Mathmos announces second collaboration with Sabine Marcelis
(UK)- Inventor of the world’s first lava lamp, Mathmos, has announced a second collaboration with multi-disciplinary designer Sabrine Marcelis.
Following the success of its first collaboration in 2023 the collaborators released the Astro Lava Lamp, created specifically for Dutch artist’s VitaHaus Loft installation in Weil am Rhein in June 2024.
Its design is created to blend within the burgundy colours used in Marcelis’ bedroom design for the VitraHaus Loft installation. A metal base and cap are cast from hand-spun aluminium and painted in matt Bordeaux red shade along with a burgundy braided cord and black inline switch and plug. Its glass bottle is hand-finished with a frosted coating creating a soft light to the custom burgundy lava. Marcelis says: “I am a big fan of Mathmos’ iconic lava lamps and had so much fun working on our first collaborative design. It felt natural to include an Astro lava lamp in the bedroom at the VitraHaus Loft, and I'm glad we were able to introduce a new limited edition lava lamp to match the colour scheme for the occasion!”
Cressida Granger, Mathmos, says: “It is a great honour to work with Sabine again after the success of her first collaborative lamp, which sold out within hours last year. I’m sure her new design will be equally popular.”1000 pieces will be available internationally from October 2024. Each lamp will be uniquely marked with its limited-edition number on the base, and delivered in a bespoke Sabine Marcelis-designed burgundy box.
Cameron Design House - Baltic series
(UK) – British lighting and furniture studio launches the Baltic lighting series with inaugural piece, Vetta.
Drawing inspiration from the landscapes of Finland, the series explores the elements water, snow, wind and ice. Created under the guidance of Creative Director and Founder Ian Cameron, Vetta, meaning water in Finnish, encapsulates the namesake element.
Ian Cameron, Founder of Cameron Design House, says: "My designs have always been intertwined with nature and the new Baltic series is no exception to this. Heavily influenced by my Finnish heritage, the series explores the natural elements of its landscape - water, wind, fire, and earth. I am excited to unveil Vetta, the first piece in the series, inspired by water with more mesmerising pieces to follow. Each piece in the Baltic Series will honour the essence of my Finnish roots."
Decorex announces 47th edition
(UK) – Decorex returns to Olympia events in London on 6-9 October.
Featuring over 280 brands showcasing furniture, lighting, fabrics and more. Attendees can explore the latest trends, product launches and attend a comprehensive talks programme with over 85 industry experts as speakers.
Sustainability will be a core focus, with initiatives like Better Stand’s project, which aims to reduce waste caused by stands and exhibitions by implementing reusable structures. Also, the show will be powered by 100% renewable electricity, preventing of an estimated 21.5 tons of CO2. To reinforce sustainability values within the design industry, Decorex is continuing to work with the Sustainability Task Force who together are introducing the Decorex Sustainability Awards, judging categories such as ‘Innovative Design’ and ‘Driving Force for Change’.
Renowned design studio Brady Williams will design the central bar, while The New Craftsmen, an organisation which commissions and sells unique contemporary objects will create unique entrance features.
Registration is now open, early bird tickets are available until/from 12 July.
Occhio - Edizione Lusso Lamp
(Germany) – German lighting company has released a nature inspired luminaire using natural materials and colours.
Edizione Lusso is a new edition to Occhio’s Mito series, the signature collection designed by the brand’s founder, Axel Meise. The lamp is now available in various marble finishes while keeping Occhio’s high-tech performance.
Edizione Lusso now comes in three colourway options for the marble base of the luminaire: Vivo, Scuro, and Caldo. Vivo combines green marble with Ascot leather in the colour "Grigio" along with iridescent surface finish "Phantom”. Scuro offers a darker finish, using Nero Marquina marble with Ascot leather in the colour "Nero" and the surface "Black Phantom". While Caldo uses Marrone Emperador marble, Ascot leather in the colour "Marrone" and the "Phantom" surface.
www.occhio.com
Design Shanghai celebrates 11th edition
(China) – Asia’s largest international Design Festival welcomed 80,000 visitors to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention centre on 19-22 June.
Over three days the event hosted 600 brands from 40 countries, showcasing a blend of Eastern and Western design philosophies. With the addition of a new hall, the fair included forums and workshops with prominent designers discussing trends such as sustainable design and traditional craftmanship.
The show celebrated Chinese design talent and international participation was notable in sectors like lighting, furniture, and accessories. The design talks programme facilitated discussions on future design trends and welcomed speakers such as Aldo Bakker founder of Aldo Bakker Studios and Thomas Heatherwick founder of Heatherwick Studio. Audi, a long-time partner of the show, showcased its advancements in auto motive lighting technology by presenting an interactive installation named ‘Language of Light’.
Zhuo Tan, Director of Design Shanghai, says; "2024 has been a challenging year for designers, architects, brands, and everyone in the design industry. Design Shanghai has always embraced change and faced challenges head-on. This year, the show was buzzy and dynamic, resembling an annual grand gathering for designers, with many discovering new directions for the future. This is exactly our aim - to instil confidence in the design industry and give designers a much-needed boost.”
New additions and highlight for 2024 included:
- Talents, curated by designer Frank Chou, aimed to inspire young emerging designers, who were invited to explore the theme "The Quest For The Question".
- Chen Min curated neooold, which featured the theme “Art Extension, which converges crafts with the origins of modern art.
- Craft+ presented an exploration of China's heritage and traditional craftsmanship, highlighting textile techniques of ethnic minorities, with a focus on revitalising traditional crafts through design collaborations.
- "Rong Casting" Exhibition: Returning for its ninth edition the exhibit commits to deconstructing traditional handicrafts into materials and techniques.
Design Shanghai will return for its 12th edition in 2025 as well as launching a brand-new show on 31 October 2024, Design Shanghai Collectible.
Maria Cheung on 3 Days of Design
Maria Cheung is Director and Head of Interior Design at award-winning architecture and design practice Squire & Partners. Cheung’s experience spans workspace, residential and hotel developments and extends to bespoke installations and products, retail d
isplays and exhibition design. She is regularly invited to judge WIN, Dezeen and FX award programmes and speak at industry events including Workspace Design Show, London Design Festival and London Craft Week. Design is a passion for Maria, who strives to create beautiful spaces that transcend their functional requirements to surprise and enhance the user’s experience.
This month Cheung attended 3 Days of Design, which ran 12 – 14 June, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event saw numerous brands showcasing new products in various showrooms and design destinations throughout the city, attracting a buzz of industry experts, press, and public visitors. darc invited Cheung to share her experiences at the event, and present some of her top lighting pics. Check them out below.
It was my first time attending the event - as soon as I arrived there was a great atmosphere of celebration and sharing. Copenhagen was alive and buzzing with designers, suppliers and dealers. There were visitors from all over the world, including a particularly large contingent from the UK – specifically the London design community. Familiar faces popped up at different events and showrooms and there were plenty of opportunities to make new connections.
For many brands, it was an opportunity for their international representatives to meet and bond. Suppliers at each showroom proudly displayed their products in new arrangements and were very generously feeding and watering all who came through their doors! Colourful branded tote bags filled the streets and served as reminders for places yet to visit. Parties ran through the night and energy remained high during the three days, which were fuelled by coffee and excitement.
It was interesting to see so many brands in their own showroom setting where their identity is inherent and can really be showcased. I saw lots of beautiful installations that had been prepared especially for the event, which displayed new products as well as existing ones, and which allowed for many people to flow through. Clearly this is more sustainable than building bespoke sets in a large exhibition hall, as the time and investment creating new arrangements within showrooms goes beyond the three-day festival, and therefore offers more longevity.
Some brands such as Federica, Audo, &Tradition already have beautiful hospitality settings which weave lifestyle and products together seamlessly within their showrooms. Others chose to exhibit their ranges in iconic spaces within the city. One example of this was Fritz Hansen at the Opera Parken, where little material intervention was required to expertly display their indoor and outdoor furniture sets. For brands who don’t have large showrooms in the city, group exhibition. were set within stunning architecture and interiors such as the Odd Fellow Palæet.
It was a fantastic way to experience multiple brands while exploring Copenhagen. Showrooms were spread across walkable distances or a scenic boat ride from the historic city centre to the regenerated coastal industrial area of Nordhaven.
We were treated to meeting new lighting designer Sissel Gram Warringa, who launched ‘Peel’ for Frandsen – a family of wall, pendant and table lamps, which use a single sheet of curved stainless steel to cleverly provide shade, base and wall fixing. She presented her research around material selection, explaining how stainless steel affects the quality of light and the importance of mock-ups and trials in ensuring a correct design. It’s always inspiring to meet designers and see the huge effort and passion they pour into their craft. Within the same exhibition by Frandsen, simple yet innovative use of mirrors enhanced the experience of the beautiful ranges – from large circular mirrors that reflect the base of suspended lights to an array of angled mirrors which create the illusion of infinite light fittings.
Having never attended before I cannot comment on how the presence of lighting has changed over the event 10-year run. However, it is very clear that lighting is an integral part of the festival. Aside from the established lighting companies who have their own dedicated showrooms – such as Louis Poulsen at Frederiksholm – furniture brands like Gubi and Verpan also have their own characterful pendants, wall, floor and table lights which are designed to live harmoniously with their other curated furniture ranges.
Elevating Your Brand and Business Through Strategic Commercial Interior & Lighting Design at CDW
https://vimeo.com/953979153?share=copy
Our panel of design experts: Mara Miller, Industville; Sanjit Bahra, Design Plus; Inge Watrobski, Head of Design, Heartwood Collection Light, discusses how strategic commercial interior and lighting design can elevate a brand’s identity, customer loyalty, and in turn build business opportunities.
The future of hospitality design with Holly Hallam of DesignLSM at CDW
https://vimeo.com/953948988?share=copy
Interior designer Holly Hallam discusses what the future of hospitality design could look like; what will impact design choices; and how designers might need to adapt.
Discussion on 'Lighting and Wellness' with Jo Littlefair at CDW
https://vimeo.com/953983964?share=copy
Jo Littlefair of interior design studio Goddard Littlefair discusses the use of lighting when working on wellness interior design projects, referencing the studio’s work on the spa at Raffles London at The OWO.
In Conversation with... interior designers Staffan & Monique Tollgard at CDW
https://vimeo.com/954343703?share=copy
[d]arc media’s managing editor, Helen Ankers sits down with the design duo reflecting on their 20-year career history, how the industry has changed for designers in general, as well as what has changed for products and trends in lighting.
Lindsey Adelman launches oil lamp exhibition in NYC
(USA) - ‘A Realm of Light’ is a new collection of oil lamps by New York-based designer Lindsey Adelman, that was on view at TIWA Galley during New York’s Design Week last month.
The collection of 32 oil lamps on display consist of two-archetypes: brass-chain-suspended amber hand-blown glass bulbs which can hang solo or create multi-configurations or chandeliers; and sitting lamps blown in brown, black, clear, and gold glass made with close collaborator Nancy Callahan.
Lindsey Adelman, founder of Lindsey Adelman Studio, says: “This collection has allowed me to reflect on the building blocks of light, why I’m drawn to working with light, and why I'm a lighting designer. Firelight is my favourite kind of light. It is primal, raw, and constantly changing, and the space it illuminates is constantly changing too. It feels a bit radical as a lighting designer to just use fire, to completely sidestep or escape the rules of the cord and the plug and the UL listing. Sculpting with fire is completely different from designing for electricity: fire is magical and dangerous, beyond your control, and yet demanding of your complete attention.”
A departure from her large-scale studio projects, Adelman’s oil lamps are designed to induce a collective ritual experience by drawing inspiration from sacred ceremonies and collective rituals while exploring perceptions of time and space.
Adelman adds: “Oil lamps are the oldest lamp in existence, preceding electricity by over 6,000 years. Along with incense lamps in cathedrals, there’s this incredible history and mythology associated with their use in sacred rituals. I love that there is a power beyond the literal activity of what we can see–the idea of a collective of people dissolving into one energy, over a dinner party for instance. It’s a new type of ascension, a new mythology.”
Design Shanghai Returns in 2024
(China) - Asia’s largest international design festival enters its 11th edition, expecting to bring over 100,000 visitors to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Taking place from 19 – 20 June, the event will attract leading international and Chinese manufacturers, design-led brands, global industry leaders, architects, collectors, interiors designers and design enthusiasts. The event will showcase curated exhibitors, features, and a talks programme.
New features to the show in 2024 will include hall four for “New Materials and Applications”, showcasing innovative design approaches, which will complement the existing three halls on lighting and furniture design. Also, Sustainable Design Summit will be hosted for the first time in the Shanghai Exhibition and Convention Centre in tandem with Design Shanghai. Showcasing 60 events and talks from 60 speakers, the summit will provide an international platform for visitors to explore the future of responsible design.
Zhuo Tan, Event Director of Design Shanghai says: “Design Shanghai has gone from strength to strength over the last ten years. We have persuaded many overseas brands to join this emerging market In China, and help Chinese brands communicate and export to the outside world and strive to change everyone’s perception of Chinese design. In the next 10 years, we will continue to do this, and at the same time we will use more energy to convince the overseas media and overseas markets. I believe in Chinese design and Chinese creativity. I look forward to witnessing more innovations and break throughs by Design Shanghai in June this Year.”
