Products and Furniture at Dwell on Design

For 12 years, the Design Prize Switzerland jury has recognized local talent working to advance the design field in their country. Curator Michel Hueter will join us onstage to discuss some of this year’s pieces, which range from running shoes to textiles to furniture and include Etage by Moritz Schmid.

Swissnex’s Sophie Lamparter will appear onstage with Design Prize Switzerland curator Michel Hueter to share more about contemporary Swiss practitioners and their unique perspectives. Dadadum’s Cresta chair will also be on view in a rare U.S. exhibition on our show floor.

Since graduating from Pratt Institute in 2004, Los Angeles–based designer and researcher Jonathan Olivares has undertaken numerous projects. He's designed furniture for the likes of Danese, Driade, and Knoll, the latter for whom he created the Olivares Aluminum Chair, a space-saving stacking chair in colorful matte finishes. Olivares will join us onstage to discuss merging business with design.

Brendan Ravenhill, who runs a studio in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, will take to the Dwell on Design stage to extol the virtues of craftsmanship and accessibility as it relates to emerging designers. Defined by its simple tensegrity is the Cord pendant, made and assembled in the USA.

Matthew Sullivan, the mind behind Los Angeles–based Al Que Quiere, a Latin phrase that roughly translates to “he who wants it,” will join us onstage to talk about his postmodern design influences. In the Conny Plank bench (featured in Dwell), and the Leila chair, coffee table, and desk, we see a playful, craft-based take on the geometric silhouettes of the Memphis Movement.

Modern yet craft-oriented furnishings—like Alvar Aalto’s Paimio armchair—proved appealing for midcentury homeowners in Los Angeles thanks in part to Frank Bros., the local retailer that John Entenza enlisted to help furnish his Case Study homes. Jennifer Volland, a historian at work on a book about the store, and Getty curator Christopher James Alexander join us onstage for a discussion of the Frank Bros. and the Getty's recent acquisition of their archives.

Since 1972, Thos. Moser has produced handcrafted furniture in Maine. While the company is still rooted in high-quality carpentry and timeless design, it has recently begun to collaborate with emerging designers. In 2013, a Pratt graduate, Fahmida Lam, apprenticed with the company to design and build the Fahmida chair, which will be on view at Dwell on Design. Adam Rogers, director of design & product development at Thos. Moser, will join us onstage.

Armen Sevada Gharabegian, CEO of the Glendale-based furniture maker Lounge22 and designer of the Osaka chair, will discuss how looking beyond the traditional boundaries of design can push the field into new territory. On the show floor, Lounge22 will exhibit its latest pieces, all made in Glendale and in its factory just ten miles away from the convention center.