VITAL COMPOSITION
At Milan Design Week 2019, HERMÈS stages an exhibition that pays tribute to the building blocks of furniture design: the value of the material used
The principle of form follows function suggests that the shape of an object should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose. Form is the appearance, the outer surface of an object; while function is the purpose of the design. These two elements highly depend on the materials used.
At the Milan Design Week this year, Hermès’ home collection honours the importance of materials and its vital role in the creative process. Hermès sought ordinary materials commonly used in everyday objects such as granite, bronze, porcelain, and leather. The space, titled La Pelota, designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, takes visitors on a sensory journey and highlights the pieces that commanded attention.
LIGHTWEIGHT LAMP
Spanish designer Tomas Alonso created a series of square lamps that emit soft light. “There’s also a lot of technology involved, especially in the very high-end LED light source,” he says. The screen in the variations is made of bamboo, paper, and steel to reach poetic equilibrium. He adds, “We wanted to retain this idea that emerged from the first prototypes, which were light but quite fragile.”
ECLECTIC SOURCE
Italian designer Gianpaolo Pagni draws the Hermès motif of a horse to showcase the brand’s rich equestrian heritage.
The “Hippomobiles” is translated into brightly cashmere coloured appliques and embroidered with pearls and the geometric shapes add volume and contrast to the design. This unusual image can fit into a quirky home full of bowls and vases in varying shapes and sizes.
THE SHAPE OF LIGHT
The Halo and Hècate lamps, made from black granite and porcelain and created by British designers Barber & Osgerby, take archetypal forms that play with the strengths of their respective materials. The designers say black granite was hard to work with because it was hard and dense. “We discovered that this granite is very close to the rock that was founded on the moon.”
THE ART OF LEATHER MARQUETRY
French designer Josèphine Ciaudo played with bright colours and contrasting patterns of silk jackets to produce a special mahogany box that uplifts the artistry of leather marquetry. “We use different grains of leather, which catch the light in different ways, and add texture to the design,” she says.