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Sunday 4 March 2012
The only four legged friend that will ever make it into my life: A Chair .(scribbled at 22:47 )
It’s annoying how the weather can dictate your day.
I’d originally imagined my Sunday to be spent
lazing around in Hyde Park outside the Serpentine for the duration of the afternoon,
but being good ole’ British Weather, it pissed it down.
Instead of wallowing in sloth-like characteristics, I caught
the bus to the Design Museum for a bit of chair-on-chair action.
Before they announce who’s won Design of the Year 2012, I’d
been itching to go there to check out what they’d put into this year’s line-up,
as well as mooching through their current Terence
Conran: The Way We Live Now exhibition.
The exhibition (obviously) tells us about the origins of
Habitat and Conran’s design influences at the beginning of his career. Being
ever so slightly bias towards chair design, I knew very little about ‘The Soup
Kitchen’, Conran’s first ever restaurant (their menus were designed by David
Hockney!) nor did I know much about his manifesto, which it gives us gems such
as:
‘We believe that
better designed products catch the eye better and improve the balance sheets’
And
‘We believe that
effective design improves efficiency and thus saves money’.
This possibly explains why M&S were a perfect match for
the sponsorship of this exhibition. Like Conran et al, they really are flying
the Habitat-inspired flag of design for Britain.
Right, so design of the year nominees?
My favourites from each section are the following:
 |
| Image courtesy of Lewis Jones |
Architecture: Folly
for a Flyover
I actually love this. Commissioned by CREATE festival and
produced by Assemble with support from Muf Architects, this renovated space
underneath the A12 will function as a space for concerts, events and boat rides
for a mere 6 weeks.
Fashion: Mary
Katrantzou (big shock, no?)
Rather than falling into the realms of repetition, let’s
just say I’m quite big on Katrantzou’s designs.
Digital: BBC
Homepage
Sleek, modern and easy to navigate, ensuring that one of the
UK’s most popular sites retains its user-friendliness.
 |
| Image: Jonas Ingerstedt |
Product: Hövding
Invisible Cycle Helmet
Personally, I’m all for the Automated External Defibrillator
that’s been shortlisted. But I reckon the invisible helmet could really take
off. Not with me though, if I’m ever going to be caught in an accident on a
London road, I’d rather it didn’t look like the Michelin man had given birth on
my face in the process.
Transport: Muramato
Bike Hanger
Boris Bikers, eat yer heart out! This speaks for itself
really, rather than have masses of bikes chained and crammed onto one
stationary pole in the street, with this, you just put your trusty wheels onto
a ferris wheel. Don’t know why it hasn’t been though of before.
 |
| Bourollec Installation in Raphael Room at the V&A |
 |
| If someone were to buy me this, I would marry them. |
Furniture: anything from Bouroullec
Okay, so I couldn’t make up my mind! But both of these are
equally worthy are the crown of glory. I’m in love with the Osso chair (why
aren’t they retailing this in the UK yet?!) and am equally lusting for the
textile field they created in the V&A to be re-installed.
My overall favourite is leaning towards the Osso chair, with
its sleek and organic design, we not only experience a homage to the great
Aalto, but also a nod to flatpack that even Ingvar Kamprad himself would have
lusted for!
www.designmuseum.org
Labels: ART DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE, Chair Design, CHAIRS, Design Museum, Designs of the Year 2012, Habitat, Marks and Spencer, Mary Katrantzou, MUF Architects, Osso Chair, Terence Conran
The exhibition (obviously) tells us about the origins of
Habitat and Conran’s design influences at the beginning of his career. Being
ever so slightly bias towards chair design, I knew very little about ‘The Soup
Kitchen’, Conran’s first ever restaurant (their menus were designed by David
Hockney!) nor did I know much about his manifesto, which it gives us gems such
as:
