Cool…Moooi Unexpected Welcome

Over the next few weeks, we will cover some of the new releases from Salone del Mobile Milan.   This is probably the largest and most important  trade show for the furniture industry and it is very prestigious to be represented here.    I usually avoid trade shows like the plague and have too many projects on at the moment to attend.     I like to buy via more unexpected routes but I do enjoy the pizazz of this show.

Moooi’s display was a standout.   The Dutch brand used their customary moody lighting with patches of bright light- very Carravagesque.  A combination of undresssed mannequins and overscale images of people formed the backdrop.    The whole set up was very Dutch, very 17th century but very contemporary all at the same time.

The warehouse space was divided into smaller room displays with Belgium’s Studio Job contributing the lamps and China’s Neri and Hu  (love their stuff) providing lacquered red tables, adding punch.   The large portraits were by Dutch artist Erwin Olaf.   These objects formed part of Moooi’s new collections for 2013, but old favourites like the Smoke chair were used as well.

Cool…ombre

Ombré interiors have been around for a couple of years now.  You can see ombré from everything from wall colours, shower curtains to cakes and nails.   The word ‘ombré is french for shaded.  The gradual variation in tone is quietly elegant and complex.   To be really successful, ombré tones need to be used in moderation, but add an interesting twist to a traditional colour.

Ombré tones are usually added in textiles in the dying process but you can also create an ombré effect by using tonal grades in colour blocks- like you can see in the stairs or the cake.   Whichever way you do it- it is a way of being bold with colour without going over the top.   The shading can give colour visual interest and can create an optical illusion of spaciousness.

Cool…margarete hausler

This year at Maison et Objet, Margarete Hausler’s cushion designs were featured in this year’s ‘Trend” section.  Now we aren’t about trends here at Eclectic Cool, preferring to stick with designs that are tried and true but with a bit of a twist.   However, I think her cushions are here to stay.  Simply made, Margarete’s design have subtle details that give them a unique twist.   The soft  linen is  washed with natural dye, creating an ombre effect.

I love the natural quality of the pillows, which look great en mass but also look good slotted into more formal settings, giving a rustic edge both pleasing to the eye and fingers.   I am also totally in love with the large shopper totes.  I have been staring at them for a couple of days in the store and I still can’t decide which colour I want.   Classic and edgy black or bright yellow?  Hmmm…to be continued….

Cool…Coach, Ometesando

OMA has designed leathergoods purveyor, Coach’s, new Tokyo store.   The Dutch architects conceived the store as open shelving- each box has the dimension 180 cm by 52cm- just large enough to display any of Coach’s products.   The design allows the products to be viewed from any angle as well as allowing the exterior to change and evolve over time.   

This is not the first time OMA has collaborated with a fashion brand this year.   In January, Prada launched their Men’s A/W2013 fashion collection using OMA’s new furniture designs for Knoll.  Entitled ‘Tools for Living’ the collection comprises of moveable tables, chairs and storage designed for contemporary living.   

Postcard from Kandy, Sri Lanka

Kandy is Sri Lanka’s cultural capital.   The heart of Kandy’s culture is a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth- you can see the golden casket that it is kept in.  Sorry for the blurry image- it was crowded in there.  Unfortunately you can only see the tooth once every five years.  It is so venerated that every devout Sri Lankan Buddhist should make it to see the tooth sometime in his or her lifetime.

The temple itself is typical of Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka, but it is filled with beautiful details such as paintwork & fine wood and stone carving.

Cool…grand furniture

I love it when a designer has a new spin on an everyday thing.  Sometimes it can be kitsch beyond imagination, but sometimes it is so simple and elegant that it makes you wonder why it hadn’t been done before.   These elegant pieces from Swedish designers, GRAND, are great examples.  GRAND is a newborn collaboration between the designer Mathieu Gustafsson and cabinet maker Niklas Karlsson, who chose a name that reflects their vision for design and the quality of their work.

To be honest the cupboards themselves are nothing amazing but the beautiful brass work of the hinges and handles of the white cabinet makes it something special.   I wonder  if the handles work in real life. I think the expansion and contraction of wood in HK would make these handles less effective.

The basket weave cabinet is less successful.   It looks a bit flimsy to me- I like things to look substantial- but then again the colours and detailing of the panels are rather interesting.

Apparently, the stand received lots of attention during Stockholm’s Design Fair so I think we will be seeing a lot more of them.

Bedside tables and all that…

Have you noticed that we are putting more stuff on our bedside tables?  Mine is a jungle of beauty products (too lazy to clean my face at the sink- so I use Mac or Sephora wipes), electronic equipment (2 phones, iPad and iPad Mini), piles of books, a lamp, a carafe of water and my glasses to name a few of the items vying for that valuable piece of real estate called my bedside table.

We’re currently designing a bedside table which can also be used as a small desk for our own collection and we decided to do away with a closed drawer- using a leather lined tray that can fit all your electronics or even a keyboard.  (btw I am totally loving the new Logitech bluetooth keyboard that allows you to add up to 3 devices).

A recent article in the New York Times talked about how there are 2 schools of thought: the bedside table as a place to store all your stuff or a place to promote good thoughts about sleep.  In the latter camp, you need to do away with all devices and just have calming and relaxing collection of items, strategically placed to bring you easily to a lethargic state….

In HK, so many of my clients complain that there is only enough space for one bedside table which, no doubt, can lead to relationship disharmony. I’m all for equality, especially in the bedroom (read into that what you want!), so this definitely wouldn’t work for me.   Maybe a wall-hung table would do the trick?

What ever your stand- do you ever wonder what sleeping next to all those electronic devices is doing to your health?   To scary to contemplate….

Anyway, here is a selection of the best bedside options and inspiration….

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Eileen Gray is probably Ireland’s most talented designer.   Born at the end of the nineteenth century, her creative life led her from art school in London to Paris where she embraced the Art Deco movement.  Her lacquer work was particularly beautiful, having trained with one of the great Japanese lacquer masters of the time.

In the thirties she turned her attention to architecture, designing a house which she filled with modernist pieces plus her own designs.   Her chrome side table , which is adjustable in height, is one of the most copied modernist designs.   Her choice of materials, shiny chrome and gleaming leather, was a clever spin on the luxe lacquerware she loved.

If you are ever in Dublin, the National Museum of Ireland has a permanent exhibition dedicated to her work.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d’aghaidh
Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Cool…new edition of Est online

The new issue of EST has been released.  Consistently the best online shelter magazine around, this months issue is packed full of amazing interiors that are beautiful and liveable (it’s harder than you think).  Take a trip around houses in Paris & the Netherlands. Visit all the cool design stores in London and whip up some delicious meals.

Even the travel had me wishing to pack my bags and leave immediately for Dubai.

Check it out here.