Avante Garde design a growing trend by Dave Nemeth

Avant-garde (from French, "advance guard" or "vanguard") refers to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics. Simplified the term means pushing boundaries of what is generally accepted as the norm and no better place to achieve this other than fashion is certainly design and decor. One of the first artists to break these boundaries was Marcel Duchamp all the way back in 1917. Almost 100 years later we are seeing a surprisingly large amount of obscure design and “over the top” decor raising its head, almost making this styling mainstream with in itself is a complete contrast of terms.

This new paradigm in obscure and "off the wall" design is being popularised by a host of factors which includes consumers continual search for uniqueness and design that is as individual as they are. From the designers point of view, almost everything has been done and with rapid prototyping and the increasing affordability of 3d printers, designers are ready to push the boundaries with whatever it takes to produce items that stand out and get noticed. It is no longer about the rules of design but more about breaking rules and pushing design, material and aesthetic boundaries.

This kind of design due to its outrageousness is best suited as accent or focal pieces in a home, subtly placed between more sensible items to create the showcase they were intended to do. Generally anything more than a couple of these pieces could turn a home into more of an obscure design museum instead of a home.

There are no specific characteristics of this Avante-Garde design, nor is it prevalent in a specific form, it is more about unique expression. Just like Vivian Westwood and Malcolm McLaren created the Punk movement, throughout music, fashion and art, so too can this form of design be seen in everything from textile, to lampshades, cabinets and object d' art. It can however also be in the styling of a room and not necessarily a specific item, for instance mixing a multitude of styles from classic, to nouveau to ultra modern would certainly create an abnormal configuration.

Like all radical movements, be it fashion design or music, the motive is generally a reaction to something mainstream or a more popular style. This over the top approach is certainly a reaction to mass production as well as the bad and cheap plagarisation of once good and thoughtfully designed items that have flooded the markets over the past few years. I refer to this kind of design as an almost "anti trend" where no style in partiular is followed. The exciting thing about this, especially in the design,decor and architecture fields is often these statement pieces are the start of completely new styles, fresh new designs, including patterns forms and even colour combinations.

So the next time you see a piece of furniture or decor that you would normally have found hideous or just extremely ugly, look at it in a different way and don’t judge before you have found out more about it, like who made it, how was it made,why was it made and you may just find a new appreciation for an otherwise "way out" item.