12 personal favourites found at Ambiente 2018
Before travelling to Milan in some weeks it is time for some Spring cleaning and decorating projects at home, and what better time to choose then this right moment with the main fairs behind us and our heads full of new ideas. It is great to be able to work for the actual fairs and report not only on their channels but also on the blog here. This year I also travelled to Frankfurt where together with Holly Becker of Decor8 and Karine from Bodie and Fou we had a look around the many halls, products and brands Ambiente has to offer.
New trends and brands at the Ambiente blog
Some of the new trends and brands I discovered at Ambiente you can also find in my guest post on the Ambiente blog, have a look to read more about my first impression and the main things that caught my eye Minimalistic shapes and natural materials Also have a look at the other blogposts to discover more of Ambiente from another perspective.
Personal favourites | Fresh Taiwan | Kamaro’an
If you know me for some time and visit my blog regularly you know I am a lover of minimalism, I have weak spot for natural materials and love sculpture objects and a good dose of black. I also like to take things not so serious, our homes should be a reflection of our life and character and I love my own home being in a ongoing state of transition and change some corners continuously.
I have some things that almost never change, like the bookcases in my studio, and although I can live in a home that never seems to be finished and can be messy, in my own eyes mostly that is, people tend to say my home is really airy and minimalistic. Looking at the many exhibitioners it will be no surprise I loved to see the different Asian brands with their minimalistic approach when it comes to designing everyday objects.
‘Fresh Taiwan’ showed the work of different designers from Taiwan.Pictured above and below the work of Kamaro’an. Inspired by Taiwanese indigenous culture, Kamaro’an explores natural materials and delicate craftsmanship through simplistic designs.Each of their products is crafted by skilled indigenous weavers. Company website: Kamaro’an
One of my personal favourites from Kamaro’an was the ‘Faho Storage’ for storing table objects and dried plants.
Laura Görs
Laura was nominated for the newcomer German design Award and presented Sensorium and Sale. With her Sensorium project she wants to restore our awareness of fermentation. Fermentation changes food and creates new flavours and textures. Inspired by the proces, Laura created a table line that invites us to explore new realms of taste with all senses. website: Laura Görs
I had seen the work of Dutch designer Daniel van Dijck earlier in Milan and loved to see his presentation. Daniel is known for seeking the limits of design by working with unusual materials and processes. At Ambiente he showed his surprising tableware items in which he combines edibles with metal, porcelain and glass. website Daniel van Dijck
Q 34 | G. William Bell
Porcelain and glass are materials I always love to have a closer look at and I was totally impressed by the work of Q 34 a collaboration between two designers working in the field of glass and porcelain. Glass artist G. William Bell created these petri vessels that each looked so different.
William explaining the process: “My work is primarily concerned with processes of constructing and deconstructing line and form. Through my method I aim to highlight the nuanced moments where glass expresses its innate qualities. In my aim to do so I blow forms such as cylinders, spheres and ovals, these are then cut, slumped flat, cut again, reassembled and fused together into flat panels of glass. Which speaks of material history and process, capturing the complexity of layers and nuanced fluid detail. These plates I then pickup on a bubble producing a thin machined petri dish vessel, creating sharp contrast to the fluidity and movement contained within the design beneath. The objects show clear reference to the scientific, while still remaining autonomous in themselves” Pictures made at fairs are never the best, so please have a look at the website for more info about his work. website: Q34
Nude transcends the traditional boundaries of glassware treating the whole home as one sensuous and pleasurable space, I discovered the brand in the Trend area and went to see more of them at their stand. They work with different artists and designers. Not only did I discover a huge collection of beautiful glassware, the skull bowls made by Erdem Akan and inspired on his Punk Rock roots definitely caught my eye. website: Nude
Stones Like Stones
Something totally different that caught my eye were the wall panels pictured below by German company Stones Like Stones. At first sight I thought it was a wall build out of wonderful aged wood, instead the company produces amazing 3d tiles, also pictured above. I found so many interesting surfaces not only tiles but also 3d beton and metal look on the roll.
Their latest product is the reproduction of a traditional technique of Japanese architecture: Shou-Sugi produced under the name Mokutan. However, the supposedly charred wooden surfaces are rollable on a track of approx. 3.00 x 1.00 m and only a few millimeters thick. Company website: Stones Like Stones
Stelton
A new collaboration with world-famous British architect Lord Norman Foster was presented at Ambiente. His designs for the new Stelton range bring together simple sculptural form and soft geometry to create a new range of tableware of which pictures can be found in my Facebook album
I was looking forward to see more of Stelton and I was not disappointed by the huge stand showing most of the new and earlier collections. All time favourite remained and still is the Theo serie. Design and colour wise it ticks all boxes of my personal taste, being minimalistic and industrial at the same time. New was the coffee grinder and also the teapot in black matt stoneware made my design heart beat faster. website: Stelton
Ro is the Danish word for serenity, calmness and peace of mind, a nice table setting showed their tableware that includes both commercial design products as unique art objects. It was the first time I came across the brand and loved their story and collection. website: Ro
In my post for the Ambiente blog I already pointed out that I noticed a lot of paper being used and the use of different material in one piece, like above glass and paper in the vases of Danish OOhh. website: OOhh
I started this post introducing a few talents from Taiwan and want to end it with a Japanese brand with a collection of beautiful minimalistic design. In my next post I will show you some more of my favourite Trend area’s, meanwhile check out my Facebook album for all other pictures I made.
Kinto
I was glad to meet the designers of Kinto, a beautiful minimalistic brand from Japan that values the balance between usability and aesthetics to create products for everyday live. If you are a lover of slow coffee making and beautiful ceramic cups their brewer stand might be an option for your home. Many more to discover at their website: Kinto
