1. art and entertainment
2. visual art and design
3. design

March 2015
RSA R31.50
(incl. VAT)
Issue No. 173
• March 2015
1
The covering theme for heimtextil 2015/2016 is
Experience, and textiles are the perfect vehicle for
providing stimulating, smart, immersive, sensorial,
responsive and interactive experiences. From tactile
effects to electronic sensorial responsiveness, textiles
are adding layers of intelligent playfulness to spaces.
Cross-cultural exchange
Sensory
The feel-good factor
As digital sterility pervades our lives there is bound to be a reaction,
so interior designers are creating new environments that appeal
to very human stimuli to generate more sensorially satisfying,
immersive experiences. There is a fascination with synaesthesia,
in which the stimulation of one sense leads to a reaction in another,
cross-wiring the brain’s synapses and creating heightened sensual
experiences that combine shape, colour, texture and perhaps even
smell. ‘Supersensory’ fabrics celebrate the huge variety of tactile
effects possible that can stimulate the sense of touch.
heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com
2
• March 2015
In our cosmopolitan world,
diversity is the new status
quo. The coming together
and fusion of cultures
have inspired us to
create a modern
ethnic heritage. We
celebrate our new
collective by experimenting, playing and
assembling collages of
our separate identities in
a studied, seemingly spontaneous confusion of crosscultural exchange. Modern
Western artistic references
sit easily alongside organic
African tribal designs and 3D
rave motifs.
Mixology
The world’s limited resources will fire research
into novel and sustainable material usage
Memory
Consideration and re-evaluation
Fed up with consumerism and left feeling empty by social media
relationships that don’t fulfil, consumers now wish to prioritise
personal fulfilment and well-being. A good look around reveals
that all the basic ingredients for happiness are there, in objects
we feel an emotional connection to; we just need to identify them
and place them in full focus. We have resolved to become more
considerate and appreciative; we want a simpler, purer, more
ethically sound, modern lifestyle; we want to be happy.
Discovery
Envisage the future
Self-Growing Furniture
by Bart Hess
A digital dream where biology and
technology have absorbed each
other to push the boundaries of
textile and material design.
Designers always seek to envisage
the future, not to contrive a sci-fi film aesthetic
but a more pragmatic study of materials and
their place in a future world. The possible
future functionalities of the
universe’s resources fascinate
and inspire; like new alchemists, designers peer over the
shoulders of astrophysicists to
seek out groundbreaking new
aesthetics and properties. Increasingly aware that we are squandering our own planet’s precious mineral
resources, we feel the need to protect and,
as a reflex, be protected from the consequences of our improvidence.
See page 120 for heimtextil colour trends 2015/2016
• March 2015
3
The outside lines of the Nube armchair, designed by Jesus
Gasca and Jon Gasca for Stua, present flat parallel surfaces
while the seating space is curved and cosy, like a nest.
www.stua.com
CO N T E N TS
March 2015 – Issue 173
ii
8
10
EXPERIENCE
heimtextil Trends 2015/2016
FROM THE EDITOR
DESIGNER PROFILES
A closer look at designers featured in this issue
16
WHAT’S HOT!
18
TRADE WINDS
25
Recently launched and locally available product
Industry news and views
LIVINGKITCHEN
A fresh view from imm cologne
34
GREENING
35
WINDOWSEAT
Cleaning the conscience
Blurring the boundary between furniture and architecture
62
36
38
40
43
ICE LOFT
A fascinating façade project in Hamburg, Germany
CAFÉ ARTSCIENCE
A hybrid and multi-purpose venue
in Cambridge, Boston, USA
PRIMARY SCHOOL TANOUAN IBI
Traditional architecture built with modern technology
DEMANDING SIMPLICITY
Iittala collectible vase Ruutu
44
The European spring season’s latest collections
50
The UK’s premier architecture and furniture competition
FABRICS
THE WOOD AWARDS
58
EVENTS
58
RICHARD DIEBENKORN
60
Dates of exhibitions and trade fairs not to be missed
Presenting the figurative and abstract works
of this post-war American master
JEAN DUBUFFET: SOUL OF THE UNDERGROUND
The artist mixed sand, gravel and other
materials into his pigments
62
The tallest residential building in Africa
64
An exhibition of his tapestry cartoons
66
70
PONTE CITY
GOYA IN MADRID
WATERLOO AT WINDSOR: 1815–2015
Celebrating the 200th anniversary
CLOVELLY HOUSE
A southerly wind dictates the design of this seaside home
CO N T E N TS
HOTEL
76 ZOOM
Industrial chic in Brussels
SULPICE APARTMENT
81 SAINT
Located in a building of the early eighteenth century
PAVILLON DES ARBRES
87 ABALNEA:
wellness centre perched on a mountainside
76
LONDON APARTMENT
91 Stripped
and refurbished by Kelly Hoppen
CHAIRS OF NOTE NO. 119
96 The
Up-chair designed by Martin
Ballendat now has wooden arms
FOR SETTING THE SCENE
99 AsFURNITURE
presented at imm cologne
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
108 The
green demeanour of Warsaw
81
91
112
BRIGHT IDEAS
113
ON THE TERRACE
117
FERDI ON FOOD
118
QUESTIONNAIRE
119
TAIL OF THE DOG
PET Felt – enviroment friendly and
aesthetically in balance
Enjoying the warmth of summer
Ferdi le Grange reviews Terroir – the cookbook
David Griffiths, owner of G & P Interiors,
answers those searching questions
Gill Butler’s tips for a greener future
120 EXPERIENCE
heimtextil colour trends 2015/2016
leven issues of
Published by Colin Louw (Pty) Ltd
Editor Alan Fennell
Layout Pieter Bosman
Advertising Stienie Greyling • 081 846 6214 • [email protected]
Accounts and distribution Ferdi le Grange • [email protected]
Printed by Colorpress (Pty) Ltd
are published per year
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6
• March 2015
THE
ALBA
Office
Configuration
S I N G L E S E AT E R
CORNER PIECE
OTTOMAN
THE
MORRIS
Office
Configuration
COFFEE
TA B L E
FROM
THE
EDITOR
8
• March 2015
DEsIgNER
pROFIlEs
Stabiles table – Page 107
Ponte City – Page 62
South African photographer Mikhael
Subotzky and British artist Patrick
Waterhouse met while on residency
together in Italy. They started collaborating in mid-2008 on a project that is
geographically located in Berea’s Ponte
City building.
Mikhael Subotzky was born in 1981 in
Cape Town, South Africa, and is currently
based in Johannesburg. His photographic
work combines the directness of the
social documentary mode with a questioning of the nature of the photographic
medium itself. He is concerned with the
structures of narrative and representation, as well as the relationship between
social storytelling and the formal poetics
of image making. Over the past eight
years, his work has focused on the inside
and outside of South Africa’s notorious
prisons, the small town of Beaufort West,
and Ponte City.
Subotzky’s work has been exhibited
widely in major galleries and museums,
and his prints are in the collections of the
Museum of Modern Art, New York, the
Victoria and Albert Museum, London,
the South African National Gallery, Cape
Town, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Recent awards and grants include the 2012
Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year
10
• March 2015
Award for Visual Arts, the 2011 Discovery
Award at Rencontres de la Photographie
Arles, the 2009 Oskar Barnack Award, the
2008 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Grant,
and the 2007 KLM Paul Huf Award.
As the 2012 Standard Bank Young
Artist for Visual Art Mikhael Subotzky
presented an entirely new body of work,
centred on a four-channel film installation titled Moses and Griffiths.
Patrick Waterhouse was born in 1981 in
the United Kingdom. He is the editorin-chief of COLORS magazine. In 2011
Waterhouse developed a new editorial
direction for COLORS in terms of concept
and design, creating the Survival Guides
– a series with an interlinking narrative
structure. He has produced a variety of
work in many different media including
drawings, photography, prints and artists
books, notably a fully-illustrated version
of Dante’s Inferno. Since 2008 he has also
been working with Michael Subotsky on
Ponte City. His work has been exhibited
at numerous venues including the South
African National Gallery, Goodman
Gallery Cape Town, Art Basel, The Design
Museum London, LE BALL, Maison Rouge
Paris, The Walther Collection, ICP New
York and the Liverpool and Lubumbashi
Biennials.
Alfredo Häberli was born in 1964 in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied
industrial design in Switzerland. Today,
he is a well-known international designer
based in Zurich. In his designs, Häberli
successfully combines tradition and
renewal. There is joy and energy in his
designs. The human being is the starting
point of Häberli’s design process. His
objects and structures are designed to be
used. He is unprejudiced and inventive in
his observation of the situation in which
an object is used.
Adria collection – Page 116
Wolfgang CR Mezger, 53 years old, with a
German father and Dutch mother, trained
to become a typographer and participated
in several musical projects before starting
his design studies at the Hochschule für
Gestaltung in Schwäbisch Gmünd. He
graduated in 1979 and won the Braun
Award in 1980. After working as a
freelance designer and collaborating with,
among others, Nick Roericht from Ulm,
he opened design studio Wolfgang C.R.
Mezger in Eislingen. From 1981 to 1989
he lectured at different design colleges in
Berlin, London and Schwäbisch Gmünd.
Nowadays he works with a small team
for internationally renowned companies
requiring the best of design. So far his
studio has received more than forty
international design awards. Harmonious concepts and intelligent details are
hallmarks of his aesthetic philosophy.
We offer over 350 standard upholstered and case good designs with
production time from order as quickly as 4 weeks. With over 30 years of
experience and a leading development department, custom manufacturing
is our specialty. Be it a simple hand sketch on paper or fully developed
CAD drawings, our team will interpret your needs, finalize design, complete
engineering, prototype and manufacture to contract specifications. We are
flexible and work within your budget to deliver your concept while fully
maintaining your original design integrity. We have two established offices in
Africa to facilitate projects from start to finish and offer full after sales service.
DEsIgNER
pROFIlEs
Zoom Hotel – Page 76
pet Felt – Page 112
Born in Brussels on 23 November 1964,
Michel Penneman graduated in 1985
from the Institut Saint Luc Brussels
(architectural design). He began his
career in 1986 at the survey office of
Tractebel and then in 1988 became the
consultant CAD for numerous major
architectural agencies. In July 1994 he
established Détrois SA, specialising in
the creation of architectural computer
graphics. Parallel to Détrois, he realises
‘interior concepts’. Constantly searching
for original concepts, the key words for
him are: speed of execution, price studied,
quality of lighting and acoustics.
Laurens van Wieringen was born on
4 July 1974 in Nijmegen; he grew up in
Arnhem in the east of The Netherlands.
After studying 3D-design at The Arnhem
Institute for the Arts he continued his
study in Product Design at the Royal
College of Art, London, for his master’s
degree. He started his own studio in
Amsterdam in 2002. His passion for
motorcycles and classic cars has a great
influence.
“My main challenge is to turn things
over and look at the world from a
different angle by exploring shapes and
materials and by using, inventing or
twisting production methods. I try to
offer a surrounding atmosphere in which
people can feel pleasant, have a laugh or
are misguided for a moment, to trigger
people to do what they feel like doing. The
actual result is not my main goal but the
pleasure and energy of the whole process
of getting to know a client and thinking
over the whole process of making.
“An intensive collaboration and
exchange of knowledge between the
producer and designer is a pleasure
and a must. This team effort can make
a product dynamic and a production
process used optimum.”
DEsIgNER
pROFIlEs
Jean Dubuffet: Soul of the Underground – Page 60
Prêt-à-Porter – Page 115
Jean Dubuffet was born on 31 July 1901,
in Le Havre, France. He attended art
classes in his youth and in 1918 moved
to Paris to study at the Académie Julian,
which he left after six months. During this
time Dubuffet met Raoul Dufy, Max Jacob,
Fernand Léger and Suzanne Valadon, and
became fascinated with Hans Prinzhorn’s
book on psychopathic art.
He travelled to Italy in 1923 and South
America in 1924. Then Dubuffet gave up
painting for about ten years, working as
an industrial draftsman and later in the
family wine business.
Antonio Norero is a partner in the architectural firm of Genoa SP10 which is
involved in architecture and restoration,
equipment and design exhibitions. He
has received many awards and mentions –
among them the top spot for the province
of Genoa for the National Architecture
Prize [intra] places for work in 2007/08
to the Stock Exchange in Genoa. In 2009
he took part in the national competition
of ideas for the relocation of the library
of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry,
Handicraft and Agriculture of Genoa,
and won first prize.
He committed himself to becoming an
artist in 1942. Dubuffet’s first solo exhibition was held at the Galerie René Drouin,
Paris, in 1944.
A collection of Dubuffet's writings,
Prospectus et tous écrits suivants
(Prospectus and all subsequent texts),
was published in 1967, the same year he
started his architectural structures. Soon
thereafter he began numerous commissions for monumental outdoor sculptures.
In 1971 he produced his first theatre props,
the practicables.
Dubuffet died on 12 May 1985 in Paris.
WHAT’s
HOT!
2
3
1
1
Impressionists is a true decorative collection, showcasing the latest print trends, with colourways in a strong
and a vibrant colour pallete. Available through Hertex
Fabrics nationwide.
www.hertex.co.za
2
Boschendal released their 1685 Shiraz Mourvèdre 2012.
It is a rich and robust wine which is good with food
and on its own. It has received success in several major
competitions: at The Shiraz Challenge in 2014 the Boschendal 1685 Shiraz Mourvèdre blend was voted as one of the
top Shiraz blends in the country; at the Veritas Awards it
won a Double Gold medal; and at the Winemakers Choice
Diamond Awards it was named one of the top Shirazes of
2014.
3
4
16
• March 2015
Tile Africa Contracts – the commercial division of
Tile Africa – has consultants and specifiers servicing
clients nationally while also procuring sub-contractors
and providing training. Tile Africa Contracts has direct
access to locally manufactured products through its
sister companies TAL and Johnson Tiles. This permits the
company not only to source and supply products, but also
to instal them. Tile Africa Contracts recently supplied, and
in some cases also fitted, 10 100m ² of tiles to the Maskam
Mall shopping centre in Vredendal; as well as the 7 500m ²
Mr Price flagship store in Boksburg.
www.tileafrica.co.za
5
4
Woodbender’s Toscana is a sleek table with thin lines
and a delicate appearance which provides an illusion of
space. Combined with the Milano chair that has a minimal
upholstery and wooden detail, the whole becomes an architectural feature that doesn’t dominate its space. The Toscana
range with thin bent legs positioned at a forty-five degree
angle is ideal for compact living. Woodbender are specialists
in the bending and manufacturing of chairs. All products are
made in South Africa.
www.woodbender.co.za
6
5
Warwick Fabrics have been supplying commercial and
decorative fabrics to South African trade customers for
over two decades. These fabrics are now available through
Warwick Fabrics South Africa who will be selling directly
to their customers ensuring a wide selection, excellent value
and good stock support.
By appointment 011 024 2747
6
Levande from Scion is a collection of playful and
uplifting prints, weaves and wallcoverings. The Scandiinspired designs were created using lino-cuts, which gives
them a hand-crafted, homespun look. They include lighthearted interpretations of foraged hedgerows, naively-drawn
trees and leaves, stylised flora and fauna, heart-warming
hedgehogs and a charmingly old-fashioned push-bike.
Available through Black Fabrics.
www.blackfabrics.co.za
• March 2015
17
TRADE
WINDs
Local carpet company celebrates
sixty-six years
A
fter sixty-six years of operation Van Dyck Carpets combines
innovation and state-of-the-art technology with the accomplishment of being the oldest carpet manufacturer in South
Africa.
Established in Durban in 1948, Van Dyck Carpets is now owned
by PFE International, the holding company of the Zarrebini family,
whose shareholders have more than forty years of international
experience in the manufacturing of carpets and fibre and yarn
extrusion.
“The holding company has invested more than R80-million of
capital expenditure in Van Dyck Carpets in recent years which
has enabled the company to enhance its product offering,” a
director of Van Dyck Carpets, Dr Zarrebini, said. “We have
installed a state-of-the-art fibre extrusion line – by far the largest
in Southern Africa – and upgraded and modernised our tufting
and needlepunch looms.”
Van Dyck Carpets is the only manufacturer in South Africa that
offers all types of soft floor coverings – tufted, needlepunch
and woven. Many of these are available in broadloom, tiles (DIY,
plainback or bitumen backed) and rugs for residential, commercial and hospitality markets locally and abroad. The company
also manufactures a range of acoustic underlays made of recycled
rubber crumb from used truck tyres.
Van Dyck has recently expanded its product offering through a
variety of strategic alliances and joint ventures with international
flooring firms.
Dr Zarrebini emphasises that increased automation and the
continuing introduction of new technology has not meant a
reduction of staff at the Durban factory.
www.vandyckcarpets.com
TRADE
WINDs
Design Thinking
D
esign, like most things, is changing
from the dynamics that one has
become accustomed to. Businesses all over the world, regardless
of sector, are realising that in order to
remain in business they need to do things
differently. Design Thinking, sometimes
referred to as service design, is the
future of planning and creating innovative solutions. This new thought process
is centred around an empathy with the
consumer and creating a unique customer
experience with each interaction.
The key to the success of Design
Thinking is to evaluate the validity of a
new process or even the rapid prototyping of a product. This is the future of
business modelling and remodelling.
Inspire Trade Expo, in association with
Dave Nemeth and Callie van der Merwe,
will be bringing Africa’s first two-day
Design Thinking conference.
This is a must for senior management
and CEOs across all sectors of industry –
from banking to retail.
Seats are limited at this unique and
innovative opportunity.
www.inspiretradeexpo.co.za
Contact your nearest Nettex agent:
Western Cape: 021 9511205.
Port Elizabeth & Garden Route: 084 5803774.
East London, Border & Transkei: 043 7354416
Natal: 031 3039977.
Northern Cape & Free State: 083 3056533
Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Northern Province, North West,
Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe: 011 4481072.
Namibia: (00264)61 231634.
THE ARBORETU M
C O L L E C T I O N
N E T T E X . C O . Z A
TRADE
WINDs
Corobrik upbeat on building industry
Locally Manufactured
Custom Shapes, Sizes & Textures
Quick Turnaround Time
Quality which speaks for itself...
[email protected]
www.brabetz.co.za
Head Office - 0861 007 005
Durban - 082 294 6261 (Michael)
Gauteng - 076 580 3426 (Lisa)
Cape Town - 082 223 5489 (Walter)
B
rick manufacturer Corobrik is
upbeat on prospects for 2015,
following an increase in government infrastructural spending since the
May 2014 general election.
Corobrik managing director, Dirk
Meyer, says that added to infrastructural
spending there has been a fifteen per cent
increase in sales due to a modest recovery
in the residential market.
“While growth is slow, it is steady and
we are confident there is sufficient
building activity in the market for
Corobrik to gain an improved shareholding in the walling and paving arenas,” he
says.
Meyer’s comments come as the
industry recovers from some of the worst
years experienced – particularly after the
infrastructure for the 2010 fifa World
Cup tournament had been completed.
While experiencing a slow resurgence
in residential and building activity, the
Western Cape has picked up significantly.
“Many properties were built as second
homes or as speculative ventures and,
when this money dried up, the stock had
to be slowly absorbed into the market.
The increase in residential demand has
seen this supply accommodated and now
developers that survived the slump are
robustly building units,” he says.
Corobrik is currently working on a
project where the architect is in Pretoria,
the developer in Stellenbosch and the
building in the Eastern Cape – a dynamic
Meyer says is best-suited to a national
supplier.
Dirk Meyer, Corobrik managing director
Walling market
The group currently has a small share of
the walling market and is actively seeking
to grow its presence in that arena. Meyer
comments Corobrik did not view itself
as ‘being in the brick market’, but in the
walling and paving market, meaning
if there was a wall with various other
building materials, there were opportunities for the group to supply bricks.
• In July 2013 Musa Shangase was
appointed as national commercial
manager and he became commercial
director in January last year. Shangase is
specifically tasked with extending Corobrik’s reputation and influence in the
public sector in order to achieve a
preferred status as a reliable supplier of
superior quality clay and concrete
masonry materials.
There appears to exist a greater desire to live long
than to live well. Measure by man’s desires, he
cannot live long enough; measure by his good
deeds, and he has not lived long enough; measure
by his evil deeds, and he has lived too long.
Johann Zimmermann
1993 - 2015
22
Y E A R S
TRADE
WINDs
Tessa Sonik collection
T
essa Sonik Fabrics has a new line
of durable and affordable fabrics –
Night & Day – inspired by
Topkapi Palace. With a range of five
colourways, all the fabrics have a mildew
protector, are antibacterial and have an
anti-stain coating, ensuring longer wear
and quality assurance. These fabrics
combine style with practicality and make
for perfect outdoor and indoor use.
www.tessasonik.co.za
Istanbul – Tumeric
Mustafa – Lilac
Kulp Bobby– Blackberry2
Fox – Saffron
Sopa Stripe – Coral
Eco Leather– Slate
Kula – Spice
Turkish – Lavender
Technology drives flooring applications
L
uxury vinyl flooring has gone
from almost unknown to the
fastest growing sector in the
market over the past five years. Technological innovations and enhancements
have evolved faster than ever before,
seeing these products gain acceptance
across all market sectors.
The latest innovation to be announced
by Traviata Flooring Systems in its
Traviloc ranges is the Unifit top lock
system. This is the first time a top lock
joint has been incorporated into a solid
vinyl plank and is claimed to save as much
as thirty per cent on the time it takes to
instal the floor.
The new improvement comes hot on
the heels of the introduction of the
Gen 13 joint profile enhancement which
delivered an improvement of over forty
per cent in the tensile strength of the
joints.
Not all the progress has been made in
areas that generate statistics though.
While the Traviloc surface already utilises
the latest ceramic bead technology and
has a full commercial grade wear layer,
there have also been great strides in the
aesthetics of the floor. The technique of
24
• March 2015
‘In Register’ embossing and the ability to
produce an ultra-low gloss finish means
that, once installed, most people would
not be able to tell the floor is a luxury
vinyl and not a solid timber.
These advances have seen Traviloc
Luxury Vinyl move quickly from the early
niche applications to high end residential,
leisure, retail and commercial installations throughout the country where it is
now associated with a number of high
profile brands.
The end result is a modern flooring
product that is beautiful enough to put
into any home, resilient enough to handle
heavy gym equipment and hard-wearing
enough to cope with high volume retail
traffic.
www.traviata.co.za
Christian Hemmelmeir
A
functional kitchen wall from ewe. Features include practical
shelves for appliances requiring a usb connection, a flexible
spotlight, efficient led lighting, stainless steel hooks, a magnetic
strip for one or more knives, stainless steel paper towel holder, as
well as a comfortable bookstand – ideal for a traditional book or
tablet.
www.ewe.at
LivingKitchen®
The international kitchen show at imm cologne
www.livingkitchen-cologne.de
• March 2015
25
lIvINg
kITcHEN
Multifunctional, ergonomic and elegantly designed
Bosch French Door combined
refrigerator-freezer
Easier and more attractive storage
This model boasts a storage volume of 401 litres and is
distinguished by its use of high-quality materials, simplicity of operation and high levels of functionality. The
double doors provide the best possible access to chilled
products, and also the best overview of them. Below the
refrigeration compartment, there are two spacious freezer
drawers including ice cube trays, which are also easy to
access.
The interior can be used very flexibly. The compartments on the inside of the doors are simple to rearrange.
There is space here for everything – whether large bottles,
beverage cans or jars. The SnackBox – with a total of
seven storage containers – offers generous space for all
kinds of foodstuffs. And in three different sizes, LED-lit
VitaFresh drawers can be used to store extremely delicate
produce under the respectively ideal conditions: vegetables, fruit and salad at a high level of air humidity –
sausages, meat and cheese in drier climatic conditions.
A new feature for Bosch is the option of setting the
temperature in the VitaFresh compartment with precision
to the degree, from 0 to 8°C, using the elegant TouchControl display, keeping foods fresh for up to three times
longer than usual.
www.bosch-home.de
by
T
Gorenje
he Retro Collection refrigerators
from Gorenje boast superior technology with a charming touch of
nostalgia in their design. The rounded
convex design is the hallmark of the
entire collection of perfectly designed,
economical and environment-friendly
state-of-the-art appliances. Latest colours
are blue (left) and inox.
Retro is a synonym for a nostalgic
glance over the times gone by. A passionate revival of the momentous cult stories
from the past.
www.gorenje.com
28
• March 2015
lIvINg
kITcHEN
onda – now colour comes into play
R
adiant orchid – an enchanting fusion of fuchsia,
purple and pink undertones – brings a particularly
special burst of freshness into the
kitchen. The delightful colour –
incidentally Pantone® Colour of
the Year 2014 (Radiant orchid) –
not only teams superbly with a
variety of materials and surface
textures but also complements
extremely light shades just as well
as extremely dark ones.
www.rational.de
30
• March 2015
lIvINg
kITcHEN
On trend
The Küppersbusch
Copper Edition
White fronts with wood and copper. This kitchen was created
by the furniture manufacturer zeyko and Küppersbusch.
Particularly in the living sector,
copper is currently celebrating a big
comeback. The elegant metal conveys
warmth and can be combined
with many different colours.
This makes copper a perfect finish
or accent colour for any kitchen.
A Küppersbusch built-in oven with copper handle and design stripes
www.kuppersbusch.com
32
• March 2015
Italian design, designed for you.
DESIGN
ITALIANO
Colombini Casa is Italian design at an accessible price, the ideal choice for home furnishing.
Quality, versatility and originality are the essential characteristics of our modular system. Unlimited
combination possibilities that will answer your every need for space and style. ColombiniCasa chooses
innovative materials and colors, a variety of decorative elements that make your living space a unique
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Colombini Casa - Johannesburg
435 Jan Smuts Ave, Blairgowrie
2024 Johannesburg , R.S.A. - Tel: +27 11 787-1999
[email protected]
TRADE
gREENINg
WINDs
Cleaning the conscience
H
ow many different kinds of cleaning products do you
use per month? Five? Ten? And how many litres does
that work out to per year? 100? 200?
In case you’re taking your time on answering, you’re not alone.
We tend not to really care how much of that stuff gets washed
down our drains, because, well, we either honestly don’t
care or because we’re not the ones doing the cleaning and
therefore don’t really know.
Not surprising then, that even our all-knowing friend Google
comes up with next to nothing when searching for the South
African household cleaning product consumption statistics.
The only, potentially reliable, source of such info is the big
conglomerates making their money out of these products.
I doubt they are eager to let us know how much of their
concoctions end up in our soil, rivers and oceans. I would bet
they’re even less inclined to alert us to how much of that stuff
actually ends up in our bodies.
You see, what the labels on those products tend to neglect to
mention is that some of their ingredients react with each
other to form new evils. Take for example the all-purpose
cleaner staples diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine
(TEA). When they meet up with nitrites, often present
as undisclosed byproducts in such cleaners, they form
nitrosamines – carcinogens that readily penetrate our skin.
Or take chlorine, ammonia, lye – all common in pool and
oven cleaners – and the acids found in toilet bowl cleaners.
Ammonia and lye react to produce chloramine gases, while
chlorine combined with acids forms toxic chlorine gas.
Yummy. The drama doesn’t stop there, however. As if the
conventional baddies aren’t enough, there is still a fair
amount of greenwashed products for sale in South Africa.
Products labelled natural, eco-friendly or biodegradable are
not always what they seem. Most will eventually biodegrade
as many of their ingredients are natural. And no, ‘organic’ and
‘certified organic’ are not the same thing. ‘Organic’ in food
production may refer to foods grown in absence of synthetic
fertilisers and pesticides, while the same word ‘organic’
deployed in the field of chemistry actually refers to carbonbased chemicals, and which may include Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) – as in cancer/brain damage-causing
VOCs. Best to give the ingredient list a thorough read and look
out for keywords and key phrases such as ‘danger’, ‘flammable’
or ‘may cause burns’. If it’s good for the environment, it won’t
self-ignite or cause burns on living matter.
It‘s that simple.
Even better, however, would be
replacing all of your conventional
cleaning products with truly biodegradable (and that means in three to
fifteen days one hundred per cent will
be gone) solutions. They should also be
packaged in recycled or fully biodegradable packaging and produced
in a sustainable and carbon neutral/
negative way.
Maybe not today or tomorrow, but the
sooner the better for your grandchildren. After all, they deserve the best you
have to offer.
Felix liersch
34
• March 2015
cORpORATE
DEsIgN
WINDOWSEAT
W
indowseat creates personal
space within a public setting.
Suitable for both public and
private spaces, Windowseat is a comfortable refuge from the chaos of lobbies,
airports or busy home environments.
Designed by Mike and Maaike Studio
for Haworth, Windowseat blurs the
boundary between furniture and architecture. Windowseat also explores the idea
of sub-architectural space by creating a
room-within-a-room.
As personal workspaces decrease in
size and privacy, office inhabitants rely on
other spaces to provide varying degrees
of privacy. The canopy and back separate
Blurring the
boundary
between
furniture
and
architecture
slightly, which provides a poetic glimpse
of the user. Windowseat features bold
elements combined with fluid, inviting
curves.
The organic shape and the rectilinear
base and canopy complement each other
while maintaining the overall design and
concept.
www.haworth-europe.com
• March 2015
35
cORpORATE
DEsIgN
Ice Loft
Façade project in Hamburg
A
certain amount of skill and a
high level of sensitivity in design
and planning are required when
attempting to integrate a new building
into a historical ensemble. On the one
hand, there is a risk that the building with
its modern dimensions could seem out of
sync with its surroundings; on the other
hand, its features could be too antiquated,
making it look pretentious. A problem
the Hamburg-based Architects Köhler
Architekten solved skilfully when
designing the so-called ‘Ice loft’ in the
district of Ottensen: The classical façade
structures of workmen’s and bourgeois
houses in the district were reinterpreted
and their surface was covered with the
modern HI-MACS® material, designed to
give it a contemporary look.
Architect Florian Köhler says that
passers-by often stop to let the façade of
the new three-storey building work its
magic on them. Although the building's
dimensions and proportion are based on
the houses of the surrounding properties
from the nineteenth century, the choice of
material shifts it into a new age: Using a
glass staircase as a linking component,
the architects staggered the structure –
similar to the adjoining property – across
a classical semi-basement and two residential storeys above it, then finished it
with mouldings and a gable-end roof. The
Architect Florian
Köhler utilised shaped
HI-MACS® façade panels
to imitate the plaster
mouldings found in the
old buildings of Ottensen
36
• March 2015
ceiling height of the ground floor is higher
than that of the residential floors. Vertical
ribbon glazing connects the two residential floors. In the style of the smooth and
shiny white surfaces of the historical
building, the architects chose shiny white
façade panels made of imbued Alpine
White HI-MACS® solid surface, giving the
dynamically formed surface a distinctive
depth effect. HI-MACS® was also used in
the design of the interior: The architects
used the translucent ‘Opal’ shade of the
hard-wearing anti-bacterial solid surface
material to design the washbasins in the
bathrooms.
Photography © Nikolaus Herrmann
Köhler Architekten, Hamburg
www.himacs.eu
• March 2015
37
cORpORATE
DEsIgN
Café ArtScience
S
Cambridge, Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
trategically positioned between the
prestigious Harvard and MIT universities, Café ArtScience designed by
Mathieu Lehanneur opened its doors
recently. Over 1 000 m2 to host scientific, intellectual and artistic discussions,
Café ArtScience is a hybrid and multipurpose venue that represents a new
equation: Restaurant + Auditorium + Bar
+ Concept Shop + Art Gallery = Ideas!
Café ArtScience is the missing link
between scientific laboratory and literary
café, already appealing to scholars, artists,
students and investors gathered around
the same dishes, to hash out tomorrow’s
world.
“The greatest innovations and discoveries have rarely taken shape behind a desk.
Archimedes was in his bath, Newton
beneath an apple tree and Steve Jobs in
a garage. Café ArtScience would have put
these three great minds on the same sofa!”
Lehanneur laughs.
A new venture between the French
designer and the American scientist and
Harvard professor, David Edwards, Café
ArtScience drives the best possible tool to
formulate ideas: from meeting to collaboration, from intuition to project, from
brainstorming to business plan, and from
the gallery to the shop.
From dawn to dusk this venue is on the
way to becoming the essential hub for
Boston’s clever minds. The bar, designed
like an undulating veil of white cement,
serves breakfast as well as experimental cocktails from noon to evening. The
tables are used for professional meetings
as well as to sample gourmet menus. The
sofa, a huge ribbon of green velvet, is a
synonym for comfort and encounters.
In line with his signature style, Mathieu
Lehanneur structures the interior design
without walls or partitions, but through
fit-to-live-objects that demarcate the
flow and imply functions. The black
and enigmatic Honeycomb is an auditorium stamped with the hexagonal
and recurring motif of the venue. The
hexagon, geometrically symbolising the
collective intelligence of bees, is reflected
here in the slate tiles used for leaving
comments or announcing the forthcom-
38
• March 2015
ing programme. Like an oasis in the
middle of the space, Honeycomb accommodates conferences, creative workshops
and a VIP room for private dinners.
“Our brain has as much need for intellectual stimulation as pleasure. It was
time to unite these two hemispheres and
to develop them in tandem,” explains
Mathieu Lehanneur, who is undertaking
a new chapter in his quest for new
ergonomic designs for objects and venues
for contemporary requirements.
Photography
David Dziemian
© Phase One Photography
Café ArtScience
640 East Kendall Street, Cambridge,
Massachussetts
www.cafeartscience.com
Mathieu Lehanneur
www.mathieulehanneur.com
• March 2015
39
cORpORATE
DEsIgN
Primary School Tanouan Ibi by LEVS architecten
Inspired by traditional architecture, built with modern technology
P
rimary School Tanouan Ibi is a
sustainable building which stands
at the edge of a village in the vast
plain of the Dogon country in Mali. The
school consists of three 7  9 m classrooms for in total 180 pupils, a principal’s
office, a depot and an ablution block.
In the evening the school is used for
teaching women.
In the tradition of the Dogon there is a
doubtless spiritual connection between
men, culture and nature. Their minimalism in building with clay, the plasticity
and immediacy of the detail are remarkable. It is ‘wealth in restrictions’. Nuances,
personality and soul define the building;
a majestic gesture is not necessary.
The Dutch design is inspired by this
architecture tradition. Yet it is realised
with modern technology and built by
local, newly-trained masons. The contractor and the craftsmen worked closely with
the students of the Technical College in
Sevaré, who were involved in all stages
40
• March 2015
of the construction process in order to
improve and to refine the construction
methods, linked to already existing techniques, traditions and know-how.
The building, with a barrel vault, has a
porch on each side as structural support
for the impressive vault of seven metres.
The porches also provide the necessary
shade from direct sunlight for the public.
The roof has been covered by a thin layer
of red earth, mixed with six per cent
cement in order to achieve a waterproof
and water-resistant layer. The gargoyles
on the roof, locally manufactured ceramic
tubes, provide ventilation for a pleasant
inside climate and admit daylight. During
the rainy season they can be closed and
the long ceramic tubes in the roof-gutter
guarantee the swift drainage of rainwater.
The architectural language is furthermore determined by details such as the
‘mouse staircase’ spans and reinforced
piers. The intricate floor pattern of the
porches with their benches establishes
a meaningful place for the elders of the
village community. The language of all
forms is a clear consequence of functional
requirements.
The school is made out of Hydraulic
Compressed Earth Blocks (HCEB). These
‘bricks’ are non-fired. They are produced
using the soil on site which reduces
production costs and the environmental
degradation immensely. They are not only
sustainable but can also withstand the
climate of both hot sunlight and heavy
rainfall much better than the traditional
clay buildings. The interior climate
created is significantly cooler, too. The
continuity of using the HCEB-bricks for
• March 2015
41
cORpORATE
DEsIgN
floor, walls and roof and the colour of these bricks leads to a supple
integration of the building into the environment. This corresponds
to the way in which the Dogon villages fit into the landscape.
Photography LEVS architecten
Architect LEVS architecten, Amsterdam
www.levs.nl
42
• March 2015
Demanding simplicity
R
uutu, which means diamond or
square in Finnish, is a collection
of ten vases from Iittala, in five
sizes and seven colours. When combined,
they make small seamless installations
where the strength and delicate nature of
glass come alive. Like Iittala’s iconic Alvar
Aalto collection, Ruutu is also created in
Iittala’s Finland factory. However, where
the Aalto vase embodies an organic form,
Ruutu follows a strict form and makes for
a perfect collectible.
Each vase is a simplified masterpiece
taking seven craftsmen twenty-four
hours to produce. Glass blower Tapani
Viljamaa says, “It is fascinating to struggle
with a living material. Glass is a material
that does not forget if you do not treat it
well. It has a memory.”
The large colour variety presents
another challenge in production: reaching
an even, delicate colour requires the exact
temperature, timing and a great deal of
expertise in glass-mass chemistry.
Designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec explain, “Iittala knows very well how
to manipulate colours. In Ruutu, we were
able to create a delicate, watercolour-like
palette with colours that intermingle with
each other when combining sizes and
colours. Ruutu allows a game of composition. We wanted to show the sophisticated
range of Iittala colours while at the same
time handing the job over to the user who
will feel tempted to have several modules
to create his or her own individual
assemblage.”
Ruutu was an inspiring challenge in the
Iittala glass factory given the many hours
required to create symmetry, yet keep
the feel of a handcrafted, unique product.
“We were seeking to express the purity
of glass blowing in this simple diamond
shape,” explain the Bouroullec brothers.
“Glass is a material that likes round shapes.
When hot it flows like honey and does
not like to be pulled into a very precise
geometric shape. By developing the strict
shape we are reaching the limits of the
material, and using the highest level of
the Iittala glass-blowing expertise.”
Each Ruutu vase has the designers’
name engraved on the base.
Iittala collectible vase Ruutu
Photography © Timo Junttila • www.iittala.com
• March 2015
43
f
a
b
r
i
c
s
1
44
• March 2015
3
2
1. Amazilia collection from Harlequin
Available through Black Fabrics
www.blackfabrics.co.za
4
2. Ambrei from Casamance
Available through Hertex Fabrics
www.hertex.co.za
3. Saphira collection from Romo
Available through Romo South Africa
www.romosouthafrica.com
4. Paradise collection from Zimmer + Rohde
www.zimmer-rohde.com
5
5. Kitson collection from Romo
Available through Romo South Africa
www.romosouthafrica.com
• March 2015
45
FAbRIcs
2
1
introduces
you to
FROM SCION
Johannesburg - 011 262 3130 I Durban - 031 312 0930 I Cape Town - 021 462 7707 I Port Elizabeth - 041 586 3338
www.blackfabrics.co.za
purveyors of fine textiles, leathers & wallpapers
3
5
4
1. Versailles from the Italia Lifestyle collection from Christian
Fischbacher. Available through Black Fabrics
www.blackfabrics.co.za
2. Grimaud bag and Coutras curtain from Manuel Canovas
Available through Mavromac
www.manuelcanovas.com
3. Tile from the Peggy collection by Louise Body. Available through
The Silk & Cotton Co. • www.silkco.co.za
4. Bamboo Trellis from the Shanghai Garden Spring collection
from Designers Guild
www.designersguild.com
5. Sumba from Èlitis
www.elitis.fr
6. Karachi collection from James Malone
Available through Hertex Fabrics)
www.hertex.co.za
6
• March 2015
47
FAbRIcs
1
Romo South Africa
Johannesburg 011 262 4167
Cape Town 021 418 3228
[email protected]
NEW Durban Showroom
304 Florida Road, Morningside 072 830 8787
www.romosouthafrica.com
2
3
4
5
1. Amazilia collection from Harlequin
Available through Black Fabrics
www.blackfabrics.co.za
2. Calling Birds from the Peggy collection by
Louise Body. Available through The Silk
& Cotton Co. • www.silkco.co.za
3. Nouveaux Mondes from Christian Lacroix
www.designersguild.com
4. Whitewood collection from Linwood
Available through Hertex Fabrics
www.hertex.co.za
5. Levande collection from Scion
Available through Black Fabrics
www.blackfabrics.co.za
3. Quinton collection from Romo
Available through Romo South Africa
www.romosouthafrica.com
• March 2015
49
WOOD
AWARDs
2013
The aim of the Wood Awards is to recognise, encourage and
The Wood Awards is the UK’s premier architecture and furniture
promote outstanding design, craftsmanship and installation in
competition celebrating excellence in design in the world’s most
wood, the world’s most naturally sustainable material.
sustainable material.
www.woodawards.com
Arnold Laver Gold Award and Existing buildings
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Ditchling, East Sussex
Adam Richards Architects
50
• March 2015
Katrin Lock
Katrin Lock
Katrin Lock
Katrin Lock
In the years before the First World War
the typographer and sculptor Eric Gill and
the graphic designer Edward Johnston
moved to Ditchling, a rural village on
the Sussex Downs above Brighton. Influenced by the teachings of William Morris,
they formed a loose community with
other artists and craftspeople, including
printer and poet Hilary Pepler, poet and
artist David Jones, hand weaver Ethel
Mairet and silversmith Dunstan Pruden.
The community eventually dwindled
but the tradition of creativity remained
and in 1985 a small museum, celebrating
the work of its famous artistic residents,
was set up in Ditchling’s Victorian village
school.
Today the museum has been updated
and revitalised by Adam Richards Architects. The architect’s brief expanded to
include exhibition design, so that the
collection and buildings could be integrated and exhibits related to the places
where they were made.
Winner – Commercial
and public access
Nick Guttridge
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London
Peter McCurdy
The opening of the new Jacobean indoor
theatre realised one of the final pieces of
Sam Wanamaker’s vision for the Globe
site. The indoor playhouse with its
intimate timber interior contrasts and
complements the outdoor Globe created
with the sane craftsmanship and honesty
to materials fundamental to a historic
reconstruction.
Highly commended –
Commercial and
public access
Morley von Sternberg
Living Planet Centre, WWF-UK
Headquarters, Woking, Surrey
Hopkins Architects
Located on a prominent and challenging
brownfield site above an existing car park
at the edge of Woking’s Town Centre, the
Living Planet Centre is WWF-UK’s ultragreen administrative building. Timber
has been chosen for its aesthetic, structural and sustainable properties and as
such features prominently throughout the
interior and exterior.
• March 2015
51
WOOD
AWARDs
2013
Winner – Private
House No. 7, Tiree, Scotland
Denizen Works
The new house is on the site of a ruined,
B-listed black-house on the Isle of Tiree,
with a concept comprising two houses, the
Living-house and the Guesthouse, linked
by the utility. Together the elements
combine to create a bold insertion into
the landscape reflecting the character and
heritage of the island.
Highly commended –
Private
WoodBlock House, London
dRMM Architects
WoodBlock House was built as an urban
infill, creating a live/work space in an idle,
inner city gap site that had come to be
used as an unofficial tyre-fitting business.
The new building is a studio-house for
two artists and their family, redefining
the long London history of the artist
home typology. This unusual project is
built entirely of timber, with no other
principal material excluding glass.
52
• March 2015
Winner – Structural
Alfriston School Swimming Pool,
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Duggan Morris Architects
The brief was to consolidate the existing
and new swimming pool facilities at
Alfriston School. The plan arrangement
is simple, with a solid concrete base
structure, a prefabricated timber pitched
and tapered roof structure and a onemetre-high low level glazed strip that
circumnavigates the pool roof.
Highly commended – Structural
Farnham Place, Southwark, London
Allies and Morrison
Timber features prominently in the new Farnham Place extension.
The cross-laminated timber structural system is exposed as
an interior finish, and clad with a stained wooden rain-screen.
Imposing timber beams support a new roof in the refurbished
component of the project and tongue and groove boards are used
to clad the core. The building is clad in Siberian larch, referencing
eighteenth century timber buildings typical of Southwark.
• March 2015
53
Richard Davies
WOOD
AWARDs
2013
Richard Davies
Highly commended –
Existing buildings
St George’s Chapel,
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Hopkins Architects
Occupying the most important historic
square in Great Yarmouth, St George’s
Chapel forms a significant piece of
Georgian town planning. Working to a
tight budget, the Chapel was carefully
restored and rejuvenated as a versatile
space for the performing arts and with
alongside it a new café cum box office. The
Grade 1-listed building was constructed
in 1714 of a load-bearing brick shell with a
timber structure and lead roof and timber
interior.
Winner – Production made furniture
Hat Tree, Brighton
Fowler and Co Ltd
Inspired by hanging clothes on twigs protruding from a hedge, the
Hat Tree is a sculptural and highly practical wall-hung contemporary
coat rack with provision for hats, coats, shoes and letters. The product
was designed to be easy to put up by people with no specialist skills
or tools. It offers an elegant solution for hallways, other rooms in the
house and contract interiors.
54
• March 2015
Winner – Small project
Studio, Oxford
James Wyman Architects
Tim Crocker
Sustainable materials were used where possible. The sweet
chestnut laminated timber frame and joinery constitutes the vast
majority of the building envelope. Grown and manufactured in
West Sussex this, alongside the hemp insulation, harvested in
Norfolk, combined to provide an unusually English building.
Highly commended – Small project
A timber framed extension to a 1960s
end-of-terrace house, designed with
careful consideration of materials and
proportions. The extension is framed
and fenestrated in Douglas fir and the
cladding is pre-weathered larch. The
ground floor of the extension is expressed
in a Douglas fir clad living room.
Tim Crocker
Ravenswood, London
Maccreanor Lavington
• March 2015
55
WOOD
AWARDs
2013
Judges’ special award
Endless Stair, London, by dRMM Architects
Endless Stair is a publicly accessible
temporary sculpture designed to be
endlessly reconfigured, with fifteen
Escher-like
interlocking
staircases
made from American tulipwood. All
progressive architecture has its roots in
experimentation. This project is about
investigating a new material – cross-lami-
nated hardwood. Endless Stair is a demonstration of how this high performance
and sustainable material may be applied
at large-scale building level.
glues or screws or modern fixings. Set
into an original stone door surround.
This project demonstrates the dedication to utilising traditional construc-
tion methods, reliant solely on a deep
understanding of the materials and using
construction methods taken from a thirteenth century door.
Judges’ special award
Hand carved oak Gothic arched doors,
near York
Jack Badger Ltd
Two ornate pairs of Gothic oak doors
with hand-carved tracery on both sides,
constructed using traditional techniques
and using oak for the construction, no
56
• March 2015
Winner –
Bespoke furniture
Oak furniture for the Dickson Poon
China Studies Centre at St Hugh’s
College Oxford, by Makers’ Eye
Five pieces – a desk, another desk for academics, a folding dining/
study table, individual library shelf units and a low table of oak
to complement the subtle Oriental influence of the architecture.
In all 177 items were produced: 63 two-drawer desks for study
bedrooms; 34 academics desks inlaid with black linoleum; 63 wall
hanging library shelving units; 12 large folding study tables and
5 low tables.
Highly commended –
Bespoke furniture
Focard de Fontefiguieres
Scorched oak rocking chair
Petersfield, Hampshire
Edward Barnsley Workshop
A really comfortable wooden backed
rocking chair that also appears visually
inviting and provides further tactile
interest. It is based on a dining chair
design that the designer has developed
over a number of years. This particular
dining chair has a comfortable and formfitting back shape, the joints appearing to
grow seamlessly out of the other components. Using timber allowed the designer
to fine-tune the constantly changing cross
section. There are parts of the chair that
are circular in cross section and then
morph into an oval shape, while also
tapering and curving in profile. Oak with
its open grain is ideal to blacken and wire
brush.
• March 2015
57
Events
AROuND
AND AbOuT
Richard Diebenkorn
08–13 March
lONDON DEsIgN WEEk
Design Centre Chelsea Harbour
London, England
www.dcch.co.uk
10–14 March
IsH bATHROOMs
Messe Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany
www.messefrankfurt.com
11–17 March
gARTEN MuNIcH
Messe Munich
Munich, Germany
www.garten-muenchen.de
18–21 March
MADE ExpO
Rho-Pero
Milan, Italy
www.madeexpo.it
19–22 March
DEcOREx kzN
Durban International Convention Centre
Durban, South Africa
www.decorex.co.za
03–12 April
RAND sHOW
Johannesburg Expo Centre, NASREC
Johannesburg, South Africa
www.randshow.co.za
14–19 April
sAlON INTERNATIONAl DEl MObIlE
Rho-Pero
Milan, Italy
www.cosmit.it
15–18 April
lIgHT + buIlDINg
Messe Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany
www.messefrankfurt.com
24–27 April
DEcOREx cApE
Cape Town International Convention Centre
Cape Town, South Africa
www.decorex.co.za
27–29 April
pROpOsTE
Villa Erba, Cernobbio
Como, Italy
www.propostefair.it
02–10 May
gRAND DEsIgNs lIvE
Excel London
London, England
www.granddesignslive.com
05–08 May
INTERzuM
KölnMesse
Cologne, Germany
www.interzum.com
Information correct at time of going to press.
T
he Royal Academy of Arts in
London is presenting a survey of
Richard Diebenkorn’s figurative
and abstract works to a UK audience for
the first time in almost twenty-five years.
Celebrated as a post-war master in his
native United States, the exhibition serves
as an opportunity to discover the importance of Diebenkorn (1922–1993) within
the canon of American painting.
Richard Diebenkorn is a focused exploration of the artist’s ever-changing, always
compelling career across four decades,
shifting from the abstract to the figurative in both painting and works on paper.
Diebenkorn created an exceptional and
consistently intriguing body of work. The
exhibition reveals the vital role he played
in the development of American art,
and reflects the three distinct periods of
his work. During the early stage of his
career in the 1950s he gained recognition as a leading abstract expressionist; yet in 1955 he turned his attention
to figurative painting, considered at the
time as a surprising and unfashionable
shift, although he achieved considerable success working in this genre. In
1967, having relocated to Southern California from the San Fancisco Bay Area,
he returned to abstract paintings and
drawings beginning a second long and
highly successful period in this style.
Diebenkorn was strongly associated
with California and the American West,
where he lived and worked for most of his
life. For Diebenkorn each work was a
search for ‘rightness’, an attempt to solve
complex and often self-imposed compositional and spatial problems, so that each
work becomes a perfectly balanced resolution.
Opposite
Girl on a Terrace, 1956, oil on canvas
179.07  166.05  2.54 cm
Collection Neuberger Museum of Art. Purchase College,
State University of New York. Gift of Roy R Neuberger
© 2014 The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
Above
Ocean Park #27, 1970, oil on canvas
254  203.2 cm
Brooklyn Museum. Gift of The Roebling Society and Mr and
Mrs Charles H Blatt and Mr and Mrs William K Jacobs, Jr
© 2014 The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
The Sackler Wing
Royal Academy of Arts, London
14 March – 7 June 2015
www.royalacademy.org.uk
• March 2015
59
AROuND
AND AbOuT
Jean Dubuffet: Soul of the Underground
J
ean Dubuffet (1901–1985), whose
work was marked by a rebellious
attitude toward prevailing notions of
high culture, beauty and good taste, is a
significant figure in the collection of the
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New
York, with holdings numbering over 1 200
works.
From the time Dubuffet committed
himself to art-making in the early 1940s,
he was a relentless innovator. Jean
Dubuffet: Soul of the Underground illuminates Dubuffet’s radical experimentation with form and material by focusing
on the artist’s work at a key span of his
career, from the 1940s to the mid-1960s.
Dubuffet mixed sand, gravel and other
materials into his pigments, applying
them in layers with brushes and palette
knives to create a thickened impasto, and
then excavated images from them by
scratching and scraping away with the
pointed handle of his paintbrush.
He revolutionised lithography, experimenting with textures by attacking lithographic stones with sandpaper, rags and
chemicals, and creating images with
dirt, fruit peels, leaves and other organic
materials. Drawings in ink or gouache
mimicked these feats of combination and
recombination, resulting in surfaces of
decaying or ever-expanding membranes.
Jean Dubuffet: Soul
of the Underground
highlights his irreverent
use of materials like
dirt, fruit peels, leaves,
gravel and sandpaper to
create abstract images
Beard Wine (Le Vin de barbe), 1959
torn-and-pasted paper with ink and ink
transfer on paper, 50.8  33.6 cm
Nina and Gordon Bunshaft Bequest
Digital Image © 2011 MoMA, NY
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• March 2015
Acknowledging the importance of
materiality to his process, Dubuffet wrote,
“Art must be born from the material and
from the tool, and must preserve the
trace of the tool or the tool’s battle with
the material.”
This exhibition draws on MoMA’s
unparalleled collection of Dubuffet’s
paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints
and illustrated books, charting his move
toward near-total abstraction with
pictures comprised of allover composi-
tions unanchored by horizons, topographies of layered sand and dirt, or
patterned lithographs of droplets and
granules.
Central to this presentation is the lithographic project the Phenomenaseries
(1958–62), which manifests the artist’s
fascination with surfaces of the earth and
natural forces, and which became fodder
for future works across mediums, as he
cut up prints, collaged them, and reconstituted them.
Soil Ornamented with Vegetation, Dead
Leaves, Pebbles, Diverse Debris (Sol historié
de végétation, feuilles mortes, cailloux,
débris divers), 1956, oil on cut-and-pasted
canvas, 89.3  77.1 cm
Purchased from proceeds in the Mr and Mrs Ralph
F Colin Fund in honour of Ralph F Colin with
additional funds from a gift of Philip Johnson (by
exchange) Digital Image © 2011 MoMA, NY
Until 5 April 2015
www.moma.org
• March 2015
61
AROuND
AND AbOuT
Ponte City
R
ising fifty-four storeys high,
Ponte City is the tallest residential building in Africa. Since 1975
this iconic structure has punctuated the
Johannesburg skyline, originally offering
cosmopolitan living for white South
Africa.
In the post-apartheid years the building
became more integrated, with many
people relocating from townships and
recently it has become home for immigrants from other African countries. In
2007 developers planned a major refurbishment of the tower block; although the
renovation began it was never completed –
leaving the structure in a semi-destructed
state, while tenants, those who had not
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• March 2015
yet been evicted or were simply squatting,
still occupied flats in the block.
It was during this time period that the
tower became the subject of a creative
collaboration between South African
photographer, Mikhael Subotzky and
British artist, Patrick Waterhouse. They
interviewed the remaining tenants and
recorded the half-occupied building
through a series of photographs and
a collection of documents and other
debris from the abandoned units. They
began working at the monolithic block
in 2007 and over the next five years they
returned repeatedly to document the
building: photographing every door in
the multi-level structure and the view
from every window; archiving the lives
of the residents, from capturing what
they were watching on TV to gathering
discarded belongings. Cumulatively the
work provides a cross-section of an iconic
South African landmark that continues
to symbolise the hopes and fears of the
country’s most populous city and, in turn,
this post-apartheid nation.
These images of Ponte City are featured
in an exhibition at the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh – the only
UK showing. The exhibition is accompanied by the Steidl publication, Ponte City,
which was shortlisted for a Paris PhotoAperture Foundation Photobook Award
2014.
Cleaning the Core, Ponte City,
Johannesburg, 2008
Mikhael Subotzky & Patrick Waterhouse, courtesy
Goodman Gallery © Magnum Photos
Ponte City from Yeoville Ridge, 2008
Mikhael Subotzky & Patrick Waterhouse, courtesy
Goodman Gallery © Magnum Photos
Untitled 3, Ponte City, Johannesburg,
2008
Mikhael Subotzky & Patrick Waterhouse, courtesy
Goodman Gallery © Magnum Photos
Until 26 April 2015
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Edinburgh
www.nationalgalleries.org
• March 2015
63
AROuND
AND AbOuT
Goya in Madrid
C
oinciding with the remodelling
of the galleries on the second
floor of the Prado Museum’s
south wing that house Goya’s cartoons
and the collection of eighteenth-century
Spanish paintings, the Museo del Prado
in Madrid is presenting an exhibition of
Goya’s tapestry cartoons in its temporary
exhibition galleries.
The cartoons are displayed alongside
loans from other collections and
paintings on deposit or not habitually on
display in order to establish an innovative
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• March 2015
dialogue between Goya’s cartoons and the
works of other artists of his own time or
earlier. This dialogue reveals the artist’s
links with earlier tradition, the inspiration of the classical world, which was
of such fundamental importance in the
second half of the eighteenth century, and
his range of contemporary sources.
In addition the exhibition shows how
the tapestry cartoons are essential for
an understanding of the artist’s work
and for an appreciation of his particular technique, unique and varied artistic
resources, and the particular nature of his
models, with their characteristic appearances and distinctive gestures. Together
these elements laid the way for Goya’s
subsequent creations in his small-format
paintings, drawings and print series.
These cartoons for tapestries on
everyday subjects were intended to hang
in the dining room of the Prince and
Princess of Asturias (the future Carlos IV
and his wife Maria Luisa de Parma) at El
Escorial.
 Dance on the Banks of the Manzanares,
1776–1777, oil on canvas, 272 cm  295 cm
This tapestry cartoon represents a popular
scene of Majos and Majas dancing
Seguidillas on the banks of Madrid’s
Manzanares River. In the background
Goya painted the area around the Pontones
Bridge, near la Quinta del Sordo, the
land and house he bought in 1819.
 The Kite, 1777–1778, oil on canvas
269 cm  285 cm
In Goya’s own words, the scene depicts
some young people who have “gone out to
the country to fly a kite”. The couples that
appear behind the main group show that
this subject is a pretext allowing the painter
to represent the flirting and gallantry
inherent in Majo society. This was a
customary argument in other series by Goya,
such as the etchings from his Caprichos.
Until 3 May 2015
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
www.museodelprado.es
• March 2015
65
TAlkINg
AbOuT ART
Waterloo at Windsor: 1815–2015
2015
marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of
Waterloo and the defeat of Napoleon.
In celebration of the allied victory,
George, Prince Regent (the future
George IV), created the Waterloo
Chamber at Windsor Castle, a grand
space filled with portraits of those instrumental in the victory, among them the
Duke of Wellington.
Throughout 2015 Waterloo at Windsor:
1815–2015 will combine a themed trail
through the State Apartments with a
display of prints, drawings and archival
material that explores the battle and its
aftermath.
The trail will highlight objects seized
on the battlefield by the victors,
including silver, furniture, weapons
and the beautiful red cloak belonging
to Napoleon, presented to George IV by
Wellington’s ally, Field-Marshal Gebhardt
von Blücher.
For nearly a quarter of a century
Napoleon fought his way across Europe. In 1814 he was finally defeated and
imprisoned, but in February of the
following year he escaped exile from the
Italian island of Elba. In the hundred days
that followed Napoleon overthrew the
newly-restored French king and gathered
his troops, before facing the leader of
the allied army, the Duke of Wellington,
thirteen kilometres south of Brussels at
Waterloo.
The Waterloo Chamber
This vast room, measuring nearly thirty
by fourteen-and-a-half metres, was
created for the sole purpose of displaying
portraits of the statesmen, politicians,
diplomats and military leaders who
were responsible for the overthrow
of Napoleon.
Despite never seeing active
service, the Prince Regent
regarded himself as
a key player in
the victory.
In celebration
of Napoleon’s abdi-
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• March 2015
cation in April 1814, he invited several
of the allied leaders and commanders to
London and commissioned Britain’s preeminent portraitist, Sir Thomas Lawrence,
to paint those attending. After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo, Lawrence
travelled to the Congress of Peace at Aixla-Chapelle, then to Vienna and finally to
Rome to complete the series.
The Waterloo Chamber remained
unfinished at George IV’s death and was
completed by his successor, William IV,
who wanted the room to be more a
commemoration of the battle than a
celebration of the diplomacy that saw
peace brought to Europe. A further nine
portraits were added to the Waterloo
Chamber’s ‘hall of fame’ by William IV
and in Queen Victoria’s reign, bringing
the total to thirty-eight.
Lawrence’s portrait of the Duke of
Wellington dominates the room. The
national hero stands beneath a triumphal
arch, holding aloft the Sword of State,
symbolising the sovereign’s royal
authority. Beside him on a ledge rests a
baton and letter signed George P.R., signifying his promotion to Field Marshal and
the gratitude of the Crown. Wellington
is flanked by portraits of Count Platov,
commander of the Cossack cavalry, and
Field Marshal Blücher, the head of the
Prussian forces – the seventy-twoyear-old was nicknamed ‘Marshal
Forwards’ because of his eagerness in
battle. Lawrence’s portrait of Pope
Pius VII, who was instrumental in the
peace negotiations, is considered to
be among the artist’s finest works.
Imprisoned by Napoleon for many
years, the Pope became a figurehead
regenfor the political and cultural regen
eration of Europe after his release
in 1814.
The exhibition
Bringing together material from
the Royal Collection and Royal
Archives, the exhibition covers the
days preceding the battle to the
aftermath of conflict. Prints and
drawings record the military action,
devastated buildings and burial of
casualties, as well as the celebration
of victory. Public curiosity about
Napoleon was fed by popular prints,
Cloak belonging to Napoleon
Bonaparte taken from the Emperor's
fleeing baggage train and presented
to George, Prince Regent by FieldMarshal Blücher, 1797–1805
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II 2014
such as those produced by the caricaturist
Thomas Rowlandson.
Highlights of the trail
George IV and his successors were avid
collectors of works of art and souvenirs
relating to the defeated Emperor. Napoleon’s cloak, taken from his fleeing carriage
in the aftermath of the battle and later
presented to George IV by Field Marshal
Blücher, is on display in the Castle’s Grand
Vestibule. Made of red felt and lined with
yellow silk brocade, it is appliquéd with
Napoleon’s Imperial Eagle in silver thread.
The cloak will be shown with other items
removed from the Emperor’s baggage
train, including Napoleon’s silver-gilt
porringer – a small bowl used for food.
TheTable des Grands Capitaines (Table
of the Great Commanders, 1806–12), on
display in the King’s Drawing Room, was
commissioned by Napoleon to immortalise his reign. Among the finest works ever
produced by the Sèvres factory, it is
decorated with the profile of Alexander
the Great, the supreme military leader of
antiquity, and other great commanders
and philosophers. The table never left the
factory and, after Napoleon’s final defeat,
was presented to George IV by the
restored French king, Louis XVIII, in
gratitude for the allied victory. It was one
of George IV’s most prized possessions
and appears in his State portrait and in
the painting by Lawrence in the Waterloo
Chamber.
The Waterloo Chamber, Windsor Castle
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II 2014 • Photo Mark Fiennes
Throughout 2015 Waterloo at
Windsor: 1815–2015 will combine
a themed trail through the State
Apartments with a display of
prints, drawings and archival
material that explores the battle
and its aftermath.
• March 2015
67
TAlkINg
AbOuT
ART
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• March 2015
 Sir Thomas Lawrence, Arthur Wellesley,
1st Duke of Wellington, 1815–2015
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
 Sir Thomas Lawrence, George IV, 1821
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
 Nanine Vallain, Napoleon Bonaparte, 1802
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
 Sèvres porcelain factory, Tables des Grands Capitaines,
gifted to George, Prince Regent by the restored French king,
Louis XVIII, 1806–1812
Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
Until 31 January 2016
www.royalcollection.org.uk
• March 2015
69
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• March 2015
Clovelly House
Sydney, Australia
H
aving seen some of the architects’ earlier work, the owners
of this extraordinary oceanfront
site invited them to submit ideas about
what a new house there could look like.
They had lived in a simple cottage on the
site for several years before and therefore
had an intimate familiarity with the
advantages and disadvantages of living in
this spectacular but exposed spot.
The design process, complex due to
several defining key issues inherent to the
site, ended up taking the architects, Rolf
Ockert Design, through some radically
different sketch options before settling on
the one that was finally pursued.
The key issues were
• The most magnificent quality of the site,
the amazing ocean view, lies to the south
while the sun circles around the north.
To focus on its unique location while
getting natural light inside, the house
was designed around a central void with
a row of large operable skylights above it,
angled to the north.
• The site is surrounded by two out-ofscale apartment blocks to the north and
to the west, posing privacy as well as
aesthetic issues.
• Being on the ocean front also meant that
the roof height, particularly to the
southern – the ocean – side, had to be
minimised to reduce the impact on
neighbouring residents.
• While the original cottage already had
wonderful views onto the rock cliffs
across the bay, a slight swing of the
external wall opened up expansive open
water views in addition to the more
intimate bay views.
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71
• The southerly wind on this site is a dominant force, as the clients
had experienced over the years. Even on clear days it is strong,
quite possibly also cold enough to prevent any outdoor activity
or even the opening of any windows.
These factors, together with countless smaller factors and
decisions along the way, shaped the house to what it is. The
unusual but elegant roof shape allows sunlight in while still
allowing neighbours to enjoy water views over the lower end. The
expressive angled concrete wall mirrors the roof shape, but in
negative, resulting in a complex façade geometry along the main
face, enhanced by the movement of ever-changing shadows over
the shapes.
The light void also contains the central circulation, the stairs.
These are light and airy without looking or feeling flimsy.
As a consequence of the relentless southerly winds the house
was designed, unusually and against the original instinct, without
any opening windows facing south. Instead large frameless floorto-ceiling double-glazed elements allow uninterrupted views over
the Pacific and allow a more intimate visual connection than
framed openable glazing elements would have afforded.
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• March 2015
An outdoor deck is attached to the side of the living area,
allowing outdoor activity on suitable days without interruption of
the front row feel the house enjoys.
The original southern slope in front of the house was full of
building rubble from a previous building incarnation. Once that
was all removed several large natural sandstone blocks that had
fallen long ago were stood upright, affording an unexpected, giant
Japanese-style rock garden.
Environmental concerns played a big role in the development
of the design. The central void allows natural light deep into the
heart of the house, eliminating the need for artificial lighting
during daytime.
This void, supported by the roof shape in combination with the
operable skylights, also helps to ventilate the entire house naturally.
High performance insulation and double glazing throughout in
combination with the high thermal mass in the house allow for
utilisation and storage of the northern solar heat gain in winter,
keeping the house warm during the colder months.
• March 2015
73
. . . large frameless floor-to-ceiling double-glazed
elements allow uninterrupted views over the Pacific
74
• March 2015
Photography Sharrin Rees
Rolf Ockert Design
www.rodesign.com.au
• March 2015
75
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• March 2015
Industrial chic in Brussels
Zoom Hotel
Z
oom Hotel is in an exceptional
location at the top of the city,
quiet, yet only fifty metres from
the trendy Avenue Louise, ten minutes
walk from Sablon, and around the Grand
Place in Brussels. This boutique hotel was
completely renovated in September 2014
in a ‘cosy industrial’ style.
Each room has a unique photo of
Brussels created by an artist, in addition
to an interactive wall, ephemeral exhibitions or photo studio.
Designed by interior architect Michel
Penneman, it features an ‘industrial chic’
décor with design furniture and antique
objects, intensified by heating tubes
painted matte black. Collected during a
photo contest on Facebook with the
theme Human, Urban Brussels, some 400
photos feed in situ exhibitions planned
for the future. Some were printed on
canvas and mounted on industrial headboards. Others parade on an interactive
wall of the hotel.
• March 2015
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• March 2015
79
Photography Serge Anton
www.zoomhotel.be
www.michelpenneman.com
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• March 2015
Entrance
Mural drawing inspired by Jean Cocteau’s
work, made by artist Xavier Spatafora;
curtain fabric by Elitis; flooring recreated
the stylistic codes of the seventeenth century,
a combination of Thala stone, a natural
weathered and aged beige stone, and black
Cabochon stone by Palatino; lattice bookshelf
in sycamore wood designed by Gérard Faivre;
sofa and armchairs in wood and black leather
by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltronafrau
G
érard Faivre continuously affirms
that, for him, Paris is an infinite
source of inspiration. With its
rich history, culture and art de vivre, the
most beautiful capital in the world gives
him the opportunity to express his creativity in each of his projects.
Faivre’s latest project is in SaintGermain des Prés, a village-style
neighbourhood that enchants with its
captivating lifestyle while it enjoys international recognition for being the centre
of Paris’s intellectual and cultural hub.
Located in a beautiful corner building
from the beginning of the eighteenth
century (with an elevator, nonetheless),
this 130 m2 apartment occupies the entire
third floor. All its main rooms have a
view of the Saint-Sulpice Church and
enjoy beautiful natural lighting as they
are exposed to the sun.
For this seasonal apartment Gérard
Faivre combined contemporary style with
that of the 1940s, which evolved around
luxurious interiors often reserved for the
elite of the epoch.
Although
this
apartment
was
completely redesigned in order to meet
contemporary standards of comfort, one
feels as if it has always had the same
identity. Therein lies the strength of
Gérard Faivre’s creations. Every detail in
his projects is carefully thought-out by
the desire to achieve a perfect balance.
Sober colours, instead of bright tones,
were favoured to accentuate the project’s
• March 2015
81
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• March 2015
As a famous artist paints, Gérard
Faivre creates his own masterpieces
chic side, thus placing the materials used in it, such as Carrara
marble, Thala stone, leather, wood, brass, wrought iron and
mirrored furniture, in the spotlight.
The guiding principle behind this project, a flashback to the 40s,
is further enhanced by furniture pieces created by leading
designers of that period, like Gio Ponti, Franco Albini, J Adnet,
Meret Oppenheim, J Leleu, among others. Some of these pieces
are original versions discovered at antique shops, while others are
re-edited versions by great brands.
Gérard Faivre could not leave out Jean Cocteau, an essential
artist of that period, and pays tribute to him by using Xavier
Spatafora’s artwork inspired by him at the entrance wall and in
one room.
The two bathrooms are fully equipped and organised. The
clever mixture of black and white marble together with a revisited
collection of furniture drawn from the past inspires luxury and
comfort. The traditional-looking kitchen possesses all aspects of
modernity.
As a famous artist paints, Gérard Faivre creates his own masterpieces.
Opposite – Salon area (salon and dining room)
Carpet in 80% wool with a pattern designed by Gérard Faivre and
made by EGE; curtain fabric by élitis; wallpaper ‘Palazzo’ collection
by Elitis; Linea sofa in black leather, designed by Peter Marino
for Poltronafrau; armchairs by Mambo; Fiorile low rectangular
marble table, designed by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltronafrau
Left, top – Salon detail
Stool in wrought iron attributed to René Drouet; perfume diffuser
and candle on console, ‘Kyara’ collection by Linari; oil painting –
Bouteilles by George Rohner, 1976, from Galerie Framond
Left, bottom – Salon detail
Ethanol fireplace, andirons with fir cones, real logs,
chrome model by Les Cheminées de Changy
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83
Top – Bedroom 1
Flooring wood and a Reconstruction of
the 1930s custom-made carpet by EGE; wall
lamps in aged old and green-grey plastered
patina by Gesso; bed in white leather – Blue
Moon King designed by Roberto Lazzeroni
for Poltronafrau; wallpaper by Elitis; Sinuosa
armchair designed by Andrée Putman for
Poltronafrau; hat boxes by Artnuptia
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• March 2015
Above left
1930s vanity in chromed mirror
Above centre – Bathroom to bedroom 1
White Carrara marble flooring combined
with black Italian Maquina marble;
Sinan chair in black and white leather
by Luca Schacchetti for Poltronafrau
Above right – Balcony
Pot in zinc by Domani and
furnished with natural bamboo
Above and left – Bedroom 2
Wall lamps in coated plaster by Odile Masson and made by Gesso;
curtain fabric by élitis; wall drawing above the bed created by
artist Xavier Spatafora inspired by the work of Jean Cocteau;
wallpaper in black vinyl, ‘Azzuro Lipari’ collection by élitis; oil
painting, Plante Montante by André Beaudin from Galerie
Framond; bed in black leather, Jackie model designed by JeanMarie Massaud for Poltronafrau; Linea armchair by Peter Marino
for Poltronafrau; watercolour painting above the shelf, Roseaux
Blancs, 1966, by André Beaudin, from the Galerie Framond.
Sculpture in bronze on left shelf: Passage by artist Delphine Brabant
Watercolour painting on left shelf: Fleur de Plâtre, 1971,
painting by André Beaudin, from Galerie Framond;
stool in wrought iron attributed to René Drouet
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85
Above – Kitchen
Flooring, a combination of Thala stone and black Cabochon
stone by Palatino; kitchen in black-indigo lasermat and
laminated wood with nanotechnology, designed and installed
by BOFFI, Paris; countertops in stainless steel and lasermat;
ceramic wall between counter and cabinets in black and white
terracotta glaze from ‘Tagina Etoile’ collection by Palatino
Right – Bathroom to bedroom 2
Flooring in white Carrara marble combined with black Italian
Maquina marble; bathroom fittings all made by Devon & Devon
in Italy; two Julia wall lamps; tilting mirror ‘Time’ collection
Photography Francis Amiand
www.gerardfaivreparis.com
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• March 2015
Balnea: Pavillon des arbres
Montreal, Canada
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87
I
n the heart of the Eastern Townships
of Montreal, Canada, perched on
a mountainside and overlooking a
nature reserve of breathtaking beauty lies
Balnea. Health and wellness, gourmet
food, yoga, relaxation, sports, massages,
rituals baths: Balnea reinvents the art
of living by creating a stunning experience for all the senses. Spa Balnea’s new
reception building, constructed on piles,
is nestled unobtrusively in the forest,
where it is the hub linking the facility’s
existing buildings via outdoor walkways.
The resulting new walking routes give
clients a more private path through the
site. Special attention was paid to preserving trees and the natural surroundings.
The decision to build the structure
from steel made it possible to work with
the natural topography, resulting in a
very durable, streamlined structure with
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• March 2015
a more natural profile. The building
conveys a sense of lightness under the
large wooden volume, making the
modular structure seem as though it was
gently set down amidst the trees.
The windows, designed to frame views
of the forest landscape, also take
advantage of a southern exposure to
maximise passive solar heating.
The new building maintains continuity
with the older buildings through the use
of the same materials (wood siding;
windows and building envelope). The
steps outside the entrance, reminiscent of
a parvis, serve as both an entranceway
and a waiting area for events. In addition
to the reception area, Pavillon des arbres
includes a gift shop, offices and a lounge.
The other spa pavilions, devoid of noiseinducing activities, provide environments
conducive to relaxation.
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89
Blouin Tardif Architecture-Environnement
www.btae.ca
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• March 2015
London
Apartment
by Kelly Hoppen MBE
• March 2015
91
T
his modern and spacious London
apartment was stripped and
refurbished by interior designer
Kelly Hoppen. Comprising a total of nine
rooms, Kelly applied her design vision
and signature style of clean lines and
neutral tones, blended with sumptuous
textures and a feeling of warmth.
For this project the clients wanted their
existing apartment to be redesigned
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• March 2015
primarily as an office, also functioning as
a second home.
New finishes for the floor and walls,
cornices, lighting, doors, skirting, joinery,
furniture and window treatments were
installed to conform with the design aim
of creating a more contemporary and
lighter space. The bathrooms were also
modernised and the kitchen was fitted
with new units and appliances.
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• March 2015
Photography © Mel Yates
www.kellyhoppeninteriors.com
• March 2015
95
cHAIRs OF
NOTE 119
Up-chair with wooden arms
designed by Martin Ballendat
for Tonon
U
p-chair, the bestseller created in 2012, now has
a new version. The shell in the technical soft
touch material is enriched with solid wood
armrests in American walnut. An innovative material
and the craftsmanship in the wood manufacturing
have created an authentic masterpiece.
Tonon product is available in South Africa through
Comfort Creations
www.comfortcreations.co.za
www.tononitalia.com
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97
13 AM
Mach 2015
or !
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Av nloa
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March 2015
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R297 for both
or directly deposit into
Nedbank, Rosebank
Branch no. 1987 6500
Cheque a/c no. 1958 596 507
Fax proof of payment to 011 782 5492
and use own name as reference.
www.designingways.com
Furniture
for setting the scene
Prado settee with cushion, Everywhere sideboard, designed by Christian Werner, Lumière Noire
floor lamps, designed by Philippe Nigro. Available from Ligne Roset • www.ligne-roset.co.za
• March 2015
99
FuRNITuRE
PRADO
I don’t stand if I can sit. I don’t
sit if I can lie down.
Henry Ford
I
t is through these quotations that
Christian Werner brings his Prado
nomadic settee. A way of showing
that the search for freedom and wellbeing
has completely guided the design of this
model. Quite apart from the habitual style
exercise which surrounds a new settee –
which consists of a principally aesthetic
proposal – Prado represents first and
Some people succeed in finding their dream,
whilst others create it if they can’t find it.
Theodor Fontane
foremost an approach based on the
study of lifestyles or, in short, the human
being. Here, therefore, is found the same
ambition as that which brought Smala in
the early part of the new century.
Prado consists of a vast seat which may
be used either independently or with
other elements, on which back cushions
may be scattered at will. There is total
freedom since these cushions,
which are weighted and equipped
with an anti-slip system, will remain
in place without needing to be leant
against or attached to anything. They
could therefore be arranged on the floor
for a few leisurely moments around a low
table, while the seat could do duty as an
occasional bed simply by turning over
its seat cushion, the reverse of which is
covered with mattress ticking.
The Oda low and pedestal tables
(designed to slide above the seat cushion
thanks to their cantilevered tops) were
designed as the perfect complements to
this settee, making it possible to create
corner compositions, for example, or to
add occasional tables on which one can
place one’s personal effects.
Available from Ligne Roset
4 Brian Street (off Peter Place)
Bryanston, Johannesburg
011 706 9961
www.ligne-roset.co.za
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• March 2015
After two-seater rocking sofa from Pedro
www.pedro.fi
S826 rocking chair, designed by
Ulrich Böhme for Thonet
www.thonet.de
Rockstar from
Willi Schillig Polstermöbelwerke
www.schillig.com
Elephant rocking chair, designed by Neuland for Kristalia
www.kristalia.it
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101
FuRNITuRE
Topsi, designed by Mirjam Hüttner, as seen
on the Hüttners stand at imm-cologne
www.huettners.com
Openboard, from the Liva range, designed
by Benny Mosimann for Wogg
www.wogg.ch
Mannequin, designed by Gernot
Oberfel and Jan Wertel, as seen on
the Iker stand at imm-cologne
www.iker.com,pl
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• March 2015
TITANIUMROOM/GC/K25/11/14
The Lithos range, in the Simplice
Collection, with a chromed or painted
metal frame and top with a high round
cushion can be used as additional seating
or a decorative element. From Maxalto –
co-ordinated by Antonio Citterio
www.bebitalia.com
optimum comfort,
maximum productivity
Geo Cloud offers you a wide range of superbly
designed chairs inspired by state-of-the-art
ergonomics. Flexible, innovative features give
total body support for all-day comfort, while
allowing unrestricted freedom of movement
for maximum productivity.
Sit on a Cloud and feel the difference.
Johannesburg Cape Town
Tel +27 (0)11 624 1509 Email [email protected]
Web www.geocloud.co.za
Koii lounger, designed by Sascha Akkermann
for Müller Möbelwerkstätten
www.muellermoebel.de
FuRNITuRE
Bubble
Libby
Wanda
Aracna
www.chairexpress.co.za
Tel: 011 434 0444, Fax: 086 567 5689
Email:[email protected]
Address: 44 Hulbert Rd Cnr Rosettenville Rd,
New Centre, Johannesburg
PO Box 39108, Booysens, 2016
1
3
2
4
10
9
8
6
7
5
1. Sketch lounge chair, designed by
Burkhard Vogtherr & Jonathan
Prestwich for Arco • www.arco.com
2. Lounge chair 808, designed by Formstelle
(Claudia Kleine and Jörg Kürschner)
for Thonet • www.thonet.de
3. Palü, designed by Carolin Fieber
for Bretz • www.bretz.de
4. Poem, designed by Kati Meyer-Brühl
for Brühl • www.bruehl.com
5. W-lounge 3, designed by Rainer Bachschmid
for Wagner • www.wagner-architecture.de
6. on lounge chair designed by Tapio
Anttila, for Pedro • www.pedro.fi
7. relax chair 4+ from Dauphin Home
• www.dauphin.de
8. on_tour, designed by Roland Meyer-Brühl
for Brühl • www.bruehl.com
9. Cocoa Island, designed by Gesa Höltje
for Bretz • www.bretz.de
10. Hai chair and ottoman, designed by
Luca Nichetto for Hem – as seen on their
imm-cologne stand • www.hem.com
• March 2015
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FuRNITuRE
T-Table coffee table, designed by
Patricia Urquiola for Kartell
www.kartell.com
Collar chair, designed by Skrivo on the
Sancal Diseño stand at imm-cologne
www.sancal.com
Auckland Bree e Onda table made
with one thousand year-old Kauri
wood, designed by Passone e Savorgnani
for Riva Industria Mobili
www.riva1920.it
Kauai, designed by Bretz Brothers
for Bretz • www.bretz.de
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• March 2015
Flexus, designed by Paolo Rizzatto for Alias Spa
www.aliasdesign.it
Recipio dining table from the Lux Collection. From
Maxalto – co-ordinated by Antonio Citterio
www.bebitalia.com
Stabiles table, designed by Alfredo
Häberli for Alias Spa
www.aliasdesign.it
Jonathan table, designed by Paolo Nava
for Tonon • www.tononitalia.com
• March 2015
107
TEcHNIcAlly
spEAkINg
The green demeanour of Warsaw
T
Foundation for Polish Science headquarters
he FNP (Fundacja na rzecz Nauki
Polskiej) headquarters in Warsaw
has become a flagship of the green
landscape of the city. The vertical garden,
covering front and side elevations, is a
tool which allows the integration of the
building with its green context. The green
face of the building blurs the boundaries
between architecture and nature.
The vertical garden, taking into
account its geographic location, is treated
as experimental. During the course of its
exploitation, the bio-diversity of the wall
may change due to the seeds brought by
birds or wind. The designed vegetation
optimum should be reached in 2016.
An existing multifamily housing
building was converted into an office
building to house the new headquarters
of the Foundation of Polish Science.
The building is located in Wierzbno, a
part of the Mokotów district which is one
of Warsaw’s central neighbourhoods. The
district was converted from farmland
View from Krasickiego Street, taken in 2009
108
• March 2015
into town in the 1930s. It stands among
the dispersed residential villas nestled
into the green. Originally built as low-rise
housing in 1933, it suffered serious mutilation by air bombing during WWII. Due
to the bombing it lost most of the front
façade and parts of the ceilings on all
levels. What remained was destroyed by
fire. After the war, due to its dilapidated
condition, the building was initially
“. . . the street front of the
building destroyed with
the (air) bomb, the rest of
the building, roof and the
2nd level burnt down.”
Inspector J Maliszewski
17.08.1945
Internal atrium, which carves out the
‘light well’, which opens up the building
and allows in natural light. 96% of the
internal space has access to natural light.
bEFORE
 AFTER
The perforation through the ground floor,
beginning at the main entrance and ending
at the back garden, which establishes a visual
link between the street and garden view.
• March 2015
109
TEcHNIcAlly
spEAkINg
condemned to be destroyed. However,
because of the significant destruction of
the city (seventy-two per cent of residential buildings in Warsaw were lost as a
result of the war) the demolition decision
was revoked and the building was to be
restored. Restoration works were carried
out in a poor technical manner due to the
lack of availability of quality materials.
The building’s original appearance was
not restored.
Removal of the existing fence in the
building front yard helped to enlarge the
public space of the street and incorporate
the backyard garden with the surroundings. The FNP building is the only example
alongside the 900 m-long Krasickiego
Street of a building plot not separated by
a physical barrier (fence) from the fabric
of the town.
The perforation through the ground
floor, beginning at the main entrance and
ending at the back garden, establishes an
additional visual link between the street
and garden view.
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• March 2015
The preservation of the original
staircase décor is preserving a characteristic design element of Warsaw architecture
of the 1920s and 1930s. The cantilevered
and prefabricated steps made of the green
terrazzo are enriched by the landings
which are filled with tiny, colourful and
shape-specific ceramic tiles known as
‘corset’ tiles. Floorings finished with corset
tiles can be found in the buildings of this
era almost anywhere in Europe, including
Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels. Popularity of the corset tiles led to the commonness of the application in Warsaw
buildings. Nevertheless, the patterns
varied greatly, due to the ambition and
skills of the local craftsmen. That is why
each of the still existing patterns can be
described as unique.
The refurbished staircase is marked by
a simple, modern railing made of black
painted steel and transparent glass. The
roses of brass, acquired from the original
décor, mask the points where the railing’s
studs met the steps. The modern railing,
especially the elements placed under the
stair’s runs, stabilise the structure. The
‘corset’ tiles on the staircase are original
from 1933.
The internal atrium, which carves out a
‘light well’ to all the above ground levels,
opens up the building and lets in natural
light.
The green wall is an element which
creates the pro-ecological identity of the
building. The vertical garden, on the
front and side elevations, gives 260 m2
green surface area.
Within the vertical garden twenty
different species of plants were included.
Some of them are to create a green background all year, while others will bloom
during the warmer seasons. The plants
with decorative red fruits will also add a
colour accent during winter. Since the
placement of the plants was consulted
with the architects, the manifestation of a
geometric pattern should reveal itself at
the end of the third year of the vegetation
cycle by September 2016.
Euronit Natura Pro fibre
grey cement panels, mounted
onto the substructure
Modular green wall
Windows framed in Euronit Natura
Pro fibre grey cement panels
Aluminium profile windows
NORTH ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
Plants organised
according to colour
FAAB Architektura
www.faab.pl
• March 2015
111
bRIgHT
IDEAs
PET Felt
Environment friendly and aesthetically in balance.
PET
Felt is made of recycled
bottles which are turned
into a soft, though strong felt material,
which is long lasting, UV stabilised and
has great acoustic performance. PET Felt
is both recycled as well as recyclable itself.
The design of the LJ Series of chairs
brings back many traditional production
steps to one smart 3D pressing technique.
The PET Felt used by DeVorm is made
out of used PET plastic – the production
of PET Felt starts with collected plastics,
sorted and made into soft fibres. The
fibres are then woven into thin layers of
felt, built up and eventually moulded.
The lj Series – lj1, lj2 and lj3 were
designed by Laurens van Wieringen for
DeVorm.
Simple solutions, smart production
innovations and unconventional material
choices that may seem simple at first sight,
can have a drastically improved effect on
the further lifecycle of a product and its
environment. This asks for an approach
that goes beyond the paths already known.
www.devorm.nl
112
• March 2015
Sundance chairs, designed by Paolo Golinelli, on the patio of the VistaLago bistro
at L’Albereta Relais & Chateaux in Erbusco, Italy. Furnished by De Padova
www.depadova.it
• March 2015
113
ON THE
TERRAcE
1
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• March 2015
2
3
4
1. Ginger lamp with aluminium frame and
teak slats. From Ethimo
www.ethimo.com
2. Prêt-à-Porter portable table lamp, designed
by Antonio Norero for Slide
www.slidedesign.it
3. Tour cylindrical path lamp in glazed
terracotta with transparent glass diffuser
From Ethimo
www.ethimo.com
4. Step square terracotta lamp. From Ethimo
www.ethimo.com
• March 2015
115
ON THE
TERRAcE
Main image – Woodline Piuma shade with Adria
collection. Adria designed by Wolfgang CR Mezger
Above – Chair and bench from the La Piazza
collection, developed by designer Karl-Leo Heitlinger
All from Fischer Möbel
www.fischer-moebel.de
116
• March 2015
FERDI
ON
FOOD
Terroir – the cookbook
By Michael Broughton
Published by Random House Struik
224 pages with hard cover, 267 x 215 mm
Recommended retail price R350
ISBN 978 1 43230 256 6
T
erroir is definitely not for fainthearted cooks. It resembles a
mixture between Michelin-quality
nouvelle cuisine and Japanese presentation. Michael is a self-taught chef who
excelled as a sous chef in Johannesburg
before settling down to run Terroir –
the restaurant on the Kleine Zalze wine
farm in Stellenbosch – in 2004. In the
past decade the restaurant has made
the Eat Out top 10 line-up eight times.
I believe it is the sous chef who makes
or breaks a meal. If a meal is too saucy
or too dry it is spoiled. The sous chef,
like a good sommelier, pairs flavours to
create a combination which is not only
palatable, but a source of great joy to
the diner.
Nothing in the world – other than great
sex – perks one up like a good meal.
I suspect the meal may have longer
after-effects. The glow and sense of
nirvana one has after a great meal is
not all about intoxication, but most
certainly about indulging the senses.
Which is exactly what happens at
Terroir. Michael pairs up delicate aromas
and flavours with robust base foods to
create something special which you
will not find elsewhere. He employs
the latest technology – like preparing
foods in shrink wrap, in a water bath, to
achieve a delicacy of flavour and bite
not possible with traditional cooking.
But then he uses ancient methods such
as cold smoking for fish, springbok loin,
beef fillet, celeriac, potatoes, etc, in old
oak barrels from the winery.
For fun I selected a menu from this
book. This is it, should I get to Kleine
Zalze. Start with either roasted tomato
soup with parmesan cream and truffle
foam or tuna tartare with ginger
dressing and rouille. I really cannot
decide! Then tempura squid with
tomato jam, yuzu mayo and ginger
caramel. For mains I choose honeyseared salmon with smoked celeriac
cream and avocado carpaccio.
This may seem like a lot of food, but
their portions are not huge. In fact,
Michael believes that what you leave
off the plate is as important as what
you put on the plate. The mix of
flavours and sauces is chosen because
of its complementary nature.
Choosing a dessert is always a problem.
But I think I would settle for the
strawberry pannacotta with basil
and lime gel, champagne jellies and
coconut rum sorbet.
If you are not lucky enough to get a
booking next time you are on Kleine
Zalze wine estate in Stellenbosch, the
cookbook has a wealth of information
on petit fours, baking bread and sauces.
The stocks, sauces and basics are the
real secret to Michael’s success. Most of
the recipes are pretty complicated and
labour-intensive; as well as delicate and
having to be served immediately.
Some are adaptable. I already have in
mind making the seared salmon on
the avocado carpaccio, but leaving out
some of the more finicky dressing. This
is not what Michael has in mind, I am
sure, but then I am not eating at Kleine
Zalze either, but at home on my stoep.
Ferdi le grange
• March 2015
117
quEsTIONNAIRE
What is your worst household chore?
Cleaning the kitchen.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?
A beer.
We put a set of questions
to an industry leader with
a request that some of the
questions be answered in a
light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek
manner, nothing too serious.
What is your greatest fear?
Failure.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My wife.
What is your favourite journey?
Driving through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘Wow!’
What is it you most dislike?
This month we feature
Arrogance.
What is your greatest regret?
Not travelling through the States when I had the chance.
David
Griffiths
Owner
of
G & P
Interiors
Which talent would you most like to have?
To speak many languages.
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.
What have you given up recently?
Smoking.
If you were to die, and could return, who or what would you like to be?
My wife‘s dog, Patty.
What is your favourite occupation?
Manning the braai with mates.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being lonely.
What is your motto?
Budget for the worst and hope for the best.
On what occasions would you lie?
To be enthusiastic when I‘m really tired.
What do you most like to eat?
Sushi.
Where do you draw the line?
Lying.
When and where were you happiest?
My wedding day, with all the people I love.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My short temper.
Where, other than the RSA, would you most like to live?
France, on a farm.
What could you not live without?
My girls – Holly, Gladys, Anna and Lee (wife, mum, niece and sister).
118
• March 2015
TAIl
OF THE
DOg
Simple tips for a greener future
S
o much is being written about
being green, some of it is overwhelming. Where to begin? Here
are some simple tips, many of which
you can sort out yourself.
You should already be using energy
saving lightbulbs – there are good
designs available to suit traditional
chandeliers and pendant lights.
Upgrade to LED whenever you need
to renew a recessed low voltage globe.
LED lights are expensive, but have
a long life. Keep the till slip, and if
they do not live as long as promised,
take them back to the supplier and
demand a replacement.
Fit water-saving shower heads. They
simply reduce the flow of water and
with this you use less power. These are
not expensive, and can be changed
with ease.
Heaters, stove, water heating: install
gas wherever possible, town gas
gets first prize, LPG (bottled gas) a
close second. You will save fortunes
of electricity bills if these can be
converted to gas. The initial expense
will be amortised over a few months.
If you have to keep your old geyser,
give it a blanket to keep it warm, turn
down the heat and fit a timer.
Get into the habit of turning off
appliances at the wall socket. “Vampire”
plugs are those that have things like
cell phone chargers on standby, they
are using power all the time.
Get rid of oil fin heaters, like geysers
they are the main power guzzlers. Use
instead Econo wall panels with timers,
especially in bedrooms which should
not be too hot. Electric blankets are
not too heavy on power, and don’t
forget the old-fashioned hotwater
bottle.
Buy a comfort pack for load shedding.
This consists of an inverter that will
store enough power to allow you to
use a couple of lamps, a television set
and DSTV, a computer and a charger
for the cell phone for about six hours.
You can get solar powered inverters,
but the electrically charged ones do
not use a lot of power, and you can at
least have a few hours of civilised life
instead of total darkness. If you are
building from scratch have an inverter
installed at your distribution board.
Otherwise choose a room where
the inverter will give you the most
comfort.
Pasop! Load shedding is here to stay.
gill butler
www.phdesigns.co.za | [email protected] | tel 011 966 8126
www.
fax 086 684 6015 | www.arper.com
Colour is always about perception – it is the one
sense that is altered even as it heads towards our
brain; we all see differently depending on genetics,
age and experience. Colour plays a leading role in the
experience of environment and design; it has a unique
ability to immerse the senses and play with emotions.
Sensory
A series of supersensory shades to create heightened experiences
bISqUE
SpA bLUE
WHISpER WHITE
LIgHT LILAc
fRESH SALmON
ARUbA bLUE
mOONSTRUck
cHARLOck
Mixology
A range of clashing shades to experiment, play and assemble
dEWbERRy
ALgIERS bLUE
AppLE cINNAmON
ORANgE.cOm
pEAcH pINk
bLAck bEAN
bRIgHT WHITE
IRISH gREEN
Discovery
A cosmic palette to stretch the imagination and envisage the futurefuture
IcE fLOW
SILVER
SkydIVER
AmARANTH pURpLE
bLAckbERRy WINE
EVENINg bLUE
IRON gATE
jET bLAck
Memory
Hues that breathe emotion and stimulate the memory
120
TARRAgON
pEAcHSkIN
RUm RAISIN
gRAy mIST
STONE gRAy
gOLdEN OAk
TRUE NAVy
ScARLET SAgE
• March 2015
• March 2015
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