Chamber pieces
Boudoir-and-bug-inspired furniture from Bethan Laura Wood
Drawing from a pool of diverse inspirations, ranging from the design of the boudoir and Japanese travels to art nouveau and jewellery, British designer Bethan Laura Wood and Milanese gallery Nilufar conceived Ornate, a contemporary collection of furniture exemplifying the richness of Wood’s eclectic, colourful visual universe. With pieces created in glass, wood veneer and Cnc-milled aluminium, the designer’s passion for craftsmanship techniques, old and new, and her ability to distil cultural references and inspirations from past aesthetic movements are evident throughout.
The collection is a visual feast: there are the wiggly curves of the ‘Ornate’ bedhead and sconces, partly inspired by Alexander Calder’s 1940s bedhead design for Peggy Guggenheim and created in collaboration with Neal Feay in Cnc-milled, anodised aluminium. The ‘Meisen’ cabinets and desk, inspired by Japanese kimonos and colourful bugs, explore the process of wood veneer with specialist Alpi. A continuation of Wood’s ongoing collaboration with Pyrex glass specialist Pietro Viero (with whom she made her Nilufar debut in 2011, with the ‘Totem’ series), the ‘Bon Bon’ lighting series includes a chandelier and sconces that push the boundaries of Pyrex manufacturing, mixing milky and transparent glass in candy palettes. And finally, the ‘Aperitivo’ mirrors build on the designer’s ‘Melon’ mirror created with Murano mirror workshop Barbini Specchi and explore Wood’s interest in connecting contemporary aesthetics with traditional craftsmanship. The collection, which also marks ten years of Wood’s collaboration with Nilufar and its founder, Nina Yashar, is showing at Nilufar’s Milan gallery alongside pieces from her previous collections and archive.
The Ornate collection is showing until 27 November at Nilufar Gallery, Via della Spiga 32, Milan, nilufar.com