Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2022 i AZURE

Would you live in a 27.5-square-metre apartment? That question might elicit another in response: How? In Quito, designers Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones figured out the logistics — through elegant design. As necessity is forever the mother of invention, they created something called Doméstico, an all-in-one micro-architecture — or macro-furniture — piece that contains a Swiss Army knife’s assortment of storage, along with a kitchen, a bed and more of the amenities that turn a space into a home. When we think about home, we often think of its comforts — especially during the winter months. How can we craft interiors to maximize a sense of spiritual warmth? The stories in this issue present a myriad of approaches to sculpting space within a range of footprints. There’s the…

1 Pipe pitcher by Normann Copenhagen Inspired by Copenhagen’s drain pipes, Simon Legald’s mirror-polished stainless-steel vessel adopts a charmingly tubular form. $205 normann-copenhagen.com 2 Speaker Bag by Balenciaga A collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, this statement piece reimagines a Bluetooth speaker as an aluminum handbag with lambskin lining. PRICE UPON REQUEST balenciaga.com 3 Column lamp by Menu These days, no hip restaurant is complete without a portable lamp on every table. This aluminum centrepiece promises to elevate at-home dinners, too. $250 menuspace.com 4 Field oven by Snow Peak Outdoors brand Snow Peak recently enlisted Kengo Kuma to design a spa for its Japanese headquarters. This campfire grill matches the space’s refined beauty. $440 snowpeak.com 5 Twenty Tank glasses by Tom Dixon It’s been 20 years since Tom Dixon started up…

IXA A collaboration with Foster + Partners, Ixa interprets the “elegant balance” of Alexander Calder’s sculptures through a system of counterweights and pivot points that allow for rotation and inclination. Further, the spherical head welcomes interaction: Attached to its extension bar with a magnet, it can be rotated freely 360 degrees, directing light where it’s needed. Also available in table and wall versions, Ixa comes in Charcoal, Crane (yellow), Ink (blue) and Slip (light grey). artemide.com CUPOLINA Inspired by the classic architectural element, Cupolina’s diminutive dome-shaped head is suspended from its angular metal body by a thin cord and projects a focused yet soft beam of light. Designed by Barcelona-based Boti de Dominicis Studio, the lamp is available in black, white, terracotta and custom colourways; the series also includes table,…

When Olga Sladkova and Roman Drahan set out to redesign their flat in Kyiv, they wanted their home to reflect their values. The IT specialists moonlight at sustainable start-ups (think metal straws and recycled-wood toothbrushes), volunteer and attend environmental protests. Through an article in The Village Ukraine, the two discovered local studio Hi Atelier — which had recently revamped the media outlet’s offices with vintage furnishings and recycled materials — and knew they had landed in the right place. With just 55 square metres to work with, the studio was tasked with designing a simple, uncluttered space with abundant natural light. It was a challenge that founder and chief architect Ihor Havrylenko was well suited for; he is accustomed to working with small spaces. The resulting interior merges a minimalist,…

The Containa side table by Melbourne-based designer Dean Norton has a rich interior life. A cubist interpretation of a Russian doll, it combines a foggy glass shell with a second, smaller form that seems to glow from within. Norton’s Daylight Forever lamp takes things a step further by presenting a seemingly endless array of light bulbs — almost as though it is a portal to the multiverse. Both illusions function like scaled-down versions of contemporary art installations, playing with physical boundaries in a way that evokes Dan Flavin and Yayoi Kusama. “I’m trying to deliver artistic expressions through pieces of furniture,” Norton says. “I want my designs to have an impact in the spaces they’re placed in, and I want people to have an emotional response as they try to…

Designers, it is often said, are hard to buy for. But in a season that produces no shortage of unnecessary waste, perhaps every holiday shopper should adopt the same high standards as architects and furniture-makers. After all, is it really too much to ask a design to balance usefulness, longevity and delight? Certainly, the projects on the next few pages — which include everything from a park that saved many Londoners from the city’s summer heat wave (page 22) to a kitchen made almost entirely from pre-existing materials (page 28) — manage this feat. Granted, when it comes to selecting a present, it’s also important to factor in personal taste. Which is why, this year, we’ve structured our gift guide (starting on page 30) to appeal to three of the…

1 Tizio lamp by Artemide This reissue of Richard Sapper’s 1972 masterpiece commemorates the lamp’s 50th anniversary with a bright red hue that was a favourite of the Italian designer. FROM $990 artemide.com 2 Sketch toolbox by Muuto In the era of CAD, drawing by hand is the ultimate art form. Made primarily from recycled plastic, Thomas Bentzen’s organizer provides space for a full set of drafting tools. $80 muuto.com 3 Stilt House by Ethnicraft A representation of a traditional housing typology, this black-stained mahogany maquette brings domestic warmth to any bookshelf. $190 ethnicraft.com 4 HiFive rack by Blu Dot Featuring a boxy frame intersected by a slanted plane, this powder-coated aluminum storage solution is the perfect way to show off Bauhaus-themed coffee table books. $340 bludot.com 5 Solum side…

When Róisín Lafferty started out in interior design, she sought employment at one of the big London firms. That didn’t work out: with no real-world experience during a highly competitive time, she couldn’t get a gig. It turns out to have been the best outcome. Twelve years after founding her own practice, Kingston Lafferty Design, she has built a reputation and garnered accolades both in Ireland and internationally for her richly layered interiors — especially residences animated by daring colour-blocking and material combinations, as well as bold bespoke furnishings and millwork. One of her early projects, Bolton Coach House, already feels iconic simply for the long pink sofa that hugs one of its dramatically linear rooms; Lovers Walk, her most recently completed home, features saturated hues and plush jewel tones…

In conversation and in her work, Brooklyn designer Kickie Chudikova conjures a state of living wonder. “The beautiful Picasso bug inspired the rug, and the wavy wings of a dragonfly became the stained-glass windows,” she says, pointing to elements of her exhibition at Alcova during this year’s Milan Design Week. “And the armchair was such a thrill — it has nine metal pieces that connect into one, just like an insect’s body.” As for its brilliant yellow upholstery? “That’s because it’s the queen bee.” Comprising six limited-edition pieces, Chudikova’s Insectum collection captures the vivid colours and biological forms of the insect world, balancing a graceful, almost fragile allure with a sense of comfort and solidity. “It’s a celebration of beauty, but also a reminder to look at the vital yet…

Hip-Hop Architecture American-Jamaican architect Sekou Cooke believes hip-hop and the built environment are inextricably linked. Like a DJ, he samples and juxtaposes from both worlds, comparing remix to renovation and exploring parallels between rap’s linguistic structure and architectural diagrams. He defines hip-hop architecture as a creative process and identity rather than a mere aesthetic, setting up broader discussions about race, gender and related artistic movements. He even dedicates an essay to Kanye West: the quintessential hip-hop architect. An exhibition designed and curated by Cooke will run at the Museum of Design Atlanta until January 29, 2023. bloomsbury.com The Architecture of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock pioneered the psychological thriller in part by unlocking the disturbing potential of unassuming spaces. From Psycho to Vertigo, his cinematography and storytelling often presented architecture as an…

Antwerp is a place of rich juxtapositions, with ornate Renaissance buildings located alongside austere mid-century structures introduced to fill the holes left by the Second World War. In 2020, Copenhagen design studio Space Copenhagen completed its first project in the Belgian city: Le Pristine, a partnership with chef Sergio Herman located in a blocky 1960s concrete mid-rise in the city’s fashion district. Last summer, the studio re-teamed with Herman to open a follow-up restaurant right next door, this one built inside a grand 17th-century property that originally housed one of the city’s first banks. Like the streets around it, Blueness is a patchwork of many different identities. Inside the Japanese-meets-French eatery, minimalist interventions play off more classical architecture. A waiters’ station in solid aluminum provides a surprising counterpoint to carved…

Time stands still when you step into Vancouver’s AE.R Skinlab — a particularly good thing upon entering a cosmetic dermatology clinic. With a palette of tranquil greys and a lobby installation that resembles millennia-old stalactites, the space is undeniably soothing. It was inspired in part by its location in Arthur Erickson’s Waterfall Building, which has its own calming effect. “When you walk from the street to the courtyard, you pass by a poetic waterfall installation,” says principal architect Michael Leckie, whose team developed AE.R’s interiors around notions of materiality, erosion and weathering. That waterfall motif can be seen in the striated finish of the Vancouver Island–sourced marble walls (Edward Burtynsky’s Quarries photography series was another influence) and in the fluted-glass storefront. But it is most prominent in the reception area’s…

1 Net robe by Dusen Dusen Anyone who packs their home full of patterns will be overjoyed to work some graphics into their morning routine, too. (Just remind them to change before Zoom calls.) $140 USD dusendusen.com 2 Stack lantern by Houseplant Part ashtray, part lamp: Castor Design’s portable companion boasts 15 hours of battery life, a natural bridle leather handle and a bonus storage compartment. $275 houseplant.com 3 Splat table by Areaware Brooklyn designer Sophie Colle’s swirly MDF furniture piece is as much a pedestal as it is a sculpture. Choose from two sizes and a variety of punchy hues. FROM $140 USD areaware.com 4 Mattina cake stand by Alessi Swiss design studio BIG-GAME endorses sweet indulgences with this porcelain dessert podium, available with a red or grey base.…

The central premise of magic realism, whether it be works on canvas or the written word, is a subtle disruption of reality. Think of the hypnotic stories of Jorge Luis Borges, where the lines between the real and the fantastical become muddied and vague, or Giorgio de Chirico’s perspective-defying paintings. For fans of the genre, Museum Arnhem, perched on the crest of a grassy hill overlooking the Rhine River, has long been a pilgrimage point, as it holds one of the most significant collections of magic realist paintings in the Netherlands. Recently, the building itself experienced a dramatic narrative shift. It’s the latest chapter in an ongoing saga. The building was originally constructed in 1873 as a gentlemen’s club with a hexagonal triple-height central volume; the city’s bourgeois men would…

STICK Designed by Studiopepe, Stick is more gallery-worthy sculpture than conventional lamp. Its triangular frame in satin copper or satin gold nickel (the terracotta shown is from a special edition for Fuorisalone) is fitted with a ribbed diffuser specifically chosen to produce playful and atmospheric illumination: When approached from the front, the light is even and pure, but when viewed from an angle, it takes on an entirely unique effect. contardi-italia.com LINEA Characterized by its fluted glass shade, which casts light in a calming array effect, the Linea Glass collection’s vertical wall sconce is handsomely accented by anodized gold or polished chrome. Two sizes are available, as is a horizontal suspension version. visoinc.com BRASS UP DOWN SCONCE As its name implies, this sconce projects light both upward and downward to…

The site was essentially site-less, say architects David Battersby and Heather Howat of their recent West Vancouver residential project. Which is to say, it had a landscape without legacy or the sorts of constraints that have long served as points of inspiration for the iconic hillside houses that dot the West Coast from Vancouver to Los Angeles. There was no rocky outcropping here to inform the shape of the building, no stands of towering coniferous trees, not even a water view. Rather, it had space — a generous 75 metres of frontage in an area where 30 metres is more common — and an inhospitable 45-degree slope that was overrun with brambles and wild blackberries. Was it even developable? “We knew it wasn’t going to be something you’d find in…

The most exciting designers are never those who start their day thinking about creating a new product. Instead, they’re the ones who offer interpretations of the world around them — pulling connections from unexpected sources of inspiration to deliver a table or chair that stirs human emotions as much as it meets a basic human need. The return of this year’s global design shows brought many opportunities to admire fresh talents. As we travelled the world, we discovered several new-to-us designers addressing functionality while also delivering a strong point of view. Here is a trio of creatives that left us excited about things to come.…

When Lagos-based designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello first approached Queens design shop Lichen, it was clear he had found the right stockist. While the owners initially placed an order for a small batch of his Selah lamps, Marcus-Bello also sent along three sculptural LM stools to test the market. An instant hit, they sold out within the hour. After working trade apprenticeships in Lagos as a teen, Marcus-Bello went on to study product design at the University of Leeds. Now, he balances a regard for the cultural context of his homeland — including traditional materials like African mahogany, used in his recent M2 shelf design — with an appreciation of the new technologies and manufacturing possibilities afforded by globalization. Take the LM stool, for instance. Its abstract form reflects its main manufacturer:…