Last month at the London Design Festival, 2014 was by far one of the best yet. I felt there was a real energy about the event and an excitement around all of the new products, that I haven’t felt for a while. I was really impressed by some of the graduate exhibits at LDF and saw so many items that I felt were really original and inventive.
Out of the masses of amazing stuff I came across I have made an edit of what I think are my favourite items and collections from the festival, below. I hope you agree!
1. Product Name: Perch light | Designer: Umut Yamac | Photography: Tom Gildon | Website: umutyamac.com
Hands down the best for me. SO beautiful, elegant and cool, all in one. Basically, the bird is illuminated through contact with the perch and this lets the bird balance and swing without any cables whilst maintaining luminance.
The bird has been precisely counterbalanced to sit in a resting position on its perch unless activated into gentle motion by wind or touch.
The light is available in a floor or wall lamp and is entirely hand made in London. Check out the video, here!
2. Product Name: Eley Kishimoto Wallpaper | Designer: Eley Kishimoto | Website: eleykishimoto.com
Apart from (in my opinion) being the best stand at Decorex this year, this collection has been so beautifully curated. Fabulous shape, line, colour and pattern- a real statement, and it’s not surprising considering founders Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto have been dubbed the ‘Patron Saints of Print’.
Designed with integrity and a light-hearted approach, these screen printed beauties comprise 12 unique designs, from La La Lyon – a bold, modern take on a traditional damask pattern to Venice, Camo Chevron and Light on Lattice – a series of geometric inspired prints, or Vanity Cats, Monster Skin and Pedigree Entourage – original motifs that are humorous and playful.
3. Product Name: Mist Cabinet | Designer: Rachel Harding | Website: rachelharding.co.uk
This cabinet made me turn my head when I realised that what I saw as I walked past disappeared as I walked off. I had to do a double take until I realised that is the whole point of this piece. ‘Now you see me, now you don’t’ is the title of the cabinet on the website.
Constructed from clear cast acrylic, the opacity of each box effortlessly changes between transparent and translucent as you pass by. The cabinet uses a minimalist construction to create a series of transparent boxes that react to various viewing angles. Each box is covered in a special coating to create this magical effect.
Designer, Rachel Harding says ‘I wanted to re-invent the idea of the traditional display cabinet,’. ‘Instead of simply falling into the background, this cabinet interacts with the objects inside, and encourages the user to take a second look.’
4. Product Name: Ella sofa by Bethan Gray, Fold light & Turned Tables by WorkHouse at FAO Shop | Website: workhousecollection.co.uk
I adore all three of these pieces from WorkHouse design. The organic nature of the designs is what I’ve really fallen for. I’d buy half a dozen of these fold lights for my house, if I could! The smoky glass is feminine yet serious and the same could be said about all three items. I especially love that the turned side table is mimicking an 18th century garden urn (you all know I love my garden!) and has been crafted from a single piece of oak.
The Ella sofa by Bethan Gray is playful yet elegant and I so happy that the same amount of energy was put into designing the feet of the sofa as I often feel the feet are what can let a piece of furniture down.
And that colour! Say no more..
Lx