Brian Fichtner
Brian Fichtner
The Return of French Decorative Arts
The Parisian designer Christophe Côme is part of a rich lineage of French decorative artists that stretches well over one hundred years. To look at his creations in rusted iron and blocky glass, one would think they were the fruits of collaboration with the great Scotsman Charles Renee MacKintosh. Working largely with industrial glass blocks, Côme transforms the staid material into a thing of beauty through labored melting and cutting, followed by the application of hand-wrought iron.
 


While his furniture designs already seem befitting the pages of a Christie’s auction catalog, his lighting is characterized by a more contemporary feel. The Loukoum lighting collection (above) is defined by a melted crystal diffuser that sits squarely on an iron pedestal. Since no two blocks of crystal melt in the same manner, the series has a sort of controlled randomness that allows every piece to be a unique sculptural expression.


 
Previously featured in an exhibition at the Lagerfeld Gallery in Paris, it’s no surprise that New York gallerist Cristina Grajales now represents Côme in the US and has been showing his work at the Design Miami and Design Miami/Basel fairs. My suggestion is to get a piece before the dollar gets any worse.
 
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Posted by: Brian Fichtner on Jul 3, 08 at 02:17 PM PDT

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