THE BEAUTY OF SUBVERSIVE AESTHETICS

DESIGN

SUBVERSIVE, ETHICAL, ECOLOGICAL

One of the most successful designers of today, Philippe Starck, gained world fame with his unusual design of everyday objects, which he confirmed once again at this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan, where he was one of the stars with the Miss Dior chair

By:

TAMARA DJOKIĆ

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rich career with more than 10,000 creations, tireless inventiveness, and creativity in design, which characterize both aesthetics and practicality, are just some of the reasons why Philippe Starck is one of the most distinguished designers of the second half of the 20th century and is considered one of the cornerstones of modern design history.

“Subversive, ethical, ecological, political, humorous… this is how I see my duty as a designer,” says Starck, who has followed these ideals in design since 1968, when he launched his first company in Paris. Although his first business did not have much commercial success (he was engaged in inflatable furniture made of balloons), it helped him draw attention to himself and stand out as a new, young hope in the design scene at that time. It may not be a coincidence that Starck made his debut in the famous ’68 years, and that traces of rebellion and revolutionarism continued to accompany his work throughout his career.

Flos Alessi Axor

That is why we would not be wrong if, when asked what his limits are, we answered that he simply does not have them. He proved this when he was hired by a private space research company, Axiom, to design the interior of the world’s first commercial space station and to decorate the interior of the spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. Starck found the inspiration for this design in the position that astronauts occupy in zero gravity, which he associated with the position of the fetus in the womb. That is why it is not surprising that the interior of the spacecraft resembles the shape of an egg, with soft walls and oval windows, and the whole experience of floating in space is completed by LED lamps. But let’s go back to Earth, where we also have no less impressive Starck projects. In the mid-1970s, Starck worked intensively on the interior design of numerous clubs, restaurants, and cafes, among which the most memorable were the other Parisian clubs, La Main Bleue and Les Baines Douches. Since the 1980s, his career has entered a new phase, when he started designing for hotels and when his large-scale projects for which the whole world knows him today, such as New York’s Royalton and Paramount hotels, were born. However, he reached the peak of his fame with a project that connected him with French President Francois Mitterrand, for whom he designed an apartment on the Champs Elysees in 1982.

Collaborations with renowned brands such as Alessi, Kartell, Microsoft, and Puma abound in his portfolio. His countless creative and poetic creations, ranging from traditional sofas and chairs to toothbrushes and various gadgets aimed to make life easier, demonstrate that the French designer is equally successful in making items, not just in interior design. Thus, we will equally remember Philippe Starck for the Louis Ghost chair, completely transparent, made of polycarbonate, which experts in the world of design rated as one of the best designed chairs of all time, but also for the first A.I. chair in the world, designed with the help of artificial intelligence, which Starck, in collaboration with Cartell and Autodesk, presented at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2019.

Thus, Starck proved once again that the goal of his work is the “democratization of design”, a philosophy that seeks to demonstrate that design should be subordinated to man and help as many people as possible, regardless of social class.

LIGHTING

SOPHISTICATED AESTHETICS OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

The wide assortment of the BB Link sales chain offers more than 2,000 products in the category of lighting, LED lighting, ventilation and electrical materials, among which the Lumé and Dawn brands stand out, with modern, practical and elegant lighting solutions for home and office

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BB LINK

Belore collection

Sophistication and innovation are the words that best convey the Lumé brand’s mission, as well as a commitment to customers’ visions when it comes to choosing the perfect lighting for their home or business space. Lumé models exude elegance and represent modern interior lighting solutions that will contribute to a unique aesthetic and fit perfectly into the lifestyle of each client. In addition to

Luna collection LED linear lighting

LED magnetic light

Belore collection

impeccable Italian design and artistic expression, Lumé has paid special attention to materials as well as lighting technology. The models are made of the finest materials and are characterized by premium quality. More information about the exclusive Lumé brand and new collections can be found at www.lume.rs, or in the Lumé showroom, located in TC West 65, on the first floor, where a professional team of architects and designers will help you find the ideal Lumé lighting solution for your space. The Dawn Light brand offers a variety of industrial and commercial lighting models in its wide portfolio of products. The focus is on lighting that, in the first place, provides quality light that lasts and whose performance provides safety and saves electricity. Dawn Light lighting includes modern magnetic, rail, line, outdoor, surface, recessed lighting, and LED control, as well as practical lighting solutions for office, sales, and storage space. More information about the brand and models can be found at www.dawnlight.rs.

LED outdoor lighting

+381 63 490 565 +381 11 22 71 651 +381 63 490 632 www.bblink.rs · office@bblink.rs · maloprodaja@bblink.rs

INTERIOR

HOME RENOVATION IDEAS

Summer is the ideal time to renovate your apartment or house. Even the smallest change will refresh the whole space and make it more pleasant for all the residents to stay. When choosing a redesign style, rely mostly on your sensibility, and we suggest a few current trends

By:

ANA KRALJ

BOLD WALLPAPER

The quickest and easiest way to freshen up your home and make it unique and exciting, with the least amount of investment, is to choose wallpaper in striking colors or patterns. Wallpapers have been a popular option for interior design in recent years, and the range of patterns and colors on offer is fascinating. Now it is allowed to put the boldest design from the imagination on the wall – unless you have already done it because you like it that way. Which is fine, because your personal experience is most important. The advantage of wallpaper is that gluing it is much simpler than painting the walls. At the same time, they easily fit into bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, so all you have to do is choose the wall!

SPA BATHROOM

A warm bath with loads of scented salts and aromatic oils is the best way to relieve stress after a long day. So, if space permits, replacing the shower with a bathtub would be a smart idea. And why not a stand-alone? Freestanding bathtubs have never gone out of style for admirers of luxurious bathrooms with style, and they are currently definitely trendy. With carefully selected colors of soothing shades, shelves made of natural materials such as stone or wood, with enough space for soft towels and scented candles, and, of course, a carefully selected bathtub to fit into the bathroom interior, you can make a personal spa for complete relaxation of mind and body. This ambience will be perfectly complemented by a plant.

HOME OFFICE

If you have a spare room or an unused area in your apartment, consider turning it into a home office. In the last two years, in the circumstances of the pandemic, many have been working from home, and some are still working, because the return to the offices is not so massive yet. If your employer provides you with a hybrid work model, this is the right time to arrange one part of your home as an office during the summer. The advantage of a home office is that you can design it completely to your liking and provide yourself with maximum comfort, which you will rarely have in a real office.

BLACK ACCENTS

Black accents are among the favourite home renovation trends this summer. You can easily incorporate them into any part of your house as black works well and looks good with almost everything. You could opt for a black staircase, black finishes in the bathroom or kitchen, black accent walls, whatever! If you don’t feel like experimenting with walls or carpentry, opt for a black detail, such as an armchair, a decorative pillow, a coffee table, or a chair. Black accents are popular because they can easily make any space look contemporary and stylish without renovating a whole room. They will also enhance lighter areas of the space, making the room look bigger.

MARBLE COUNTERTOPS

CURTAINS AND BLINDS

You don’t have to invest in a marble bathroom or marble floors to bring a breath of elegance and refined luxury into your home. It would be enough to enrich some parts of the apartment or house with marble details, which would be even more striking in their beauty when placed discreetly. It can be a marble kitchen countertop, a marble countertop in the bathroom, or a marble-topped coffee table. The choice of stone colors depends on your personal preferences and the rest of the interior, but what you will certainly not go wrong with is classic white marble with gray or gold veins that spread through the stone and black marble that looks sleek and modern.

If something can instantly change the visual effect of any room in the apartment and improve your mood, it is definitely new curtains or blinds. Whether you are renovating the carpentry this summer or not, your windows will surely benefit from the change, which everyone will notice. The manufacturers offer a really large selection of these products – from elegant transparent and densely woven curtains, through draperies made of luxurious materials, to the still very popular roll and zebra blinds, and Roman blinds. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to reveal or hide your windows more and to choose a style – romantic or minimalist. Everything is in fashion.