Viccarbe

During my travels in Spain, I came across a contemporary furniture company based in Valencia called Viccarbe. Here are some pieces that I thought were fantastic.

Barcelona: Vincon

A trip to Barcelona should include a trip to Vincon for anyone who is design obsessed. Housed in a historic building on the Passeig de Gracia it is filled to the brim with classic pieces and unique creations, many of which are at affordable prices. The lighting department and the furniture gallery should not be missed! Here are some items that caught my eye...


To the right is a Ron Arad chair designed in 2005.







This is a cube light that comes on when you open the top.





Finally, the cereal dispenser, a very useful device in my house.

Barcelona: Gotham

While I was in Barcelona last week I got a chance to visit Gotham, which is a store specializing in vintage modern furniture from the 50s, 60s an 70s.

There was an amazing selection, all of which was in really great shape, and it was a thrill to see some authentic pieces up close.

Milan: Established and Sons

Established and Sons launched two fantastic pieces during the Salone del Mobile. The first, a set of stools grouped together to form a single seating platform which can be separated to move around the room or reform in different clusters.

I know I have mentioned this before, but I love furniture that you are able to interact with, and the Nekton stool by Zaha Hadid allows you to do just that.

The second piece is the Crate Series, which consists of five separate units that can be used as tables, cabinets and... a spare bed. Jasper Morrison designed them to give the impression that they were home made, perhaps to highlight the practicality of the design and its modest origins.

I am heading off for a family vacation to the Costa Brava and Barcelona. I hope to bring back some exciting finds for my posts after May 20th. Adios!

Milan: Piet Boon

I have seen Piet Boon furniture in magazines before, but Milan was the first time I was able to experience a whole collection in person.

The Piet Boon Zone was part of the Superstudio Piu in the Zona Tortona, which is one of the most exciting areas of Milan to visit during the Salone del Mobile.




Most of his collections are in neutral, earthy tones, with a lot of dark wood and rough textured fabric. They have very classic modern lines, which keeps the furniture from feeling to heavy and overwhelming.


The craftsmanship and the finishing on the chairs and sectionals are really superb, and they are also incredibly comfortable to sit in!

Milan: Pircher and Paola Lenti

There was another prefab installation in the Zona Tortona that was far more interesting than the Loft Cube. It was a prefabricated system by Bestetti Associati for Pircher that is entirely made of glass, wood and iron.


Large rectangular prefabricated rooms can be coordinated to create a variety of home designs. They also claim to be environmentally sustainable and energy efficient.

The interiors inside the Pircher installation were decorated with furniture and rugs by Paola Lenti. Their stunning collections are extremely high quality and come in an array of saturated hues.

I am completely besotted with the whole rug collection and particularly those designed by Patricia Urquiola.

Milan Preview

I am heading to Milan this week for the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and hope to come home with a boatload of information, ideas and inspirations for my posts. To say that I am excited would be a vast understatement! I thought I would start with some of the Milan previews that I find really interesting.


Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec designed these chairs for Vitra (left); and the Pol sofa and Stone light for Kartell and Swarovski.


Foster & Partners are launching these chairs (below) for Emeco called 20-06, which are made from 80% recycled aluminium.



Luce Plan is also launching this beautiful light designed by Inga Sempe (below).

Aiveen Daly

New upholstery can not only transform a piece of furniture, but also dramatically transform the room it sits in. Recovering vintage furniture from any era is one of the most creative aspects to decorating a room. It is far more interesting than buying everything new and is definitely a more environmentally sustainable approach. Aiveen Daly takes upholstery to a new level, by creating bespoke couture upholstery designs in a luxurious array of original textiles, and with fine details like pleats, ribbon and buttons. Here are some of examples of her work:


This floor to ceiling panel is covered in an early Timorous Beasties fabric.





Here a Victorian ottoman is covered in a retro Swedish union linen. The seat lifts up to reveal storage inside, lined with tangerine cotton.


This chair was a commission for Elle Deco and Liberty of London. It is covered in an eclectic mix of Liberty shirt fabrics.




'Moneypenney', as this chair is called, is upholstered in Herringbone Tweed, with handmade frill, piping and buttoned suit detailing.


This chair was upholstered in Hemp and goatskin for shoe designer Rupert Sanderson's store in Mayfair.

Milk

I've seen this desk on a few blogs, but I simply have to make a post of my own about it because...well, I love it. Being a Mac junkie, I can't help thinking how suitable an altar it will be for my digital idol.


Milk was designed by Soren Kjaer to work seamlessly with Mac computers. There are exits on the surface and a drawer at the back to hide those nasty cables.



The compartments on the left hand side are designed to be anything from simple storage to a rubbish bin...





or a goldfish tank!

Atelier Abigail Ahern

Abigail Ahern is a stylist and an interior designer who has spent years travelling around the globe for different jobs and assignments. Her store, Atelier Abigail Ahern in Islington, London is a direct reflection of her diversity of experience and eclectic taste.



I really like this type of earthy modern style, where coarse textures and rough finishes are balanced with contemporary clean edges and curves.




The textile collection is stunning selection of beautiful shades of mossy green, mustard and grey.

Schulte Design

This stunning kitchen island is called Grace and is produced by Shulte Design from Krefeld, Germany. The clean lines and proportions, with a spare touch of chrome finishing, balance out the heaviness of the wood. The result is a centrepiece that brings warmth and a hint of traditionalism to a contemporary kitchen, and creates a relaxed gathering spot for family and friends.

It is pictured here in walnut, but is available in olive, apple, wild cherry and other exotic woods. Length and height can also be specified.



Electrical circuitry is integrated and cleverly hidden, so there are no messy wires.



Matching benches can come as single or corner modules, and with or without backrests.

Henri Quinta

Quinta France S.A. is a family run furniture company based near Perpignan. It has been hand-crafting one of a kind pieces for almost one hundred years.














Henri Quinta, the current manager, has designed a really interesting furniture line called Campagne Première, which puts a new spin on rustic country style.







The collection is made up of quirky individual pieces, that veer more toward Folk Art or Arts and Crafts movement than traditional country.




This furniture would be an obvious choice for a very funky cottage or perhaps a country home constructed from a refurbished barn or outbuilding.



I could also see many of them integrating really well with an urban eclectic interior, as many of these pieces could easily stand alone and make a statement.






This chair, for example, looks quite rustic with its distressed finish, but it still has strong contemporary lines that give it a flexibility within different interior styles.




There is also a kaleidoscope of colours to choose from.