Tree House. Image: Courtesy of Fletcher Crane Architects
The first light switch has come a long way since its invention in 1884 by John Henry Holmes in Newcastle, England. Holmes' ingenious 'quick-break technology' transformed the way electricity was managed, ensuring safer and more efficient lighting control. Since then, switches evolved in both form and function, embracing diverse designs—from toggles and rockers to the LED-illuminated models and sleek touch sensors. The function of the switch has also broadened, allowing us to operate more than just light at our fingertips, revolutionizing the convenience of shaping our interior environments.
Third prize, Main category: Agata Gała of blank studio, Poland
Awards and prizes are vital to professional ecosystems in supporting talent and new ideas; for the design industry, competitions encourage creative minds to leap beyond the bounds of practicality to imagine the future, solve problems and build new communities. Expanding impact with international breadth and egalitarian opportunities, competitions often provide space for emerging talents and students, providing support, mentorship and experience to develop their careers and process.
For Polish ceramics manufacturer Ceramika Paradyż, hosting the Paradyż Designers Competition brings together all of these values, alongside an innovative way to challenge how its products can function. This year, the third edition challenged architects and designers to craft imaginative digital designs using a new series of sintered stones, TRI-D. The natural product, a baked composite of quartz, feldspars, clays or kaolins, performs as an alternative to natural stone; extraordinarily durable, tiles retain their aesthetic from the surface to the cross section, making them ideal for worktops, windowsills and fireplaces, yet in fact, the possibilities are endless.
The act of play creates a welcome escape from the demands of daily life, encouraging joy, creativity and collaboration, with tangible benefits from stress relief to improved cognitive function. So when it comes to the interiors of spaces for play—for leisure and socializing for example—how can design enhance these effects? Specifying adaptable modular furniture that can blend the boundaries between indoor and out is one method to improving the freedom and spontaneity of space, bringing agency to moments of joy, possibilities for fresh configurations and equipping interiors for shifting future dynamics.
For Italian designer Matteo Nunziati’s latest collection of outdoor furniture for Unopiù, the Davos collection, he was inspired by the geometric simplicity of children’s games as functional devices for enlightenment and to reconnect spaces to movement and expression. The generous yet lightweight modular seating system, which includes sofas, chaise longues, armchairs and coffee tables, is easy to assemble and offers infinitely adaptable scenarios to encourage play in daily life. To unlock these qualities, Nunziati was drawn in particular to the logical beauty of the abacus, with its magnetic balls connected on linear elements.
In his first collaboration with Forestier, David Fabbri has designed the captivating Thésée collection taking inspiration from nature. Image Courtesy of Forestier
It’s a paradox that as our society becomes increasingly connected through global travel and digital realms, we often feel more disoriented and disconnected than ever before. The power of interiors to ground us in the present and help us reconnect with what we value should not be underestimated. One way to bring authentic emotional depth to space is through atmospheric lighting, which, in combining illumination and form, can transcend practical function to perform a vessel for mindfulness.
The DÉCA faucet has a minimalist, sculptural form with a unified body and geometric 10-edged grip. Image Courtesy of TONI Copenhagen
For designers seeking to evoke a sartorial expression of "quiet luxury" through an interior, a necessity to a minimalist palette is the addition of a sculptural object—one that catches the eye, glints like a jewel, and nods towards understated refinement. For kitchens and bathrooms where functionality reigns, how about capturing that moment of chic tension—that je ne sais quoi—with a radical faucet?
The immersive medium of film appeals to our imagination through a powerful combination of virtual and real worlds. In 2023, Minotti is launching its new film, titled The Grand Tour, which promises a timeless journey through the Minotti lifestyle – drawing out narratives that thread together the social spaces that humans inhabit.
The airy and modern Dylan modular seating system by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti is contemporary with couturier details. Image Courtesy of Minotti
In a world of fast-paced change, Minotti’s pursuit of timeless design as well as its honed technical expertise result in elegant pieces that stand ready to elevate any interior with sophistication and style. The 2023 Collection demonstrates this, finding a balance between classicism and contemporaneity, organic lines and solid volumes.
A minimal lighting framework for an open plan living space, Outline Ambient hosts a strategic combination of pendants and projectors. Image Courtesy of Reggiani
We are living in an era of active interiors where shifting perimeters, flexible set ups and agile activities are truly testing the limits of design; workspaces are hybrid, retail installations are ever-evolving and cultural spaces are multi-dimensional. Amidst changing scenarios, lighting is key to shaping interior spaces with just the right amount of mood, drama or practical spotlighting. To meet the demands of these cutting-edge interiors, lighting today must provide a solid framework that can embrace both changing dynamics and high quality consistency – offering flexibility, precision control and a timeless aesthetic.
Durable, hygienic and easy to install, 3M Glass Finishes can bring creativity to glass in architecture and design. Image Courtesy of 3M
For total creative freedom in designing with glass, 3M has developed a diverse range of solutions for facades and interiors that change depending on the incidence of light.
