Irish Design Retailers

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #272

One of the first columns I wrote for Architecture Ireland, two years ago, took a look at some of the new stores being opened up around Dublin by passionate (and intrepid) design enthusiasts. It was called Dublin Design Retailers and has become by far the most popular post on this blog. Since then they've been joined by other design shops and online ventures and I thought it was high time to take another look at those selling design in Ireland, selling Irish design online and everything in between.

Reimagining Traditions at LDF

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #271.

From 14 to 22 September the 11th edition of London Design Festival proclaimed that 'Design is Everywhere' and it certainly seemed that for those 9 days it was. While in a showcase the size of LDF there is a myriad of projects, products and trends to be seen (here's a post about one of the highlights), one thing that struck me about a number of the exhibitions and products I saw was a reimagining of tradition, in terms of process, material or aesthetic. A number of designers and curators presented work which stemmed from, revisited or played with the notion of the traditional, whether it was taking traditional forms or aesthetics and playing with them or engaging with traditional materials and processes. At a time when technology and its advances seem to be at the centre of so much of what we do, many of us keep coming back to our past.

Design for Children

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #269

To date, this column has always focussed on design for adults, be it the visual communications us adults consume, the furniture we sit on, the lights we read under or the events we attend. But it's not just the older and taller members of society that use design, and with the recent Children's Books Ireland (CBI) conference in Light House Cinema, it seemed apt to take a closer look at design for children. In fact, when we consider the importance we place on instilling a love of reading, or sport, or music, or nature at a young age, should we not be doing the same with well-considered, attractive design too?

Designs on 2013

Parlour Lighting, image courtesy of I Do Cartwheels

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #267

2012 is over and a new year has begun, and ‘tis the season for making plans, reviewing past projects and kicking off new ones. With that in mind I spoke with a number of designers, collaborators and curators to get a sense of what they’re planning and hoping for in 2013. Some have kicked off the year with major projects, others are putting the wheels in motion for events later in the year, but it’s clear from all who I spoke to that 2013 will be filled with much design activity.

A Place to Gather at LDF

A Place to Gather, photographed by Linda Brownlee

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #265

This year’s London Design Festival saw the Crafts Council of Ireland present an exhibition of Irish craft and design in a venue in Shoreditch. A Place to Gather was curated by Jonathan Legge and brought together a wide range of Irish furniture and objects in a warm, welcoming and homely setting. Over the course of the exhibition’s short run over one thousand people visited the space on Chance Street to see Irish craft and design across various scales and utilising a broad range of techniques and materials gathered together.

Introspectiva

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #264

Having recently relocated to Lisbon in Portugal, I have been getting to know a whole new design scene. Previously, I knew very little about Portuguese design but gradually I’m getting a sense of a small but very active community of creatives both here and in Porto in the north. While architecture is explored at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (next edition in 2013) as well as through the Triennale’s ‘Intervalo’ programme between editions, design has its outings too. Design is experienced and exhibited at MUDE – the Museum of Design and Fashion on Rua Augusta (one of Lisbon’s main shopping streets), while for two months every two years the city centre is home to EXD (ExperimentaDesign) – an international biennale dedicated to design, architecture and creativity, which returns in autumn 2013.

Considering Design at the Humanscale

(Diffrient World Chair)

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #262

A highly technical product with a close relationship to everyday life and the human body, few objects need to balance form and function and adhere to ergonomics like the office chair. A market long dominated by Hermann Miller and Knoll, the last decade or so has seen the rise a new player called Humanscale, providing us with task furniture with the most comfort using the least amount of materials and fuss. And what is Humanscale’s secret? A passion for performance, comfort and ease of use, and a designer called Niels Diffrient. Diffrient, now in his eighties and still designing, has developed three of Humanscale’s biggest success stories – the Freedom, Liberty and Diffrient World chairs. I spoke to Niels about his process and principles, and how important it is to provide good design solutions for the workplace.

OFFSET2012, Part 2

(Making Marks panel discussion in OFFSET second room)

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #262; read OFFSET2012 Part 1 here.

From Friday 9 to Sunday 11 March Ireland’s premier creative festival OFFSET returned for the third time to the newly-renamed Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Over 25 designers, illustrators, animators, artists and more from Ireland and all over the world presented their work and shared insights into their practices to attendees twice in excess of the last edition (my guess is there must have been about 1500 people there). Over the course of 3 days in 2 rooms from 10 in the morning to 7 in the evening we the audience were exposed to top-quality work from many disciplines and saw the fruits of ambition, determination and a whole lot of labour. And now to condense all of that creative inspiration into 800 words or less... here goes...

SIT: 20 Chairs, 20 Architects

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #262.

“What is it about designers and chairs?” exclaim my parents any time design comes up in conversation. The reality is that the chair is an object that has been central to life and culture for thousands of years, and as such has become the embodiment of the cultural changes and technological advancements designers love to celebrate in their exploration of an archetype. But I can never explain this to my parents as well as Deyan Sudjic described it in his 2008 publication The Language of Things:

Design and Healthcare

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #261

The Rise and Rise of Medical Device Design in Ireland
You may not have known it, but a design discipline experiencing real growth and success here in Ireland is that of medical device design. The field of development and manufacture of medical technology in this country is especially strong, and a short visit to the Irish Medical Device Association’s website will show you some startling – and impressive – statistics on the area’s growth. There are approximately 200 companies here involved in developing, manufacturing and marketing a diverse range of products and services such as disposable wound care products, precision metal implants including pacemakers, orthopaedic implants, diagnostics, contact lenses and stents. Almost half of these companies are Irish-owned, and many are global leaders. Ireland is Europe’s second-biggest exporter of medical technology, and when so many other Irish exports have been falling dramatically in recent years our medical exports have been growing and growing.

Let There be Light

 

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #260

While the days have been shorter and the evenings darker, I can’t help but think about what might be some of my favourite designed objects: lights. A type of expression that can take its form in an industrial product, a decorative object, an almost intangible scheme or a quirky design, lighting – when done well – can constitute the best of industrial design, craft, art, architecture or the meeting points between them all. During Ireland’s Design Week at the beginning of November, Dublin-based lighting designers ShadowLight hosted an event exploring the philosophy of Mario Nanni, founder of Italian manufacturer Viabizzuno, and what he calls ‘The 8 Rules of Light’. Artificial light, according to Nanni, needs to inspire as well as illuminate. Viabizzuno’s range features a number of pieces that do both, as well as fittings you can believe blend seamlessly into an architectural setting. One more striking piece from the broad range Viabizzuno offer is their Peled Soffitto, designed by Antoni Arola. Light seems to burst from the ends of a cluster of slender aluminium rods hanging from a ceiling, creating an striking sculptural form, but one that doesn’t overpower its setting. Peled Soffitto seems to create a soft ambient light and functions equally as illuminant and focal point.

Designer's Drawings

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #259

October saw the opening of the first major retrospective of the work of Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, prolific and influential French product designers, in the Centre Pompidou-Metz in north-east France. The exhibition is entitled Bivouac, meaning a temporary encampment, and as such the gallery space will be inhabited by the Bouroullec’s work until July 2012. As much a testament to the brothers’ immensely accomplished designs, the exhibition is also an insight into the process employed by the designers, with finished products shown alongside prototypes, and mass-produced objects paired with those which have been hand-crafted.

Dublin Design Retailers

This article was first published in Architecture Ireland #258

Perhaps it’s an unusual time to open up a design shop in Dublin. However, a number of people have taken the plunge and opened their own design stores in the city in the past eighteen months or so, each with a unique vision and individual range of stock. Design retail stalwarts such as Wild Child and more recent retailers like the Irish Design Shop are being joined by a new generation. I caught up with three such new kids on the block to find out their motivations for setting up and starting off on a new adventure.

First up was Vanessa MacInnes, owner of Industry (Smock Alley, Temple Bar), a shop dedicated to vintage and upcycled pieces as well as new design. Vanessa has a real passion for the industrial aesthetic, and during her years working as an interior designer had trouble finding anything of that style in Ireland. Industry now stocks an ever-changing range of vintage and one-off industrial furniture, from postal desks to metal shelving units. Paired with the harder edged furniture is a range of printed cushions, artworks and tabletop objects, illustrating how easy it can be to work something with an industrial feel into an interior.


(Image courtesy of Industry)

Alessi and Architects

The article below first featured in Architecture Ireland #257

Alessi, an Italian family company founded in 1921, has always been at the forefront of the design and manufacture of kitchen and home wares. Its first chief designer (later their chief executive) Carlo Alessi was instrumental in the formation of Alessi’s signature style: playful and never so simplistic that the product lost a sense of character. To date, one of Alessi’s bestselling products is Carlo Alessi’s Bombé tea and coffee set, originally designed in 1946. Favouring something less minimal than many of its northern European counterparts, it made sense for Alessi to begin in the 1980s to collaborate with ‘star’ designers and architects to create statement works that were both experimental and fun. Since then, Alessi has had many big names design special commissions, limited edition pieces and everyday ranges for the brand. As well as a typically Italian interest in flamboyant designs, Alessi has always been keen to explore and expand in terms of its manufacturing abilities. Originally a craftsman-led factory, Alessi has developed its manufacturing techniques in tandem with industry at large. Collaboration with outside designers has led Alessi to become a place for technical experimentation as well as a ‘workshop’ for new design ideas and typologies. In 1983 Alessi began its Tea and Coffee Piazza series, where eleven architects, including Aldo Rossi, Robert Venturi and Hans Hollein - whose idea that “alles ist architecktur” (everything is architecture) is particularly resonant - were invited to design highly limited tea and coffee sets. In 2002 Alessi returned to the idea with their Tea and Coffee Towers, inviting Chipperfield, Wiel Arets, UN Studio and others to design a new generation of exclusive tea and coffee sets.