As you may have seen on Instagram, I’m currently touring Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid with the Association of Spanish Design (RED). I’m looking forward to sharing all my discoveries from Spain with you when I get home, but in the meantime here’s a round-up of the latest design finds from elsewhere to reach my radar…
Lane x London Cloth Company
First up is British homeware brand Lane, which has launched a brand-new collaboration with the London Cloth Company. Formed in 2012 by Daniel Harris, the London Cloth Company has reintroduced weaving to the East London borough of Hackney, which had a strong cloth-trading tradition before cheap imports from the Far East led to its decline in the 20th century. For Lane, it has developed a unique collection of soft furnishings and home accessories, all woven on restored vintage looms and rope-dyed a beautiful indigo blue. There are floor and chair cushions, throws, table linens and wash bags, with prices ranging from £24 for a placemat to £230 for a throw.
Summer scents from Arum
Next is London-based Arum, which has developed a trio of candles with beautiful summer fragrances: ‘Coconut & Lime’, ‘Fig & Cassis’ and (my favourite) ‘Jasmine & Mint’. The company was founded around the belief that it only takes a little effort to create a more inspired life, and the scents were developed to add a bit of joy and beauty to everyday living. They’re all hand-poured using natural parafin-free wax and burn for up to 40 hours. Prices start at £34, and worldwide shipping is available.
New additions at &tradition
Moving over to Denmark, &tradition has extended its collection with a few new designs for summer 2017. They include a bar stool for Jaime Hayon’s playful ‘Catch’ chair series, whose shape resembles a friend with arms outstretched for a hug, and a new high-back version of Luca Nichetto’s ‘Cloud’ sofa, designed to provide a comforting and intimate cocoon (it even softens acoustics). There’s also the streamlined ‘Fornell’ lamp, created by Andreas Bozarth Fornell in homage to American artist Donald Judd, who used industrial materials in his work and is widely seen as a forerunner to the minimalist movement.
My personal favourite is the modular ‘Isole’ sofa system, designed by Luca Nichetto and Tokyo-based design studio Nendo. It was inspired by the idea of islands connected by bridges, with rounded seats, arm rests and backs linked by a slender powder-coated steel frame.
IKEA sideboard fronts from Reform
Copenhagen-based Reform, which produces beautiful fronts and worktops to customise standard IKEA kitchen systems, has featured in these round-ups a couple of times before. It’s just launched two new collections to fit IKEA’s ‘METOD’ sideboards and cabinets, moving beyond kitchen design to other areas of the home for the fist time.
The first, created by Swedish studio Afteroom, consists of handle-less HDF doors in four colours – powder, sand, olive and steel blue. I love their graceful undulated fronts, which sit perfectly above clean-lined, powder-coated steel legs. The other is the work of Stockholm-based Note Design Studio and blends contemporary and traditional elements, with smart beveled edges, ash-veneer fronts and a terrazzo frame. It comes in white and rust, with a choice of two- or four-door configurations. Prices for both collections start at around £1,050, including the IKEA cabinets.
WOUD now available via Houseology
Finally, some news that should interest all UK-based fans of Scandinavian design: Houseology has extended its collection of furniture and home accessories to encompass Danish brand WOUD. WOUD was founded in 2014 by Torben and Mia Koed, who wanted to create contemporary yet timeless pieces rooted in Nordic design tradition. Three years later, their range includes everything from sofas to candleholders to lighting, all designed to have meaning, purpose and function. I’ve been a fan ever since I first set eyes on the oak ‘Töjbox’ open wardrobe, so it’s great to see their pieces becoming increasingly accessible.
All photography via the respective brands named above
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