'Furniture is how we tame a space.' So says go-to interior designer India Mahdavi. Find out what she, along with Pearson Lloyd, Doshi Levien and Patrick Norguet, have to say about the relation between products and space, as well as the rapidly shifting leading design But how strong is our resolve when it comes to a consistent and meaningful approach to sustainability in architecture and design?
Furniture: The Latest Architecture and News
Designing Illuminated, Natural and Minimal Interiors
Architects are constantly diving into design strategies that aim to select the best products to create outstanding atmospheres inside their projects. The solutions adopted in projects, especially in interiors, are highly influenced by trends that mirror what society values most at the time. But how are interiors being designed nowadays? With a focus on natural interiors and the interaction with their context, architecture is prioritizing local materials and textures, natural light and the use of minimal furniture that allows continuity throughout space.
Below we present a selection of inspiring projects that, using products from Spanish brands, showcase these modern trends, from the use of natural materials to maximizing natural light.
Design Trends: The New Remodelling of Homes in Barcelona
Nowadays, the integral reform of flats in Barcelona is one of the most common activities for both freelance architects and local architectural studios. This is not surprising in a city with more than 4,000 years of history in which there is a lot of buildings and little room for new construction.
Timeless Design Icons: How to Style your Home Sustainably
Sustainability is on everyone's lips these days – but mostly with a view to the future and the question of how it is possible to use fewer resources, produce more sustainably and reduce waste. However, sustainability can also be lived with a view to the past or the present – namely with a domestic environment that consists of durable furniture designs that outlast trends and never go out of fashion. In the third part of our series on design icons, we put Philippe Starck, Eero Saarinen, Achille Castiglioni, Patricia Urquiola and Max Bill in the spotlight with their evergreen furniture icons, which can be found on architonic.com.
Libertarian and Anti-functionalist: What Is the Memphis Design Movement?
Far from the US state of Tennessee, the Memphis movement emerged in Milan in the 1980s and revolutionized design. Its gaudy colors, exaggerated patterns and conflicting prints were intended to overturn the minimalism status quo of the time, also contradicting the functionalist design postulated by the Bauhaus with its purely aesthetic and ornamental forms.
Spirits in the Material World: A Trip to the Eames Institute
Metropolis Magazine's Kenneth Caldwell visits the Eames Ranch in Petaluma, California to unpack the goals and secrets of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity. He explains that he may not be the best person to write objectively about the recent public launch of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, a non-profit formed in 2019 to help us explore Charles and Ray Eames’ legacy; particularly their timeless, iterative design process; the chair he sits in every day was designed by the Eameses the year he was born, and their work has been part of his life since he was a young boy looking for the future in architecture magazines at the local public library.
Tradition, Reconnection, and Nature: Trends and Themes of the 60th Edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano
From the 7th until the 12th of June, the streets of Milan were overflowing with thousands of national and international architects, designers, manufacturers, artists, and craftsmen for its annual Design Week, exploring new design innovations, and exchanging ideas about interior design, furniture, and lighting. Much like every year, the Salone del Mobile, which takes place at the Fiera Milano | Rho, serves as "a laboratory for experimentation and a place for new opportunities for reflection on the world of design and designing". But with attendance of over 262,000 visitors in six days, along with over 3,500 accredited journalists from around the world, this year's event surpassed all expectations in terms of turnout, confirming that the exhibition is still a prominent influence on the architecture and design industry.
Climate-Smart Furniture: The Story Behind a 100% Sustainable Lounge Chair
Since the early 2000s, it has been widely reported that the construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of the planet’s CO2 emissions. The role of interiors in that percentage has been historically underestimated, with common statistics suggesting that a project’s furniture, fixtures and equipment are only responsible for about 7 to 10% of its overall carbon footprint. However, new research notably indicates the contrary: in a building’s average life span, the carbon footprint of its interiors will equal – if not exceed – that of the structure and envelope. Interior design, to the surprise of many, has actually been doing great harm.
Outstanding Furniture in 14 Residential Interiors
Furniture has a direct impact on the quality of interior design projects. Among other features, its presence blends with the function of the spaces, setting a boundary between them.
An internal space with neutral colors, for example, might highlight certain furniture that, beyond fulfilling their function, also assumes a contemplative profile. These pieces of furniture have become iconic by their design, which, in some cases, were created by great names of architecture that explored this field and drew pieces that represented their style.
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 Announces New Dates for its 60th Edition
The 60th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano has been postponed and will now take place from the 7th till the 12th of June 2022. The decision was taken by the Board of Federlegno Arredo Eventi, in agreement with Fiera Milano, who voted to postpone the event from April 2022 to June 2022.
Concrete Benches: Furniture for Inside and Outside the Home
Concrete is not purely a structural element. As we demonstrated in an article about kitchen projects using concrete countertops, the material is gaining significant traction in the world of residential furnishings and fixtures. To further exemplify this, we have curated a list of several projects that use concrete benches to create beautiful moments inside and outside the home.
B&B Italia Furnishes Villa 17 at Amanyangyun to Present the 2021 New Collection to the Asian Market
Bringing the latest contemporary furniture from Milan Design Week straight to Shanghai, B&B Italia curated the setting at Villa 17 in Amanyangyun, an impressive Chinese antique architecture.