Identity | August 2011

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The hard of it: modern floors with latitude Diane von Furstenberg’s interior wrap Basel’s on time art+design movement Aircraft regeneration: from the scrap yard

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Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority

Foto: Studio Marcato - Italy

FURNISHING IS LIVING THE HERE AND NOW.

Selva Middle East L.L.C. Sheikh Zayed Road, 4th interchange, Dubai Tel. +971 4 3411933 Fax +971 4 3411799 info@selva-me.ae Home Design Store, Mall of Emirates,1st Floor, Shop F8, Dubai www.selva.com

INSIDE

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®

Cover photography: Vorwerk Colour Splash

by Esprit Home

SUN STRIPE BEDDING BY DVF HOME

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CLOUD BY ASIF KHAN PRESENTED AT DESIGN MIAMI/ BASEL

HOME OF THE FUTURE, BEIJING

AUGUST 2011

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FEATURES

20 Home comforts

30 Colour wrap

Doing well by going green: compelling new developments in science and technology from around the globe.

Diane von Furstenberg’s latest venture brings together bold colours and bolder patterns for fearless interior decorating.

24 Pure inspiration

53 Waste me not

Promising young designers unveil their cutting-edge creations at the sixth edition of Design Miami/Basel.

Discover how scrap metal from aviation’s yesteryear is reincarnated as contemporary furniture for home, hotel and office.

August 2011

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N DAD A I RAM DE N A

E L SA

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DESIGN FORMULA

ISSUE 95 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MEDINA COLLECTION FROM NANI MARQUINA

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer GROUP EDITOR & MANAGING PARTNER

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Gina Johnson | gina@motivate.ae GROUP EDITOR

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FEATURES WRITER

Samia Qaiyum | samia@motivate.ae CHIEF SUB-EDITOR

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Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae

The world at our feet Whether quirky and contemporary or conventional and understated, carpets and tiles are playing a more important role in interior design. Highlights from the world's leading trade fair for floor coverings pave the way for the trends of the future.

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Belinda Igaya | belinda@motivate.ae SENIOR DESIGNER

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PROPERTY

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id Property + Back in the lap of luxury + Over exposure + Antennae

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IDENTITY NEXT ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2011

+ Planet saving bathing spaces + Cycling with Antonio Citterio + Festive design with Farida Kamber Al Awadhi + London: capital on the edge + And much, much more…

All prices quoted in identity are correct at the time of going to press.

August 2011

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EDITORIAL

Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khatab Mosque

PHOTOGRAPHY: VIKRAM GAWDE

Inspired by Istanbul’s iconic 17th century Blue Mosque, the Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khatab Mosque has opened in Dubai, just in time for Ramadan.

Designed in Ottoman and Andalusian architectural styles by Dubai-based architect M Al Shaikh Mubarak, the 4200-square-metre complex with towering 70-metre minarets can accommodate 2,000 worshippers. It is the largest mosque in Dubai, second in capacity to the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The entire site, which occupies 8,700 square metres, has been under construction since last year. Funded by Khalaf Al Habtoor, the mosque features a spectacular 30-metre high dome, some 21 half domes and over 120 stained glass windows. Specialist artisans were flown in from Morocco to lay the intricate geometric mosaics and calligraphy.

Over in the capital, the second outlet of Technogym in the UAE is poised to open this month, unveiling some of the latest designs by Antonio Citterio and the Technogym design studio. Located in Marina Mall, the new boutique will have a trial area where clients can test the equipment.

Australian eatery Jones the Grocer took Abu Dhabi by storm in 2009, and has finally opened its first Dubai branch off Sheikh Zayed Road. The deli-style franchise already has a cult following and is fast becoming a hangout for Dubai’s beautiful people to nibble on fresh focaccia, gourmet salads and more…

While many in the design community are enjoying overseas breaks and soaking up inspiration for the upcoming season, there is a frenzy of activity to complete projects here in time for the last quarter of 2011.

First off the mark will be the opening of a standalone boutique in Sama Tower by Miele, the manufacturers of the very stylish kitchen appliances and units, on September 27.

There is much buzz in the air about the inaugural Festival of Interior Design, events of which will coincide with the annual INDEX design exhibition to be held from October 22-25.

Meanwhile Turri – one of the first furniture brands to be sold in the UAE through Aati – is planning to open its first showroom in collaboration with Casa Italia. Its launch is planned during the same week as INDEX, when some of Turri’s designers are expected to visit.

Also in October, Bloomingdales Home is planning a major New York promotion, casting a spotlight on some of its leading New York designers such as Ralph Lauren and Diane Von Furstenberg. The retailer has also commissioned a number of locally based designers to create special collections for the campaign… watch this space for more information.

Meanwhile, the new furniture collection by Beirut-based Nada Debs is also causing a stir at Bloomies, the sole outlet for the designer’s debut collection.

Happy holidays and Ramadan Kareem…

PHOTOGRAPHY: NAVEED AHMED

Design calisthenics

Group Editor Catherine Belbin

August 2011

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Home comforts Sydney-based Laboratory for Visionary Architecture’s Home of the Future, one of Australia’s greenest sports arenas and Aaron Moore’s bespoke sustainable furniture go under the spotlight. TEXT: STEVE HILL

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IMAGE COURTESY DOUG AND WOLF WWW.DOUGANDWOLF.COM

ECO

FUTURE PLANS

Construction is due to begin this month on Home of the Future, a showcase on the rooftop of a new furniture mall in Beijing.

Designed by Sydney-based Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA), it features an ETFE geodesic skydome which provides a year-round microclimate that opens up the home to a garden filled with sun, light and fresh air, ignoring the pollution and noise of the city.

Visitors will experience 15 different living spaces, from internal/external bathroom zones to kitchens flowing into vegetable patches and barbecue areas to sunken bedrooms with dream inducing lighting.

At night, the home and the tropical garden turn into an otherworldly experience, as the electronic veins of the project come to life.

The design is inspired by nature’s efficiencies – corals, cells and bubbles – and creates an environment

where technologies are invisibly integrated to satisfy everyday needs and senses.

It also integrates the latest developments in comfort and instantaneous information technology with a space that embraces nature.

“The Home of the Future acts as a metaphor for the questions of our times, our relationship with nature, with technology and with ourselves,” LAVA director Chris Bosse said.

August 2011 March 2009

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MAKING ITS MARK

IMAGE COURTESY POPULOUS

The Metricon Stadium, the new home to the Gold Coast Suns Aussie Rules team, is one of Australia’s greenest sporting arenas.

Designed by Populous, the global architecture and design practice also responsible for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the 25,000 capacity arena cost Dhs570 million.

A “solar halo” has been integrated into the stadium roof design featuring 574 photo voltaic cells, covering almost 2,000 square metres, which provide the facility with 20 per cent of its power usage.

This design also references the Gold Coast with its undulating wave form, reminiscent of the swell of the Broadbeach surf and the backdrop of the hinterland.

The stadium features extensive water harvesting facilities. Tanks can store 650,000 litres, which can be utilised for toilets, the general wash down of the stadium concourse and seating areas, as well as watering of the grounds.

Targets have also been set to recycle 75 per cent of the waste generated at the sports facility such as glass, paper and cardboard as well as green waste. A new public transport system has further helped establish a new benchmark for environmentally sustainable stadia.

The venue will also be able to host ICC cricket matches, concerts, festivals, athletic events and FIFA World Cup soccer matches, if Australia is ever awarded the tournament.

RELAXING AND RECYCLED

Aaron Moore, based in the southwest English county of Cornwall, designs and makes bespoke furniture that is both sustainable and elegant.

Perhaps his best-known work to date is his Re-Form Chair, which features frames from locally grown beech and a seat and back cut from sheets of high-density polyethylene made from post-consumer waste.

The chair can be found in the world-renowned Eden Project, where cups used to dispense drinks in its cafe were recycled to form the plastic sheets that are so fundamental to Moore’s work.

“The furniture has been designed to raise environmental awareness and to be versatile, durable, and fun,” he said.

“Minimum glue is used in the construction and wherever possible they are held together with fixings that allow easy disassembly for repair or recycling.

They are finished using natural oils. In addition the steam

Clockwise from top: The Metricon Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia; the EcoLon cylinder head covers by Ford; the Re-Form Chair by Aaron Moore.

bending process used in some of the chairs is a remarkably efficient method of both forming and drying the timber without the use of kilns.

“Waste plastic is a major contributor to the pollution of our planet, but it can be turned into a remarkable strong, stylish and durable sheet material that gives this range of furniture a unique character.”

TOP GEAR

EcoLon, a nylon resin made from 100 per cent recycled carpet by Wellman Engineering Resins, is being used for cylinder head covers by Ford.

The motor company estimates that during 2010 it saved more than 900,000 metres of carpet from landfill sites and reduced the consumption of oil by almost two million litres thanks to its latest sustainability initiative.

The cover is the first automotive product of its kind manufactured from post-consumer recycled nylon and is used in the Ford Escape, Fusion, Mustang and F-150 models.

The company already uses soy foam seat cushions, recycled yarns on seat covers and recycled blue jeans for sound-dampening material.

“We didn’t have to make compromises for this application. With a fixed raw material cost that delivers cost savings compared to oil, along with the green benefit, this application adds to the ways Ford is minimising its impact on the environment,” said Roy Ford, Ford’s engine sealing supervisor.

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ECO

Clockwise from top left: TD Bank in Florida, USA; a Coca-Cola GIVE IT BACK rack; the Wanda Chaise Longue by A4Adesign.

BANK ON IT

GIVING IS BETTER THAN RECEIVING

The first net-zero energy bank recently opened in the United States. A branch of TD Bank in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will require approximately 97,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year to operate, but its 400 solar panels will produce a minimum of 100,000 kWh a year on site.

Only eight buildings in the nation are registered as net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) and TD Bank will be the first to register a net-zero energy commercial bank.

The bank will also target Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which evaluates buildings for their overall environmental performance in five areas: the use of sustainable sites, low water usage, energy efficiency, recycled materials and resource use, and indoor environmental air quality.

The store was built according to TD Bank’s new green-store design standards, making it almost 50 per cent more energy efficient than the bank’s previous design.

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage producer, is developing a family of 100 per cent recyclable merchandise display racks for use in grocery and convenience stores across the United States.

The first GIVE IT BACK racks are free-standing units made of easily recyclable corrugated cardboard that are designed to communicate sustainability to shoppers.

They are also the first step toward a comprehensive, closed-loop retail equipment programme under which the company creates recyclable in-store merchandise racks and then recovers, reuses and/or recycles the displays – an industry first.

The corrugated merchandise racks – currently being tested in a number of select markets but expected to become widely available by the end of the year – are the first in a family of recyclable displays being produced by Coca-Cola, including a rack made entirely of recycled PET plastic.

“By creating a 100 per cent recyclable merchandise display rack, Coca-Cola is asking grocery and convenience stores to join our sustainability efforts by returning or recycling our racks, just like we ask consumers to return or recycle our product packaging,” said Gary Wygant, vice-president of business development at Coca-Cola Recycling. ID

SITTING PRETTY

The Wanda Chaise Longue is made in Italy by A4Adesign, which has a long tradition of working with cardboard.

A solid honeycombed version of this recycled and recyclable material is combined with strips of felt for comfort while the sides of the furniture are laminated to ensure a smooth and attractive finish.

Openings at the top and bottom of the chaise, available through the British online retailer e-side, can be used to store books or magazines.

A4Adesign are already well known for their bookshelves and tables, and the Wanda Chaise Longue is fast gathering attention, too.

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Pure inspiration Sun loungers made from shopping trolleys and roofs made from soapy bubbles were just two of the fantastic ideas sparking conversation at this year’s Design Miami/ Basel fair. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

The sixth edition of Design Miami/ Basel saw an increase in sales and attendance throughout its five-day run in Basel, Switzerland from June 14-18. Collectors, curators, critics, designers and enthusiasts from around the globe came to see historical and contemporary design, alongside new commissions from emerging designers.

The fair drew a record 20,500 visitors from Europe, North America, South America and Asia, including collectors Jil Sander, Naomi Campbell, Will Ferrell, Jean-Pierre Lehmann and Lord Norman Foster among others. Prices of up to Dhs2.7 million were paid for some pieces.

“With this year’s fair, Design Miami/ Basel has once again demonstrated that it is the world’s most important destination for 20th and 21st-century collectible design,” claimed organiser Marianne Goebl, the director of Design Miami.

Visitors were asked to navigate their way around a new layout at the Basel Messe exhibition hall, where stands were arranged in a “scatter” pattern by New York-based architects Aranda\Lasch. The arrangement embraced “spatial eccentricities” as a way to encourage guests to move about the show in an entirely new way.

The fair’s Design On/Site solo shows of contemporary works deemed to push the boundaries of design, craft and technology, resulted in a number of sales, including commissions for Astrid Krogh’s high-tech textiles featured in this article.

Three sets of up-and-coming designers shared this year’s W Hotels Designers of the Future Award.

Each was asked to produce new work for the exhibition on the theme of “Conversation Pieces”. The resulting designs are featured below.

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ON THE ROCKS

The Flintstones would have loved furniture like this. Max Lamb’s granite chairs, tables, benches and stools bring the Stone Age into the 21st century. Indeed, they are a challenge to prevailing approaches in design. In contrast to designs that transfer directly from computer to machine manufacture without human intervention, the designer chisels, buries, grows and smelts materials into these rough, bold forms. A recent graduate of the Royal College of Art, Lamb is inspired by the rugged landscape and mining heritage of his native Cornwall.

Exhibitor, Johnson Trading Company.

TRENDS

LIGHT WORK

Ikat II is a tapestry made from light and optical fibres. The tapestry alludes to the ikat weaving technique, which, among other things, is characterised by detailed colouring and precise weaving, making smooth transitions between patterns possible. With Ikat II, Danish designer Astrid Krogh interprets the ikat tradition by allowing light to create its own patterns and shapes in indefinable transitions. The light is used as an imaginary dye, which continuously flows back and forth. This is the second weaving in the trilogy Ikat I, II and III. The three light tapestries can also function as a single work. Exhibitor, Galerie Maria Wettergren.

TROLLEY GOOD

Trolleys, a favourite mode of transport for merry-making students often found upended in ponds and canals, have been made into chairs by US-born artist Frank Bouchet. The Frankfurt-based American has turned five shopping trolleys into sun-loungers by cutting off the sides, bending back panels backwards and front panels forwards. The child seats are remounted to serve as headrests.

There is a slight spring to the chairs, which are reinforced at major stress points. Each chair is fitted with an outdoor, weatherproof polyester foam cushion cover of a different pattern. The final collection will include a love seat and chair with speaker attached. Exhibitor, Cumulus Studios.

FLOATING ON AIR

A joint winner of the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award, Asif Khan presented Cloud, a piece of experimental architecture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a floating roof made from helium gas, water and soap that is an instantly deployable canopy for conversations in the shade. Clouds of soapy bubbles float upwards from the designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloud making pots, which are connected to the helium gas tanks that fuel the process. The Englishman studied architecture at the Architectural Association and University College London and has since set up his own London-based studio that seeks to combine the disciplines of architecture, products, interiors and furniture, intermingling low and high tech processes.

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TRENDS

BRINGING DOWN WALLS

Creating a space conducive to dialogue helped Studio Juju share the W Hotels Designer of the Future Award. The designers made a skinless, freestanding metal-framed tent and placed chairs inside that faced each other. Being inside a smaller pace within a larger environment, but simultaneously not restricted by tent walls, enables participants to discuss issues more freely, say the Singaporean design duo of Timo Wong and Priscilla Lui. “It’s something quite psychological,” Wong says, “that when you are in here you feel like you are inside, but at the same time, the fact is people can hear you outside.”

WATCH AND LEARN

In designing their conversation pieces, the joint winners of the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award, Mischer’Traxler, highlighted the dialogue that exists between humans and machines by creating a vase-making mechanism that only works when someone watches it. Vienna-based Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler also presented a mirror that reflects an image only if at least two people stand in front of it. The Austrian duo’s third exhibit was Relumine, a pair of old, discarded lamps which they connected together with a single neon light tube to create a new, single lamp. The two designers studied together at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, Holland.

MEDITERRANEAN MEDIATION

Textiles and ceramics inspired by issues of migration, assimilation, and historical flows of cultural ideas and practices between Italy and North Africa were exhibited by Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi, who work together under the name of Formafantasma. The Italian designers’ textile series is called Colony and the ceramic collection, Moulding Tradition.

Formafantasma used collated data from their research on these issues as both the physical material with which they make their designs and as a guide to changing production techniques, artistic heritage and the “notion of tradition in a globalised context”. Exhibitor, London-based Gallery Libby Sellers.

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SENSI TRADING L.L.C. | Office 502 Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 447 4634 | Fax: +971 4 447 4635 | Email: info@sensi.ae | Website: www.sensi.ae

TRENDS

RECONSTRUCTING THE PAST

Action speaks louder than words, so to show how easily Second World War prefabricated emergency housing designed by Frenchman Jean Prouve could be erected, a team of helpers assembled and dismantled surviving examples of his “shacks” each day during the exhibition. Designed in 1944, the temporary wood and metal homes were created to rehouse victims of the war. The components were transported to bomb-devastated villages where their simple design ensured each 36sq/m home could be assembled in one day by three people. These practical designs were considered an “architectural coup” 65 years ago. Exhibitor, Galerie Patrick Seguin.

GO SLOW

Aldo Bakker’s wooden stools, benches and other objects are designed to slow the passage of time.

Fascinated by the notion of “eternity”, the Dutch designer uses lengthy production processes to make his furniture pieces, a response to the fleeting nature of mass production. This includes using centuries-old techniques like Urushi varnishing from Japan, which must be applied slowly. The designer wants his works to create a space around themselves, to define their context themselves. “I question their meaning and, hence, their use. In the ideal case an object acquires a status that legitimises itself independently of the surroundings,” Bakker says.

Exhibitor, Particles Gallery.

THINKING IN THE BOX

Dutch designers turned shipping crates into permanent fixtures for the home, each performing a specific household function. The CrateSeries of crated household objects created by Rotterdam-based Studio Makkink & Bey are designed not to mark or dominate a room with their presence. For example, “the bed hidden inside the BedCrate doesn’t denote the room as a bedroom”, the designers say. This is a unifying theme of the series – ClockCrate attempts to smother its own ticking sound and the VacuumCleanerCrate can be cleaned up with the vacuum cleaner after tea is served from its built-in trolley. Exhibitor, Spring Projects. ID

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COLLECTION ALLEGRETTO

Original lighting designs handcrafted in America and specified worldwide since 1940. www.fineartlamps.com

FOUR SEASONS RAMESH GALLERY Al Zomorrodah Building, Zabeel Road, Dubai, T: +971 4 334 9090 - Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, T: +971 4 341 3334

www.fourseasonsgallery.com

Colour wrap Studio 54 alumnus, philanthropist and icon, Diane von Furstenberg will forever be known as the queen of the wrap dress. The fashion designer is now marking her territory in the world of interiors, courtesy of her recently launched home collection. TEXT: SAMIA QAIYUM

An assortment of printed Decal Chargers add a touch of artistic abstraction to your dinner table.

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PROFILE

So many prints, so little time. The initials DVF evoke images of the curly haired, free spirited Diane von Furstenberg – best known as the pioneer of the universally flattering wrap dress – travelling the world in one of her trademark flowing printed creations. Known for her glamorous style and effortless confidence, Diane continues to live life by her own rules.

Her company, founded in 1972, has grown into a global luxury lifestyle brand carrying everything from ready-to-wear and shoes to handbags and travel accessories. But now, Diane’s fabulous creations are no longer confined to your wardrobe. The woman behind the brand, a self-confessed “gypsy at heart”, recently launched the latest spin-off from her empire – the highly anticipated Diane von Furstenberg Home Collection – to be the perfect extension of her bohemian lifestyle and laidback aesthetic.

“My surroundings reflect who I am. Even in a hotel room, I’ll drape a scarf over the lamp,” she says.

Diane believes that fashion is nothing without functionality, so it’s no surprise that the collection balances utility

with aesthetic appeal. Inspired by nature, contemporary art and the fashion legend’s archive of exuberant prints, the dramatic collection energises the home with unexpected colours and intrepid patterns.

Produced in partnership with textile and home furnishings company Springs Global US and available at Bloomingdale’s Home, the line includes bedding, tabletop and decorative accessories. Diane describes the pieces as “not a matching collection, but a language” designed to “combine effortlessly with a woman’s own finds” – a philosophy that reflects both the designer and her brand’s signature sense of individuality, self-expression and experimentation.

“There’s an incredible energy in what Diane does. The industry needs brands like this to bring excitement back into it, to re-engage the consumer and touch their emotions,” says Joe Granger, president of Springs Global.

To the delight of Diane’s loyal followers, this synergy between fashion and home is fun, flirty and fashion-forward. With everything

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Clockwise from top left: Sandstone drinkware; Diane von Furstenberg; Miro Flowers platter; Gold Leaf wooden bowl with serving spoons; Pebblestone oil and vinegar cruet set

from leopard-patterned (as expected) linens to citrus-coloured teapots, the collection – just like the beloved wrap dress – is sure to appeal to many ages and cultural backgrounds. Through each high-impact piece, she proves – yet again – that she has the remarkable gift to engage everyone.

Borrowing cues from her own home, Diane designs dinnerware with geometric silhouettes, intricate designs and modern shapes that merge to result in a fearless and unforgettable table setting. Every element of the tabletop collection was created to integrate effortlessly together… like the eclectic, asymmetrical porcelain dishes in highly glazed finishes. Their signature shapes (Pebblestone and Powerstone) recall the striking corrugated glass dome she constructed atop her studio’s building to let in light. Available in an array of patterns, there are also four base colours in the transitional dinnerware – avocado green, tamarind yellow, sea salt and smoked grey – that set the tone for the tabletop assortment. Deliciously, they deviate from the standard and are more formal than everyday use – but who says a midweek dinner can’t be an oh-so-stylish affair?

The reactive glaze bakeware, also offered in four colours, can be taken straight from the oven to the table to simplify entertaining, while the glassware commands attention with its bold elegance. Pops of metallic add an element of glamour to the tabletop accents – chic lacquered trays with gold details, horn serving accessories and striking brass and rattan serving bowls make ideal gifts.

Equally as vibrant and colourful as the tabletop collection is the chic array of bedding and decorative accessories, made with a mix of vintage, largescale prints and unique materials. Encouraging you to use your own flair, the collection dares you to “Create your own style. Pair. Contrast. Be intuitive”.

The sheet programme offers three unique patterns – in multiple colourways – as well as nine solid colours that complement the 14 signature prints that encompass the bedding collection. You can also dress your bed

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in Diane’s most iconic vintage prints – inspired by the iconic wrap dress, of course – with the duvet cover selection, which includes six seasonal limited editions. Completing the collection are coverlets, shams, throw pillows and blankets in lustrous cotton twill and sateen weaves.

What’s interesting is that many (mistakenly) believe that the line of homewares marks DVF’s first foray into the world of interiors. Shortly after the designer famously graced the cover of Newsweek in 1976, American department store Sears approached her to create a line of bedding. Not content to limit herself to the boudoir, Diane proposed to create an entire home collection instead.

Exclusively sold at Sears during the 70s and 80s, the Diane von Furstenberg Style for Living Collection encompassed bedding, bath, curtains, dinnerware, rugs and furniture. The line enjoyed immense popularity; in its seven-year run (1977 to 1984) as Style for Living’s annual sales reportedly grew from $35 million to over $100 million.

During the 80s, she also published her debut coffee-table book, Beds – the first of a three-part series on the home – followed by the release of The Bath and The Table. Next, she joined the ranks of Matthew Williamson, Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood, collaborating with The Rug Company on a collection of textile-driven floor coverings.

Diane’s longevity in the business was further illustrated when she remodelled 20 guestrooms and

PROFILE

suites – stamping them with her signature vivaciousness – at the prestigious Claridge’s Hotel in London last year. Knowing that even icons need to be updated occasionally, Diane approached the hotel’s management about a makeover after noticing signs of wear and tear. The project was an intimate one for the designer, who refers to Claridge’s as her “home away from home since the 70s”.

In a previous interview, she explained: “One of my fondest memories was when I was in London as a young, independent businesswoman and stayed at Claridge’s.

I knew I had made it. To me, Claridge’s is the most glamorous hotel in the world. I am honoured to become part of the hotel’s legacy and rich design history.”

Diane’s own home – an idyllic country estate in Western Connecticut – exemplifies her globe-trotting lifestyle: “When I go places [recent travels include Dubai, Istanbul, Vanuatu and Tahiti] I’ll pick up a basket or a plate, things I love and that give me pleasure to look at.”

The avid traveller and art collector has decorated her space with treasures from around the world – there are portraits from Paris flea markets, art nouveau vases “from anywhere I can find them”, a bronze Viennese mirror and an armoured trunk from Morocco – all proving that one can, indeed, shop anywhere.

Next for the style icon are plans to design furniture and even more accessories for the home collection.

Her foremost entertaining advice? “Set the table, set the stage and the evening takes care of itself.” And with each item from the Diane von Furstenberg Home Collection more theatrical than the next, it’s time to mix, match… and just have fun with it. ID

Clockwise from top left: Batik Floral mugs and plate; Miro Flowers bedding; Animal Garden bedding; Miro Flowers lacquered tray

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FLOORING | DESIGN FORMULA

The world at our feet It’s been a busy year for the carpet and floor coverings industry, with exciting new launches unveiled at Domotex, Surfaces and Salone Internazionale del Mobile. identity looks back on the year so far and brings you the very latest flooring trends going forward into 2012. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS

DES

Oak Earth Wood flooring from Kährs Artisan collection

IGN

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CONTENTS: 38 Highlights from Hannover 43 Surface interest 46 Fashion for floors 49 Future thinking

August 2011

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DESIGN FORMULA | FLOORING

Clockwise from top left: Embroidery Red Mosaic by Marcel Wanders for Bisazza; Epoque wood flooring from Messara Trading; Industrious Senescence by up-and-coming British designer Anthony Hughes

The 2011 exhibition calendar kicked off with Domotex, the world’s leading showcase for trends in the international carpet and floor coverings sector. A total of 1,350 exhibitors from 70 countries descended on Hannover, Germany, swiftly followed by 40,000 visitors from 87 countries. Over the course of four days, show organisers identified a series of striking trends set to influence flooring throughout autumn/winter 2011 until spring/summer 2012.

First up is “Rustic Vintage”, a nod to our undiminished interest in natural looks that appear handcrafted and authentic. Woods were treated with natural oils, burnished, distressed or appeared roughly sawn; some were even processed to create a patchwork effect. A similar distressed look extended to carpets and rugs, which were faded or appeared to have been coarsely hand woven – a look that was either authentic or achieved through realistic photographic printing.

Telling a different story is “Industrial Minimalism”, represented by flawlessly polished or super matt surfaces, creating interesting visual effects. Designs in this style are inspired by raw steel, metal fencing and grids, concrete and

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high-tech motifs in a palette of cool blues, black, white and grey tones. Stark stripes, geometric designs, computer graphics and photo-realistic reproductions of honeycomb structures, crystals, computer circuits and motherboards, meanwhile, are used to form random and irregular patterns.

Also making the final cut is “Modern Scandinavian”, illustrated by light-coloured woods synonymous with classic Scandinavian design: think bleached, white and grey shades. Key colours also include warm skin and brown tones that harmonise with hues of grey-pink and violet. Carpets are chunky and soft, while laminates are subtly or irregularly striped.

Finally, “Global Spirit” strikes a contrast between exotic colours and the understated mono-colours of the Bauhaus style to create a brilliantly colourful (but not garish) trend. The richness and diversity of pattern is fundamental to this style.

For example, traditional Oriental carpets are dyed and their motifs digitalised or combined with new geometric shapes or patchwork-style patterns. The spotlight also falls on dark, tropical woods or indigenous woods treated to imitate them.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM HANNOVER

To understand the significance of Domotex is to know that interiors expert Alison Morris, of leading online trend-analysis and research service WGSN, regularly attends. “After last year’s slightly sombre mood due to the economic downturn, 2011’s show was bustling with visitors,” she says.

“Exhibitors seemed pleased with the amount of interest and sales leads they received and placed greater emphasis on the environmental benefits of their products and made efforts to clean up their manufacturing methods.”

Headlining trends included “80s Geometry”, particularly in the contract sector, where bold, geometric patterns in loud, primary colours are being translated from fashion to flooring. “Vorwerk showcased its ‘Contemporary Art: First Edition’ of carpets,” Morris says. “It launched this range in 1988 when it commissioned 10 prolific architects and artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Zaha Hadid and Jean Nouvel to create signature designs. The pieces have since become historic artworks in their own right and are now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.”

Moving away from the contract market to a trend geared towards the youth market, “Create Your Own” sees manufacturers producing build-your-own carpets that are packaged in handy boxes, then carried out of the store. “It’s a new take on the carpet tile, allowing carpet brands to take advantage of the ever-growing ‘tween’ market by designing the tiles in bright colours and unusual textures,” Morris says. “The tiles are marketed as ‘easy-to-install’ and ‘customisable’ – the customer can buy more colourways and textures over time, allowing them to update their colour scheme and design.”

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Vorwerk Nature collection by Esprit Home

August 2011

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DESIGN FORMULA | FLOORING

Colours associated with Create Your Own typically lean towards bright, rainbow tones, ideal for mixing and matching – think poppy reds, fuchsia pinks and canary yellows. “Reinkemeier-Rietberg Carpets showcased a range of deep-pile shimmer effects aimed at girls and young teens,” Morris recalls.

“Turkish brand Carpetus also introduced the Klik collection, which features tiles with magnetic connections for easy configuration, while Vorwerk introduced a range of click-to-fit tiles with Esprit, displayed in handy cardboard carry cases brandishing the Esprit logo.”

It would be impossible to discuss trends without referencing “upcycling” and the growing number of companies creating rugs from fabric scraps or choosing to weave their carpets using fibres from textile waste. “The popularity of carpets and rugs created from recycled textiles saw the emergence of a patchwork trend,” Morris explains. “Woven, recycled textile fibres create artistic colour blends that appear like painted canvases.”

Fittingly, the winner of the Best Innovation award at Domotex was The Eco Project by Jürgen Dahlmanns of Rug Star, comprising a collection of carpets woven from waste textiles. “The production of every luxury hand-knotted Tibetan rug leaves five per cent of its materials. In our production this translates to having left the finest Chinese silk and the richest Tibetan highland wool,” Dahlmanns says.

“Until now these exceptional materials have never been put to use in a way that realises their high quality. Typically they are bleached by the producers and sold for use in low-grade products – a process that destroys rather than enhances their material value. As a designer and producer in Nepal, I am responsible not only for working conditions and welfare of my weave but also for the value of the raw materials that we are using.”

Likewise, Belgian brand Limited Edition is flexing its sizeable eco muscles. The woven yarns of its vibrant Sari collection are derived from authentic Nepalese saris. Furthermore, its Gypsy collection is produced by recutting and repurposing

From top: Rug Star was the winner of the Best Innovation award at Domotex with The Eco Project – shown here is Johnny; Limited Edition’s Sari collection is produced from authentic Nepalese saris.

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The Karelia Impressio range of hardwood floors proved it is the real deal by winning the coveted Red Dot 2011 design award. This is the second time that the Finnish Karelia-Upofloor has scooped the international accolade; in 2009 its Saima Raita and Wirkkala designs triumphed.

Consisting of eight one-strip oak hardwood floors, the Impressio collection combines innovative product design, the latest interior decoration trends and eco friendliness. Fabulous floorshow options include white sugar and black liquorice; metallic-shine stonewashed gold and platinum; ageing-treated aged oak silky and aged oak stonewashed ivory; as well as graphical black-and-white volcanic ash and worn-looking stonewashed black fade.

Oak Full Plank Sugar from Kareliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Impressio collection

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FLOORING | DESIGN FORMULA

Clockwise from top left: Christian Lacroix Arles Home and Fabrics collection for Designers Guild; practical and stylish Krono laminate flooring available at Danube Buildmart; Neon in Le Maroc Blanc collection by Jan Kath

its stock of chenille and cowhide carpets to create a new luxurious line of patchwork rugs. To enhance the design, additional tufts of chenille are woven into each piece, adding rich volume to the finished product.

Last but by no means least is “New Nomadic”, following in the footsteps of the current trend for primitive, raw living spaces. “We saw an array of rugs with tribal or traditional design characteristics. This reflects how customers are increasingly seeking authentic designs with an organic quality,” Morris says. “Natural, raw, voluminous wool yarns are being used to create sumptuous rugs in white, brown and deep black. Traditional Moroccan designs were particularly popular.”

Catching Alison’s eye was Jan Kath’s Berber rug collection, ‘Le Maroc Blanc’, and in particular Neon, an updated traditional rug design with a single, eyecatching neon pin stripe. Fittingly it was presented the Best Traditional Nomadic Design Deluxe award.

SURFACE INTEREST

As Domotex was winding down, in the US Surfaces was getting ready to fling open its doors at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in sunny Las Vegas. The largest US event serving the floor covering industry, travelling from Britain were trend forecasters Victoria Redshaw and Shelley Pond of Scarlet Opus.

“Our first impression is that the seasons’ styles are set to be seductively sensorial: sound waves of patterns, high-pitched colours, sharp fractured shapes – we awaken to a new aesthetic,” Redshaw says. “A season of change, chaos and contradictions lies ahead with products that soothe us, schemes that shake us up, patterns that reassure us, colours that alarm us. A beautifully imperfect harmony.”

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DESIGN FORMULA | FLOORING

From top: Bodice by Ege Carpets; hardwood flooring from PG Model in Canada available at Woodfloors Middle East, the region’s largest wood flooring company, that stocks speciality indoor wood flooring and decking products.

“Eco Carnival” is the first of six trends identified by Scarlet Opus and it is infused with a strong South American influence. “Patterns oscillate between oversized Amazonian botanical florals and pumped-up tribal geometrics,” Redshaw says.

“Aztec and African combinations set the tone; a jungle of lush greens is punctuated with exotic bloom brights and fruity accents, plus combinations of tiger lily and turquoise are key. Look no further than Tresca for exotic flooring.”

The second trend is “Savoir Faire”, “which is quietly cultured, cheerfully modest and visually polite”, Pond explains. Driving this trend is the return to social values and graces – 20th century values at work in the 21st century.

“A mid-century influence of Modernist art, textiles and ceramics can clearly be identified,” Pond continues. “The colour palette takes us from the garden vegetable patch and flower bed into the kitchen; cookie crumb, mustard, milkshake and salad shades. Embrace the work of Lucienne Day and explore design collections with a strong mid-century appeal. Keep it simple and stylish.”

A perfect partner to Savoir Faire is “Majestic Minimalism”, a trend that looks to the past in order to move forward. References run from ornate forms and historical references to Baroque and Rococo periods reworked with minimalist styling. “Colours are refined yet majestic: plaster of Paris and foundation tones work with accents of royal red, princess blue and tuxedo black,” Redshaw says.

Look out for laser-cut leather panels, elegant cutout wall coverings and Baroque scrollwork adding elegant detail to simple products in chalky tones.

Smooth eggshell finishes and fine powdery textures are seen on all surfaces: ceramics, lighting and, of course, tiles. “It’s time to create something timeless,” Redshaw concludes.

As its name suggests, trend number four – “The Abyss” – reveals a roll call of product designs and surface textures that source inspiration from jellyfish, sea urchins, scorpions and coral. Unsurprisingly, the colour palette embraces aquamarine, turquoise, jade and lapis lazuli – “an important colour of the season”, Redshaw says – illuminated by ultra violet, with coral and neon accents.

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“Watermark effects, wave patterns and Rorschach-inspired prints work well for rugs and carpets, whilst rippling textures and changeant structures are key finishes for tiles,” she observes.

Subsequent to The Abyss is “Colour Capital”, a dynamic and energetic trend taking inspiration from today’s youth culture and London’s unique style. This translates to mean fractured, angular shapes, bolts of colour and clashing patterns that come together to create a look that is very much alive.

“The plugged-in colour palette of sporty brights reinforces the energy of this trend with a youthful Olympic blue, highlighter yellow and a clashing pink and red, working alongside a concrete city grey which adds an important urban edge,”

FLOORING | DESIGN FORMULA

Milton Mosaic from Sicis

August 2011

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Pond reveals. “Simple geometric leather wall panels and flooring work well with urban graffiti-inspired surface pattern designs for walls, wall tiles and rugs, as well as strong colour blocking and Pop Art inspiration.”

Victoria and Shelley wrap up their rundown of Surface trends with “Cultural Nexus”, which crosses borders and boundaries to establish common cultural connections. “Seek inspiration in cartography, Mashrabiya, interlinked geometrics, desert sands, open latticed structures, reptile skins and cracked metallic,” Redshaw says. “Indulge in a palette of arid weather-worn shades including dry parchment, sand, sienna, dark malachite, steel, copper, purple, and iridescent beetle blue.” If in doubt see Hossein Rezvani’s Bakhtiar rug, which epitomises Scarlet Opus’s Cultural Nexus vibe.

FASHION FOR FLOORS

The final set of trends hail from Italy, where the world-famous Salone del Mobile celebrated its 50th birthday at the beginning of April. Record numbers of exhibitors and visitors descended upon Milan, among them Mariel Brown and Zoe Stavrou of leading design and innovation company Seymourpowell.

The first trend detected by Seymourpowell is called “Survivalists” and speaks of our desire to be self-sufficient – to live “off the grid”. It’s also driven by concerns over the global recession, fuel shortages, well-documented natural disasters and political unrest. “The Survivalist trend is intrinsically eco in nature and, as such, we witnessed many examples of designers exploring new uses for waste products,” Seymourpowell says.

Adopting the principles of the Survivalists trend is Etnik from Limited Edition’s latest collection, fashioned from authentic pieces of recycled Berber tents that are mounted on denim and affixed to traditional PVC backing. Each Etnik carpet is hand woven in Anatolia and assembled at Limited Edition in Belgium, using only the finest pieces of canvas, traditionally made of wool and goat hair. For an added touch of authenticity, each carpet bears a replication of the tribal signs Berbers have traditionally used to handily mask repairs in their tents over time.

Sitting alongside Survivalists is “New Mythology”, “offering an opportunity to magically escape the bounds of human existence and reconnect with the planet”, Seymourpowell explains. “Designers are going back to the early origins

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From top: Hossein Rezvani’s Bakhtiar rug is the perfect expression of Scarlet Opus’ Cultural Nexus trend; design duo Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius have sourced inspiration from Finnish folklore, history and nature to create their Volcano rug for Established & Sons; tactility underpins Andre Fu’s collection for Hong Kong manufacturer Tai Ping

FLOORING | DESIGN FORMULA

of man and are reviving forgotten customs, skills and narratives. Old traditions are reappropriated for our modern times in a bid to imbue products with character and soul that respond to our need for storytelling and narrative.”

Design duo Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius have sourced inspiration from Finnish folklore, history and nature to create their Volcano rug for Established & Sons. “Made using a 15th-century craft technique, the characters of folklore are elegantly aligned with the motif of an erupting volcano – a reference to last year’s ash cloud chaos in Milan,” Seymourpowell says.

“We think this trend is a reaction to the fact that people feel let down by governments and corporations. They want more meaning in their lives, more depth to things. It’s about people wanting to escape into the romance of a story, which is quite comforting.”

Our desire to escape is equaled by our craving for more tactile surroundings. “‘Sense & Tactility’ is a reaction to the increasingly digital landscape of our lives,” Seymourpowell says. “People are looking for reassurance and comfort in the real world. Qualities such as volume and materiality are more important than ever, giving a calming and grounded feel to our living environment.”

Walter Knoll recognises and has responded to our need for comfort and security in its first carpet collection launched in Milan. Working with fabric designer Helmut Scheufele, the company has created nine luxurious carpets inspired by Africa, handcrafted in Nepal but modern in design. “The carpets take us back to the origins of interiors and man’s basic need for security while he sits and sleeps,” says Markus Benx of Walter Knoll. “Special pieces of contemporary carpet art are crafted under ecologically sustainable and socially responsible conditions in certified workshops in Nepal.”

Tactility underpins Andre Fu’s collection for Hong Kong manufacturer Tai Ping, using luxurious fibres to create his series of seven rugs. Described by Tai Ping as a “couture collection”, Fu worked with wool, silk and cashmere with accent threads of lurex, flax and cotton. He heralds the finished result as “a reinvention of the long-established artisanship of Tai Ping’s heritage – calming and elegant, yet emotional and sensuous”.

From top: Oli rug by Selina Rose; Heart Oak by Dinesen

August 2011

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DESIGN FORMULA | FLOORING

The Bouroullec brothers new Losanges collection for Nanimarquina, reinterprets the traditional Persian rug using as ancient kilm technique.

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FLOORING | DESIGN FORMULA

Tau Ceramica’s Corten floor tiles are perfect for contemporary living.

Seymourpowell signs off with a trend it calls “Restrained Luxury”. “In the wake of the economic downturn, people’s values have shifted,” Brown and Stavrou conclude. “We are witnessing a long wave trend in which our perceptions of luxury are changing. Many people have rejected ‘bling culture’ and its overt displays of wealth and are instead embracing experiences and demanding products that have a more timeless aesthetic. A natural home to luxury, the Milan furniture fair has, over recent years, offered us a fantastic insight into this trend. So we were once again keen to find out how the new luxury aesthetic is developing.”

Restrained Luxury has marked a renewed appreciation for craftsmanship. The Bouroullec brothers continue their study of simplicity and elegance with their new Losanges collection for Nanimarquina, reinterpreting the traditional Persian rug using the ancient kilm technique.

Technically complex, the Losanges collection involves combining 13 colours through the geometrical rhombus shape – a great challenge for the craftsmen of Northern Pakistan. As well as being crafted by hand, the Afghan wool is also spun by hand, which allows for some unique colour tones to be highlighted, making each rhombus different and each rug a unique item.

FUTURE THINKING

Many of the bright and upbeat colours influencing the spring/summer 2012 trends are expected to continue into autumn/winter 2012. “We will be delving further into New Minimalism,” Scarlet Opus’s Redshaw predicts. “We will be exploring simplicity and elegance, an influence that partly takes the lead from the catwalks of Europe. We will be praising products that appear sculpted, smooth

and visually quiet but we will also look at elements from the great civilisations of the ancient world; crumbling, chalky, scratched, crumpled, peeling and grainy.

“There is a subtle soberness and sense of austerity about this trend,” she continues. “It is purposely and knowingly restrained but ultimately very chic and quietly glamorous, referencing plaster colours, nudes, off-white, gold, dark and light pewter, steel, greys, marble tones and dark granite. Some of these elements will also be carried through into a trend we call ‘Forces of Nature’, which takes inspiration from the natural elements of earth, air, fire and water and both their positive and destructive power.”

Redshaw says we will continue to explore repurposing and upcycling next year. This is influenced by the move towards urban homesteads, voluntary simplicity, urban farming, slow hobbies, and “grow your own” philosophies, as well as new ideas on community and communal living. “This trend mixes aspects of technology and playful contemporary aesthetics with more traditional looks as well as elements from our Eco Carnival trend,” she says. “The trends message is: ‘We are nostalgic for newness’.”

It is fitting to conclude identity’s exploration of 2011/2012 trends with a preview of a product Redshaw believes to be one of the most exciting wood flooring innovations in recent years. Created by up-and-coming British designer Anthony Hughes and called Industrious Senescence, he dyes the wood which is then sanded to reveal its natural grain. The final stage involves embellishing the surface of the wood with flocks, foils, twines and yarns and suede by means of screen printing. These textures then wear away and fade with use.

In Hughes’s own words: “Industrious Senescence is a rich, sensory underfoot experience.” Surely something the entire flooring industry should strive for. ID

August 2011

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DESIGN FORMULA | FLOORING

Design sources aldanube.com; tel: (04) 808 5418 bisazza.com; tel: (04) 347 3347 dinesen.com egecarpet.com; tel: (04) 375 6490 esprit-home.com; tel: establishedandsons.com; tel: (04) 347 0209 hosseinrezvani.com junckers.com; tel: (04) 262 9100 kareliaparketti.com; tel: (04) 338 6678 kahrs.com; tel: (04) 341 5010 kinnasand.com; tel: (04) 344 4734 listonegiordano.com messara.biz; tel: (06) 533 6625

nanimarquina.com; tel: (02) 666 5053 nordichomeworx.com; tel: (04) 341 5010 rugstar.com selinarose.co.uk sicis.it; tel: (04) 367 1290 taipingcarpets.com tauceramica.com therugcompany.info; tel: (04) 323 1161 trescaflooring.com walterknoll.de; tel: (04) 887 1700 wix.com/anthhughes/anthonyhughes woodfloors.ae; tel: (04) 338 6678

LG Atelier collection by Listone Giordano

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Waste me not Proving that creativity knows no bounds, the curious duo behind Relicta Design converts discarded aircraft components into contemporary furniture and art sculptures. TEXT: SAMIA QAIYUM

Genius. Or just plain crazy? Meet Rosario Gallina and Tiziano Rutilo, two urban professionals from Italy and co-founders of Belgium based Relicta Design, who’re approaching this age-old question with just the right amount of humour.

Taking upcycling to new heights, the ambitious duo creates gleaming, metallic furniture and sculptures using seemingly insignificant pieces of scrap metal from old airplanes found in boneyards – a term for a storage area for aircrafts that are retired from service. A Boeing 747 nose cowling is given new life as a reception desk, coffee tables are produced using the wing of a plane, fuselage adds an element of Art Deco – each stands proudly as an eclectic, statement-making piece within its setting. identity was intrigued by this unexpected integration of aeronautics and interior design and spoke with the men behind Relicta – Latin for residue or carcass – during their recent trip to Dubai. Old friends, both with business backgrounds, the two constantly found themselves travelling for work. Finishing each other’s sentences, they described the inspiration behind making furniture from hulks of old airplanes: “80 per cent of our time was spent on planes. We were in California last summer for a business trip and started questioning what happens to airplanes when they’ve become obsolete.”

With no design experience and armed with just their imagination, the two decided to go launch this venture together – something that was infinitely more challenging than it sounds, according to Rutilo.

“We had absolutely no idea about whether one can even visit a boneyard, or buy scrap metal. After making several calls and establishing our contacts, we had the opportunity to visit Mojave Airport in Southern California, 70 miles north of Los Angeles. After receiving authorisation, we drove another 15 minutes into

the barren Mojave Desert, past rocky hills and lots of cacti, and reached the airplane boneyard.”

Described as “one of the aviation world's most fascinating places”, this is one of America’s many aircraft scrap yards and storage facilities, and arguably the most famous. Here, the duo picked and purchased from what remained after several violent stages of disassembly – without any idea of the end result – and had them shipped to a warehouse in Brussels.

During our conversation, I fast realise this is a pair that had clearly done their research. “Planes are here for four reasons,” explains Gallina.

“With the global economic crisis, some were on standby until business picked up. Deserts are good locations for long-term storage since dry conditions reduce corrosion.” Rutilo continues: “Some aircrafts serve as replacement parts for those that are still active and require repair. Due to the site’s proximity to Hollywood, film crews also frequently visit for shoots. Lastly, planes too old to be used are stripped of useful parts before Rosario Gallina and Tiziano Rutilo being pulverized into scrap metal.”

August 2011

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DESIGN@LARGE

Clockwise from top left: Aero California Baby coffee table; Fuselage art deco; Twin Seats sofa; Mixer Tulip coffee table

Once the components have been shipped to Belgium, Gallina and Rutilo start brainstorming. Days of tossing ideas back and forth result in some ideas that are pretty far-fetched, but not technically feasible, so they bring in people with the right expertise.

Just as the finished product, each production process is unique as well. A flap of the now suspended Aero California – the only piece required to make a desk – arrives for manufacturing, personifying the vista of rugged brown earth in the Mojave Desert. The brut – French for crude or raw – version of the furniture can be seen on Relicta’s website. After nearly 60 hours of cutting, shaping, sanding, polishing and fine-tuning, the true appeal lies in that its silhouette remains unaltered. “The results provide us with the most incredible satisfaction,” they say.

What surprised the duo the most was not the response to their furniture, but the kind of people who have expressed their interest. “When we started, we thought we’d target pilots and plane enthusiasts. We also assumed women would find the furniture too masculine.” After their first exhibition, Gallina and Rutilo realised the concept appealed not just to someone with a lasting fascination with aviation, but also those who appreciate contemporary design and have an eye for the unique. “Our business model obviously doesn’t allow chain production and the furniture’s most important feature is its uniqueness. We seek out people who want uniqueness in their home, hotel, restaurant or office.”

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And what’s more unique than having component of engineering customdesigned into furniture for your home? The pair was recently asked to create an entire kitchen plan out of a Boeing 747 nose cowling. Gallina elaborates: “This is the biggest circular piece you can find on an airplane and the concept was to cut ¼ of the nose cowling, create a work plan inside with electrical appliances. The outside is a round-shaped piece where stools can be placed around, almost like a breakfast nook! It was totally irrational to realise but extremely fulfilling to produce.”

This is a pair whose bright future is clearly taking flight. “After having successfully launched and commercialised our concept in Europe, our objective is to target different strategic markets such as the Middle East, Russia and Asia.

We hope to return to Dubai in October for INDEX as visitors, and as exhibitors next year. The ultimate goal is to keep Relicta as unique as possible.”

There’s definitely something green, and almost romantic, about rescuing unique forms of metal from aviation’s yesteryear to create new, state-of-the-art-products.

But not everyone necessarily agrees. Gallina and Rutilo fondly recall some of the reactions they’ve received along the way: “The people at the boneyard looked at us like we had lost our minds. And we were once introduced as ‘two crazy Italian guys who buy fuselage as decoration’ during a news broadcast on a French TV channel.” At this point, there’s a collective agreement that all geniuses are, at least once, accused of being crazy. “We feel passionately about giving forgotten pieces an opportunity to shine under a new shape. There is definitely a green message here. So yes, we are eco-friendly. And crazy.”

Determinedly navigating this new realm, they admit: “We don’t really know if what we are doing is considered art or design. We’re playing on both fields right now.” Art, design or a small slice of aviation history, it was only a matter of time before Relicta Design flew onto identity’s radar. ID

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CONTENTS: 60 Back in the lap of luxury 66 Over exposure 72 Antennae

August 2011

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View of harbour from apartment, 23 Boulevard de Belgique

Back in the lap of luxury In Monaco, high rollers may be about to re-enter the property market thanks to recovering economies elsewhere and some spectacular new developments. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

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INTERNATIONAL | idProperty

Clockwise from top left: Penthouse terrace; Penthouse terrace swimming pool; Penthouse library and Exterior, 23 Boulevard de Belgique

July was a special month for Monaco. Prince Albert II, its head of state, married his fiancée, Charlene Wittstock. This was the principality’s first royal wedding since Albert’s father, Prince Rainier, married Grace Kelly in 1956, so Monegasques made a big party of it. The pageantry of the occasion may have been a welcome distraction from the principality’s monetary fortunes, which while still considerable, have been battered in recent years.

Monaco was not immune from the shock waves that shot out across the world during the international financial crisis of 2008. Its GDP contracted from Dhs24 billion in 2008 to Dhs22 billion in 2009 and the principality continues to pick up the pieces of its shaken economy today.

It depends on foreign high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) spending their wealth generated overseas within its borders, whether that be at the casino, the yacht club, at restaurants, on financial services or in the property market. With so many of the world’s bankers, business owners and stockbrokers losing money in the credit crunch, much of this income dried up.

However, the suffering is relative – compared to the rest of the world, Monaco’s pain has been limited. While numbers of jobless grow across Europe, in Monaco the unemployment rate remains an enviable zero per cent, the best on the planet.

Indeed, the principality continues to rely on French, Italian and other foreign workers to cross its open border each day to do the jobs its own population is not large enough to cope with.

Even so, Monaco has not been completely without troubles. Its estate agents have experienced the same traumas as their counterparts elsewhere in Europe – fewer sales and falling prices. Residential property

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idProperty | INTERNATIONAL

From top: Bedroom, two bedroom apartment for sale at Monte Carlo Star; Monte Carlo Star apartment block in background, Monaco harbour in foreground

values are 30 per cent below their market peak of 2008 and transaction levels have yet to recover.

But don’t think for one minute a slide in property values has made homes affordable to Mr and Mrs Average. Far from it. Monaco’s homes are the world’s most expensive, with sales prices for an entry level studio or one-bedroom apartment typically starting at Dhs5 million. Little wonder half of the microstate’s residents live in relatively inexpensive rented accommodation.

A sustained economic revival overseas is needed before property prices in Monaco can regain lost value. HNWIs need property prices in their own countries to rise, so they have sufficient equity to spend on homes abroad. Recovery is happening in a number of key prime residential locations overseas, including central London, central Paris and Manhattan, so the signs are looking good for Monaco. Estate agents anticipate 2012 may be the year when the principality’s property market stages a firm recovery on the back of this resurgence.

“The Monaco market lags behind other prime markets by one-and-a-half years, both in terms of going up and going down, so it will be another 18 months approximately before prices rise again,” says Pieter van Naeltwijck, Knight Frank estate agency’s representative in Monaco.

An early sign of impending recovery is that Knight Frank has noted a rise in enquiries as buyers tentatively begin to re-enter immobiliere offices.

Today’s buyers are a more diversified bunch than before the credit crunch, reflecting an increase in east European and Asian wealth in the past couple of years, boosted by high oil and gas prices, and Asian dominance of manufacturing.

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“Traditional markets have been northern Europe,” van Naeltwijck says, “but new, growing markets are in Asia, especially India and Russia and the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States]. There are not many Chinese buyers, though one bought a GBP20 million (Dhs105 million) property recently.”

Monaco is doing its best to draw more wealthy visitors, clients and residents. The Yacht Club de Monaco is building a brand new clubhouse that will dominate the eastern side of the harbour. Designed by Foster + Partners this 18,000-square-metre building will feature a series of deck-like viewing terraces from where it will be possible to watch yacht races out at sea and the Formula One Grand Prix on land.

Of special interest to individuals and companies looking to hide their financial affairs from the tax man in their own countries, Monaco has maintained its banking secrecy laws and international pressure to have them abandoned has lessened. Its status as an offshore financial centre has been made more secure following its removal from the OECD’s “grey list” of uncooperative tax jurisdictions.

idProperty | INTERNATIONAL

From top: Exterior and Penthouse infinity pool, Tour Odeon

In addition to fiscal benefits, foreigners find Monaco’s internationalism appealing, with July’s marriage of its half-American, half-Monegasque head of state to a South African reflecting that. About eight per cent of the population come from English-speaking countries, 19 per cent from Italy and nearly half from France, which means French is the day-to-day language for most residents. Monegasque is only spoken by its minority indigenous Monegasque population, who make up only 20 per cent of all those living there. And, although Monaco is outside the European Union, the euro is its de facto currency.

Those looking to buy a home in Monaco usually settle for an apartment – at only two square kilometres in size, the same as London’s Hyde Park, there is little space for houses. To squeeze a population of 33,000 into this rocky stretch of coastline most apartment blocks are built 10 stories or higher.

New residential blocks coming onto the market include No 23 Boulevard de Belgique, a new set of 21 apartments in a 13-storey Belle Epoque-style building, which will be completed this summer by developer Meyer Bergmen. Eight apartments on the lower floors have been sold to Monaco-based buyers. The balconied apartments on the upper floors at No 23 have expansive views of the town, harbour and sea.

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Apartments range in size from a 200-squaremetre two-bedroom to a five-bedroom duplex covering 1,250 square metres, including a roof terrace of 350 square metres. Sales prices range from Dhs28 million to Dhs104 million.

Jacques Garcia, who interior designed Monaco’s Hotel Metropole, has styled the communal areas and show apartment at No 23.

Van Naeltwijck says few Monaco apartments have interiors styled by international designers, so Garcia’s involvement indicates standards in Monaco’s housing market are rising. “The quality of homes in Monaco is very low, so 23 Boulevard de Belgique will raise the level of design,” he says.

On the border with France, Monaco’s tallest building is being constructed, a 170m-high skyscraper that will have 250 apartments when completed in 2014. The Tour Odeon is the first skyscraper to be built in Monaco since the 1980s, when Prince Rainier put a stop to their construction because he was unhappy with their architectural quality.

The pressure to build tall is now proving hard to resist – the Monegasque authorities want more homes built and have ditched a land reclamation plan because it was too expensive, so that means the only other way is up. Now a precedent has been set, Monaco, already a high-rise community compared to most surrounding French towns, may see even more tall buildings constructed there in the years ahead.

Only 70 apartments at Tour Odeon will be offered for sale to international buyers by developer Marzocco when marketing begins at the end of this year. The Monaco government will take possession of the remaining 180 apartments to rent out to Monegasque citizens.

Residents’ amenities at the development will include a spa, concierge, car park and sea views from “all” apartments. The 49-storey glass and white metal tower features a 3,300-square-metre penthouse with rooftop infinity pool.

Monaco’s estate agents, developers and home sellers will hope that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this tower will symbolise a revitalisation of the principality’s housing market. ID

Piero Lissoni

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PORTFOLIO | idProperty

Over exposure This month we have our heads in the clouds as the Burj Khalifa makes a vertiginous mark on the local landscape while further afield, style setters are finding glass a clear winner and eco friendliness a must, not just for boosting green credentials but also the bottom line. TEXT: CAROLINE ALLEN

CLEAR VISION

There are no prizes for guessing the material of choice for the new Glas Italia headquarters in Macherio, near Milan, designed by Piero Lissoni. It simply had to be glass. The company has been producing glass furniture for the home, office and contract markets since 1970, co-operating with renowned international designers.

The signature feature of the new building, covering a surface of 11,000 square metres, is its external cladding that encompasses the pre-existing factory parts into the complex of the new structure. A black steel frame supports special thermo-insulating U-glass profiles. The façade is punctuated at irregular intervals by narrow window frames, again in black steel.

On the south side, a cubic structure of reinforced slab concrete – a homage

by Lissoni to Carlo Scarpa – dominates the building and contains a striking conference room. The irregular façade in U-glass is partly interrupted at the ground floor by supersized gates in black steel. The main entrance incorporates an ‘open air’ atrium. A walkway in concrete slabs leads to the light-flooded reception area with full height windows. From here, the self-supporting stairway in black steel and crystal glass leads to the first floor, which contains the offices, meeting rooms, showroom and café.

Large glass panels divide the interior spaces, with floors covered in light-coloured resin. In the three spacious halls, wooden floors are in harmony with the black steel frames of the façade.

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idProperty | PORTFOLIO

HIGH LIFE

Wuhan Greenland Centre

Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has won an international competition to design Wuhan Greenland Centre, which at 606 metres, looks set to be China’s third tallest building and the fourth tallest internationally when completed in about five years’ time. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer in Wuhan, near the meeting of the Yangtze and Han rivers.

A project of the Shanghai-based Greenland Group, the 119-level Wuhan Greenland Centre will comprise of about 300,000 square metres of floor area, 200,000 of which will be offices. The rest will include 50,000 square metres of apartments and condominiums, a 45,000-square-metre hotel and a 5,000-square-metre private club that offers views of the tower’s penthouse level.

BLUE-SKY THINKING

Burj Khalifa's sky lobby

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Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building developed

by Emaar Properties and designed by Adrian Smith, is redefining the aesthetics and elegance of everyday living through its sky lobbies, specially designed public spaces that offer residents and visitors a high-level lifestyle experience.

Located on levels 43, 76 and 123 of Burj Khalifa, the sky lobbies are design delights, providing residents an array of leisure options. Featuring distinctive architectural and design elements, they lead to state-of-the-art fitness facilities, swimming pools, Jacuzzis and recreational amenities, and also serve as venues for get-togethers and receptions.

“Burj Khalifa’s promise of offering residents the true experience of a ‘vertical city’ is being further strengthened with the sky lobbies,” Ahmed Al Matrooshi, MD of Emaar Properties, said.

Celebrating the Middle Eastern thematic inspirations that characterise the interior design of Burj Khalifa, the sky lobbies have been fashioned by drawing on local heritage with distinctively Arabesque motifs and design concepts.

idProperty | PORTFOLIO

Crabtree Place

LONDON CALLING

UK property developer Artesian has created a residential development in London’s Media City, taking the outdoor elements of fashionable Fitzrovia indoors with supersleek interiors. Crabtree Place, a private gated development comprising seven triplex houses in Fitzrovia, provides an oasis of rest and relaxation close to Crabtree Fields, away from the crowds in Media City and Oxford Street.

The ground floor terrace provides a secluded hideaway while the balcony to the first floor reception room and master bedroom offers views of Crabtree Fields below and the BT tower in the distance, emphasising the central location in London’s underground zone 1.

Edgy art galleries and modish eateries locally are complemented by media and broadcasting agencies such as Freud Communications, Saatchi and Saatchi and BBC Broadcasting House on nearby Portland Place that houses Radio 3, Radio 4 as well as being the headquarters to the BBC. Other media companies based within the area include MTV, Nickelodeon and CNN. Talk Back Thames, is the production company behind the XFactor, The Apprentice and the BAFTA’s and is part of Europe's largest television and radio company Fremantle Media. With Arcadia Group offices located in nearby Berners Street, the empire of sought after fashion brands adds to the desirability of trend-setting Fitzrovia. In 1994, the first Internet café to open in the UK was ‘Cyberia’ in Fitzrovia. The triplex houses, which incorporate polished concrete spiral stairways connecting the living areas and double-ended showers in the master bedrooms, are priced at Dhs17.5 million.

SEEING THE LIGHT

LG Electronics has implemented one of the world’s biggest installations of LED lighting technology in its Twin Towers headquarters buildings in the Korean capital, Seoul. They have been fitted with energy and cost-saving LG LED lights and a dedicated lighting control system. The installations in both buildings will, the company estimates, save a total of 1,717 MWh of electricity, for a 53 per cent saving over equivalent buildings using conventional fluorescent lighting technology.

LG’s LED lighting technology delivers energy and cost savings over conventional lighting as it is more efficient and has a longer life. The company has estimated that its lineup of lighting solutions provides energy savings ranging from 20 to 80 per cent, and can last five to ten times longer. This performance can be enhanced using LG’s digital controls, which can dim LED lighting according to ambient brightness and activate it via motion sensors.

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LG Twin Towers TAPPING INTO TECHNOLOGY

Asteco Property Management has launched a Facebook application, enabling users to search for property, make enquiries and request appointments.

“Recognising the rapid growth trends in online usage across the region and globally, along with the increasing uptake of mobile devices, this new Facebook application makes it even easier for people to find information about our properties and make contact with Asteco’s real estate agents,” Elaine Jones, Asteco’s CEO, said.

The Middle East witnessed a 78 per cent growth rate in the number of Facebook users between January and December 2010 alone, growing to 21 million from 11.9 million users, according to research from the Dubai School of Government. It also highlighted that the UAE has the highest penetration rate in the region, with over 45 per cent of the population having Facebook accounts.

The Facebook application is the latest in a number of technology solutions introduced by Asteco this year, including QR codes. By simply pointing a mobile phone camera at a QR code, information on specific properties with a printed bar code can be forwarded to the device, including links to images and individual property features. Access to quarterly market reports and the latest Asteco news will be launched shortly.

Asteco is also active on Twitter, with its “UAEpropertynews”, providing the latest commercial and residential listings and instant industry news updates to almost 2,500 followers. ID

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Nominations for the ADCB Ambition Award are now open. To enter, simply log in to www.emirateswomanawards.com and tell us (in 500 words or less) your greatest entrepreneurial or community improvement ambition and what you are doing to achieve it. The winner will receive USD10,000, a place on an INSEAD Key Management Challenge course part of INSEADâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Executive MBA at Abu Dhabi campus and AED2,000 worth of shopping vouchers to spend in BurJuman Mall, Dubai. Nominations close on the 15th August 2011. For terms and conditions, visit emirateswomanawards.com.

idProperty | ANTENNAE

Whether you are looking for something green, iconic or by the sea, there are plenty of homes to choose from. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

BANKING ON PROPERTY

Housing markets in Britain and the United States are going through a double dip downturn. The situation in the US now is worse than during the Great Depression – prices have fallen 33 per cent since early 2006, eclipsing the 31 per cent fall of the 1920s and 1930s. They are expected to drop another five per cent by the end of this year. In Britain, prices fell 15 per cent in 2008 and 2009, and are likely to fall the same amount again in this second dip by the end of 2012. Bankers are playing a decisive part in these markets’ fortunes.

British banks are repossessing fewer homes than their US counterparts, which means prices are falling less quickly in Britain’s mainstream market.

In the luxury homes markets of Manhattan and central London, prices are relatively strong, partly because bankers are buying property with their rising bonus payments.

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JOINT ADVENTURES

LONDON’S ARAB SPRING

Talk of banks not lending much money since the credit crunch understandably concerns property buyers – not only is it harder for them to get mortgages, it is also tougher for developers to get loans, a situation that has scuppered projects and led to off-plan investors losing their deposits. So, instead of looking to banks for funding, developers are turning to cash-rich investors to finance their schemes, setting up joint ventures, such as Londonbased Northbeach Capital Partners. These are popular with high net worth individual’s (HNWI’s) looking to diversify away from stock and bond markets into property. Sometimes these investments and joint ventures are turned into property funds, generating large sums of capital for multiple projects.

CB Richard Ellis, calculates Dhs44 billion is being directed at British property by property funds this year. These funds include Ingenuity Capital, set up by YOO founder John Hitchcox, which seeks to invest in multi-million pound schemes mainly in Britain.

Social unrest in Middle Eastern and North African states has led to Arab businessmen buying luxury boltholes in London. According to estate agency WA Ellis, the number of buyers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE searching for British property over the first six months of 2011 increased 67 per cent, 65 per cent and 47 per cent respectively compared to the same period last year. Most want to buy in Knightsbridge and neighbouring des res areas of central London.

Britain has a near monopoly on this market as estate agents report few wealthy Arabs buying in Paris, New York, Switzerland or other spots traditionally favoured by international HNWIs, nor in emerging East Asian states with investor immigration schemes. Historical ties and Britain’s weak currency, strong reputation for providing excellent education, relaxed residency rules and generous tax incentives for non-domiciled foreigners appear irresistible.

EASTERN PROMISE

Green-minded property investors are being offered a widening selection of homes to choose from in Europe, where governments and the European Union want more carbon-negative buildings constructed.

In Estonia, where the government is investing EU funding in environmentally friendly projects, marketers Property Secrets says a carbon-negative residential complex is being built on the outskirts of the capital, Tallinn. The wooden, two-bedroom homes at Oxford Park are priced from Dhs567,000. Electricity for the homes is generated by biomass fuel, however, its developers have compromised on the green agenda by including car parking spaces. In France, the completed Les Mazets de Ventoux residences in Malaucene also use electricity from renewable sources and are built entirely of natural materials its developer, Terresens, says. These homes are priced from Dhs747,000. We may also see more eco-friendly homes start to appear in Britain, where it is proposed all new homes be “zero carbon” by 2016.

The Knight Frank Global House Price Index shows the world’s housing markets weakening, with prices in 25 of 50 countries surveyed falling or static.

Asian markets, led by Hong Kong, are strongest, and North American markets are weakest. France shot up to sixth from 30th, because of 8.7 per cent annual price growth, and Russia sank to 49th, following a 13.9 per cent fall in values. “While many housing market experts consider the US to represent the greatest risk to the stability of global housing markets, there is still a potential in China, Taiwan and in Hong Kong for their housing markets to become overheated and bubbles to appear once more, if government intervention proves insufficient,” says Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of residential research. The global downturn will hit a low point at the end of 2011 before slowly recovering in 2012, he forecasts.

AMERICAN ICONS

LUXURY LIFESTYLE

INTO THE VALLEY

Two of the world’s most iconic homes are on sale in Los Angeles. The Beverly Hills mansion, the former home of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, is on the market for Dhs348m. Three years ago it was priced at Dhs606m, so the drop in price reflects the wider malaise afflicting the US housing market. Scenes from The Godfather were filmed at this three-hectare estate, which has a pink stucco, H-shaped mansion housing a disco and cinema, and three swimming pools, the largest of which is fed by waterfalls and cascading ponds. Up the road from Beverly Hills, at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, is Ennis House, which belonged to visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1920s.

On sale for Dhs22m, the home features mosaics, stained glass windows and bold geometrical designs inspired by Mayan facades found in Mexico on its concrete building blocks. Christies International Real Estate is marketing both properties.

Millionaire homes have appeared in growing numbers in the Indian Ocean since Mauritius and the Seychelles opened up their property markets to overseas buyers over the past decade. Now the Maldives is getting in on the act, with the archipelago allowing foreigners to buy homes there since November 2010, since when brand new resort homes have become available for sale. At Six Senses Laamu Private Residences, 16 holiday homes are on offer at prices starting at Dhs11 million, and at Sovena Fushi 11 villas priced from Dhs14.7 million can be purchased through Cluttons Resorts. Six Senses hotel spa facilities are available to residents. They may need them – after arriving at the Maldives capital, Male, residents must fly 40 minutes to a local airport before taking a 15-minute boat ride to reach the resort. Sovena Fushi is a 30-minute seaplane flight from Male.

The largest block of freehold land ever to come onto the market is being offered for sale by Savills estate agency – 400,000 hectares of Argentina.

This is equal in size to the English county of Kent, or one-and-a-half times the size of Rhode Island in the USA. Located in San Juan province, northwest Argentina on the border with Chile, the Estancia Punta del Agua is a semi-arid area of mountains and lush valleys with forestry and underdeveloped agriculture available for Dhs211.8 million. Chinese agricultural combines are buying up land in South America, but most interest in the estate has come from Europe. If modern farming techniques were introduced the estate would be one of the world’s largest farms. This sales launch follows the world’s biggest farm being put on the market in February, a 1.5-million-hectare estate straddling Russia and Kazakhstan, and a 25,900-hectare Canadian holding coming up for sale last November.

ZERO CARBON COPIES

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FORUM

For hearth and home With Ramadan underway, many stores in town are marking the holy month with special exhibitions and promotions, while elsewhere there are plenty of industry awards and product launches to enhance efficiency in the kitchen and create to a spa-like ambience in the bathroom. TEXT: CAROLINE ALLEN

WORD PERFECT

The beauty of Arabic calligraphy is being showcased in eyecatching hues by lifestyles and accessories company Irony Home, as part of a Ramadan collection in its Dubai Mall outlet. The centrepieces of the range are marble sculptures featuring Arabic calligraphy in precious and semi-precious stones like lapis, mother of pearl and amethyst.

Cushions with silk and satin hand embroidery, and oriental lanterns in vibrant shades of blue, green, purple and yellow also make for sumptuous accessories. Irony Home founder and interior decorator Rima Dardenne aims to help customers inject a strong sense of individuality into their living and work spaces.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

Paris-based interior architect and designer StĂŠphane Parmentier has launched his first furniture collection in partnership with Ormond Editions at L&B London. Parmentier, who worked with fash pack heavy hitters such as Givenchy and Karl Lagerfeld, has now come up with a line of accent pieces.

The Altair designs can be used as stools, tables and bedside tables.

Natural materials such as stone and wood take a leading role as the contrast between simplicity and sophistication is emphasised.

With Kask, Parmentier used slate and marble, which only reveal their true identities when touched. He rendered them light with perforations and geometric cutouts. This approach also appears in Helios, where silver and untreated wood is blackened by the colour of coal through a process of silver pulverisation that produces an effect of graduated colour.

IN THE HOT SEAT

If your living space is in need of a colour injection, Verzelloniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kelly Light chair with its multi-coloured wool fabric covering, is sure to provide some eye candy. Created by Spanish design studio Lievore Altherr Molina, its seat cushion forms one unit with the structure to unobtrusive, compact effect.

Presented at the last Milan Furniture Fair, this definitely makes us want to take a seat.

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FORUM

Design agenda New York IGF 2011, New York, USA, August 13 – February 18 Lighting Fair 2011, Fredericia, Denmark, August 28-29 Auckland Home Show 2011, Auckland, New Zealand, August 31 – September 4 Dragon Furniture Fair 2011, Shunde, China, September 6-9 Abitami 2011, Rho Milan, Italy, September 8-11 Macef September 2011, Rho Milan, September 8-11 Maison & Objet 2011, Paris, France, September 9-13 Maison & Objet Outdoor Indoor 2011, Paris, France, September 9-13 NOW! 2011, Paris, France, September 9-13 Scenes d’ interieur 2011, Paris, France, September 9-13 Domotex Middle East 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 12-14 Light Middle East 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 12-14 Habitare 2011, Helsinki, Finland, September 14-18

GOLD STANDARD

TIMELY INTERVENTION

The Tourbillon Ottanta watch, designed by Italian car design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina for Swiss watchmaker Bovet, has been selected by Robb Report’s editors as the “best-of-the-best” men’s watches in the annual ranking to commend the luxury world’s exceptional launches.

Every aspect of the design and production of the watch’s 514 parts is the work of DIMIER 1738’s engineers and watchmakers and the Pininfarina Extra team. This multipurpose timepiece, which depicts Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary, celebrated last year, can be worn on the wrist with either of its two faces displayed or with a titanium chain as a pocket watch. It can also be used as a miniature table clock.

RISE AND SHINE

Interiors has launched the Sunrise collection, part of the Italian Giorgio range. Inspired by the serenity of the day’s beginning, the materials fused include leather, wood and stainless steel. Bird’s eye maple veneer, printed iguana leather and stainless steel handles have been incorporated in pieces to ensure purity.

Furniture from the Sunrise collection, along with blown glass vases, lamps and silk hand-knotted carpets from the Murano range, will ensure relaxed good looks throughout the home.

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In need of inspiration for elegant Eid gifts? Baccarat has a whole variety of accessories that beautifully fit the bill. The gold Our Fire lamp incorporates a Versailles 230 candlestick – a reproduction of the Harcourt glass – serving as a receptacle for the candle and a gold metal-coated crystal shade. The numbered pieces bear the signature “Baccarat

by Starck” on the candlestick.

For something more decorative, the French Zenith candlestick is an option. Inspired by the Zenith chandelier collection, a Baccarat classic style from the 19th century, it features diamond cuts, hanging crystal octagons and darts. If you’re thinking of the table, the Mille Nuits pastry stand makes for an eyecatching centerpiece. Two and three-levels are available in this self-assembly product, in clear or midnight crystal.

KITCHEN & BATHROOM – FORUM

GLASS ACT

Aiming to make the most of even the most challenging spaces and dimensions, Snaidero’s versatile Orange kitchen – previously available in over 70 different colours and materials – now offers five more finishes to its glass version, in both glossy and satin finishes. Cut-to-size technology ensures doors can be speedily manufactured.

The 3D depth of the doors and worktops evokes a sense of lightness and transparency. The worktop is in 12mm lacquered tempered glass with an acid-etched surface. The range of Orange glass finishes includes: artic white; graphite grey; the new feather grey; Atlantic grey; sangria red; burned brown and black.

SURFACE CHARM TRIPLE TREAT

RAK Ceramics’ Jewel collection – sparkling with multi-designed stylish surface finishes for floors and walls – was showcased at the Marseille Fair 2011 in June. The Novelda and Draintree porcelain floor tile series impressed with its chic durability.

Also on display were Connexion, Silkywood, Sensation, Prism, Wallpaper, Juliet, Endless as well as the Stone Art and interlocking tiles collections, incorporating the latest digital printing technologies.

Conferred the SuperBrand 2010 Award, RAK Ceramics continues to be a global pioneer through innovative products such as the RAKSLIM, a 4.5mm-thick tile which sets new industry benchmarks in thickness, strength, cost and ease of use. It is a founding member of Emirates Green Building Council, which supports the development of sustainable buildings in UAE.

A hardworking piece of kitchen kit, the Kenwood kMix triblade handblender has been designed to prevent splashing. The three blades make light work of preparing fruit, vegetables and sauces. Attachments are designed for pan blending, mashing, food processing, chopping and whisking.

Complete with a mini food processor, the triblade can also chop, slice and mix effortlessly. This Red Dot design award winning blender is available in a range of colours and comes with recipe cards.

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE

WC flush plates are the latest piece of bathroom kit to receive the private spa treatment.

GROHE’s SKATE Cosmopolitan Leather comes in quilted or plain leather in black, white, red and brown, framing push buttons in brilliant GROHE StarLight Chrome. The new flush plates are available with two-volume flushes and start-stop function. Saving water is facilitated by GROHE EcoJoy technology. The new plates can be mounted vertically and horizontally. The latest additions include mirror surfaces and anti-fingerprint technology.

With the GROHE Ondus Digitecture-Light flush plate, ambient lighting is brought into to the bathroom by incorporating colourful LEDs into a flush plate. The squareshaped flush plates are available with a velvet black or moon white glass finish. Two-volume flush can be triggered in touchless or tip-on mode.

The light surrounding the plate like a halo can be personalised by choosing from over 200 colours while a timer can deactivate the lighting. ID

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ANTENNAE

Plans for the world’s most environmentally friendly skyscraper, a stunning cultural complex for the Chinese city of Shenzhen and a new outpost of the world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum for Dundee make this month’s architectural headlines. TEXT: STEVE HILL

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3. DOHA 2. BUSAN

TAKE THEM TO THE RIVER

PAST AND PRESENT CLIFFTOP OASIS

The new Museum Aan de Stroom, or Museum on the River, recently opened to critical acclaim.

Designed by Dutch company Neutelings Riedijk, it is a 60m tower featuring 10 natural stone containers that have been stacked and then rotated by 90 degrees at each level to create a giant winding staircase billed as providing “a city walk”.

The museum houses collections from the former Ethnographic Museum, the National Shipping Museum and Folklore Museum, among others.

Its façade and floors, walls and ceilings inside have been fully clad with red sandstone from Agra in Northern India while a large curtain of undulating glass from Italy protects a stunning boulevard.

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Seoul-based Yamasaki Ku Hong Associates won a limited invited design competition to create a next generation resort-style luxury condominium and a boutique hotel complex on a spectacular clifftop location overlooking Oryukdo island and a new marina. The Marin-Terrace Resort is divided into three clusters including two areas of housing – ensuring sea views from all 117 units – and a boutique hotel featuring a total of 111 suite rooms and 29 terraced suites, and acts as a focal point to a resort that is also home to a fitness centre, outdoor pool, golf-practice range as well as a multi-purpose convention facility.

The Alpha Project is an innovative development in the Qatari capital that according to the Xavier Vilalta Studio “demonstrates a combination of advanced building design with an historical heritage”. It features passive design elements that harness energy from wind, water and the sun as primary energy sources while the unique skin of the building is based on the ancient Arabic pattern of the GIRIH tiles, which is also used as the backbone of the planning. It defines and shades the semi-outdoor spaces throughout the interior of the building and extends outwards. The exterior pergolas shade the pathways that wind through the landscaped gardens.

IMAGE COURTESY DOUG AND WOLF

5. PALM SPRINGS BOOM TIME

4. SHENZHEN PARK LIFE

IMAGE COURTESY ATELIER ZÜNDEL & CRISTEA

Dutch practice Mecanoo Architecten has been selected by the district government of Shenzhen to design a new cultural complex that will comprise a public art museum, science museum, youth centre and a mega bookstore totalling 90,000 square metres. The competition-winning proposal aims to transform Longcheng Park into a cultural museum park. The museum complex is located between the commercial business district of Longgang and Longcheng Park. The museums and the mega bookstore are connected via immense arches, creating four sheltered squares in the subtropical city. Mecanoo co-operated with structural and sustainability consultant Grontmij, which is currently working in China on several projects.

BOOM is a Dhs918 million master-planned community in southern California that brings together 10 architectural companies that will all contribute towards the creation of eight distinct neighbourhoods on a 40-hectare development.

Co-ordinating the design and development of the project is Matthias Hollwich, a principal of BOOM Communities and partner at Hollwich Kushner Architects in New York. The first phase of construction starts in 2012 with 300 residences planned as well as an entertainment complex, boutique hotel, gym and spa, plus a wellness centre that will be connected by desert sensitive landscaping, pathways and recreation trails. Another 400 residences are planned in the second phase of development.

6. DUNDEE

7. PARIS

8. PITTSBURGH

TAKING SHAPE

RENOVATING FOR THE RETIRED

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Due to open in late 2014 is a Dhs265 million outpost of the world-famous Victoria and Albert Museum. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma won a competition to design a striking building that encloses 6,230 square metres including gallery and exhibition spaces, working and design in action spaces, offices, and social areas. The structural facade – composed of horizontal concrete bands clad in reconstituted stone – creates a dynamic texture, open to both natural light and ventilation.

All of the galleries will be illuminated by skylights on the roof and may be either completely darkened or only use artificial light, depending on the requirements of each exhibition.

Currently under construction is Atelier Zündel & Cristea’s Dhs110 million Notre Dame de Bon Secours Care Centre, which takes a new approach to the architecture of retirement homes within a major city. The 14,000-square-metre structure blends easily into its neighbourhood and has a distinct spatial organisation. The ground floor is reserved for an entrance area, communal spaces, and for the nursery while the first two floors are reserved exclusively for housing. The third level is for large communal terraces, as well as for organised activity space, while the fourth and fifth are for the nursing home’s housing units.

The PNC Financial Services Group plans to construct the world’s most environmentally friendly skyscraper. When complete in 2015, The Tower at PNC Plaza will serve as the company’s executive offices. It will feature a double glass facade to enhance energy efficiency by reducing cooling costs and allowing natural airflow to the building.

A high-efficiency heating and cooling system will deliver conditioned air to specific zones of the building, as needed. The design team is exploring the use of fuel cells, solar panels, geothermal systems and other alternative power generation sources while green rooftops will collect rainwater and channel it for use in other parts of the structure.

August 2011

79

BOOKS

This month, identity steps back in time to pay tribute to the visionaries of American architecture and high fashion.

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LIVING ARCHITECTURE: GREATEST AMERICAN HOUSES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

CHANEL

DOMINIQUE BROWNING & LUCY GILMOUR

FRANCOIS BAUDOT AND FRANCOISE AVELINE

ASSOULINE

ASSOULINE

DHS325

DHS180

Amongst the surplus of coffee-table books on design and architecture, Living Architecture holds its own with a stunning selection of photography that allow the reader a leisurely stroll through Eliel Saarinen’s Saarinen House, Robert Venturi’s Vanna Venturi House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and more. Over 200 pages of more than 100 inspiring illustrations feature America’s most innovative and iconic homes designed by some of the 20th century’s most important architects.

When Browning and Gilmour began working on the book, they were the editor-in-chief and the photo director at House & Garden magazine respectively.

Browning comprehensively guides us through a range of styles spanning the last 100 years – from James Deering's Vizcaya, his 1916 Italian Renaissance-inspired villa in Miami, to postwar marvels by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Farnsworth House) and Marcel Breuer (Hooper House II), to more recent structures such as Marwan Al-Sayed’s House of Earth and Light. Handpicked by Gilmour, the book’s photographs “poetically capture the feel of these homes, giving readers rare, intimate glimpses into the architects’ unique points of view”.

Adding an element of substance is the addition of floorplans of the featured homes and biographies of their architects, which provides a more detailed look into their inspirations and creative processes. This hardcover book guarantees to be both a visual feast and an indisputable guide to America's elite architectural history for both industry professionals and design enthusiasts alike.

The legendary Gabriel “Coco” Chanel once said: “One cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics.” And she did. After a career as one of the world’s most influential fashion designers and four decades after her passing, the interlocked Cs remain a bastion of timeless elegance.

An essential in the libraries of the fashion-obsessed, this three-volume slipcase celebrates the illustrious history of Chanel and captures the hallmarks of what made the brand world-famous: fashion, jewellery and perfume.

Chanel Fashion explores Gabrielle Chanel’s life and her impact on the fashion world – from her birth into the French peasantry to her rise as the grand dame of 20th century fashion.

Chanel Jewellery tells the story of Chanel’s lesser known foray into the world of classic and contemporary jewellery. Gabrielle Chanel, who had generally scorned expensive gems, began to view diamonds as a symbol of authenticity during the Great Depression and launched her first collection in 1932.

Chanel Perfume delves into the birth of the world’s most popular perfume. As a counterpoint to the little black dress and quilted handbag that represented the style of Chanel, Gabrielle Chanel launched the revolutionary No.5 fragrance – the first to mix animal and plant extracts – in 1921.

identity [interior/design/property]

BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM BLOOMINGDALE'S DUBAI

Nakkash Gallery · Al Garhoud Street · P.O. Box 26767 · Dubai-UAE Tel. 00971 4 2826767 · Fax 00971 4 2827567 nakkashg@emirates.net.ae · www.nakkashgallery.com www.dedon.de

ICON

Berlin Wall TEXT: STEVE HILL

Its official title was the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, but to most of the world it was better known as The Berlin Wall – a symbol of division, tyranny and the Cold War that blighted Europe after the fall of Adolf Hitler.

Construction began in August 1961 with the German Democratic Republic desperate to stop an estimated 1,500 East Berliners a day fleeing to areas of the city controlled by the Americans, British and French after the Second World War. So effective was this sealing off of roads, railway lines, rivers and even sewers that, at a stroke, around 60,000 commuters were no longer able to cross into West Berlin, inhabitants of which were also unable to visit family and friends on the other side of the divide.

What was initially a barbed wire fence evolved over the following months and years into the physically intimidating 160-km wall or Iron Curtain that separated East and West Berlin as well as the Soviet bloc from Western Europe.

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identity [interior/design/property]

It all came tumbling down in 1989 as the winds of democratic change blew through Eastern Europe, but the Berlin Wall will long be etched into the public consciousness.

The structure inspired a long series of literary works, musicians from David Bowie to Elton John, and even Nike, which marked the 20th anniversary of its fall by bringing back a special edition of its Air Pegasus 89.

Walk through Berlin today and the Wall has been so efficiently removed that it’s almost hard to believe it existed at all. Potsdamer Platz, destroyed in World War II and divided by the Wall, now acts as a showcase for the city’s modern architecture that also boasts Sir Norman Foster’s stunning glass cupola on the roof of the Reichstag.

But photographer Hans W Mende’s recent exhibition in the city of images from 1978-79 effectively captured the full scale of this icon of manmade conflict. ID