As we look forward to future trends, we start to see a very interesting development starting to take place, a development so quirky and fun it is bound to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is as if we have come to realise that we are sick and tired of all the doom and gloom of the recession and it is time to have fun and stop taking ourselves so seriously. As consumers, we want to smile and embrace all things positive and without a doubt, we want to smile in our homes when we do have those rare moments of free time. Worldwide, this new approach to design sees an exploration of fantasy, fairy tale and the imaginary, sometimes even bordering on kitsch; these designs uplift the spirits and make great points of interest in even the most conservative of homes. On the lighting front, this is especially obvious as we see a move on from just pure scale like we saw a few years ago with oversized angelpoise lamps, which were remodelled into standing lamps, giving one the feeling of...
The more I travel the more evident it becomes just how the trend and design gap between South Africa and the international markets are closing. Just a few years ago we were at least two years behind on the fashion front and up to five years behind on design, decor and furniture. There are a multitude of reasons for this sudden "catch up" with the biggest being the globalisation we are currently experiencing thanks to the boom in technology and social media. All of a sudden we know exactly what is happening globally as it unfolds and ultimately takes shape. This is more far reaching than just important news, with more and more consumers keeping abreast of international brands and trends. It is important to understand that markets are driven by consumers and even though we have world class designers and architects’, being up to date and forward thinking is not always accepted by clients and consumers. The majority of the famous international brands in decor, fabrics and f...
One of the oldest pieces of furniture is the chair, this functional piece has its origins dating back to the Stone Age, where Archaeological evidence of sculptural relics at Neolithic building sites suggest chair and bench-like areas. Ancient Egypt has some of the earliest surviving physical examples of the Western world’s use of chairs. Egyptian tombs that have been unearthed contain chairs and stools from as far back as the Egyptian Old Kingdom, about 2680 B.C., well preserved by Egypt’s dry air. Regardless of how far back the design of the chair dates it is the continual evolution and constant reinvention of this exceptionally functional piece of furniture, which continues to intrigue. From British Louis chairs to American Chippendale chairs, almost every notable and world famous designer and architect has at some stage designed a chair, this includes the likes of Macintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier all the way through to Philippe Stark and Karim Rashid. Ma...
Comments
Post a Comment