Form and Function
New pieces in Louis Vuitton’s travel-inspired Objets Nomades furniture collection make their worldwide debut in Hong Kong this month
Since Louis Vuitton launched its travel-inspired Objets Nomades furniture line in 2012, the collection has been making waves. Inspired by intrepid travellers and the brand’s own heritage, Objets Nomades fuses the maison’s signature craftsmanship with contemporary flair, aided by a roster of some of the world’s most acclaimed designers.
A stalwart participant in Milan Design Week, with the 2020 edition cancelled, the brand was unable to showcase new designs. While restrictions remain in place, Louis Vuitton aims to satiate those with wanderlust, bringing its travel-inspired pieces to the historic Pedder Building this month and giving Hongkongers the chance to see the collection’s new colours, shapes and worldwide debuts in person for the first time.
Pieces that will be on display include the Cocoon hanging chair by Fernando and Humberto Campana,
known professionally as the Campana brothers. Making its return to Hong Kong, the piece features ornate latticework, a fibreglass exterior and calfskin interiors that are this time to be showcased in new colours. Named after a traditional Brazilian dessert, the Bomboca Sofa—the Campanas’ other offering in the collection— gives eye candy an altogether new meaning. The resin, calfskin, fibreglass and woollen sculpture envelops those who sit in it in a cloud-like comfort. The Bomboca sofa is now available in ten colours of leather, with only eight of each colour made.
Louis Vuitton aims to satiate those with wanderlust, bringing its travel-inspired pieces to Pedder Building
Showcasing Vuitton’s love of leather, the Bell Lamp is a piece by Edward Barber and Jay Ogersby. This “nomadic” lamp, meaning it’s portable, provides up to 30 hours of dimmable light on a single charge. While a caramel leather strap wraps around the frosted glass bell in the original design, new contrasting colours will be on display at Pedder Building.
New colours also bring new dimensions to the dynamic Venezia Lamp by Marcel Wanders and Gabriele Chiave. The delicate hand-blown glass sculpture, which is encased in intricate leather latticework with metal stud accents, is a contemporary twist on the classic Venetian lights.
The Pedder Street exhibition features reimagined designs as well. The Anemona table—a piece by the Italian design duo behind Atelier Biagetti—makes its worldwide debut, relaunched in a newly sculpted shape. It’s a homage to the Adriatic Sea’s inhabitants, with a wavy leather base that sits encased under a glass top.
On display for the first time, the Lantern by ZB, designed by Zanellato Bortotto, bridges the agency’s design ethos with Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire. Inspired by the use of weaving in traditional nomadic objects like baskets and vessels, the woven leather exterior combines form and function for a stylish way to light a room.
The LV Bike—available in four models with either step-through or closed frames—also makes its worldwide debut in person this month. Its wooden tyre rims and mudguard showcase a classic aesthetic, while a location tracker (which pairs to a smartphone app) makes this piece modern as well, adding an element of safety and security to the sleek design. LED lights are discreetly installed underneath its luggage rack, while monogrammed initials on the frame offer an option for personalisation.
Occupying three floors of Pedder Building, the exhibition will showcase the best of the maison’s latest offerings.