1—Grow op
For its 2012 spring-summer collection, Serax maison d’être called upon ceramic artists Paul Odekerken and Laurent Trébout to experiment with playful shapes and colours through new firing methods in order to create these fanciful flower pots – part of the company’s vast Lifestyle line. serax.com
2—Gadget accommodation
The Swedish trio Claesson Koivisto Rune has noticed how people’s postures change when incorporating mobile devices into their reading habits: we now lounge or sprawl in a more relaxed fashion. In response to this, CKR created the Isola chair, manufactured by Italian maker Tacchini, a fascinating design that is enveloping without being a bulky,
room-dominating mass. And the side table is certainly laptop- or iProduct-friendly. ckr.se
3—Join the club
This rigorous, monolithic armchair with its masculine lines and Cubism–meets–Mad Men sensibility forcibly grabbed your attention from the typically delicate offerings clogging the aisles at M&O. Characterized by soft stitched leather and walnut plating over a beech structure, Club is part of the debut line by a new actor on the contemporary furniture scene, Le Porheil Paris. leporhielparis.com
4—Ready when you are
Suitable for interior and exterior environments, and especially useful for spaces where occupancies vary, the Klap by Vange – fabricated in bamboo – is characterized by its delicacy (20 mm in thickness) and its strength (it can support a load of 140 kg). Vange modified the 2012 version to include a flap in the backrest that better supports the user’s back. A container on castors can carry 20 chairs, making it ideal for tight spaces. vange.be
5—Slices of brilliance
The Strates desk and shelving system by the Belgian outfit Objekten was one of biggest draws at the show for many reasons, not the least of due to its prominent placement in the international press check-in area. Designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, the desk exudes intuitive ergonomics, but is also designed to be easily
and quickly assembled and disassembled. objekten.com
6—A bad-mood killer
At first glance, Bounce looks like it could be part of a Cirque du Soleil stage performance – but in fact it’s a new idea in seating designed by Fenny Ganatra, a young industrial designer from Mumbai. Once you get over your initial trepidation, the effect is an uncanny feeling of levitation as you are both suspended and supported by elastic silicone strands. Made of polycarbonate and weighing approximately 9 kg, Bounce is being produced and marketed by Mumbai-based One Group. the-bounce.com
7—Who doesn’t love bunnies?
The designer duo Iskos-Berlin (Aleksej Iskos and Boris Berlin) has created a voluminous, inviting and playful interpretation of the classic Ear Chair that just wants to hug you. If it weren’t for the tightly bound strings wrapped around the soft, upholstered body, it seems almost as if the Bunny chair would explode out with a loving embrace. Consider yourself warned.
normann-copenhagen.com
8—Soft whimsy
The quilted lumps of Serpentine, designed by Éléonore Nalet for Ligne Roset, are interwoven with
a delicate metal structure to create a surprisingly comfortable armchair that is equally at home indoors and out. Its metal structure is protected by a double layer of polyester/epoxy lacquer, and the acrylic Tempête fabric is waterproof and anti-UV treated. ligne-roset.com
9—East meets North
The Okumi armchair’s influences are Scandinavian and Japanese: a pure wooden form is sheathed in
a traditional Japanese fabric covering evocative of a kimono, as if one had been thrown carelessly over it (the name comes from a Japanese word for a piece of fabric worn in front of the kimono). A single piece of wool fabric, with inverted pleats available in monochromatic or bicolour, makes up the cover and backrest. Okumi was designed by Studio Catoir for Ligne Roset.
ligne-roset.com
