Collection by Shonquis Moreno

London's 100% Design

Albeit with more drizzle and more crowded aisles, 100% Design in Earls Court, London, resembles New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair in that it is small and easily digested. 100% Design has its share of big-booth brands and practical tools, materials and production processes for the foot soldiers of the interior design industry but this year, it also featured interesting international contingents from Chile, Norway, Korea and the UK, and a couple of strong examples of booth design, one by Dutchman Ben van Berkel’s UN Studio and the other by Paris-born, New York-based designer and musician Sebastien Agneessens for, of all things, a Turkish real estate developer-cum-design lab called Nef.

Here's a close-up of the musical sculpture.
Here's a close-up of the musical sculpture.
Jody Milton of Milton & Mees works days doing exhibition design, so he doesn’t have much time left to create and market the furniture and interiors that are close to his heart. Milton presented the product of his moonlighting—a trio of classically modern and refreshingly simple seating—in the Makers Co. booth. Makers is a rare company that helps take the work of individual designers and small studios to market, doing everything from producing the pieces, suggesting price models and finding distribution to getting them started on business plan, educating designers in the business of design all along the way.
Jody Milton of Milton & Mees works days doing exhibition design, so he doesn’t have much time left to create and market the furniture and interiors that are close to his heart. Milton presented the product of his moonlighting—a trio of classically modern and refreshingly simple seating—in the Makers Co. booth. Makers is a rare company that helps take the work of individual designers and small studios to market, doing everything from producing the pieces, suggesting price models and finding distribution to getting them started on business plan, educating designers in the business of design all along the way.
Among several beautiful pieces, Caroline Olsson’s Bambi Table stood out—albeit on bent legs. Despite the name, this jointed table was inspired by that gracefully clumsy image of a horse kneeling as it rises to its feet.
Among several beautiful pieces, Caroline Olsson’s Bambi Table stood out—albeit on bent legs. Despite the name, this jointed table was inspired by that gracefully clumsy image of a horse kneeling as it rises to its feet.
Samuel Chan is the nearly eponymous owner of the two-year-old furniture label Channels. The lightly quilted Motley throne chair has a wooden baton structure and turns on a rotating plate at its foot.
Samuel Chan is the nearly eponymous owner of the two-year-old furniture label Channels. The lightly quilted Motley throne chair has a wooden baton structure and turns on a rotating plate at its foot.
A handsome duo of chairs also by Channels.
A handsome duo of chairs also by Channels.
One of some beautiful wooden pieces in the Chilean booth, the Tecla coffee table by Juan Pablo Fuentes & Asociados, which is made from MDF. It features a plywood interior and a glass top punctuated with a hole-cum-handle that can be lifted to store magazine or objects.
One of some beautiful wooden pieces in the Chilean booth, the Tecla coffee table by Juan Pablo Fuentes & Asociados, which is made from MDF. It features a plywood interior and a glass top punctuated with a hole-cum-handle that can be lifted to store magazine or objects.
These masterfully welded seats and tables by Decipher have useful voids and were inspired by the natural structure of stones in the UK’s Lake District and the man-made structures that are made from them. The industrial look of the finish belies the fine handwork that went into their welding.
These masterfully welded seats and tables by Decipher have useful voids and were inspired by the natural structure of stones in the UK’s Lake District and the man-made structures that are made from them. The industrial look of the finish belies the fine handwork that went into their welding.
Part of young Chilean studio gt2P’s Digital Crafting Collection, the Gudpaka marries digital manufacture with traditional craftsmanship. It is made from waste Alpaca wool from Northern Chile that is not suitable for spinning or industry that is knit by hand into a felt skin that has been shaped using a CNC-milled mold to create the shade. The shade is lined with faceted tiles of Coigue wood in an unmistakably modern pattern.
Part of young Chilean studio gt2P’s Digital Crafting Collection, the Gudpaka marries digital manufacture with traditional craftsmanship. It is made from waste Alpaca wool from Northern Chile that is not suitable for spinning or industry that is knit by hand into a felt skin that has been shaped using a CNC-milled mold to create the shade. The shade is lined with faceted tiles of Coigue wood in an unmistakably modern pattern.
Another view of the lamp.
Another view of the lamp.
Looking for an alternative to noxious plastics, young Korean duo Cho Eun Whan and Shin Tai Ho of Maezm have created a frameless, featherweight chair from the mulberry mucilage used to handcraft traditional Korean Hanji paper. In spite of the seemingly delicate nature of Hanji, which is used in artwork and calligraphy, the chair offers a solid seat.
Looking for an alternative to noxious plastics, young Korean duo Cho Eun Whan and Shin Tai Ho of Maezm have created a frameless, featherweight chair from the mulberry mucilage used to handcraft traditional Korean Hanji paper. In spite of the seemingly delicate nature of Hanji, which is used in artwork and calligraphy, the chair offers a solid seat.
Shanghai-based Zhoujie Zhang graduated from the Central St. Martins in 2010 and returns to London with a series of faceted chairs cut and folded from a single sheet of mirror-finished steel. Zhang scanned friends’ bodies and then translated these bespoke dimensions into made-to-measure furniture in the computer. His inspiration came from an interest in Taoism and its emphasis on actionlessness and non-interference in nature. “I tried to apply this to the digital world,” he explains, “and let the objects generate themselves.”
Shanghai-based Zhoujie Zhang graduated from the Central St. Martins in 2010 and returns to London with a series of faceted chairs cut and folded from a single sheet of mirror-finished steel. Zhang scanned friends’ bodies and then translated these bespoke dimensions into made-to-measure furniture in the computer. His inspiration came from an interest in Taoism and its emphasis on actionlessness and non-interference in nature. “I tried to apply this to the digital world,” he explains, “and let the objects generate themselves.”