It started out five years ago as a one-off satellite of Art Basel Miami Beach (perhaps now the most important art fair in the US) but Design Miami has now become a global forum for the very best in limited edition design - the kind of pieces that sit firmly in the middle of the 'Design / Art' Venn diagram. And if a winning lottery ticket were ever to land in my lap, I’d be spending quite a bit of it here...
Barring a few comments, I think I’ll try and let the pictures speak for themselves as much as possible, except to say that I have inevitably chosen examples of many of my current obsessions: materials left in a recognisably raw state, woven pieces, crystalline forms, yellow, neutral palettes and the modern primitive idea…
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Pile of Suitcases by Maarten de Ceulaer, Nilufar (www.nilufar.com) Picture courtesy of Nilufar |
Handmade using different types and colours of leather, I've seen quite a few similar pieces by de Ceulaer but love the colour palette and composition of this particular one.
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Once Upon a Dream by Mathieu Lehanneur for Veuve Clicquot Picture courtesy of Veuve Clicquot |
Created by Mathieu Lehanneur, Once Upon A Dream references the research of noted professor René Quinton, and findings of sleep specialist Alain Nicolas, ‘to create a space that evokes resynchronization through touch, sight, smell and sound’.
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| Fragile Future concrete chandelier by Lonneke Gordijn & Ralph Nauta, Carpenters Workshop Gallery (www.cwgdesign.com) Picture courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery |
Incorporating bronze and dandelion seeds (my flower of 2010), could anything be more exquisite? Top of my Design Miami wishlist...
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Stag Stool by Rick Owens, Jousse Enterprise (www.jousse-entreprise.com) Picture courtesy of Jousse Enterprise |
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Two Legged Console by Max Lamb by Johnson Trading Gallery (www.johnsontradinggallery.com) Picture courtesy of Johnson Trading Gallery |
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Solid Wood Chests By Jose Zanine Caldas at R 20th Century (www.r20thcentury.com) Picture courtesy of R 20th Century |
'A self-taught artist, designer and architect and life-long proponent of forest protection, Zanine (1918-2001) attempted to plant a new tree every time a tree was taken down for one of his projects. His essays about Brazil's relationship to its forests draw upon architectural history since the Roman Empire, philosophy and folktales to present his passionate views on the power of solid wood as a material.' (from R 20th Century)
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Bush of Iron desk and chair by Nacho Carbonell at Galleria Rossana Orlandi (http://galleriarossanaorlandi.com) Picture courtesy of Galleria Rossana Orlandi |
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Honeycomb Vase by Tomas Libertiny, Carpenters Workshop Gallery (www.cwgdesign.com) Picture courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery |
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| The Modern Primitives booth by Fendi & Aranda/Lasch (www.arandalasch.com) Picture courtesy of Fendi |
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| Modern Primitives seating by Fendi & Aranda/Lasch Picture courtesy of Fendi |
Ben Aranda and Chris Lasch of the New York architecture firm Aranda\Lasch used their Fendi-sponsored booth as a testing ground for sculptural seating inspired by crystalline formations.
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Pyramid Table, Beta Tank (www.betatank.net), winners of W Hotels Designers of the Future Award Picture courtesy of Beta Tank |
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Teak and fabric sofa and easy chair (1950) by Finn Juhl, Dansk Møbelkunst
(www.dmk.dk) Picture courtesy of Brahl Fotografi |
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Yellow Unit by Donald Judd, Sebastian + Barquet (www.sebastianbarquet.com) Picture courtesy of Sebastian + Barquet |
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Another personal favourite that I could make houseroom for at anytime.
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| Reef Bench by Atelier Remy & Veenhuizen, Industry Gallery (http://industrygallerydc.com)Picture courtesy of Industry Gallery |
Although the Industry Gallery in Washington DC show some amazing work, this is perhaps the only piece in this blog that doesn't appeal to me on a personal level, but still there was something so interesting about the form and material that I had to include it.
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Holscher Chair (1952) by Poul Kjaerholm, at R 20th Century (www.r20thcentury.com) Picture courtesy of R 20th Century |
My rope and string obsession has been going strong for about five years now.
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Ceres by Lindsay Adelman, Matter (www.mattermatters.com) Picture courtesy of Lindsey Adelman Studio |
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Table (1954-55) By Jean Royère at Galerie Patrick Seguin (www.patrickseguin.com) Picture courtesy of Galerie Patrick Seguin |
The combination of straw marquetry and brass really appeals to me.
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| Material mock-up for the Design Miami Tent in the Moorhead & Moorhead Studio (www.moorheadandmoorhead.com) Picture courtesy of Design Miami |
Just a nice picture of materials, textures and forms.
