ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN FURNITURE LIFESTYLE MARBELLA · LONDON · MILAN
SEPT – DEC 2019
INTERVIEW LEE BROOM VIVA VISTA LAGO HAVANA 500 POETRY IN WOOD SCARLET SPLENDOUR
BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED CONTEMPORARY HOMES
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We’re very proud of our 6th issue of UD Magazine, featuring some of the most talented designers and artists in the world today: Lee Broom, one of London’s most influential designers and marketers; Joseph Walsh, Ireland’s foremost furniture designer and sculptor, and Ashish Bajoria, cofounder of Scarlet Splendour, the fusion of top European design and Indian craftsmanship that has become the first international Indian luxury furniture company. Our main architectural feature takes an in-depth look at a new development of extraordinary design-led homes in Marbella, and we also celebrate 500 years of colour, art and architecture in Havana. ¡Disfrutad! Jason Harris
CEO & Creative Director
UDesign
“Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics.” (Victor Pinchuk)
Editor: Cheryl Gatward ud@udesign.es
CONTENTS
Sub Editor: Vivion O’Kelly Design, Layout & Production: Next Idea S.L. info@nimarbella.com Contributing Writers: Giles Brown, Sophie Ann Gatward-Wicks, Vivion O’Kelly, Mike Ricca, Anastasia Sukhanov Architects & Designers: Anja Maria Catharina Dekkers, Ignacio Garrido González, Milda Kazlauskaite, Margarita Mariscal Burgos, Diana Robezniece, Carlota Rodriguez-Zúñiga Cofiño, Patricia Sánchez Martínez 3D Virtual Artists: Dmytro Dubchak, David Jesús Espada Ruíz, Diego Camacho Sánchez, Pablo Aranda Varo
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ARCHITECTURE 32
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INTERIOR DESIGN 84
VILLA SERENITY
Photography: UDesign, SPCA Visual Marbella, Néstor Martí, Craig Wall
122 UDESIGN SHOWCASE
Advertising: Diana Robezniece diana@udesign.es
FURNITURE
Administration: Patricia Jiménez Martínez patricia@udesign.es
106 POETRY IN WOOD
Published by: UDesign Polígono Industrial San Pedro de Alcántara, C/ Países Bajos, 6, 29670 Marbella, Málaga, Spain Tel: (+34) 952 794 117 info@udesign.es udesign.es
142 SCARLET SPLENDOUR LIFESTYLE 154 DESIGN TRENDS
Printed by: I.G. Solprint, S.L. solprint.com Deposito Legal: MA-1335-2017
UD is published three times per year in January, May and September.
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D E S I G N PO R T R A I T.
Richard, seat system designed by Antonio Citterio. www.bebitalia.com
FOLLOW US ON #CLIFFCOLLECTION DESIGN BY LUDOVICA+ROBERTO PALOMBA
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customerservice@talentisrl.com www.talentisrl.com
GRID COLLECTION BY HENRIK PEDERSEN
WWW.GLOSTER.COM
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MADE IN BRITAIN Lee Broom is fast becoming a superstar of international design. Once a child actor, he moved into fashion, then interior design, and has now become one of London’s most influential product designers and marketers. Interview by Anastasia Sukhanov, images courtesy of Lee Broom
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is a British designer whose reputation is growing fast, both at home and abroad. He spent his early years in Birmingham, was taught to draw by his artist father and pursued an acting career as a child member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Everything changed at the age of 17, when an unexpected turn of events led him to an internship in Vivienne Westwood’s studio and to the study of women’s fashion at London’s Central St Martins. In his final year at university, Broom started a side business making cushions, curtains, upholstery and mirror frames to earn some extra money and take a break from fashion. More than 30 interior design awards later, including the prestigious British Designer of the Year Award and The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, he is now a recognised name in lighting design. He launched his eponymous label in 2007, and is now head of a “rock-glam brand on the cusp of international stardom”, according to the Financial Times. He draws inspiration from celestial objects and childhood memories, takes opposites and puts them together and places ordinary things in an unusual context. Lee Broom and his label know no limits, collaborating with brands as different as Wedgwood, Christian Louboutin, Clarks, Bergdorf Goodman and Lancaster House. His transition from actor and fashion designer to interior designer and now, product designer, has given him the richness of experience that no design school could have provided. You career path has had some unexpected twists and turns. What has been the one constant through it all? My theatre background has definitely had a subconscious influence on my work, especially when it comes to our exhibitions – I like to create an engaging and memorable experience for people. I’m still very passionate about fashion, even though I’m no longer in that industry, and I like looking at what people are wearing. When I was working for Vivienne Westwood, she showed me how she was influenced by tailoring and pattern cutting from centuries past, and how we can learn from historical techniques and make them relevant to modern times. That has definitely filtered down to what I do now as a product designer, in that I have looked to traditional manufacturing techniques, craft techniques, and styles from the past, and made them relevant to our time.
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Lee Broom and his Lens Flair Pendants, inspired by telescopic lenses and horizontal and vertical refraction. The detailed cross-cut lens emits a soft deflected light.
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What historic period inspires you most?
The Eclipse Chandelier Eclipse is celestial in both name and inspiration. Mirror-polished gold and acrylic discs interact, dissect and obscure, which both eclipses and reveals its light at the same time.
If I were looking at particular eras, I’d say Art Deco and the Bauhaus. For me they had both a modernist and classic aesthetic which is rather timeless: many 1920s modernist designs look as up-to-date today as they did back then. It was a revolutionary time in design, and this influence can be seen in many of my pieces, particularly my lighting. When designing the Lee Broom Department Store for the Milan Design Week 2015, you were influenced by the cinema. Which are your favourite movies? One of my favourites is A Single Man by Tom Ford. He is an incredible director, and manages to meticulously combine art direction, costume design and cinematography. I also love A Space Odyssey, which has definitely influenced some of my exhibitions.
Many 1920s modernist designs look as up-to-date today as they did back then. It was a revolutionary time in design At one point about 80 percent of your products were produced domestically, and Made in Britain was one of the unique selling points of the Lee Broom brand. Is this still the case after opening your second showroom in New York? When I started the brand in 2007, our output was much smaller, and much of our production was done in Britain. As we’ve grown, this has now been dispersed across the globe. It’s important for me to work with only the very best artisans, manufacturers and technicians. We create products in a wide range of materials with the latest technology, most of which are still handmade in large quantities. Our marble comes from Carrara in Italy, and we regularly visit the quarry to choose it ourselves. All our crystal is made in the Czech Republic, where one finds the best, and our hand-blown glass accessories and lighting are produced in Poland. We also work with
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The simplest pieces in my collection tend to be the most challenging to produce because we’re making an effort to hide the seams and construction.
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factories in the Far East, producing our own LED light bulbs, light systems and lighting parts. But we still have our own factory and team in London, where most of our products are assembled by hand. This last part of the process is crucial to maintaining a high-quality standard throughout. In fact we just relocated to a much larger space so we can do more of this in London.
A polished gold sphere pierced by a dimmable circular fluorescent tube to form Ring Light, a pendant of simplicity and elegance.
You’ve met the Queen of England, but do you know if the royal family own any of your pieces? Yes, they do, which is nice to know. However, I love the fact that anyone can own a Lee Broom product, and that somebody loved a particular piece enough to purchase it and put it in their home. As a designer I don’t create products with an award mindset, although needless to say, getting an award is always a huge honour. Receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and meeting the Queen was a very proud moment for me and for the team. It rewarded us in some way for many years of hard work. During a presentation in Toronto, you introduced almost all of your designs as a probable favourite, as you put it. Do you find it difficult to actually choose one? Did I? That’s funny, maybe it’s because I don’t really have favourites. But okay, if I had to pick only one, it would probably be the Crescent Light. The simplest pieces in my collection tend to be the most challenging to produce because we’re making an effort to hide the seams and construction. This is very true of my Crescent light, where the hidden mechanics that makes the light work so well was quite difficult to achieve.
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What helps you keep the creative flow going? I pick up inspiration all the time, just by walking around London, travelling the world, seeing architecture and going to galleries. I like nostalgia but I’m also excited by the future, so this way of thinking filters into my work constantly. I’m a very visual person and I can easily imagine concepts very clearly, so I’m always thinking and dreaming up ideas, even in the most banal environments. Visiting factories is also a great source of inspiration, perhaps more practically. I’m inspired by materials and manufacturing techniques and how I can use the traditional in new and innovative ways, striking the balance between modernism and nostalgia, re-imagining silhouettes and playing with form and shape.
Right: The Fulcrum Chandelier features Fulcrum Lights suspended at set lengths from a matching finish ceiling plate to create a dramatic cluster that is surprisingly simple to install.
Vauxhall, where you live in London, has a colourful history. Is that the spirit your home is designed in? I live in a converted fire station, so there are a lot of industrial architectural details to my home which I love. I’d say it’s very much the embodiment of me as a designer. I have a lot of my own designs in the space, but I also have a number of mid-century pieces. It has a very modern layout with lots of stairs and different levels, and a central atrium which is my favourite space that I tend to use for entertaining and having friends around. All the other rooms in the house lead from the central atrium, which provides lots of natural light through a central skylight. Whenever I have new pieces or prototypes, I’ll often bring them into this space for me to try out, so it’s always evolving.
As a child you were really into designing houses and shopping malls. Any chance of you going into architecture? Quite possibly. I could certainly see myself designing my own house at some point. I love architecture, particularly brutalist buildings, and I like the way that the exterior and interiors of those buildings come together harmoniously in a very dramatic but practical way.
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I live in a converted fire station, so there are a lot of industrial architectural details to my home which I love
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What’s next for Lee Broom the brand, and for you personally? For the London Design Festival this September, we’ll be transforming our Shoreditch showroom to present a new installation called Kaleidoscopia, which will be an experiential showcase featuring our lighting pieces. The show will play with kaleidoscopic impressions, and visitors will be invited to peer inside the installation to discover lighting products within a reflective environment with optical illusions. It should be quite mesmerising, I hope. Later this year we’ll be travelling to Japan to showcase our collections, and I’m designing our new collections that will launch in Milan in April next year. For me personally, I’ll take a short holiday in Mykonos before all of that kicks off, to make sure I get a chance to recharge my batteries. leebroom.com
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London Design Festival 2019. In signature Lee Broom style, Kaleidoscopia uses visual illusion to create an intimate exhibition with plenty of WOW factor. Visitors will discover lighting products within a highly reflective environment, forming a sequence of multiple images and mesmerising optical illusions, inspired by the kaleidoscope. Only when inside the installation will visitors experience the full transformative visual impact.
collection VELVETEEN pattern TWIRL
www.arte-international.com
TOUR DU MONDE
DEDON COLLECTION BRIXX Design by Lorenza Bozzoli www.dedon.de
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A perfect house in a perfect setting. A subjective description, of course, but for most of us it means a beautiful house close to nature and not far from a metropolitan area. If it’s as perfectly designed as humanly possible, we may just be using the right words to describe such a house. And in this case, a development of them.
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Knowing your business as an architect or developer means knowing what kind of person will be living in the house you design
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Text by Vivion O’ Kelly, Photos courtesy of UDesign utting edge is a phrase over-used by many a hack wielding a keyboard, faced with a work of contemporary art and not having a clue what to say about it. It’s cutting edge, they say. It extends the limits of our perception and forces us to confront the uncomfortable prejudices of our petit-bourgeois presumptions. And so it goes... But sometimes a work of art - or architecture - is truly cutting edge. That means a lot more than something that hasn’t been done before (sloping floors, perhaps, for those who would choose to live in a spatially challenging environment). It means something that really does raise the bar to another level, forcing others working in the same area to think again, to follow or to get left behind. It means the right mix of creativity, practicality and knowhow on the part of the entire team involved in the project, to achieve a planned result. It also means having the wisdom to see a house, its immediate setting and its general location as one, and the experience to know exactly what potential clients might want in the new home. Knowing your business as an architect or developer means knowing what kind of person will be living in the house you build, and designing it accordingly.
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The extension of the outside Mijas stone wall into the lounge makes one hardly aware of where the outside ends and the inside begins. The furniture layout has been arranged to avoid detraction from the view.
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Design thinking draws on logic, imagination, intuition and reasoning to explore the possibilities of what could be Vista Lago Residences comprises 18 design-led villas in one of the most perfect locations in the world. Overlooking a lake and the Mediterranean Sea beyond, with views of the Rock of Gibraltar and Africa; surrounded by beautiful mountainous terrain that does not obscure the sun, within short driving distance of the largely uninhabited hinterland leading up to Ronda but not more than 15 minutes drive from Puerto Banús and the other stylish urban centres along the coast, this is an exceptional location in an exceptional part of Southern Europe. Design is the key word, and it goes well beyond the design of each actual house. All are designed, as would be expected in such a luxury development, to the highest standards of material and construction, but here, design means a lot more. It means designing for a way of life, for clients who are familiar with, and expect, the best things that life can offer. Exceptional design for exceptional people, because choice of living space defines the individual. These houses are being built for those who really care, and know the difference between elegant simplicity and sophistication. There isn’t one. Just think of Audry Hepburn checking her iPhone.
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Entrance and TV Lounge. The jagged sculptural stairway complements the flowing shapes of the magnificent ceiling lamp, while the sculpture figures (The Visitors by Gardeco) chat eternally under the stairs like a group of Andalusian villagers.
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Entrance and TV area mention stairs as sculpture and great sculptures having a chat Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod.
TV Lounge. An asymmetrical delight with echoes of the golden ratio. Whether watching one’s favourite programme, reading under the Artemide ceiling lamp or gazing out over the splendid views, this is a room for relaxing in.
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Design thinking draws on logic, imagination, intuition and reasoning to explore the possibilities of what could be, and create desired outcomes to benefit the real needs of real people. At this level, great design is more a concept than lines on an architect’s drawing, more about feelings and emotions than statistical wizardry. The concept is holistic, to the extent that the furniture within has been designed specifically to suit its immediate surroundings (to take just one example), and all interior design will have been completed before construction begins, rather than afterwards, when structural adjustments necessary to accommodate interior design decisions cannot be made. In these houses, all parts of the whole, such as the stairs, are designed as works of art that complement the whole, and absolutely everything has been designed from the start.
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At this level, great design is more a concept than lines on an architect’s drawing
ARCHITECTURE
Dining Room and Kitchen Area. A functional and beautiful space with a large oak dining table by UDesign, Viccarbe chairs, Argent Linear Chandelier by Terzani, and with a detail that is certainly not trivial: the cooker faces the sea. Behind the kitchen is a utility room with additional fridge, freezer and industrial sink.
So what exactly makes these houses different? Well, they are quite unlike anything that has gone before, but we can start by saying that, although not as large as some of the mansions built in the area, they feel big, because they have been designed that way. No columns, no wasted space in hallways and corridors, an absence of walls where one would normally expect to find them, a house that works as well outside as in, if one can tell the difference. Little difference, in fact, in a climate that lends itself to outdoor living. The terrace is the key to this concept. It has a total of five different living areas, from traditional sunbathing or siesta taking to varied dining activities (semi-formal sitting-on-chairs dining and stand-around barbeque dining) and using the pool, which, as in all UDesign projects, is designed as an integral part of the terrace, very close to the house itself.
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Outside Living Space and Pool Area. This is the view standing with one’s back to the Mediterranean Sea, looking into the house. The infinity pool, as one can see, is an essential part, not only of the main terrace, but of the house itself, and it has stools actually in the water.
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VIVA VISTA LAGO Terrace: the word takes on a new meaning in this context. It has five different areas for different activities, from sunbathing and semi-formal outside dining to barbecuing and sipping drinks by the pool. A sunken firepit and glass side pool panels bring fire and water elements together, and a floating BBQ area complete the scene. Sofas are by TribĂš.
Heading inside, and the lounge is the first surprise, because the entrance is actually a glass-sided hallway running into the lounge, a transitional area with no visible doors or walls. Seating is on the left, dining on the right, and the views over the infinity pool to the Mediterranean are what it is all about. The outside/inside concept continues throughout the house, largely due to the all-glass exterior walls wrapped around the front and sides. In key parts of the house, both at ground level and upstairs, the windows disappear into the walls, ensuring perfectly clear views outside and bringing the outside in. But one can also head downstairs from ground level to a large family entertainment area that provides everything the most demanding client could imagine, and more: cinema, games, sports, cocktail bar if the going gets rough, and all of this with enough space for the entire family to pursue their own leisure activities at the same time. The house also has its own garden gym & spa, all below ground level but with natural light flooding in. The Englishstyle patio features a floor-to-ceiling vertical garden and water fountain, with Jacuzzi, spa and massage table in its own natural environment.
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ARCHITECTURE Room with a View. Not just a room with a view, but an entire house with a view. Inside and outside is defined by a discreet line along the floor, and the sea becomes a painter’s broad brushstroke of blue along the horizon.
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Back to ground level again, and the TV area uses details in natural wood to distribute visual attention rather than focus it on the television set in the wall, its modern fireplace adding to the feeling of a room designed for more than simply watching television. The pool outside wraps around the corner, meaning one can also read surrounded by water, and once again, without being fully aware of the border between inside and outside. More detailed descriptions of the dining room and kitchen area are provided with their images, but suffice it to say here that if Le Corbusier was right, and a house is indeed a machine for living in, then the kitchen is the core of the engine itself. And so it has been designed: a supremely functional space that allows the user to forget quickly that he or she is actually in such a space, but rather in a beautiful - and workable - environment.
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Entertainment Space. Here we have a sunken cinema, pool table, TV area and cocktail bar, with natural stone elements carved out of the rock and beautifully illuminated. The covered terrace off this room opens to an area outside, shaded by ancient olive trees.
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Spa & wellness area. A water fountain reflects the ancient Moorish tradition of flowing water inside a house designed in the contemporary style. Jacuzzi with vertical garden and bamboo, dark stone contrasting with white leather, massage table and total privacy.
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This is a house that works as well outside as in, if one can tell the difference
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Master Bedroom Suite. More than a space for sleeping in, more like a suite in a six-star hotel, this area covers the entire width of the villa. A floating open fireplace separates the sleeping area from the TV area without breaking the line of communication between the two, while the windows disappear into the walls at the touch of a button.
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A Suite for Living. With an ample terrace leading off it, the master bedroom offers spectacular views over the sea, while the personal lounge area has been cleverly designed to be both an integral part of the bedroom suite and partially separated from it.
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Waking up, Looking out. An expanse of blue and white, with generous splashes of green: this is the daytime view from the master suite, even from the bath. And by night, the glittering lights on the coast to faraway Gibraltar and Morocco vie for attention with the star-lit night sky.
The master bedroom and bathroom have been designed as a master suite and a kind of spa, as luxurious and visually pleasing as every other part of these exceptional houses. The master suite occupies the entire width of the villa, and all windows disappear into the walls. There is a terrace here too, of course, and a built-in office area. This development of only 18 villas is a first in many ways, and can be described in many ways. But simply put: this is a development that offers luxury villas designed and built to exceptional standards, each site allowing for total privacy in an incomparable location, all with incomparable views. Perfection, by definition, is unique. All architecture and interior design in this feature by UDesign. vistalago.es
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EVERY PIECE COMES WITH A STORY | CH24 |
WISHBONE CHAIR HANS J. WEGNER · 1950
“Master of the Chair.” That is how Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner is known all over the world. The CH24, popularly known as the Wishbone Chair, exemplifies Wegner’s reputation with excellence. Created from pure and sustainable natural materials, it is a brilliant icon of Danish cabinetmaking traditions represented for generations by Carl Hansen & Søn. The Wishbone Chair is shown with Wegner’s CH338 dining table.
carlhansen.com
We honour the life, colours, art and architecture of Cuba’s vibrant and beloved city of Havana as it celebrates its 500th birthday on November 16, 2019 All photos by renowned Cuban photographer Néstor Martí
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o visit Havana for the first time, one would be forgiven for not realising it was the capital of a communist country. After all, when one thinks about communist architecture and design, one’s first instincts aren’t typically that of bright technicolor blue, yellow, and green pastels. Yet walk down almost any street in El Vedado or Habana Vieja, and that’s exactly what you’ll see, reflected in everything from the iconic classic cars prowling the streets to the buildings and shopfronts constructed in more architectural styles than one can count. Havana’s kaleidoscope daydream of grand styles and design influences is a far cry from the dull grey tones of 20th Century Eastern Europe, and even after 60 years of communism, Havana has still maintained its unique aesthetic DNA. Havana’s stylistic resilience is thanks in large part to the fact that it has never subscribed to a singular design philosophy that could be easily replaced. Unlike many other cities that demolish and pave over their past to make way for new design trends and developments, Havana wears its history on its sleeve, preserving the old
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Text by Mike Ricca Photos by Néstor Martí
Even after 60 years of communism, Havana has still maintained its unique aesthetic DNA
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while blending in the new (sometimes in the same building). The result is a mosaic of styles rather than a monolithic sculpture of a single mode. Take a sledgehammer to a sculpture and you will likely shatter it; take one to a mosaic and at best you break a single tile. Havana’s eclecticism proved its greatest defence and, by adding Soviet design to its mosaic (rather than letting it take over), kept it from losing its identity to foreign influence.
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The irony, of course, is that Havana’s eclectic style is itself a collection of foreign influences from over the centuries, adopted and adapted to fit Cuban needs. The Spanish settlers of the 16th Century, for example, quickly found themselves improving their Moorishinspired homes not just with the typical patios and fountains but also portales, covered porches that offered refuge from the heat and humidity. Grand arched windows were fitted with metal bars and ironwork to provide security while allowing windows to be left open to cool the houses. Vitrales — stained glass displays often fitted over doorways and windows — meanwhile, diffused the harsh sun and provided even more colour to the salons within. Spanish Colonial was the first architecture trend to come to Havana, but it was hardly the last. Italian Baroque arrived on Cuban shores in the mid-1700s and, as with the Spanish, found itself adapting to its new home. As Havana lacked both the skilled craftsmen and sophisticated material processing of the old world, Cuban Baroque emerged as a more muscular, rugged cousin to its European precursor. And where Spain and Italy have cultural footprints, France is often not long to follow. Plantation owners fleeing a slave revolt in nearby Haiti brought to Cuba the Neoclassical style sweeping France at the time, and though they settled elsewhere first, the
1. Details of the terrazzo and door, current Bertold Bretch Theater 2. Neoclassical Hall of Lost Steps, El Capitolio, Havana 3. 17th c. Church of Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje in front of El Capitolio dome. 4. A city of domes, from Russian Orthodox to Baroque. 5. Modernist pavilion ceiling in the Jardines de la Tropical
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Many of the larger buildings in Havana still sport the Art Deco style style eventually made its way to Havana. And, as with Italian Baroque and Spanish Colonial before, French Neoclassicism entered with a splash; Havana designed and built so many colonnades in that time that it quickly earned itself the nickname “City of Columns.� Neoclassicism also helped to usher in Havana’s golden age of ironwork. Though use of metal bars can be found in earlier architectural styles, neoclassical buildings elevated the form further, using it in stairwells, balcony railings, and courtyard gates. The medium grew even further with Art Nouveau introducing more intricate floral motifs and Art Deco bringing in clean geometric shapes. Of course, for all the hundreds of years of influence that Spanish, Italian, and French architecture and design had on Havana, it was the good old U.S. of A. that left the most lasting mark. Art Nouveau, more specifically the Catalan version of Modernisme, did make it to Cuban shores and managed to find its way into almost every residence despite only being in fashion for ten years, but it was quickly replaced by something new, something big, something bold: Art Deco. It was everything a newly-independent Havana was looking for; a larger-than-life glimpse of the future, nowhere more evident than in the fact that it was the style of choice
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for skyscrapers, another bold new architectural development. And even though Cuba never got actual skyscrapers, many of their larger buildings still sport the Art Deco style. Art Deco influence, not just in architecture but art and design as well, is one of the dominant styles in Havana because it was the last to fully mature before the city was encased in amber by the Cuban Revolution. Modernism (not to be confused with Modernisme Art Nouveau), did show up for a few years and shape some design — such as the FOCSA, the tallest building in Cuba — but it didn’t get the chance to supplant Art Deco completely. The Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the ensuing severing of ties to the West turned Havana into a sort of time capsule. Construction projects dropped considerably, and the few structures that went up were in Soviet Brutalist style. Imports ceased as well, which is why iconic Chevys, Buicks and Plymouths prowl the streets of Havana; they do it not for nostalgia, but because they were the last new cars to be imported before the change. But, while Cuba’s post-revolution direction was to thank for giving Havana its “time warp charm,” it was also sadly responsible for much of the disrepair and decay that threatened those charming relics. Trade embargoes kept out the spare parts for the classic automobiles, forcing motorists to rely on improvised parts (and a healthy dose of prayer) to stay on the road. Even the very buildings that represented
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Havana’s long and rich architectural history began to fall victim to Cuba’s harsh weather and harsher economy. By the late 1980s much of Havana was in dire condition. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the end of sugar subsidies sent Cuba into bankruptcy, threatening its infrastructure even further (a reporter for the British newspaper, The Independent, once famously watched a building crumble before his very eyes while touring Plaza Vieja). It was only through the actions of one man, Eusebio Leal, frequently (and rightly) described as “The Man Who Saved Havana,” that salvation was found. Currently Havana’s Official Historian, Leal was then working with the Historian’s Office as an architect and archaeologist. When asked by Castro himself what could be done to preserve Old Havana, Leal convinced him that a new economic model was the only way forward. Soon after, restaurants, hotels, and museums were permitted to earn hard cash, so long as the money went directly into restoring the city. It was a departure from Cuba’s socialist policies, but it
The Havana Biennale, a 500-year-old city turns into an open-air gallery. For a month this year, Havana adopted a different look thanks to the Art Biennale - the most important visual arts event celebrated in the country. The images on this page show some examples of the art works that adorned several kilometers of the Malecón and in other areas throughout the city. More than 80 artists from 15 countries participated with video art, performances, installations, paintings and sculptures.
“My wish for Cuba is that its population will be more involved in its future....” (Eusebio Leal)
To see more fine art photography of Havana and Cuba visit: nestormartiphotography.com
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was exactly what it needed to stay alive. What began as a $1 million fund in the 90s grew a hundredfold in barely two decades. Even at the age of 76, Leal still works tirelessly to bring Havana back to its former glory, recently working to recover old city walls from underneath parking lots. Yet for all his love of history and championing its preservation, Leal still has his eyes forward. “My wish for Cuba is that its population will be more involved in its future. That there will be more dignity and equity, and ultimately that there is more justice for everyone.” Even as he digs up the streets in search of the past, he’s looking squarely toward the future. Already again in the midst of change, Havana has a long bright future ahead of it. And with all the many influences that have come, gone, and left souvenirs behind, who knows what buildings and features will one day find themselves nestled between the colonial domiciles and Art Deco giants of San Cristóbal de la Habana?
Cultivating chandeliers since 1724
www.preciosalighting.com
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In this age of permanent information overload and nonstop communication, we constantly search for ways to reconnect with our true selves. Our home environment plays a big role in helping us find peace in a busy world.
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Text by Anastasia Sukhanov Photos courtesy of UDesign his beautiful villa in the heart of the Italian Riviera is true to its name. With a palette limited almost exclusively to white, black and dark bronze, it has a calming effect as soon as one steps inside. Villa Serenity is the latest project by UDesign, tailored to a very specific brief. The clients wanted the kind of home where time would slow down, allowing them to reconnect with each other in a space that inspires reflection, quality time and balance. Nature plays an important part in achieving this: a garden designed in signature UDesign style, bringing bonsai trees and plants into the living space, blurring the line between outdoors and indoors. This effect is taken further by the choice of main materials - wood and natural stone prevail - creating a minimalist, almost Japanese feel. The villa’s dining room is spectacular in its simplicity, where a custom-made UDesign dining table, made from a single piece of solid bleached wood, is accompanied by Moroso chairs from the Armada collection. Everything here seems to float, as if suspended from above, weightless, setting the tone for memorable dinners and agreeable conversation in an ambience designed for just that.
Dining room: the graphic ethnic-inspired art is a theme in itself, creating the perfect balance between the contained and the outgoing.
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View of the villa from the office on the first floor. The dining area is dominated by a Caadre Mirror designed by Philip Starck for Fiam Italia. The French master himself has said about this piece: “Perhaps Narcissus has fallen into the water, intent on finding this mysterious mirror, framed in curved glass that reflects truth, while changing.�
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This minimal, comfortable kitchen continues the “no excess” theme set by the lounge and dining area.
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Working from home is the new norm and Villa Serenity has an excellent example of an ideal home office
It’s not only the colours that make Villa Serenity a house that allows for complete readjustment from one space to another. A lovely feature of the villa is its office, designed at the special request of the client. Working from home is the new norm, and Villa Serenity has an excellent example of an ideal home office: a quiet and well-equipped space that is not totally isolated from the rest of the house. With a fully transparent mezzanine office overlooking the lounge and the hills over the Mediterranean, the owner of this house gets the best of both worlds. The kitchen of the villa, neatly tucked under the office area, follows the UDesign philosophy of treating the kitchen as an integral part of the living space, allowing the family to spend as much time together as possible while busy with different activities. With white KRIONŽ island and doors, black onyx wall panelling, and slim pencil lamps
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INTERIOR DESIGN The clean design is complemented by spherical Mooi lights, high gloss tree trunk side tables custommade by UDesign and a Nomon wall clock.
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INTERIOR DESIGN A Tristan & Isotte metal sculpture by De Castelli peeks in from the garden. Bonsai trees and plants are illuminated at night, giving them the illusion of being inside the house.
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The lounge area is a perfect play of contrasts: spherical Mooi lights, Pulpo floor lamps from the Oda series and the built-in fireplace are at odds with the otherwise understated setting.
hanging over each Tom Dixon stool in dark charcoal velvet, it’s a perfect play of minimal shapes and lighting. It might look simple during the day but creates all the ambience in the evening. The lounge is outlined by white Arketipo sofas and black ash Poliform coffee tables. Clean design of this area is complemented by spherical Mooi lights, eye-catching high-gloss tree trunk side tables custom-made by UDesign and graphic art that give this seating area a subtle ethnic feel. The TV-room, which extends into the terrace allowing for direct access to the pool, takes lounging to another level, yet again bringing the outside and inside together as one. Walnut panelling adds warmth to this idyllic setting of light white-washed linen and cotton textures, reminiscent of a seaside boutique hotel. With a table custom made by UDesign, Piet Boon benches, a built-in BBQ, a 65-inch TV screen and luxurious sofas just steps from the pool, this area has been designed for much more than dining for 12: it allows for quality time spent together when the day’s work is done. Surrounded by cypress trees, giant bonsais and numerous daybeds and sun beds, this hidden area is truly serene.
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With a TV room that extends into a terrace which extends into a pool, the living is easy.
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Colour schemes can have a profound effect on one’s ability to relax and sleep well Colour schemes can have a profound effect on one’s ability to relax and sleep well, and the soothing colour choices in this bedroom certainly promote a peaceful atmosphere. The space is designed in a pattern of greys and whites, accented on each side of the imposing bed by the Knot pendant lights, made by the Czech brand Brokis. With a combination of smooth transparent blown glass and coarse natural fibre, they echo the rest of the ethnicinspired art of the villa. Villa Serenity is laconic in its design, where nothing distracts from the main elements of nature and light. This private home, with its numerous chill-out zones, helps one decompress, reconnect and put the hustle and bustle of the daily routine on hold. Finding one’s own Zen here is something that just comes naturally. All architecture and interior design in this feature by UDesign. udesign.es
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The neutral palette of this master bedroom is a designer’s lullaby.
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A sculptor who makes furniture? A furniture maker who makes sculpture? It doesn’t matter, although one suspects that on the long stretch, Joseph Walsh will have a secure place in the history of art, not just in Ireland, but wherever great art is appreciated. t’s easy to see why, or perhaps to feel why, because to stand under one of his monumental pieces and to walk around it is to both see and feel art, without having to touch it. Like a classic work by Mark Rothko, for example, it speaks not just to our visual senses, but to our souls. And it does it simply, without complication. If brevity is the soul of wit, then simplicity is the soul of art. And his material of choice is wood.
Text by Vivion O’Kelly, Images courtesy of Joseph Walsh Above: Sculptor and designer Joseph Walsh. Right: Magnus V, a freeform sculpture in ash, reaching five metres in height, was unveiled at the Making In seminar in 2018. It embodies the Taoism philosophy of emptiness, believing that the mood should be captured as much in the imagination as the physically present.
“I started with timber very young”, he says, “and that gives you an intuitive understanding of it... you’re always learning and pushing your ambitions, so it’s a constant to and fro, the ambition of doing something new. There’s still so much to learn that I’ll probably continue on this road for some time to come.” Many good sculptors have taken a small piece and tried to enlarge it, unsuccessfully, because space makes its own demands on form. Only a piece that has been designed to perfection, if such a concept exists, will work at any size, for reasons that have as much to do with visual aesthetics as technique and engineering. Large-scale sculptural work usually shows what keeps it up, whether it be extra-thick bases or additional supports, but looking up at a work by Joseph Walsh, seemingly floating in the air, one marvels at the skill and engineering required to keep it standing. Although to say it occupies space very well is something of a cliche, it does just that. In fact, it appears to envelope all the space around it, as well as the viewer looking up at it. Its
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Right: The Lilium Series “The Lilium series is both a study and an expression of the relationship between the beauty we create and the beauty we allow to happen; the beauty we participate in creating and the beauty we quietly observe.”
impact is such that one could say (with due respect to the correct use of words) that his work is stunning.
Above: Joseph Walsh created the Enignum VI Canopy Bed – Chatsworth for the exhibition Modern Makers in Chatsworth House, Derbyshire in England. Taking Chatsworth, and the Devonshire Collection, as a source of inspiration, Modern Makers is a unique selling exhibition of contemporary craft, hosted by Sotheby’s.
One might also be tempted to marvel at the fact that it all comes from a barn-like studio on a farm in West Cork, but that would be a mistake. He answers our question about location in a much more prosaic way, assuring us that there are pros and cons to operating in such a relatively isolated environment, but the truth lies parallel: he probably would not be doing what he does if he didn’t live and work there, because his work relates strongly to his natural surroundings. “I need a certain scale and space to work, and I have it out here in the countryside”, he says. One can almost see, in his pieces, the winter wind howling across the West Cork landscape, bending the trees and setting our imaginations alight. One can feel the material he uses, knowing it comes from the countryside surrounding his studio, or from a similar type of landscape elsewhere. And knowing where he is from, one can imagine the lifelong relationship he has had with that material.
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“There’s a strong sense of community among designers here”, he told us, “and that, I suppose, is the result of our relative isolation. We work together with a joint sense of purpose, far from the major outlets like London and Paris, but it’s a real luxury to be able to work in the place you grew up in. It’s something we might take for granted, but it’s rare”. It may also come as a surprise to know that he has no formal training. His Wikipedia entry describes him as a self-taught furniture maker and designer, founding his studio and workshop in 1999 and exhibiting worldwide. But the story goes back further, to a time when he ran around the family farm looking for things to fix and things to make, as many a young fellow had done all over rural Ireland for many a long day. The difference is that he kept doing it, and that he was born into a time when the image of the designer as an exotic foreigner dressed like a rock star had long passed, thanks, in some large part, to the establishment of the Kilkenny Design Workshops long before Joseph was born. “It’s true that I didn’t go to art college but studied nevertheless,” he says. “I learned a lot from books about
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Above: Joseph in his studio in the West Cork countryside. Right: The Enignum Table Series – “The title derives from the Latin words Enigma (mystery) and Lignum (wood), for me they sum up the series: the mystery of the composition lies in the material.”
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techniques of the past, I pursued knowledge, and that enabled me to take my own road and make things that hadn’t been made before. Reading, practice, travelling to see other people’s work, so I guess self-taught might not be strictly correct.” Speaking to Joseph, we discovered a soft-spoken man on whom success and a growing worldwide reputation sits lightly but comfortably. Perhaps because he was never held up like a trophy at an early age as the next big thing of the international design scene, but grew into becoming what he now is under his own steam, he has kept his head firmly on his shoulders. Despite being a design and architecture magazine, our interest in him is primarily as an artist (readers more interested in his furniture can check him out on YouTube), although we could easily have done a full feature on him as a product designer. Suffice it to say that you have guessed correctly: his furniture is as organically beautiful and as perfectly made as his sculpture. Indeed, with regard to some of the pieces, like his Enignum Canopy Bed, form happily outweighs function unless, for you, a bed is just a bed,
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Perfect symmetry in the Enignum Chair Series. As a furniture maker, Joseph is acutely conscious of the importance of comfort and utility.
rather than a fairytale confection of ash and silk organza.
The Enignum Shelf, a beautiful piece of sculpture and a useful piece of furniture, reflects Joseph’s concept of effortless design harmony. In permanent collections in the Museum of Arts and Design, New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Although he started making furniture at the age of 12, had his first employee at the age of 18 and was participating in major trade fairs in Britain and Ireland by his mid-20s, his big break came in 2008, when he was still short of 30, with a solo exhibition titled Realisations, at the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue. Important commissions followed, and his creativity was sharpened by his return from New York City to West Cork. Exhibitions all over Europe and the Middle East, and at the age of 33, his name meant a lot more that what it says on his passport. Seeing a Shinto quality in the simplicity and finish of his work, we asked, of course, about Japan. “That’s a common question,” he answered, “and there’s no easy answer, because It’s my work and I’m based in Ireland. I have great respect and admiration for Japanese design and what they do with wood. They’re a relatively small island and we are too, so nature is always present for us. We don’t have a great manufacturing legacy but lean
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Absolute simplicity of form. Serene, elegant and exciting, all at the same time. more towards handmade crafts. We’ve got an intimate proximity to materials and processes, and consequently use materials in a more poetic way, I suppose.” One of his undoubted masterpieces is his Magnus Series, one of which (Magnus V) was shown in last year’s now annual Making In seminar, established by Joseph three years ago as a meeting place for Irish and international artists, designers, craftspeople and architects. But Magnus Modus, commissioned for the National Gallery of Ireland by the Office of Public Works, is the one most people will remember. In creating it, he worked closely with the Hanegan Peng architecture firm, who designed the space for it. There is hardly any need to comment on it, because this is one of these rare works of art that is exactly what it is. What you see is what you get. And if there is somebody out there who doesn’t get it, they’ll have a listing in the Guinness Book of Records. So is it too facile? Does it have enough depth of meaning? Is it no more than a nicely twisted piece of ash made on a grand scale? It is all of these things, and therein lies its genius. Absolute simplicity of form. Serene, elegant and exciting, all at the same time: it speaks as sweet and clear as the sound of the uilleann pipes in the hands of a master, and reminds us of the curved beauty of the La Tène motif of the ancient Celts. This is a work of art that reflects, not just the soul of art, but the soul of Ireland. josephwalshstudio.com
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Right: Magnus Modus, a seven-metre-high, freeform sculpture made of multiple layers of laminated olive ash wood that is on permanent collection in the courtyard of the National Gallery of Ireland. Resting upon a small Kilkenny marble base, the Magnus Modus delineates space in its slender aspect, stationed on a tiny footprint, reaching upwards and then outwards. As the sculpture ascends, it becomes lighter and reacts to subtle changes in the atmosphere.
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SUITE APARTMENT You’ve made it big, you’ve made it bold. You’ve proven yourself a Master of the Universe, and you are now the Monarch of Manhattan, the King of New York. When operating at this level of success, one knows that it’s not merely about the money. Any get-rich-quick-kid can flash the cash and buy a top-of-the-range apartment like yours, but the difference is that you possess the things that money just can’t buy. And your stunning Manhattan Suite Apartment is the definitive statement of your individual taste and style. Giles Brown steps into the ultimate bachelor pad
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Perfect proof that dining in the Big City is much more than just “doing lunch�, this majestic dining room is in a uniquely spectacular and dramatic setting that brings the Baroque and operatic together to make each evening a theatrical event.
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ntertaining plays an important part of your metropolitan life: we are all social animals and the best way to make connections and nourish networks is over dinner and a bottle of something spectacular. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, however, and there is no better way to get to know a special someone than an intimate evening à deux.
Text by Giles Brown Photos courtesy of UDesign
The Manhattan Suite Apartment dining room is in a stunningly spectacular setting that, save from receiving an invitation from a reigning monarch, is the closest one’s guests will get to dining at a palace. Imposing Masiero chandeliers hover majestically over the solid stone table, featuring bronzeedged marble legs custom-made by UDesign, and the attention to detail continues with the cornices in the ceiling of the room. Gold-plated Walter Knoll chairs with leather upholstery complete the setting.
A celebration of one’s unique style, the handcrafted bodega houses only the best. From fine wines to premium spirits and cigars, the bodega effortlessly reflects your instinctive understanding of the connoisseur lifestyle.
There is a hint of the Renaissance in the dining room wallpaper, which depicts classic Italian statues in a summer palazzo. An entire wall of the dining room houses the handcrafted bodega, the ultimate expression of epicurean taste. With an inlay of oak and rare onyx – the same used in the dining table – the team at UDesign have custommade the shelving, while the cabinets subtly repeat the same pattern as in the parquet floor. Housing the finest wines, oldest single malt whiskies and select Cuban cigars, it is evident that some of the items are worth more on the market than the apartment itself.
This is a dining room that invites the celebration of the very best
But that is something one keeps to oneself, because this is not all about the money; not even the whiskey and wine, although that thought might bring a smile to one’s face. The bodega is a personal reflection that one understands and appreciates the subtle art of fine living, the delicious process of selecting and opening a bottle of fine wine, savouring every sip and discussing it with a group of fellow connoisseurs. With wines perfectly paired to the food prepared by one’s personal chef, this is a dining room that invites the celebration of the very best.
Now left with the choice of music to accompany dinner, will it be Vivaldi, Beethoven or Mozart tonight?
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Dominated by a matching set of modernist chandeliers, the lounge combines an eclectic assortment of sculpture, art and dramatic wallpaper. Perfect for predinner drinks, a metropolitan sundowner or just to relax in and reflect on another day in the Big City.
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But even a Master of the Universe needs a little downtime now and then, a place to kick back, relax, take in a movie, listen to one’s favourite album or draw inspiration from some classic literature. The Manhattan Suite Apartment’s lounge area embraces the setting by perfectly capturing the excitement of Big City Life. A heady mixture of eclectic influences, with individual pieces of art, from large modern paintings to classic busts, features throughout. Even the ceiling displays a certain artistic flair, with three distinct styles of lighting. The furniture and the effortlessly stylish sofa and coffee table by Poliform, as well as Pop Art Pink occasional chairs by Gallotti & Radice, augment this modern yet comfortable theme. One cannot help but feel a tingle down one’s spine while standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows and taking in the metropolitan view. Sipping a glass of something exquisite, carefully chosen from the bodega, and gazing across the city laid out at one’s feet: this is to experience the sweet taste of success.
The lounge area perfectly captures the excitement of Big City Life
If seeking that Eureka moment for a new project while watching the latest Tarantino movie, there is a work station in white marble between the two zones, along with a distinctive chair by Henge, and all with an inspirational view over the city.
The more formal lounge area, where you and your chosen guests (or perhaps just one special guest for the evening) can enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail or cityscape sundowner, is dominated by an Uovo chandelier by Lasvit, featuring a contemporary high-polished bronze finish, almost like giant dew drops. The companion to this striking piece hangs in the more relaxed TV area. Sink into the Arketipo
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Because creativity can strike when least expected, the lounge houses this organic stonecrafted workstation, which enjoys a view over the City that is inspiration in itself.
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velvet sofa after another day and another mega deal, put your feet up on the UDesign custom-made coffee table and relax in front of the bespoke fireplace crafted from rare deep bronze-coloured onyx stone. Dim the Lee Broom lights – statement pieces in themselves – and your gaze is drawn to the striking Roberto Cavalli leopard wallpaper at the end of the hallway that uses an amazing total of 1,500 crystals in each roll. But the leopard isn’t the only predator in town. In the Manhattan Suite Apartment, you’re the King of the Urban Jungle – The King of New York.
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They say money never sleeps, but even you have to. Using opulent hues of purple and gold combined with the green of the velvet bed, this signature room invites one to recharge batteries after the exertions of the day. But as we all know, the most successful predators are nocturnal, and in this sumptuous bedroom suite, you alone own the night. All interior design in this feature by UDesign. udesign.es
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Polígono Industrial San Pedro, C/Países Bajos 6 San Pedro de Alcántara (Marbella) T: (+34) 952 794 117 E: info@udesign.es
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Find the latest collections of contemporary wallcoverings at the UDesign Showroom
The TEEPEE Bedroom The Power of Hakuna Matata www.circu.net
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Wedged somewhere in fantasy land between Willy Wonka and Alice in Wonderland, these luxury designer pieces will blow your mind. Meet Scarlet Splendour.
Below: the Ciuco Cabinet has a large brass donkey head that sits atop a brass and resin lined shirt. The buttons are knobs to open the tuxedo revealing a spacious cabinet within.
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Text by Anastasia Sukhanov, images courtesy of Scarlet Splendour
Above: the Mimi Cabinet by Matteo Cibic is a plump white cabinet with giant ears and tall dainty legs.
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carlet Splendour: the first time we’ve ever used the company name, which describes exactly who they are, as the title of an article. The hot colours of India, the hot stars of the silver screen and the splendour that all this evokes. Add a large dollop of humour, the extraordinary design skills of its founders, Indian craftsmanship and best of what Italy offers the world of international furniture design, and success is almost a given. Almost, but not quite. Like a meal prepared by a top chef, all the ingredients must be measured and fall in exactly the right places, and of course, a key element is entrepreneurship. Siblings Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia debuted their first collection of 15 pieces, titled Vanilla Noir, during the Milan Design Week in 2015, paying homage to the era of silent movies with their light-hearted irony and underlying depth in black and white, and they pulled it off with only three month’s preparation. Little wonder then that this Kolkata-based brand has expanded so rapidly. More than 50 trips to various Italian cities and regions later, the founders realised that bringing European design and Indian craftsmanship together is what creates the kind of previously unseen synergy they were aiming for. Scarlet Splendour successfully transcends geographical borders while staying true to its mission: to preserve the artisan traditions of India and open them up to the rest of the world through top international design. The pieces, whose design link to India is mainly in the colours and certain design details of the whole, veer between surrealism, absurdism, Art Deco, the playful works of artists like Barry Flanagan and Jeff Koons, and not least, functionalism, although in time, perhaps, they themselves will become an “ism”.
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Each product is hand-made, each is a luxury piece, and each is dramatic and maximalist as well The Ciuco Cabinet by Matteo Cibic is a decadent conversation piece
SCARLET SPLENDOUR
Each piece is startling: “For us the drama is all about standing out and creating impact”, and each has been designed by the founders or their top-notch collaborators and made to the highest standards of Indian craftsmanship. Each also has an element of fun, from the rabbits’ heads and ears on otherwise fairly sober drinks cabinets to the outrageous shapes, doors and other details. To see their Madame Verdoux cabinet from the Vanilla Noir collection, for example, is to both have a laugh at the absurdity of a two-metre high water bottle and to look into the colonial past of India itself. To see the spidery legs on their Nika Zupanc pieces, which seem to float above the floor, is to realise the genius of 1950s furniture design, and to see the 88 Secrets Bar cabinet is to know that these people have a fine respect for the Art Deco period. Plainly put, they know their stuff. UDesign talked to Ashish Bajoria shortly after the release of the brand’s latest collection, which brings together designers from Italy, Slovenia and Holland. The motto of your company is “Craft, drama and luxury”. Where does the drama fit in?
India is incredibly rich in culture and art. Indians have an innate sense of craftsmanship.
Each product is hand-made, each is a luxury piece, and each is dramatic and maximalist as well. We know it creates a certain drama in the space around it, wherever it is. For us the drama is about standing out and creating impact. I don’t want to call them statement pieces, but they are indeed dramatic. How did you know it was time to put your father’s engineering business aside and embark on the Scarlet Splendour journey?
As children, my sisters and I were lucky to be exposed to the entire range of Indian crafts, on a one-to-one basis with the craftsmen. When I was about eight years old, I made a jewellery box for my sister Suman, and she still has it. She studied interior design and I was painting as much as I could while handling my father’s company. That business, as it grew, took me to Italy and exposed me to Italian design, and that’s what renewed our love for the discipline. About six years ago we were visiting a design exhibition in Milan and, while choosing ceramics for my
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Madame Verdoux by Matteo Cibic is a splendid cabinet from the Vanilla Noir collection with lace inspired motifs and rich black leather interiors. Standing at just over two metres high, it can be used as a bar or a storage cabinet.
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new house in India at his store, I met Matteo Cibic. As he says, we fell in love! We became best friends on the spot, and later I commissioned him to design a lamp for my new house, which is now part of the Luce Naga collection. We sketched together and went to the factory to see how the sketch could be brought into life. It became a journey we didn’t want to end, so we came up with the idea of forming a company. As a co-founder of the first Indian luxury furniture company, which values of your homeland would you want the world to know about? We are very proud to be Indian. When we founded Scarlet Splendour a lot of people advised us against stating our heritage so openly, suggesting we wouldn’t be able to sell anything. But you have to be grounded in where you come from and what surrounds you. India is incredibly rich in culture and art, and Indians have an innate sense of craftsmanship. There are many regions where generation after generation have been perfecting their craft over the years. Metal handicraft from Moradabad, jewellery from Rajasthan, rugs from Benares, there are many examples. Creating the brand, we wanted to look beyond the typical Indian souvenir shop. A lot of these products have incredible craftsmanship but not much product design behind them. We wanted to form a company where every product is made by artisans, but the craft is preserved by a commercially viable venture, saving it from dying out like many other ancient artisan techniques. Scarlet Splendour is a meeting point for European designers who are given a chance to dream up their most daring designs and Indian craftsmen who want to pass on their traditions and give their art an international appeal. It’s the best of both worlds. Indian artisanship and European design. What brief do you give your designers to bring these two values together? It’s a very complex process but it’s also very simple. When we choose our designers, as editors of the brand narrative we have to check whether their signature forms, lines and language can be taken onboard. The brief is quite extensive – we tell our designers everything about our strengths, crafts and materials, but we never tell them what to do. We didn’t tell Matteo Cibic to design a donkey
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Above: The Wolk Chair by Richard Hutten is a giant cloud-shaped chair in brass which becomes the conversation piece in any space. It is almost surreal in appearance and a triumph of ergonomics. Left: The Oasis Cabinet also by Richard Hutten is a novel deep green cabinet with pale blue interiors. It is covered in gleaming brass spheres reminiscent of thorns on a cactus.
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To be successful you need to believe in what you do. We believe in ourselves. with a bar inside, or order Nika Zupanc to design a cabinet that looks like it’s been gift-wrapped. There is a continuous process of going back and forth once our designers start to sketch, a constant flow of shared ideas. The result is not a surprise. The goal is to help them produce a piece that is completely fresh and revolutionary, but at the same time contains their signature. If you look at almost all of Nika Zupanc’s pieces, no matter how visually fundamental, they have the dainty legs on all of them. That’s her signature, and it’s maintained. At the same time, it’s the designer’s task to transmit our brand values. Your Lotus Sanctum cabinet is based on the symbol of the mandala, and in India it is sold as a shrine but used as a cabinet elsewhere. How do you manage to bring the spiritual and the mundane together so freely? There are different things that give you tranquility and answer your spiritual calling. It could be a temple, it could be alcohol, it could be a shoe fetish or a jewellery obsession. In India if someone wants it as a shrine, we customise it, while European clients buy it as a cabinet. We call it a spiritual piece, but you can experience spirituality in many forms. We are all different and we don’t judge. Your pieces are anything but ordinary, ranging from the surrealistic to the exotic. Just how difficult is it to come up with new ideas? To be successful you need to believe in what you do. We believe in ourselves. The choice is limited to being a leader or being a follower, and we always choose the less comfortable leadership role. It might not mean commercial success from day one, but once people accept you, they don’t turn back. We’ve seen the same in other companies –
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88 Secrets Bar Rosa Oro by Nika Zupanc is a rose pink bar cabinet in sensuous, feminine lines with luxurious metal trims in gold.
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SCARLET SPLENDOUR
The General Oro by Matteo Cibic is a chic study table in brass, with an extendable writing top and small details, reminiscent of a traditional desk.
Diesel, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Gucci – all of whom have their own language. Everything they launched was revolutionary at the time, but they became inspirational brands. How do you picture the eventual owners of your pieces, especially those from your lastest collection (the Lulu and Oasis Cabinets, the Wolk Chair and others)? Apart from craft, drama and luxury, most of our pieces bring a smile to one’s face. Luxury doesn’t need to be serious. It can be happiness, fun, humour. When you possess a piece of furniture, it’s not just a piece of furniture anymore – it becomes a part of your home, it grows with you. It also stays with you, because our products are meant to be handed down. Humour is an essential part of our philosophy and we believe that everyone should have something that brings pure happiness to their home. You could have the most serious living room and have the ANIMAGIC donkey just sitting there staring at you, making you smile. Our furniture is for anyone passionate about design. It’s not about affordability. You could call our brand inspirational, so someone could be saving to own just one Scarlet Splendour piece. Why not? scarletsplendour.com
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Everyone should have something that brings pure happiness to their home
ph. Alessandro Di Giugno
Small gestures, great stories
nero sovrastampa
bianco ridotto
Italian handles from 100 years 153
Icona Vincent Van Duisen 2018
pantone 5483
www.olivari.it
alma-design.it
MAGENTACOLLECTION
Ph. Tiziana Arici
design MARCO PIVA
LIFESTYLE
DESIGN TRENDS DIGITAL PRINTING ON LEATHER With a modern take on leather decoration, Bill Amberg brings together leading creators for a new collection of digitally-printed leather hides, unveiled during the London Design Festival. Designers include Marcel Wanders, Calico Wallpaper, Champalimaud, Solange AzaguryPartridge, Lisa Miller and Matthew Day Jackson. Each has created designs showcasing the incredible possibilities of digitally-printed leather. Top: Solange Azagury-Partridge, whose work features in permanent collections of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and Les Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre in Paris, has created “All the Colours’” which addresses the use of colour as an instinctive and visceral need. As Solange says: “colour travels through the eyes permeating the psyche, vibrating and creating an internal positive energy”. Below right: One of two designs by Marcel Wanders in the “Studies for a Mosque” series. Both are fractals based on Marcel Wanders’ unique computational language of infinite geometries. Inspired by the sacred mathematics of nature, the organic artwork repeats across varying scales, adding a new three-dimensionality to the leather hides. Available for purchase via print.billamberg.com from September 19th, 2019
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LIFESTYLE
DESIGN TRENDS
TOM DIXON IN MILAN Next time you’re in Milan take time out for lunch in The Manzoni, a new 100-cover restaurant created by Tom’s Design Research Studio. But much more than a restaurant, this is also an experimental space, a theatrical backdrop for the best of Italian food and an international stage to present the latest Tom Dixon innovations and best sellers. Oh! and it’s also a shop. Design Research Studio collaborated with JLK Design Studio to build a space that allows visitors to experience multiple atmospheres, with each room exploring its own narrative. Via Alessandro Manzoni, 5, 20121 Milano Reservations: (+39) 02 8909 4348
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Wallpaper for extraordinary interiors
Meet a new type of wallpaper company. FEATHR work with contemporary artists to create truly original wallcoverings. Discover over 150 exclusive wallpapers. www.feathr.com | @wearefeathr
Pictured: Infinite Paths by Stacy Solodkin. From â‚Ź49 per m2
LIFESTYLE
DESIGN TRENDS
EOOS AND THE EMBRACE SERIES The renowned Austrian designer trio EOOS and the Danish furniture manufacturer Carl Hansen & Son began their creative dialogue with the Embrace Armchair, a reinterpretation of the classic dining chair. Since then, new creations have been added: a dining chair, a footrest and a collection of beautiful tables inspired by the poetic dance of a kite in the sky. The fine wire structure resembles the kite’s rope, the table tops reflect the kite itself and the cross-wood base acts as an anchor, representing gravity. On being asked how they worked together as a threesome, EOOS replied: “Martin and Gernot are more the furniture design side and Harald more the social design side. But concept-wise, we all share our thoughts. At the end no one can say this or that is my idea. The idea lives outside of us, as if generated by a fourth person. It’s always a surprise. A strong idea pulls us, pulls our studio, our client and also the consumer. Everyone follows it. It’s definitely the power of an idea that fascinates us most in design.”
“It’s the power of an idea that fascinates us most in design”
wo issues ago we featured the work of up-coming textile artist Irene Infantes, who had designed four contemporary rugs for Christopher Farr. Here she is again with more magnificent rug designs created under the watchful eye of art curator/advisor Pepe Cobo, one of the principal players of the Spanish art scene. Menta, the Tibetan weave rug pictured above, uses 12 colours
carlhansen.com
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LIFESTYLE
DESIGN TRENDS WALK ON THE WILD SIDE This gorgeous Eden wallcovering from Arte is a paradisiacal jungle motif with stylised plants and tree trunks against a soft-touch background of wood grains. The high-gloss film reflects the light, making it look as if the sun’s rays are shimmering through the bush. Arte is a designer & manufacturer of sophisticated wallcoverings with showrooms in Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Eden 28010 wallcovering from the Wildwalk collection by Arte arte-international.com
FASCINATING SURFACES Who can resist these silver wall tiles by Fameed Khalique, who was described by the Financial Times as “the go-to supplier of exotic and experimental surfaces”? His London showroom in Chelsea’s Furniture & Arts Building contains the world’s largest selection of luxury surface material samples found under one roof. “The familiar lament among designers and architects is that they never see anything new,” says Fameed. “Here, we create surfaces that inspire a genuine sense of wonder.” Aleatory Silver tile: €317 per square metre fameedkhalique.com
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Ostara Collection by villanova.co.uk
THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL SURFACE MATERIALS
www.fameedkhalique.com
LIFESTYLE
DESIGN TRENDS
MEET MINA, TINA, AVA, LOLA & GINA The new MISS collection from the Italian brand Lalabonbon, whose motto is “Vintage design again and again”, is born from a refined and dynamic combination of fabrics with an eccentric palette, using brightly coloured velvets and monochrome geometric textures that come from classic textiles like Tartan, Houndstooth and The Prince of Wales. This young ‘Made in Italy’ brand has combined the elements of classic Italian design and reinvented the vintage look. We love the typical 50s style of these chairs with the detail of the copper and brass feet. Milán: Tel (+39) 02 3453 0468 Barcelona: Tel (+34) 672 295 752 lalabonbon.it
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WHAT’S NEXT? We delve into the wonderful world of sculpture as furniture and talk to the LA-based Haas Brothers, whose playful work explores mathematics, science and nature, sexuality, nostalgia and social equality. We feature the wonderful interior design work of Jonathan Adler, who can always be relied upon to bring a happy and chic look to any interior space. And finally, we peek into the world of HommÊs Studio, the new interior design group that is bringing haute couture interiors to homes around the world.
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Custom-made artwork available from UDesign (+34) 952 794 117 info@udesign.es udesign.es