Mattia Bonetti
Mattia Bonetti exhibit for Paul Kasmin Gallery at Design Miami 2009
Blue and Gold Bonetti Armchair (2009) in patinated bronze, wood, and upholstered in hide. |
 “Alu”chair (2009) in lacquered aluminum, and upholstery with appliqué. |
Bonetti ”Meander” coffee table (2009) in patinated bronze and clear acrylic top.
 “Quasimodo” cabinet, (2009) in patinated resin, tinted wood, and patinated wrought-iron. |
 “Frequency” cabinet, 2009 in clear acrylic and gold-plated brass. |
 “Necklace” console table (2009) in polished stainless steel and black nickel-plated brass. |
 “Necklace” side table (2009) in polished stainless steel and black nickel-plated brass. |
“Cards” commode, 2009 in polished stainless steel, colored acrylic, and wood.
About Mattia Bonetti
Born in Lugano, Switzerland in 1977 and based in Paris since 1973, Mattia Bonetti is a multi-faceted designer and artist who has to his credit various high profile design projects from: interior design to product packaging to graphic design to furniture design.
Mattia emerged on the design scene in 1977 with his much acclaimed interior design work at the prestigious Parisian night club, Le Palace. In 1987, Christian Lacroix tapped Bonetti to design the interior of the house of Lacroix, as well as, the Lacroix brand logo. After the design projects for Christian Lacroix, Mattia went on to design the interiors of castles belonging to the European jet set of the day, the Turn and Taxis’ and for the Picasso family-owned Chateau de Boiseloup. in 1991, Mattia Bonetti was honored with the prestigous “French Prize for Designer of the Year”.
Fans of Nina Ricci cosmetics and skin care may not know this, but Mattia was the creative visionary behind the cosmetic houses’ packaging design in the nineties. His product packaging for the Ricci “Le Teint Ricci” garnered him the coveted “Oscar de L”Emballage” in 1992.
Mattia’s embarkation into furniture design can best be described as the fusion of art and design. His whimsical, sculptural furniture pieces are best described as functional art as can be noted from any one of the pieces we saw on exhibit at Design Miami (photos above). Of course, Bonetti’s genius to create art that functions as design, and design that functions as art, comes with a price tag best fitting a well-financed art collector; the Frequency cabinet is available for $110,000 – only eight editions will be created.
Gallery Information: Paul Kasmin Gallery
Read More »Francois Azambourg
Francois Azambourg is the modern embodiment of the quintessential renaissance man, Leonardo daVinci: part scientist, part inventor and full-fledged artist,designer, and visionary. His designs are birthed from his deep commitment to the lightness and economy of materials, re-imagining the construction of everyday objects and creating sophisticated forms that reference the many interesting, and complex organic structures found in nature.
Azambourg’s innovative, future-forward, visionary and scientific based approach to design has garnered him numerous prestigious design awards including: Designer Prize at the Paris Furniture Fair (2009); Grand Prix du Design de Paris (2004); Villa Medicis Hors les Murs (2003); CTBA Competition “Furniture Materials for the Future” (1994); and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris “Moving Competition” (1985). Lighting and furniture designs by Azambourg, considered by many as one of the elite members of the French Contemporary Furniture Design Movement, can be found in prestigious galleries, private collections and high-design shops including Gallery R’Pure, Galerie Kreo, Ghaade, Cappellini, Domeau & Peres, and Poltrana Frau.
Francois Azambourg’s research and development for new lightweight materials for Hermes and Mandarina laid the groundwork for his wood-foam sandwiches patent. Soon after registering the patent for the wood-foam sandwiches, Azambourg patented his design for the “Pack Chair”, in 1999. Unfortunately, the “Pack Chair” didn’t catch on at that time, apparently the production markets were unable to see the potential the “Pack Chair” could offer, and only five prototype chairs were created.
Fast-forward, ten years and we can easily see that the 3-D textile “Pack Chair” was an extraordinary example of Azambourg’s future-forward vision and unrivaled ability to re-imagine common objects using a hybrid approach composed of technology, science and the arts; that is sure to revolutionize the way in which furniture is constructed, and distributed in an age where online shopping for home decor and furniture is more the norm than the exception.
The science behind the self-constructing “Pack Chair” relies on the use of polyurethane foam in place of metal, wood or other “typical” furniture structures. The “Pack Chair” comes packaged in what can be described as a brick-sized package. The “Pack Chair” is deployed by the simple act of turning a button a few times (this action initiates a chemical reaction that mixes two solutions that fill an impermeable polyester shell with the resulting polyurethane foam), shaking the chair for about 10 seconds, and then allowing the chair to cure and set for ten minutes prior to use.
Francois Azambourg’s most recent works were on display at the 2009 Design Miami show. Of particular interest to me were his unique “Douglas Jars”, “Linen 94” chairs and the “Grillage” bench seat.
The Azambourg “Douglas Jar” (originally conceived for a collaboration with the International Center for Glass Craft at Meisenthal ) is created with an unconventional approach, instead of using a “turn and blow” methodology, Azambourg did not turn the molten glass. He allows the glass to remain stationary in the Douglas Fir mold, which imparts upon the glass surface imprints of the wood’s grain. Each time the Douglas Fir wood mold is used the hot, glowing glass scorches the interior of the mold causing the furrows of the grain to deepen creating a new surface thereby making each glass jar unique.
Pictorial of the Azambourg “Douglas Jar” production process at the International Center of Art in Meisenthal, France (below).
Francois Azambourg is well-known for his chair designs and has been quoted as saying, “[I]n the world of design, the chair is queen”. Without a doubt, he is at the forefront of innovative design when it comes to chair design and that innovation was on full display at Design Miami 2009. Three of his famous chairs held court, the Mister Buggatti (left rear), the Grillage bench (left forefront), and the Linen 94 chair (right).
The Linen 94 chairs are created from a combination of resin and natural vegetative materials, Flax fibers, which are lighter and use less energy than glass fibers. The “Grillage” is produced from an unfolded stainless steel sheet, crumpled, welded, and then lacquered. The Mister Bugatti chair, first debuted at the 2006 Milan Furniture Fair, created with welded copper (2/10th mm thick-very light!) and then injected with polyurethane foam.
RESOURCES: Gallery R’Pure, Francois Azambourg
All images copyright of respective owners.
Read More »Andre for Fendi: Graffiti Artist at F Factory Miami Design District
World renown graffiti artist and DJ, Andre, captivated the crowds at the Design Miami 2009 satellite exhibit, “F Factory (Fendi)” with his real-time artwork rendering on three needle-point panels and personalizing a DIY (also needle-point) Fendi bag. 
Profiles in Art & Design Compilation
Photo: Design Miami 2009 “Designer of the Year” : Maarten Baas exhibition.
Artists
Designers
Galleries & Exhibitions
- Call Out to the Americas Exhibit Design Miami 2009
- Donzella 20th Century Exhibit at Design Miami 2009
- Irwin Feld Design
- Maarten Baas Designer of the Year Design Miami 2009
Call Out to the Americas Exhibit Design Miami 2009
“Mugrosita” by Liliane Ovalle – inspired by Mexican homeless sofa construction (of using what is on hand and available).
To left of Ovalle’s Mugrosita, Tanya Aguiniga soft rocks.
Cristalina sofa designed by Campana Brothers.
"Guaraci" chaise in Pequi wood with woven leather designed by Hugo Franca.
Far left ( white cube structure ), “Blank Verse” Armoire design by Courtney Smith. Hand/Foot table with glass top design by Pedro Friedeberg (center). Backside of Campana Brothers’s Cristalina.
Joaquim Tenreiro’s Jacaranda wood and cane “Curved Back Chair” (Left, partial).
Pedro Barrail Tattoo Chairs.
Pedro Friedeberg’s carved wood handchair (Vanity Chair).
Pedro Friedeberg’s Butterfly Chair.
Swarovski Crystal Palace Carbon Crystal Sails at Design Miami 2009
Magnificent Swarovski Crystal Palace Carbon Crystal Sails designed by Greg Lynn. The Carbon Crystal Sails installation was located at the entrance to the Design Miami VIP lounge. Elegantly sparkling and billowing sails spanning more than 80 square meters, reaching heights of over 7 square meters, and encrusted with more than 1,500,000 Swarovski crystals, made the Swarovski Crystal Palace installation the most awe-inspiring experience during a week of never-ending beauty.
Greg Lynn’s life long love of sailing, coupled with his knowledge of sailing material technology (hence the carbon sails) and computer modeling contributed to the creation of what is without a doubt the most stunning art installation at Design Miami.
Greg comments that upon being contacted by Swarovski for this commission, “ I immediately thought of the translucent laminate sails as a way of getting the crystals suspended in the air – not as an object but as a sheet or surface through which light could pass and be reflected. Like the chandeliers the array would be diaphanous but with their curved surfaces these ‘fabrics’ could also define spaces and make enclosures in the form of suspended ceilings, room partitions or even walls.”
Detail views of the Swarovski Crystal Palace installation of Carbon Crystal Sails. According to Swarovski:
The panels in Lynn’s installation will feature three different coloured fibres; black carbon fibre and aramid both in its ‘natural’ gold and in a crimson-died version. These fibres will be woven and incorporated in different ways, blending to create richly nuanced colours. Set amongst these fibres will be thousands of tiny clear and coloured crystals, with hues including aquamarine, pink, red, peach and blue, which will contribute to reflection, highlights and also surface washes of colour.
More than 1,500,000 crystals and more than 117,000 meters of carbon and aramid fibers have been used to create the panels for this installation, which were assembled by computer-guided robots on dynamically formed molds at the North Sails 3DL factory. The panels vary in size, with some as long as 14 m and as wide as 8m. The material is so thin that even panels with a surface area of over 50 square meters can easily be folded and packed into the trunk of a passenger car. The entire installation, including the weight of the crystals, weighs less than 350 kg.
Maarten Baas Designer of the Year Design Miami 2009
Maarten Baas commission piece (exterior view) for Design Miami 2009.
Interior view of Maarten Baas designed wardrobe commissioned for Design Miami 2009.
Baas furniture collections from left to right: Clay chair, The Chankley Bore, Plastic Chair in Wood, Sculpt Dining Chair, and Hey, Chair be a Bookshelf. The “Hey, Chair be a Bookshelf” is a composition of various furniture pieces which have been collected from second hand stores and then assembled into one piece creating a new life and function for each piece, according to Baas:
A chair became a bookshelf; a lampshade became a vase, a violin a coat rack.
Baroque armchair reproduction from Moooi (left) for the Maarten Baas “Where There’s Smoke…” collection. Yellow Dining Chair (right) from the “Treasure Furniture” collection. The “Treasure Furniture” collection utilizes furniture factory scrap and waste to give life to a new piece of furniture.
Clay dining chair in red (left) is hand crafted of synthetic clay with a metal skeleton. The design for the chair from the “Where There’s Smoke…” collection (right) is inspired by Gerrit T. Rietveld’s Zig Zag chair – then the chair was burned, and sealed in a clear expoy coating.
Read More »Bisazza Debuts Showroom at Design Miami 2009
Bisazza debuted it’s fourth U.S. flagship store in the Miami Design District on Tuesday night amidst the excitement and enchantment of Design Miami 2009. The elegant and glamorous Miami flagship store was designed by Italian architect and director of the Bisazza Design Studio, Carlo Dal Bianco. Rosella Bisazza tells me that Carlo, in addition to conceiving the showroom design, was also the visionary designer behind the Canova inspired mosaic panels, “Bonaparte” and “Paride” (both shown below).
The Bisazza showroom is a visual treat and a design inspiration. The showroom will be open to the public beginning December 2nd, 2009.
We have so much more to share with you. Lots of inspirational and beautiful images from Bisazza and more reports from the Bisazza press preview event held December 1, 2009. Please subscribe to our RSS services (feed or email) , follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to be notified when the Bisazza / Design Miami 2009 articles publish.
Bisazza mosaic “Bonaparte” and “Paride” panel design by Carlo Dal Bianco inspired by 19th century Italian sculptor Antonio Canova. 
Bisazza silver ware limited edition collection by Studio Job (above). Mosaic details of the Studio Job candlestick holder below:
Sampling of Bisazza tiles below – we’ll have all the gorgeous photos we took of the showroom up soon.
Christian Louboutin at Design Miami 2009
A quick look at the recently opened Christian Louboutin boutique in the Miami Design District. More photos to come.
Christian Louboutin will be on the Design Miami 2009 “Design Talk” panel (with Mattia Bonetti and Jacques Grange) on Thursday, December 3rd (5:30PM to 6:30 PM EST) .
