New design finds | November 2022

The start of November means it’s time for my regular round-up of interesting design finds and product launches. On my radar this month are three gorgeous lighting collections, sustainable and very versatile furniture, and 12 stunning new paint colours that I’m sure you’ll love just as much as I do. Read on for details…

The ‘Raiz’ lighting collection from Studioilse x Ames

I’m starting with an exciting new collaboration between renowned British designer Ilse Crawford, her Colombian husband Oscar Peña and lighting company Ames, which aims to celebrate and preserve traditional Colombian crafts by combining them with modern design. Called ‘Raiz’ (which means ‘root’ in English), it features conical shades that are hand-shaped and wood-fired by family-owned businesses in the province of Tolima, along with bases woven from naturally dyed Iraca palm fibres in Departamento Nariño, south west Colombia. The resulting lamps offset minimalist forms with a beautifully warm, tactile expression and are available in table, floor and pendant versions, with prices starting at €470. It’s a collaboration that I’m particularly interested in as my new sister-in-law is from Colombia and I’ll be heading there myself in spring, so I can’t wait to see more!

Versatile new pieces from TAKT

Sustainable Copenhagen-based brand TAKT has just added two designs by Depping & Jørgensen to its range of flatpack, Ecolabel-certified furniture.

The first is the ‘Arc’ dining table, created in response to the needs of the modern family home, where the table serves not only as a place to eat, but also as a hub for work, play and connection. It’s available with optional 50 or 92cm extension lengths, and both they and the top come in oak veneer or black, light grey or red nano laminate that can be mixed and matched as desired. Importantly, the proportions have been carefully considered to ensure the aesthetic balance isn’t compromised when the table is lengthened, and the extension mechanism is cleverly concealed by oak stretchers.

The other piece is the ‘Curve’ coat rack – a minimalist and very adaptable peg rail with an add-on shelf for holding small items such as keys, phones and wallets. It’s made from solid oak and comes 30, 60 and 90cm lengths, with a choice between clear lacquer, black-blue or ‘Japan’ red finishes. I particularly like the way the shelf can be placed anywhere along the rack, and it works just as well in kitchens and home offices as it does in bedrooms and hallways.

Both designs are available to buy from TAKT’s website now, with prices starting at £129 for the coat rack and £1,039 for the table.

The ‘Plan’ collection from Fredericia x Barber Osgerby

Also launching sustainable new furniture this month is Danish stalwart Fredericia, which has teamed up with UK design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby to create the ‘Plan’ collection. Designed with both home and commercial environments in mind, it consists of tables and chairs that can be used for working, dining and living. All blend clean lines with gently rounded forms, with an array of steel frame colours, wood finishes and sizes to choose from. There’s even the option of table tops made from end-of-life Kvadrat textiles, blended and treated to ensure they’re long-lasting and resistant to wear and tear! What’s more, every component can be disassembled for easy repair, reuse or recycling, and the chairs can be partially or wholly upholstered.

Elegant glass lighting from GUBI x Space Copenhagen

Inspired by the behaviour of light in moving water, Space Copenhagen’s new ‘Seine’ range for GUBI draws on the power of glass to soften and blur. It consists of a table lamp, a ceiling light and a pendant, all formed from dome-like shades affixed to antiqued brass bases. The glass is mouth-blown into digitally created molds that shape it as it sets, and the resulting surface patterns have a wonderful fluidity that evokes the motion of a cascading fountain or a gently flowing river. There are two different colour variants – smoke, which exposes the inner structure of the lamp, and sandblasted coral, which has a more opaque and clouded expression. Both look beautiful switched on or off, and are available to buy now. Prices start at £349 / €399 for the ceiling light and pendant, and £399 / €449 for the table lamp.

New paint colours from Atelier Ellis

Next up is a new collection from UK-based artisan paint maker Atelier Ellis, which was founded by colourist Cassandra Ellis in 2018. It has the fantastic name of ‘Waving & Smiling’, and the idea behind it was to “encourage us to connect and celebrate individual choice at home and of place”. The result is a palette of 12 gorgeous colours that adapt themselves to a range of different settings and decor styles. My favourites are ‘Cass’, a use-everywhere neutral shown at the very top of this post, the soothing green-grey ‘At The Bay’, a pale yet surprisingly warm blue called ‘Chambray’, and the calm, shadowy and restful ‘Lulling’. But they’re all absolutely beautiful, with a timeless and slightly dream-like quality to them.

Like all Atelier Ellis paints, the new hues are handmade using up to 10 natural pigments to create complex and nuanced shades. They’re available now, with prices starting at £5 for a 100ml sample pot and £51 for a 2.5L tin of emulsion.

Outdoor lighting from Nuura

Finally, some more lighting news – this time from Danish brand Nuura, which has launched its first-ever collection of outdoor lamps. Echoing the minimalist aesthetic and sleek spheres of the existing ‘Liila’ and ‘Miira’ indoor lighting families, it encompasses a selection of wall- and ceiling-mounted designs in dark bronze or black finishes, with either opal white or clear optic glass globes. All have an IP54 rating, which means they’re fully suitable for outside use, and are protected against limited amounts of dust and water. The collection is available now, with prices ranging from €309 to €409.

All photography courtesy of the brands above