"A Place To Gather" in London

"A Place To Gather" is a unique exhibition designed by The Crafts Council of Ireland which will be running during London Design Week this month. The exhibition has been specially designed to showcase the work of top Irish designers including Claire-Ann O'Brien, O'Dricoll Furniture, Anthony Cleary, James Carroll and our very own Malthouse Designer Jennifer Slattery.
"A Place to Gather" will transform a recently discovered old warehouse in Shoreditch, into a creative and exciting glimpse of contemporary Ireland. 
The exhibition will open its doors on Tuesday the 18th of September on Chance Street, near Redchurch Street as part of the Shorditch design triangle. 

Claire-Anne O'Brien

Jennifer Slattery

James Carroll

Jamie Oliver's BIG Chair Project

To celebrate the 60th year of Arne Jacobsens "Ant Chair", Fritz Hansen donated 25 chairs to the "Better Food Foundation" founded by chef Jamie Oliver for the BIG Chair Project.
The project involves some of the top names in fashion, design and art including Paul Smith, Quentin Blake, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and Tracey Emin who have all customized the chairs to be auctioned off in order to raise money for Jamie’s Better Food Foundation.
The unique collection of chairs were revealed lastweek at the Republic of Fritz Hansen store in London and will exhibited throughout September during London Desogn Week until auctioned off in October.
The collection will also include one of Jamie's own textile designs on the classic "Egg Chair".

Summer Holidays

I will be away soaking up the sun in beautiful Bulgaria for the next couple of weeks to make up for the lack of summer and sunshine here in Ireland. I will be back bloggin and keeping you all up to date with the latest in design the end of August.

Until then,have a great couple of weeks. Talk to you all soon.

London 2012 Preview

Continuing on with his metalic experimentation and lighting, Tom Dixon has created the "Lustre Pendants" which will be showcased in September at this years London Design Week. The collection of lights which exhibit an iridescent sheen which is a result of applying a specialized glaze composed of minerals and precious metals to the ceramic shades and firing them at 1200 degrees celsius. The ceramic forms of each pendant bring together lines and shapes derived from Mayan temples and the archiecture of the Art Deco period. The "Lustre Pendants' are the first ceramic designs in the studio's collection 'Luminosity' which will all be shown at London Design Week at Luminosity at the Dock. 

Olympic Lighting Design

Milliner Stephen Jones and Lighting Designer Cerith Wyn Evans have collaborated to design the “Celebias Bonnet” a light installation representing the five rings of the Olympics. The five LED rings orbit around a central head band inspired by a halo, allowing the viewer to step under the installation. Wyn Evans is known for using similar LED strips and neon in other lighting designs and installations. Here he has taken this idea and combined it with Jones millinery skills to create a piece which plays on the idea of wearing a halo like a hat.

Tent London 2012 Preview

Tent London have produced an ever-evolving design show for six years now and this year’s upcoming September 2012 edition brings together over 200 international exhibitors from over 26 countries. With the shows content expanding each year it always remains ahead of the curve. An event not to be missed full of inspiration, showcasing the best in London Design aswel as some top Irish designers and other design from around the world including Hungary, Norway, Japan,Taiwan and The Netherlands.

This weeks preview highlights the colourful and exciting work of Yorkshire based furniture designer Anthony Hartley. Having exhibited at Tent last year it is great top see Hartley back again showcasing his bright, fresh and engaging furniture which captured the attention of .
First launching at Tent 2011 The Edna Collection is a range of oak cabinets with a single multicolored laminated ply drawers which Hartley hand sprayed and lacquered to a high gloss finish. The addition of aluminum legs takes this collection to a level that not only is fun but combines elegance and style also.

This year at Tent we will see the Core Collection being showcased. This collection of pieces are made from clean and simple MDF or ply template shapes, sprayed in Hartley’s trademark fun and engaging colour palette. The innovation comes in the joining of the templates, which uses multi-coloured cable ties to secure them, and which can be easily assembled without tools. The cable ties are incorporated as a design feature, each one is inset in a small perfect groove which reinforces the clean and simple lines of the pieces.

The Shard - Europes Tallest

Designed by Italian Architect Renzo Piano in 2000, London’s “Shard” building was finally completed this week and now stands as Europe’s tallest building at 309.6 meters above the new London bridge quarter in the South bank district. He considered the slender, spire-like form of the tower a positive addition to the London skyline, recalling the church steeples featured in historic engravings of the city and believed that its presence would be far more delicate than it was project alleged. The building features 11,000 panes of glass which Piano intended to reflect sunlight and the sky. The 72-storey mixed use tower was inaugurated with a nighttime light show, which combined 12 lasers and 30 searchlights to celebrate the skyline's newest addition. The Shard building contains premium office space, a hotel, luxury residences, retail space, restaurants, a five-storey public viewing gallery, and a spa.