Things I Like: Furniture

In keeping with the idea of featuring some current items I love, here are some of the furniture pieces and companies I thoroughly enjoy.

I have mentioned Spain before as a newer design powerhouse in my recent “Things I Like: Lighting” post. Well, furniture is no different. One designer who is popping up everywhere is Jaime Hayon. He has designed collections and pieces for several of the leading companies, and he definitely has a look: contemporary and clean, but with a nod to the past with his graceful curves and sculpted legs. Here are some of my favorites.

AQHayon for Artquitect

Twentytwo chair for Ceccotti and Kubo-Kube credenza and Halo mirror for Pallucco

Multileg Cabinet for BD Diseno

I love glass coffee and side tables as much as the next designer. They are great for smaller spaces as they have a certain lightness to them. They are also easy to mix into more traditional spaces where some eclecticism is needed without jarring the eye and taking away from the look and feel of a room. The one problem I have with glass pieces is that really annoying greenish-bluish tint to glass. That is why I love Glas Italia – their pieces all come in extra-clear glass so the color of the glass does not fight with anything else in the room!

Wireframe coffee / side tables and Post-Modern table series

I do like to mix things up a bit, and add a bit of fun, whimsy and the unexpected into spaces I design for clients. A great company for this is Kartell. They have some of the new icons in design, and they love Philippe Starck, who designs for them on a regular basis. Their focus is plastics – brightly colored occasional pieces and chairs in hi-tech plastic.

Louis Ghost chair, and Gnomes side table

Bookworm flexible wall storage sculpture

Vitra is a company who has been around for a long time. They have some designs in their repertoire that are 60+ years old, and that are every bit as timeless now as they were then. I love everything they do. They really consider their pieces more of a “lifestyle” than a certain “look”.

Polder sofa, Worker side chair and Cite’ side chair with Polder sofa

Another classic company is Knoll. I should not really have to say much about them – their collection is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to timelessness. Mies van der Rohe, Bertoia, and Saarinen all have their collections produced by Knoll. This is perhaps the greatest American design company, in my humble opinion. Their textile collection is amazing. I use it almost exclusively as the depth and breadth of the line is vast. They also feature some real cutting-edge technologies (nano-technology, for example) to really protect your furniture investment.

van der Rohe Barcelona collection and Saarinen Womb chair and ottoman

One of the great Italian companies that really focuses on the designer as an “artist” per se is Zanotta. Sure they have very contemporary pieces that look very similar to everyone else’s, but where they really shine is in their Editions series. These are limited edition pieces by famous designers that are experimental for the designer, don’t really fit the mold, or they are simply a complete style break. Way cool!

Vogue bench and Segreto side table

Dorian dining table

Last but not least, Moooi. I introduced them to you in my lighting post, and I personally think that if you have the Horselamp, you need the Pigtable to complete the room! This company just has fun, and makes you smile!

Pigtable

Elements stacking storage ottomans / sculpture and Two-Top secretary

So, I am sure by looking at some of these pieces, you think I am a little crazy, but I do always like to push the envelope with my clients. Sometimes, clients don’t know that they like something, because they have never seen it or been exposed to it yet. For example, I can design a room with mostly Crate & Barrel furniture, and then I show the client the Pigtable, and they fall in love. A relatively vanilla room has just become something special and memorable because of one piece.

That is why I love my job. So much is education and exposing clients to things that are new, exciting and different. This often gets the clients excited about their homes and personal spaces again – they often remember why they fell in love with their homes in the first place.