Simply Sofas - So Fa So Good

This is part 4 of a 4-post series. See the previous posts here: 1 , 2 , 3     Daniel Libeskind's installation of his New York home stood out amongst the lot. Red walls, cut off spaces, recessed screens showing caricatures, images and videos of his memories and the cultural idioms that made him. Of his installation, he writes: “For me, to 'live' is living in the cross-section of thememory of places”. But what does home mean to him? "Home is more than just an abstraction, it's the streets, the neighbourhood, the people," he says. "Architecture contributes to making people feel happy or depressed... There is nothing banal in our lives, not even those gestures that seem unconscious." When I walked into Mario Bellini's installation of his 19th century Milan house, I was accosted by impossible scale. Built within the little area was a massive shelving system that supported a staircase. Atop the stairs, you looked down onto images of the eleme...

This is part 3 of a -post series. See previous posts here: 1 , 2 The space of Shigeru Ban, Pritzker Prize recipient, was a Zen-nature experience concealed in geometry and minimalism. I turned around a large wall and found myself in an open space with vivid metaphors. Ban lives in the quiet, wooded Hanegi Forest complex of Tokyo. Oval platforms, filled with moving images from his surroundings, the complex and life in the city, played seamlessly on them. Above each was a cutout in the same shape and size, reflecting the complex's oval centre - with trees and open-to-sky aspect. "Like all my architecture projects its origins lie in its location, and it's based on ad hoc solutions that couldn't be used elsewhere", he says. "The key issue was not to cut down trees". At the end of the space is a curved room, with a video of his manifesto. Ban's style of architecture, which preserves rather than modifies or eliminates, is presented by his self-awar...

This is part 2 of a 4-post series. See the previous post here . Bijoy Jain's (or Studio Mumbai's) Mumbai was particularly important for me, understandably. Not often is an Indian architect put alongside such revered company. As I walked up the entrance stairs, I wondered what version of India we would see here. The familiar busy sounds of our 'maximum city' reached me first, and I could see two enclosures in the middle of a rectangular room. One was swathed in White netting and the other ran videos reflecting the true nature of Mumbai. Stretched across the long parallel walls were images of trees, most notably a banyan tree, and slender pools of water ran alongside on the floor. This last element recurs in much of Jain's design work, and he says, "My relationship with water is absolute". A video plays on one wall, capturing his connection to nature, his special association with a stonemason, and the essence of his surroundings - a mix of old buildi...

This was the most significant event at the Milan Furniture Fair this year. Called 'Where Architects Live', this   extraordinary exhibition, brought to life by Francesca Molteni and Davide Pizzigoni, provided an intriguing insight into the private sanctums of eight outstanding architects of this era. It reflected the sensations that envelope their daily lives at home, the immediate environment around them, the mental makeup of the city that they chose to live in and the nuances that make them who they really are.  Walking through this exhibition was a privilege of sorts for me, after all, it isn't often that one gets to peek into the homes of such luminaries. Set in Hall 9, I found the eight enclosures arranged around an open courtyard. In the centre were scale models of the layouts. Many people, of various ages and nationalities - standing, sitting on chairs, some even sitting on the floor - absorbed the videos that played on hanging big screens. It was, quite ...

As professionals, design is a subject of interest to architects and interior designers. So the Triennale Design Museum is an unmissable part of the itinerary at the Milan Fair. Located inside the Palace of Art building, the Triennale allows visitors to explore excellence in design through various points of view, and every year, the museum changes the topics covered, renewing and transforming itself. At Simply Sofas, we're especially interested in how design combines the disciplines of science and art, because this is vital to any good piece of furniture. Comfort, ergonomics and quality demand years of scientific research and testing, while finesse, beauty and craftsmanship call for an artistic ability above the ordinary. And so, although often outside the realm of furniture, the displays at the Triennale have much from which to learn and draw inspiration. One such exhibit that combined art and science was the 'Coffee Drop' installation by Italian coffee brand illy. ...

As promised in yesterday's report, here are more details from the SaloneSatellite event at this year's Milan Fair. The Satellite was first created in 1998, with the intention of promoting and fostering talented young designers from around the world. Now in its fifth edition, the event is today a real crowd puller, as visitors have come to recognize the amazing creativity and brilliance that gets displayed here. In fact, a number of the creations presented here as prototypes, have gone on to see production, thanks to the recognition they earn at SaloneSatellite. The 2014 event sees 650 young designers from 5 continents and 32 countries, exhibiting along the theme of 'Design, Innovation + Craftsmanship,' expanded from last year. As we mentioned in our previous report, there is a tendency this year for stark, minimalist design, and this is evident at SaloneSatellite too. Studio Aust & Amelung have an approach of reduction and simplicity that defines the form a...

By now, some key trends in the areas of construction, materials and colours are becoming evident at Saloni 2014. While manufacturers have moved to more frugal and sustainable use of resources, quality continues to remain a key focus. Do more with less - this drive is reflective of political and market sentiments in economies across the world. Minimalist design that does not compromise on comfort, aesthetics or quality is indeed a tall challenge, and perhaps nowhere is this as beautifully achieved and illustrated, as with Natuzzi's new Re-vive recliner . Dubbed the 'first performance recliner,' this is one of this year's biggest launches and is the result of years of research and studies on how the human body sits and moves. Designed by New Zealand designer Kent Parker, Re-vive is a collaborative project between Natuzzi and Formway Furniture. The chair does away with all the levers and adjustment knobs typically employed on recliners to control posture and other ...

Across the brands and exhibitors at Saloni 2014, one sees a renewed attention on upholstery. Rightly so, since even the most comfortable, perfectly crafted sofa frame and internal amounts to nought if poorly upholstered. One manufacturer that has this focus particularly strong is Editions - which is now NatuzziEditions ! New leathers and new qualities of leather add to this Italian maker's impressive upholstery portfolio. Much like skilled woodworking artisans who strive to bring out distinctive grain patterns in wood, NatuzziEditions' masterful tanneries have dyed leather in a process that brings out the beautiful natural features of fine leather - wrinkles, creases, and differences in tone and grain. A major point of interest is the Omega Configurator (below) showcased by Koinor , the inventor of many benchmarks in furniture. This innovative system enables never-before flexibility and control, allowing you to set your sofa up perfectly to your satisfaction. Koinor...

From today, we bring you daily reports and analyses of the latest trends and developments in the world of interiors, furniture and design - as it happens, LIVE from Milan Design Week! Here's a brief look at some of the things that we found interesting so far on Day 1 (within, as well as beyond, the domain of furniture). The turnout on Day 1 was strong. If the visitor numbers are sustained through the entire week, it bodes well for the interior and furniture industries this year, indicating good interest from design professionals and business visitors around the world. Although, we'll have to wait till the end of the Fair for Saloni officials to announce the precise statistics. Time will tell. A noteworthy development is the introduction of beds and linen by Natuzzi , the world's largest Italian furniture brand. This moves Natuzzi's offerings closer towards a 'total home' concept, making it simpler for designers and home owners to create coordinated, ...

The Milan Furniture Fair brings out the best in innovation in every furniture maker and brand. Some however, make an impact that goes far beyond trends, affecting, at a much larger scale, the way the industry evolves. Such is Natuzzi, which, this year too held its own and made an indelible mark on the Fair.     The charming and effervescent Pasquale Natuzzi, certainly one of the most enduring personalities of Salone Milan, took the lead.     Amongst the many introductions is a new color and a new upholstery leather . 3.2 mm thick and made from the finest North European hides, the new leather is processed in Natuzzi’s own factories. There are also new fabrics. Apart from a slew of new sofa and chair designs, the collection has also taken some of last year’s best ahead with new versions. Natuzzi ’s approach of coordinating all the elements of a living room is amplified this year. The center tables, coffee tables , lamps, carpets and acc...

The truly special highlight of Milan this year was the gigantic ‘Project: Office for Living’, set up in the SaloneUfficio space. Conceptualised by starchitect and Pritzker Prize laureate Jean Nouvel, the project represents his vision for the workspaces of the future. It reflects the tremendous changes that have altered working spaces over the past few years, and presents an alternative. It questions the state of current workspaces and embraces the idea of ‘ office living ’. “I want to instil the notion of taking pleasure in life... we spend more time in the office than at home” he says. Eight spaces are used to demonstrate Nouvel’s passion and thought. From various office scenarios, which include an apartment imagined as a comfortable workspace, an open warehouse office, and a series of offices divided by sliding walls, to innovative lighting systems and a priceless selection of historically important pieces by some of Nouvel’s favourite architects. Of note in the apartment offi...

Since 2011, we’ve kept track of and postulated the shift in the trend colours for furniture. The fashion and furniture industries call the flavour of the times ‘trend colours’ simply because these are the tones that will harmonise the aesthetics for the year. Generally, trend colours emerge out of a study of the human condition at that point in time. Sentiment, the various things people buy, use and wear, the cycle of contrast, the influence of weather, and more. Manufacturers oft influence changes as well, and the case with furniture is a bit of both. Trend colours are more often temporal than culture changers, and they can affect furniture production as a whole, since adopting them calls for more varied inventory, sourcing and alterations in production routines. The year saw a progression of the colours of the last 2 years. Last year, white was a base and the new colours existed merely to add life. The accent trend colours now have bceome much more. From accessories and sma...

It is said that the sign of pure, restless delight is doing more with less. That’s Calligaris , as it has been for decades. For 90 years, the iconic Italian brand has invigorated the global furniture industry through products that have struck home with resounding frequency, creating enduring trends and business success that is oft spoken of and admired by many a furniture maker. And that was evident, in its own measure, at Milano this year as well. Calligaris Tables & Chairs   Calligaris produces dining tables , chairs, coffee tables, storage solutions like cabinets and shelving, lamps, a range of accents and accessories, and much more. Apart from new furniture concepts, there are also new designs and fabrics. Vintage style meets contemporary shapes and bold colours, engendering the sensations of familiarity and freshness simultaneously. The new collection is a combination of qualities that Calligaris was originally founded on, mixed with new ideas that work...