MASTERFUL MODERN DESIGN
For lovers of modern design, New York’s MoMA — Museum of Modern Art — houses the best of it. When it comes to what we’ll be seeing in home design and decor for fall, MoMA’s retail division, the MoMA Design Store, doesn’t just predict trends; it often sets them.
Emmanuel Plat is director of merchandising for MoMA Retail, and heads a team of buyers that travels extensively — visiting shows and meeting with designers — to search out the latest and most innovative objects.
“Sometimes, we identify an object two years before it’s completed, and ready to go on the shelves,” Plat says.
“But we have conversations with the designers, with the companies behind these projects, and we say ‘Look, we’re definitely interested in this and we love it for x, y and z, and whenever you’re ready, we’re here and we want to promote and celebrate this object with you guys.’ ”
Plat says that for fall, we’ll be seeing a lot of natural materials, like wood, such as the Painted Oak Stools from Lithuania, and the Wawa Mirror by Japan’s Torafu Architects, made from “spiralled thick rattan,” which the MoMA Design Store will be carrying.
Plywood is being used in increasingly innovative ways in design, Plat says, and it’s seen in MoMA Design Store’s fall collection in a Plywood Shoulder Bag by Japanese designers Gen and Dai Takahashi, as well as the stunning WrongWoods credenza, designed by Sebastian Wrong and Richard Woods, made in Slovenia from wood and plywood with “wood-grained prints in unexpected colours.”
Colours are strong and vibrant for fall, says Plat, and we’ll see a lot of “gradient” designs, with colours starting strong and fading out, giving an ombre effect.
“We have these hand-dipped lamps, that come in green, orange or blue,” says Plat, referring to the Dipping Lamps designed by Jordi Canudas.
“The hue of the orange, or green, goes from light to darker, very beautiful. There’s also a clock called the Aurora Clock (designed by Jordan Kirsch), where every 25 seconds the face of the clock changes from these very primary colours to more muted colours, which is very interesting, and goes back to these gradient colours and ombres.”
When choosing objects for the MoMA Design Store, Plat says they always ask themselves the same questions: Why MoMA? Is the product produced by an artist or designer represented in MoMA’s permanent collection? Does the object provide a solution to a problem we encounter in our daily lives? Is it an innovative material or traditional material used in an innovative way?
The Toast toaster, by Italian designer Gae Aulenti, ticks more than one of these boxes, says Plat, which is why they’ll be carrying it this fall. Aulenti’s work is included in MoMA’s permanent collection, and the toaster, although designed 20 years ago, reflects the current graphic-inspired trend in home decor.
“To us it was a great way to celebrate this designer that is not that well known in the U.S., but has nevertheless created important products. It’s a very nice object in itself, aside from being a product of an important designer of the 20th century,” he says.
Finding the beauty in everyday objects is not hard when it comes to the Erpa Trash Can, which the MoMA Design Store will be carrying this fall. It was originally designed by Josef Road in 1928.
“It fits what we call heritage design,” he says. “Classic, ancient, rules of design.”
It seems the same tenacity required to produce good design is needed to carry these products, with Plat and his team going to some lengths to get the German company that produces the Erpa Trash Can to consent to exporting outside of Europe.
“We contacted them, I believe, two or three years ago,” he says. “And it was simply ‘no we’re not interested, we don’t want to sell in the U.S’. So we had to find someone, a German person that could reach out and explain why we’re so interested, and passionate. Effectively, this is the first time it’s available in North America.”
Technology is everywhere in home design these days, and the Albert Clock, included in the MoMA Design Store’s fall lineup, is a goodlooking example.
“It’s from a French startup,” says Plat. “We have been seeing a lot of activity in France, especially in Paris, with startups in the tech arena. That movement was very visible a couple of years ago in London, but it seems to have migrated to France now, where there’s a lot of interesting projects going on, and the Albert Clock is one of them. With this clock, you basically have to calculate the time, so instead of reading it’s 3.09 right now, you will see it’s 2 + 1 and 18 – 9, so then you have to calculate. You have seven different levels of difficulty, so you can make it as easy or difficult as you want.”