#01 - Opening Thought
People don't use the phrase 'tablescape' enough. In a piece I wrote recently about the home of legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames, all interviewees expressed sheer delight detailing how Ray would set the dining table for guests. These "ever-changing tablescapes" were perfectly imperfect, meticulously mismatched - settings that would awe guests with their artfulness but also encourage everyone to dig in to the food via their approachable informality. As the nights in the northern hemisphere draw longer we should all look to put more effort into being a good host at home and spend a little more time doing what the Eames' called "taking pleasure seriously." Special thanks to the Eames Office for the image (above) taken from the family archives.
#02 - Healing Design
Could there be a better place to be feeling under the weather than in an Alvar and Aino Aalto-designed sanatorium set deep in a Finnish forest? Struggling with a cold, I must keep things brief this week, but here at the Spirit of Paimio Conference 2024, a dense design dialogue is being generated from a remarkable cast of speaking talent within this old modernist tuberculosis treatment centre turned temporary symposium space.
One thing I was keen to unpack came across in an inspiring presentation from currently-Japan-based Studio Swine. As the event’s curator Joseph Grima—who, among other creative pursuits, co-founded Milan Design Week’s Alcova—remarked, this firm’s ethereal work speaks to a commitment to universally appreciated design. Examples include ‘New Spring’, a delicate blossom of mist-filled bubbles celebrating ephemerality, and ‘Sea Chair’, a project that turns ocean plastic waste into poetic design statement pieces. “All you need to be is human to appreciate what they create,” Grima concluded of work that both pleases and educates. Deeply connected to the human experience—it’s design that’s good for all of us. The same can be said for the Aalto’s Sanatorium, where design acts as what Alvar called a “medical instrument” with its soft corners, soothing paint palettes, deliberate openness to nature, and calm, contemplative public spaces.
Today, it’s a commitment to storytelling on both parts—Studio Swine’s pieces are often one-offs, and the Paimio Sanatorium is a building set deep in isolation—that allows for their broader impact. Studio Swine typically works in hyper-local contexts to devise their work. Yet, by retelling the process in beautifully crafted films, or, even better, allowing people to experience it in person at exhibitions like ‘Floating World’ (currently at Hong Kong’s M+), their message is shared globally. The Spirit of Paimio, on the other hand, is in its second year and already attracting a global cast of speakers and audience—people who will surely apply the story of this remarkable building, along with the spirit of conversation it fosters, into practice far and wide.
#03 - Design Selection
A list of must-haves for a well-set, eclectically styled dining table starts in Korea, with Jong Duk Lee’s fine (1) Bangjja Brass Plates providing the most tasteful base for culinary concepts. The most simple and sophisticated cutlery choice for meals from various origins is David Mellor’s (2) Odeon collection, inspired by Bauhaus form-follows-function principles. Glassware from anywhere else comes up short next to Austria’s Lobmeyr, a brand crafting exquisite pieces from its base in Vienna since 1823. The design of the stylish, stackable (3) Alpha Colors drinking collection dates back to 1952.
A more modern name in tableware design is Cape Town’s Mervyn Gers, whose handmade ceramic (4) Espresso Cups—in collaboration with Abask—make the ideal vessels for a post-meal caffeinated moment. The form of the egg cup has been reimagined many times. Still, Belgium’s (5) Serax Uovo Egg Cup, designed by Catharina Bossaert, stands out for a proper architectural approach to highlighting this humble breakfast staple. Our global journey around the dining table wraps up in Japan with Time & Style’s (6) Oribe bowls. Featuring unique glazing and a warm colour palette, they come in three sizes and are available online anywhere in the world.
#04 - For Your Consideration
Staying on the topic of design that’s good for your dinner table, Australian ceramics brand Mud this week launches a cosy new retail space in Islington, a tasteful addition to what must be one of London’s best streets for interiors shopping.
From urban regeneration in Istanbul to sustainably-minded architecture in Switzerland, I’ve been helping the Zürich-based Holcim Foundation to tell the many stories of past winners of its Awards programme via this ‘Words with Winners’ film series.
Architect Lina Ghotmeh, who chairs the Middle East & Africa Jury of the Holcim Foundation Awards this year, explores our relationship with light and windows in her new title, Windows of Light from Lars Müller Publishing. The book delves into how architecture shapes our perception of light and space.
For a captivating take on mid-century residential architecture, Open Space: The Robinson Residence 1954 is a remarkable film offering a fresh lens on a little-known piece of Californian architectural history.
A different type of residential experience awaits at Martino Gamper’s latest exhibition, Before/After/Beyond, a takeover of a London house via the Anton Kern Gallery. The work challenges conventional furniture forms, using the past, present, and future as reference points for his experimental pieces.
#05 - Through The Lens
For a recent assignment, I found myself trawling through photos from the mid-century on Swiss university ETH's incredible (3.5 million-picture-strong) online image archive. As I travelled (virtually) back in time, the name Björn Erik Lindroos kept appearing as the author of my favourite images—whether we were in Beijing or Acapulco. I spent hours rummaging through the shots taken by himself and the co-founders of the now-defunct Zurich agency 'Comet,' whose company motto translated to "we photograph everything, everywhere, anytime."
What a time to be alive - the founders of this intrepid business roamed the world during the 1950s, 60s & 70s, providing images for the DACH region's press to purchase for their newspapers - from Audrey Hepburn playing golf in Bürgenstock to newsboys on the streets of a coming-of-age 1950s Mexico City. My eye was caught by another shot from the Mexican Capital depicting street life in front of one of the nation's first skyscrapers, the fine art deco Edificio El Moro. The striking shot (pictured above) immediately gives the viewer a distinct sense of place. Despite many of Lindroos' photos being in black and white - he painted vividly a time of optimism, and adventure in a relatable and translatable journalistic manner. Plus, the man himself looked like something of a legend.