayek, ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London

above right: Caftan, Dice Kayek, 2009, (lamé brocade), Courtesy of Dice Kayek Archive, Istanbul Contrast Collection, Photo: Dice Kayek Archive

This year’s winners were Dice Kayek, a Paris-based design team made up of two Turkish sisters Ece and Ayşe Ege, who created a collection of dresses called Istanbul Contrast. The pair were given the £25,000 ($40,000) prize for their fashion pieces that translate architectural elements from Istanbul’s historic landscape into objects of dress. Dice Hayek made the collection in 2010 and their studio has been a member of the Fédération Française de la Couture since 1994. The sisters occasionally branch out from fashion, for example with an installation designed for the Milan Salone del Mobile 2013 which reinterpreted a Turkish hammam.

The other nine artists and designers who made the shortlist were Faig Ahmed, Nasser Al Salem, Nada Debs, Mounir Fatmi, Rahul Jain, Waqas Khan, Laurent Mareschal, Florie Salnot and Pascal Zoghbi. Their works range from Arabic calligraphy, to social design, video installation and miniature drawings. Lebanese designer Nada Debs drew particular attention this year with her concrete carpet that featured inset Arabic typography re-envisioned through the minimalist eye that has become her signature.

below: Concrete Carpet (detail), Nada Debs, 2010, (concrete, mother-of-pearl, stainless steel), Courtesy of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Photo: Marino Solokhov

above: Guide us Upon the Straight Path, Nasser Al Salem, 2013, (ink on paper), Courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Photo: Khalid Bin Afif

Our aim with the Jameel Prize is to encourage artists globally to continue exploring the roots of Islam

and the role of its traditions in the world today expressed through art, whether it is in the form of traditional or contemporary artwork, craft or design above: Modern Times: A History of the Machine (Detail), Mounir Fatmi, 2010–12, (Video), Courtesy of the artist and Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Photo: Mounir Fatmi

right: Beiti (detail of the installation, CAPC, Bordeaux, France), Laurent Mareschal, 2011, (Spices), Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Marie Cini, Photo: Tami Notsani

The Jameel Prize is run under the patronage of leading Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid to reward artists and designers who use Islamic craft in their contemporary practice. “Our aim with the Jameel Prize is to encourage artists globally to continue exploring the roots of Islam and the role of its traditions in the world today expressed through art, whether it is in the form of traditional or contemporary artwork, craft or design,” said Fady Jameel, President of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives International.

Works by the shortlisted contestants are exhibited at the V&A every two years; this year’s exhibition ran until 21st April.

Striking art for your home or office space courtesy of the Cobra Art Company is not only highly desirable but now easily accessible with a trip to Le Cercle.

A Gardeco sculpture makes a striking addition to any indoor or outdoor space head to Le Cercle to see more.

Hand painted sculptural forms from small to large scale are the speciality of Althom Deco a Le Cercle offering that is sure to add a unique touch to any space.