Contemporary Furniture

Philippe Starck
FRANCE (1949)

School drop-out Philippe Starck jump-started his career by

designing two nightclub interiors in Paris in the 1970s. The
success of the clubs won the attention of President Francois
Mitterand, who asked Starck to refurbish one of the private
apartments in the Elysee Palace.
Two years later, Starck designed the interior of the Caf Costes,
Paris, and was on his way to becoming a design celebrity. In
quick succession, he created elegant interiors for the Royalton
and Paramount hotels in New York, the Delano in Miami and
the Mondrian in Los Angeles. He also began to produce chairs,
lamps, motorbikes, boats and a line of house wares and
kitchen utensils, like his Juicy Salif for Alessi.
During the 1980s and '90s Starck continued his prolific creativity.
His products have sensual, appealing forms suggestive of
character or personal identity and Starck often conferred
upon them clever, poetic or whimsical names (for example, his
Rosy Angelis lamp, the La Marie chair and playful Prince Aha
stool.) Starcks furniture also often reworks earlier decorative
styles. For example, the elegant Dr. No chair is a traditional
club chair made unexpectedly of injection-molded plastic.
While the material and form would seem to be contradictions,
it is just such paradoxes that make Starcks work so compelling.

Louis Ghost Chair -- Kartell

(2002)
This iconic seat shows Starck
playing with form and
material, recasting the royal
Louis XV chair concept with
translucent, injection-molded
polycarbonate. More than a
million of these chairs have
been sold

Rosy Angelis Lamp -- Flos (1994)

Starcks sleek tripod lamp features a whisp of white
fabric draped around the light source, creating a
soft, diffused glow.

Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer

-- Alessi (1990)
Likely the only juicer
displayed at MOMA,
Starcks aluminum tripod
design could be mistaken
for a streamlined alien
invader from a 50s pulp
comic. Hes rumored to
have said: "It's not meant to
squeeze lemons, it is meant
to start conversations."

Hot Bertaa Kettle -- Alessi (1987)

Presenting a bold, contemporary
spin on a cup of tea, this kettle
exudes Italian style, less a kitchen
object that emits a hiss of steam
than some Art Deco bullhorn brashly
announcing its presence.

Karim Rashid is a CanadianAmerican industrial designer. His

designs include luxury goods,
furniture, lighting, surface design,
brand identity and packaging. Time
magazine has described him as the
"most famous industrial designer in
all the Americas".

Float sofa

This is the Float Sofa that was designed by Karim Rashid for
Spanish furniture manufacturer SANCAL. The piece was
presented at Salone del Mobile 2012. Its design is also simple but
far from ordinary, just like all the designers creations. The sofa is
composed of a series of rounded and colorful elements with soft
shapes and these elements intersect and create a harmonious
composition.

The dining table has a very

light and simple deign but it
also hides a very functional
structure. The dining chairs
have designs inspired by
nature and they celebrate
the beauty of the leaf. When
pushed in, the chairs create
a very elegant and beautiful
image in combination with
the table. The sideboard has
colorful inserts that can be
used to customize the
handles and the ends.

Unplanned Brutalism

These pieces of furniture were part of

an exhibition called Unplanned
Brutalism that was organized at the
Tina Kim Gallery in New York. They are
all limited edition pieces and impress
with their simplicity and uniqueness.
Karim Rashid presented six new
designs as part of the exhibition and
they included variations on lamps, side
tables and sofas

Frank Owen Gehry, CC (born Frank

Owen Goldberg; 28 February 1929) is a
Canadian-born American architect,
residing in Los Angeles.
A number of his buildings, including his
private residence, have become worldrenowned attractions. His works are
cited as being among the most
important works of contemporary
architecture in the 2010 World
Architecture Survey, which led Vanity
Fair to label him as "the most important
architect of our age".

Gehry House Santa Monica, California

Gehrys first significant brush with fame came with the 1978 construction of a
Santa Monica residence he designed for himself and his family. The project
wrapped an existing bungalow in angular volumes clad in a riot of everyday
suburban materials like plywood and chain link. As opinionated as it was
sculptural, the house earned both cheers and jeers in short order. In 2012 it
won the American Institute of Architects prestigious Twenty-Five Year
Award.

Loyola Law School Los Angeles

The 1978 commission to expand Loyola Law School would propel
Gehry into institutional work. He reimagined Loyolas downtown Los
Angeles site as a neotraditional campus, arranging a stylistically
diverse set of buildings and surrounding them with a knoll-like
landscape. During initial design work, a strategy was developed to
allow the expansion of the campus in several phases, corresponding to the priorities of the school. The last phase of the
design was completed in 2003

George
Nelson

USA (19081986)

Nelson Pedestal Stool

Elegant and fun, the Nelson Pedestal Stool works equally well in casual
spaces where multiple, easily rearranged seats are called for, and as a
compact seat that can squeeze into a foyer or walk-in closet. Utilizing
the same base design as the Pedestal Table, the stool is available in a
broad selection of fabrics and four finishes.

Nelson Swag Leg Armchair

This armchair is part of a collection that was born of
George Nelsons desire to create furniture with a
sculpted leg, and he had very specific ideas about
how that leg would take its form. He wanted the
base to be gracefully curved, crafted from metal,
machine formed and prefinished, as well as easily
assembled and disassembled so it could be shipped
conveniently and made more affordable. Swaging,
the use of pressure to taper and bend metal tubes,
proved to be the smartest method for producing
these legs, and it is this process that lends its name to
Nelsons distinctive design.

For the chairs seat shell, Nelson combined separate

seat and back pieces to form a sculptural shape
that fits and flexes with the body. A slit between the
seat and back helps prevent heat build-up. Wide,
flat arms provide a comfortable place to rest
forearms. Placed at a desk or situated around tables
in dining areas or conference rooms, this timeless,
distinctive chair fits today's needs as it did when it
was first introduced in 1958.

NELSON BUBBLE LAMP (1952)

This innovative design began with a
newspaper story about Liberty ships being
mothballed

Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish

architect and designer.
Born: 1961, Oviedo, Spain
Education: Polytechnic University of
Milan, Technical University of Madrid
Books: Patricia Urquiola: Time to
Make a Book

Credenza Cabinets

Patricia Urquiola has added stained-glass panels to

the front of these cabinets, becoming the latest in a
series of designers to use the material for
contemporary furniture.

Shimmer dining by Glas Italia

Product: Shimmer dining
Family: Shimmer Tables
Manufacturer: Glas
Italia Designer: Patricia
Urquiola
Order number: SHI13
Architonic ID: 1389315
Country: Italy
Launched: 2016
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
240 x 130 x H 74 cm

Silver Lake by Moroso

Product: Silver Lake

Family: Silver Lake
Manufacturer: Moroso
Designer: Patricia Urquiola
Architonic ID: 1380014
Country: Italy
Launched: 2010
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Wood frame, different-density nondeformable polyurethane foam and
polyester fibre. Supporting structure
in matte powdercoated steel. Side
panels in wood or upholstered in
leather. Optional armrest cushions in
polyester fibre. The Silver Lake
collection covers are not removable.
Supporting structure colours

Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid, DBE

(Arabic: Zah add; 31
October 1950 31 March 2016) was an
Iraqi-born British architect. She was the
first Arab woman who received the
Pritzker Architecture Prize, winning it in
2004. She received the Stirling Prize in
2010 and 2011. In 2012, she was
created a Dame Commander of the
Order of the British Empire and in 2015
she became the first woman to be
awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in her
own right.

Vitra fire station, Weil am Rhein

(1994)
Hadids first completed project a
complex construction of tilted and
clashing planes looks very
different from her later, organic
designs. A clear demonstration of
the rhetorical power of
architecture and the possibility of
achieving impressive effects with
modest means, said the
Architectural Review, admiring the
gestural, pointy porch that yells
Emergency! Its daring
geometries proved too much for
the firemen, who moved out,
leaving the building to become an
events space.

Phaeno science centre, Wolfsburg (2005)

The Phaeno science centre condenses a
lot of the things that have been in my work
for a long, long time, Hadid said, while a
critic described it as an astonishing,
exhilarating concrete and steel vortex of a
building somewhere you go to experience
the operatic power of space. Raised on fat
concrete cones, it is a cathedral of jagged
angles, looming curves, fractured planes
and daring protrusions, its 154 metre length
seeming to hover in the air.

Bridge Pavilion, Zaragoza (2008)

Inspired by gladioli and the waterway
beneath it, Hadids first completed
bridge throws 280 metres of fibre-glass
reinforced concrete across the river
Ebro. Half pedestrian walkway, half
exhibition area, the covered structure
was built to link the La Almozara
neighbourhood to the site of the 2008
Zaragoza Expo. A magnificent and
truly ennobling way to cross a river on
foot, was the Guardians verdict.

Arad was born in Tel Aviv.

He attended the Bezalel
Academy of Arts and
Design in Jerusalem
between 197173 and the
Architectural Association in
London from 197479. In
1989, with Caroline Thorman,
he founded Arad
Associates, an architecture
and design firm, in London.
His brother is the violist and
educator Atar Arad.
Arad was described in 1999
as a "big, gruff, bovverbooted sort of bloke;
cropped hair roughly the
same length as the
mannered facial stubble".

The hotel in Washington DC made

famous by the Watergate scandal
has reopened with interiors by
London studio Ron Arad Architects
(+ slideshow).

CREATOR
Ron Arad (Manufacturer), Moroso (Designer)
DATE OF MANUFACTURE
21st Century
PERIOD
1990-1999
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
Foam, Polyester, Wood
CONDITION
Good. Floor sample in excellent condition. This item
is guaranteed to be authentic Moroso..
WEAR
Wear consistent with age and use
DIMENSIONS
39.8 in.Hx33.1 in.Wx49.6 in.D
101 cmHx84 cmWx126 cmD
DEALER LOCATION
Brooklyn, NY

George Katsutoshi Nakashima was born in 1905 in

Spokane, WA. Trained as an architect at the
University of Washington and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, he first began designing
furniture as an aspect of architectural ventures in
India, Japan, and Seattle, WA. Now an
internationally renowned furniture designer and
woodworker, Nakashima is recognized as one of
America's most eminent designer crafsmen.
Nakashima's work expresses a worldview that is
based on a unique set of circumstances, including
his formal education in architecture, his exposure to
European Modernism, Eastern religious philosophy
and traditional Japanese craft traditions. As a selfproclaimed "woodworker," Nakashima became an
important voice for the artist craftsmen, helping to
create a new paradigm for studio furniture
production in the postwar period.

George Nakashima, Large Minguren

Low Table, USA, 1974

George Nakashimas beautiful Minguren low/ cocktail table is

substantially sized, hand-made of large slabs of East Indian Laurel
Walnut of thicknesses ranging from 2 to 4 inches.
The top features beautiful inclusions and a single elegant butterfly of
opposing grain. This custom table, which is signed with the original
clients name, comes accompanied by copies of the original
invoice and sketch from Nakashima Studio (see photos).
48W x 33.5 D x 15H

George Nakashima, Black

Walnut and Woven Chair, USA,
1957
This elegant black walnut chair by George
Nakashima features grass caning woven
on the seats frame, rendering it extremely
comfortable and light. The black walnut
seat frame and back rail are supported by
four tapered legs of the same wood. The
top rail is supported by hand-shaped
Hickory spindles. Excellent original
condition. The chair is accompanied by
the original clients receipt from the
Nakashima Studio, 1957, and a current
letter of authenticity.
26.5H X 19D X 23W

Gaetano Pesce (born 1939) is an Italian

architect and a leading figure in contemporary
industrial design. Mr. Pesce was born in La Spezia
in 1939, and he grew up in Padua and Florence.
[1] During his 50-year career, Mr. Pesce has
worked as an architect, urban planner, and
industrial designer. His outlook is considered
broad and humanistic, and his work is
characterized by an inventive use of color and
materials, asserting connections between the
individual and society, through art, architecture,
and design.

348 NOTTURNO A NEW YORK

Sofa made up of different components assembled together using joints. Supporting frame
composed of plywood and beech wood frames equipped with belts. Padding in polyurethane foam
and polyester wadding. All covers are in a special fabric: a weaving technique is used to produce
14,000 warp and weft stitches, generating extremely high definition images. The threedimensional
nature of the designs is achieved thanks to a larger yarn, weaved together with the numerous
coloured yarns.

349 SESSANTUNA

Limited series of 61 tables, which can be put together like a large jigsaw puzzle to resemble
the Italian peninsula. Every table is produced from resins cast in the colours of the Italian
flag (green, white and red). The shapes and colours of each table will be unique.

Queen Anne Side Chair

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott

Brown helped lead the charge
for Postmodernism in America.
Their Queen Anne chair one of
a series of flattened designs
developed by the duo in the
1980s injected humour into the
furniture industry and is the next
in our summer series on the
controversial movement.

Vanna Venturi House

when American architect Robert

Venturi designed a home for his
mother in the late 1950s, he
reinterpreted the archetypal
suburban house as a contemporary
architectural statement. Its influence
was so great, it is now credited as the
first Postmodern building, and is the
next in our summer season on
Postmodernism.

Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007)

Born In: Innsbruck, Austria

Years Active: 1947 to 2007

Ettore Sottsass was a late 20th
century Italian Designer. He favored
the bold colors of Pop Art and
dramatic forms of Art Deco and
helped define Post-Modernism when
he founded the Memphis Group in
1981.

Nine-0 Swivel Chair - Soft Back

Dimensions
H 29.5-32.5" W 17.75" D 23" Seat H 17.5-20.5"
Materials
Brushed anodized aluminum (80% recycled);
polyurethane seat and back; rubber casters.
Presenting the Nine-0 Collection by Ettore Sottsass. The designer, who
helped found the Memphis Group and created the iconic Olivetti
Valentine typewriter, finished his seating collection for Emeco shortly
before his death on December 31, 2007. The name Nine-0 refers to
the age Sottsass was when he designed the collection, which is
handcrafted in Pennsylvania using the same 77-step process that
Emeco first developed for its 1006 Navy Chair. Sottsass was one of
the first designers to use the 1006 Navy in residential applications,
and the Nine-0 is his reinterpretation of that classic chair. The Nine-0,
like all Emeco seating, it is crafted of 80% recycled aluminum and
has an estimated lifespan of 150 years. Stacks up to six high. Nine-0
chairs and stools contribute to LEED credit #4.2 Recycled Content
(and credit #5.1 if shipped within 500 miles of Hanover,
Pennsylvania). Backed by a seven year manufacturers warranty.
Made in U.S.A.

Squared Circle Bowls (Set of 3) De Gustibus

Collection

Dimensions
H 2.75" W 6.5" D 6
Materials
Stoneware
In celebration of the feeding the planet
theme of the Milan Worlds Fair Expo 2015,
George Beylerian curated the De Gustibus
Collection, an assortment of diningrelated objects by the best Italian
designers of the past 50 years. The
collections name is a nod toward the
Latin maxim De gustibus non est
disputandum, which means, In matters of
taste, there can be no disputes. If
something feels familiar about these
Squared Circle Bowls (1958), the reason is
probably that they were inspired by
streetlights Ettore Sottsass saw on his first
visit to New York. Dishwasher safe. Made in
China.