Steeped in history, culture, and tradition, Switzerland is a country with a lot of pride. The famous Swiss exports of watches, financial services, chocolate, and cheese are all synonymous with ‘quality’, but perhaps Switzerland’s greatest export of all is its landscape.
Pantone has revealed its Color of the Year for 2022; 17-3938 Very Peri, a brand new color "whose courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity". The shade falls under the blue color family but with violet red undertones, illustrating the fusion of our modern times and how the digital world has morphed with our physical one. In architecture, shades of periwinkle blue and lavender have long been used in installations, commercial spaces, and lighting, instilling an overall calming, optimistic, and positive effect on the human mind.
The use of organic and natural materials, as well as products that successfully emulate them, has been a strong ongoing trend that continues to gain popularity in interior design. Especially in the past year, where confinement restrictions have heavily influenced the amount of time people spend in their homes, the industry has experienced an increased demand for products capable of bringing nature and visual comfort indoors – whether it be in the form of furniture or other decorative elements. It is, without a doubt, a design movement that is here to stay.
However, besides the interest in nature inspired objects, architects’ and designers’ primary consideration when selecting a material is often its quality, resistance, and maintenance needs. It is, therefore, ideal to combine a natural look with functionality when creating a user-friendly indoor environment. With that in mind, wood-based materials manufacturer EGGER has expanded its lacquer portfolio to develop a new line that unites an organic look with other beneficial properties.
After a year-long absence, Milan Design Week has wrapped up yet another year of creativity and innovation. From the 5th to the 10th of September, thousands of design companies displayed their creations to more than 200,000 visitors hailing from different countries, demographics, and industries. And while the design fair gravitated towards the world of interior design, many renowned architects such as Bjarke Ingels, Foster + Partners, and Herzon & de Meuron participated in the week-long exhibition and joined forces with interior and furniture design brands to create signature pieces.
After a year of absence in light of the pandemic, Milan Design Week, one of the most anticipated design events to take place in Italy, will finally open its doors to visitors. From the 5th to the 10th of September, more than 350,000 architects, designers, artists, and craftsmen from all around the world will have the chance to explore new design innovations and exchange ideas about the interior design, furniture, and lighting. During the week-long event, Salone del Mobile, the awaited furniture and interior design event of the year, will be hosting local and international exhibitors at the Fiera Milano, Rho, along with interventions by world-renowned architects across the city.
ArchDaily will be attending the Salone del Mobile so stay tuned for exclusive interviews and collaborations, and read on to discover what to expect during the week-long exhibition and how architects are taking part of the event.
Over the past couple of years, many designers have voiced their commitment to ethical and ecological sourcing, resorting to frugal designs through local materials, traditional techniques, and equitable architecture. Having this approach in mind, many found inspiration in their cultural heritage, reimagining ancient designs in contemporary contexts.
When thinking of recycled design trends, we can't overlook one of the most well-known and popular materials that was shared by nations all around the globe over the span of 100 years; on balconies, outdoor patios, gardens, and indoor living spaces: rattan. It is estimated that almost seven hundred million people worldwide use rattan, with many countries presenting it as an integral part of their cultures. In this article, we look at how architects and designers integrated rattan in their designs and found numerous ways to make the best out of Southeast Asia's popular local material.
Construction is underway at Vestre's new facility designed by BIG, set to become the world's most sustainable furniture factory through carbon-neutral fabrication processes and the use of renewable energy. Called the Plus and placed within the Norwegian forest, the project will be an example of efficient manufacturing, using Industry 4.0 solutions, while also developing Magnor as a tourist destination through its attractive design.
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Charles (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) and Ray Eames (December 15, 1912 – August 21, 1988) are best known for their personal and artistic collaboration and their innovative designs that shaped the course of modernism. Their firm worked on a diverse array of projects, with designs for exhibitions, furniture, houses, monuments, and toys. Together they developed manufacturing processes to take advantage of new materials and technology, aiming to produce high-quality everyday objects at a reasonable cost. Many of their furniture designs are considered contemporary classics, particularly the Eames Lounge & Shell Chairs, while the Eames House is a seminal work of architectural modernism.
Along the waters of Lago di Alserio, in Como, Italy is a contemporary private residence designed by architect Annalisa Mauri which contrasts the interlacing of sleek, sharp lines with the delicate beauty of the lake and the softly rolling hills of Brianza which surround it. The geography of the site has undoubtedly influenced the flow of the building, which is expressed through well-defined geometric spaces featuring large sliding glass windows and glass spandrels that offer seamless visual continuity between indoor and outdoor.
Many architects work in a variety of areas, designing everything from the layout of a city block to the most minute details of a building. A common trend among these projects is that the furnishings, the very things that make a structure usable and livable, are often afterthoughts for the project's creators and only become important when the structure is already built.
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Children's furniture is all furniture –fixed or mobile– that is designed according to the ergonomic guidelines and anatomical dimensions of children specifically. Following this definition, we can identify two types of furniture: (1) those that facilitate a relationship between the caregiver and the child, and (2) those that allow the child to use them independently.
The big difference between these two types is that the first has dimensions that mainly adapt to the ergonomics of the adult, while the second is designed to meet the ergonomic needs of the child at each stage of their development. Since the growth of children occurs relatively quickly, it is common for the furniture of this second group to be multifunctional or even extendable.
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When designing in times of quick and constant transformations, one must keep a close eye on the surge of new demands, and one must design spaces that embrace such mutability.
Flexible furniture is a reflection of this contemporary behavior because they can be moved around easily, they have great adaptability, and because they can perform different functions in a single piece. These pieces enable several different layouts, being able to adjust their shape according to specific requirements and changes, which helps optimizing interiors.
We have selected eight Brazilian projects that combine versatility and flexibility in furniture design.
In a time where space grows more and more limited and people increasingly spend time at home, flexibility presents itself as an underutilized strategy of interior design. With flexible furniture, residents can optimize square footage and easily reshape configurations according to specific requirements and shifting needs. Below, we discuss the benefits and variations of furniture on wheels, closing with 7 example projects illustrating their creative and practical application.
The second edition of EDIT Napoli, dedicated to independent designers, ran from 16 to 18 October 2020, in Naples, Italy. The first onsite fair of the country during this pandemic era was created by curators Domitilla Dardi, design curator of the MAXXI museum in Rome, Architecture sector, and Emilia Petruccelli, buyer and entrepreneur, in collaboration with the Assessorato alla Cultura e al Turismo del Comune di Napoli.
An emerging design trend is filling the gap between furniture and architecture by shaping space through objects at the intersection of the two, creating a dynamic and highly adaptable environment. Either a consequence of the increased demand for flexibility in small spaces or the architectural expression of a device-oriented society, elements in between architecture and furniture open the door towards an increased versatility of space. Neither architecture nor furniture (or perhaps both), these objects operate at the convergence of the two scales of human interaction, carving a new design approach for interior living spaces.
After a prolonged closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Farnsworth House reopens its doors with a new exhibition entitled “Edith Farnsworth Reconsidered”, a temporary refurnishing of the country house to reflect its 1955 appearance. Focusing on Dr. Edith Farnsworth’s life and times, the exhibition aims to highlight the untold story of this woman.
In her Sesc Pompéia theater, architect Lina Bo Bardi designed a central stage revealing the structure and all the functions of the theater's program, and renouncing traditional theater seating. Her seats were not upholstered, were close to each other, and encouraged a more aware, attentive, and upright posture among the audience, thus honoring, according to her, the ancient art of theater.
In the same way that the characteristics of architectural spaces alter our mood, feelings, concentration, and learning, so does the integral design element of furniture, which must be taken seriously when considering comprehensive user experiences. Regarding schools and learning environments in particular, the same attention given to teaching materials is often not conferred on furniture and physical structure.
Dissociating architecture from furniture is almost impossible. As Le Corbusier parking contemporary cars in his project photos suggests, the objects that decorate a domestic space demonstrate the wealth and lifestyle of the user who lives in it. From the moment that humanity ceased to be nomadic, there has existed records of rudimentary furniture. In an excavated site dating from 3,100 to 2,500 BCE, a variety of stone furniture was discovered, from cabinets and beds to stone shelves and seats. Since these early examples, furniture has always been used to express ideas: be it the exclusive and luxurious furniture of Ancient Egypt, meant to demonstrate the power and wealth of the empire, to the functional and simplified designs of the Bauhaus, meant to reconstruct rationality in the world, studying the evolution of furniture design is instrumental to understanding architectural styles.
Nowadays, the advancement of technology and the internet has made changes develop faster and faster, making them even more difficult to assimilate and follow. Furniture follows this trend, be it in the way of designing, manufacturing, or even selling products. Below, we outline some ways in which technology has impacted this field:
.jpg?1632222873 "El Poris. Image Courtesy of Artemide")
.jpg?1602872196 "Photo: 1931, Kaunas, Lithuania. Two children working on reading/writing words at Maria Varnienė's Children's House. The child on the left is Stasys Ragaišis, who later became a medical doctor.. Image via @montistory101")
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