CENTRSVET is a prominent lighting product design firm focused on innovation and partnering with leading designers from around the world. Winner of the “Innovation of the Year” award, Alexander Vorontsov is sharing the collaboration he had with Lomonosov Moscow State University when designing “Infinity Air”.
How did you discover your passion for design and lighting design in particular?
We are focused on creating premium-quality lighting. We develop each model in Russia, create a prototype for the product, and test it in our in-house light laboratory. We obtained patents for the newest, elaborately executed constructive solutions that make our products stand out. CENTRSVET has been the winner of 100 of the top international expert awards in the fields of lighting design, technology, and innovation.
CENTRSVET is a thriving company dedicated to lighting product design and lighting innovation. Can you share how and when the success story started?
The company was founded in 2005. The head office and R&D center are located at TEKHNOPARK ORBITA in Moscow. Our vision and technological capabilities allow us to produce the visionary functionality of our lighting. Our mission is to make the lighting of Russian companies the world standard!
What was your creative process when working on “Infinity Air?“ What were the specifications and challenges in combining a lighting system with air distribution?
CENTRSVET and Architects of Climate, in collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University, tested the INFINITY AIR system. INFINITY AIR unites the CENTRSVET INFINITY lighting system with slot diffusers that provide high-quality air distribution parallel to the ceiling surface. The system is a thin line. It can be placed either on the ceiling or the wall.
The Institute of Mechanics created a laboratory to test INFINITY AIR’s noise characteristics, airflow, and airflow rate in different modes. To measure airflow, they used glycerin mixed with water and a laser. Vapor was released through a diffuser. The laser forms a beam with a lens, allowing the flow to be seen on any surface and laser plane.
According to the test results, the airstream goes along the ceiling, and its direction can be changed with blinds inside the diffuser. With this kind of air distribution, the space is conditioned, and no one is disturbed or feels uncomfortable. INFINITY AIR is suitable for both residential and office environments. Thanks to its low-noise characteristics, it can be installed in bedrooms.
What does winning the SIT Award for “Innovation of the Year” mean to you?
For us, it means recognition and appreciation of our work, and we are happy to be among the winners of such a prestigious award! Design should improve people’s lives, so the world needs awards like the SIT Award to highlight pioneering products and innovations!
Last, what would be your best advice to young designers?
We believe that LIGHT and LOVE ARE EVERYTHING…
The 2022 SIT Furniture Design Award is now accepting entries into its two major categories, Furniture Design and Interior Design. It welcomes submissions from professional, emerging designers and students until the 28th of February 2023, the program promises to attract entries from some of the most forward creative furniture firms, manufacturers, distributors, and independent designers from all around the world!
The SIT Furniture Design Award ™ was created as a way to celebrate and share the remarkable work of furniture designers and those who use furniture in their projects. Creativity, innovative vision, and accessibility in the furniture design community deserve to be applauded and shared widely, across the world.
Looking at challenges and seeking ways to overcome them are central to furniture design. For this reason, the SIT Furniture Design Award has created an Innovation Center, the winner of which will receive a cash prize of CHF 3’000 to create a prototype or to start production. Each year, a different topic will be chosen, focusing on projects which highlight invention, closely examine today’s challenges, and find ways to overcome them.
In 2021, the awards received over 350 submissions from 47 countries, the range of work was as astounding as always, with honorees Jader Almeida, receiving the “Furniture Design of the year” grand title for “May’, Studio GAIA with the design of “W Washington D.C. Hotel”, RotoBed® designed by Hans Sandgren Jakobsen; based in England Knightsbridge Furniture Productions was awarded for the “Tron Furniture Range”, the program also recognized Messana O’Rorke with the “Junegrass House”and Karim Rashid for the “Keen Sun Chaise”. … just to name a few.
The 2022 jury, composed of 21 experienced designers and decorators’ experts, academics and media representatives will select the winners in each category in February 2023. Jurors include Juan Mellen, president of the Design Institute of Spain, Radhika Seth, Vice President of Sales for the well-known media Yanko Design, Stella Hernandez, Assistant Professor, Environmental Design Department at the ArtCenter College of Design in California and Fabio Colturri, Professor at the Istituto Marangoni Milano Design.
The “Furniture Design of the year” and “Interior Design of the Year” professionals and students will receive the coveted SIT Design Award Trophy; their winning projects will be showcased to the global audience and be featured in the Annual SIT Award catalog. Winning the SIT Design Awards is an opportunity to step into the global spotlight, elevate the company profile or boost a starting career.
Registration for the SIT Design Award is now open and will close on February 28th, 2023. Those who register before July 15th; will receive an early bird discount of 15%.
Zurich, Switzerland – The 3C Awards Group is pleased to formally announce the winners of the 2nd Edition of the SIT Design Award.
The SIT Furniture Design Award was created to recognize the efforts of talented international furniture designers, interior designers, and decorators who use furniture in the design of their spaces. The SIT Award celebrates creativity and shares with the world the innovative visions of furniture and interior designers.
The jury panel composed of 24 talented and experienced professionals, industrial designers, interior designers, academics, and media representatives, have selected the winners from over 350 submissions from 47 countries.
The judges evaluated each project based on their own merit; rewarding the most pioneering and groundbreaking designs and selecting those which stand out, based on aesthetics, functionality and innovation.
“At the SIT Design Award, we strive to support and promote not only inspired projects and innovation by professional designers but also fresh and stimulating work by emerging designers and students. This program will continue to define the future of excellence in the Furniture Design industry,” said Astrid Hebert, program director.
The range of work was as astounding as always, with honorees in Furniture Design including Tutti Bambini for the “CoZee XL” designed by Michael Samuel, Maytoni Gmbh for “Amulet” a decorative accent lamp, Vinci Design Studio with the “Mau” chair, Karim Rashid for the “Keen Sun Chaise” and Kitchoo SA showcasing “Kitchoo K9” a smart tiny kitchen. In terms of Interior Design, the program awarded Messana O’Rorke with the “Junegrass House”, Bolshakova Interiors winning in the apartment interior category with the “Renaissance Residence”, Studio GAIA with the design of “W Washington D.C. Hotel” and Weyell Berner Architekten for the “Green Marmot Kapselhotel Zurich” … just to name a few.
A full list of SIT Furniture Design Award winners can be viewed here.
Zurich, Switzerland – The Three C Group (3C Group) has recently joined the World Design Organization (WDO)®, becoming a member of the globally recognized non-governmental organization that aims to promote and advance the discipline of industrial design and its power to enhance economic, social, cultural and environmental quality of life.
Founded in 1957, WDO services over 185 member organizations around the world, engaging thousands of individual designers through our innovative programming and initiatives that champion ‘design for a better world’.
The 3C Awards represent today’s diversity and innovation in lighting design, furniture design, sports design, interior design, and architecture. Each brand is a symbol of design excellence around the world, showcasing the work of professional and emerging designers to more than 100 expert jury members.
The company has three programs dedicated to industrial design:
“The 3C Group programs aims to celebrate Innovative Design, People, and their passion for the industry, through our rigorous judging process, we recognize those that have gone above and beyond.” Said Astrid Hébert, co-founder of the Three C Group GmbH, “becoming a member of the World Design Organization (WDO) is corroborating our company vision and mission to promote the appreciation of design excellence through education, outreach, and grants.”
More information on www.3Cawards.com
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Charles O. Job achieved his degree in architecture and a master’s degree in urban design at Oxford Brookes University, followed by work experience in various architecture practices in Paris, London, and Zürich. Engaged in the fields of research, temporary architecture, and furniture design for international clients, a constant quest for simplicity is the common thread through his wide repertoire of projects and products. Charles has won numerous international design prizes and has a chair in the permanent collection of Vitra Design Museum. Charles has recently joined the SIT Awards Jury panel and is sharing with us his passion for “the art of making things.”
Could you tell us a little about yourself and your professional journey?
I studied Architecture and teach architecture, but my professional focus for the past decade has been product design. I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. I moved to the UK in my early teens.
Like all children of my generation, and most African children in general, I was always fascinated by the art of “making” things. As children, we “made” our own toys. We appropriated tin cans and embellished them with strings to make the ubiquitous telephone. We added wooden wheels to jerry cans and transformed them into rugged vehicles.
We were not poor. We were rich in ideas. I longed for an avenue to pursue this most satisfying part of my African childhood. I found it in design. I have my small studio in Zurich. My career started with my decision to participate in the 2002 edition of the Salone Satellite at the International Furniture Fair in Milan. I showed 5 prototypes and was awarded a Design Report Award for being one of the top three designers in the show.
Among other objects, I presented an early version of my vis-a-vis bench. The concept of two people seating on the same bench but facing each other was designed as a symbol of the reunification of East and West Germany in an international competition sponsored by the Deutsche Bank in 1999. The bench was spotted at the show by several producers and was eventually put into production by ABES. It has been in production ever since.
Taking part in the show launched my design career and strengthened my belief in the path I had taken to go independent and do my own thing, in my own way!
Vis-a-vis bench for ABES (abes-online.com) by Charles O. Job
Can you tell us more about your company “Charles Job Design & Architecture”, when did you open your own studio?
I teach architecture part-time and run a small trans-disciplinary design studio engaged in the fields of temporary architecture, product, furniture, and lighting design for international clients.
Both my academic and professional interests lie between theory and practice, between “thinking” and “doing”, exploring the innate interdependency of both thought and action as active and important elements of the creative process and a useful tool for solving real-life problems that affect real-life people. The products are archetypically simple, formally reduced and often humorous contemporary objects firmly rooted in every day since 2002.
I am interested in teaching, practice, and research. A research project charged with finding usable alternative building materials to wood and cement for the provision of affordable shelter in Northern and Eastern Nigeria bears testimony to this process. It resulted in tannin-bonded composite panels based on agricultural residues that would otherwise have been incinerated causing great ecological damage. The research team, led by myself, was awarded the Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction 2011, and the Gold Award at the Materialica Design & Technology Award 2012.
Apart from working, I am interested in exchanging ideas and connecting to an international network of designers and thinkers. This keeps my design practice competitive and informed. To achieve this goal, I take part in many open competitions and am invited to design Juries. I have served on various international design Juries, notably: the IF, Germany. Turkish Design, Istanbul, and both the D&AD and the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize in London.
BUKAN for MOX (www.mox.ch) by charles O. Job
You have won numerous International Design Awards; what are your design principles and where do you find your inspiration?
I regularly participate in international design competitions. Many of these I could and did win, but most, of course, are “lost” to others with better ideas. Nevertheless, the lost competitions were themselves not without profit. Open competition on a given topic usually results in very many, very interesting solutions. The designer ponders and questions with pen and paper. Iterations of old ideas are forged and merged with developments of new possibilities. The result is always exhilarating. The new Idea must, in competition with others, be able to stand out and compete within this crowd. However, success depends not only on the quality of the idea per se but also on its convincing communication. As soon as an idea leaves the studio, the umbilical cord is severed, and the “child” is emancipated. It has to assert itself. It has to evoke emotions in others. It has to convince and be accepted. It does this with the passion imbued by the creator. The passion invested will, in the best case, be transferred to the user. It will evoke a desire to possess and cherish the object. It is this very passion that creates sustainable design. Products that will be cherished and passed on from generation to generation.
Picasso is quoted as having once said that he never looks for ideas, he finds them. The statement is not as pompous as it may first appear. It is an expression of the meekness to admit that we are influenced by anything and everything around us. Ideas are everywhere. We just need to be in a state of mind to receive them. My trusted sketchbook and my mobile phone are my constant companions. I record the ordinary, everyday objects analog and digital. I see the gems of ideas in materials, forms, colors, light, and shade. These recordings and annotations form themes, the backbone of any idea.
Since 2008, you have joined the University of Applied Sciences in Bern (Switzerland) as a Professor of Architectural Design Theory. What do you like most about teaching?
My design assignments are aimed at encouraging and allowing a vibrant exchange of ideas between faculty and the student body. I enjoy it most when students actively engage in dialogues with me and with one another. Each exercise is concluded with a review and a discourse that I compere. As a master of ceremony, I am in a position to guide the conversation that would include all the students, propagating their confidence in assuming a personal point of view. Creative sparks fly on such occasions!
ITO for MOX (www.mox.ch) by Charles O. Job
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in your career now?
My practice is strangely straddled between architecture and design. Consequently, I don’t really follow one particular market, so I am not in the best position to offer an accurate diagnosis. From my position as an observer, I think the topic of sustainable design will continue to challenge the market and hopefully drive innovation. A sensible and sensitive approach to design that acknowledges the finite quality of our resources and demands a reset on the themes of packaging, transportation, and circularity. My plywood Flat-pack chair “sketch” is a contribution to a possible future. A chair, made of one simple profile, transported flat-packed and easily assembled by the user.
What are you working on at the moment? Do you have any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re able to tell us about?
I have recently joined forces with the “Africa by Design” platform. Initiated by Chrissa Amoah, the organization aims to promote African Design (www.africabydesign.org). As well as offering limited editions of products by African designers for sale online, AFRICA BY DESIGN dedicates its platform to exploring and exposing the best of the continent’s diverse design talents.
My plywood armchair “Sketch” was recently acquired by the permanent collection of Vitra Design Museum. I am now developing the chair with Das Konzept (www.daskonzept.ch). We are hoping to bring it onto the market next year.
Last, what is the advice you give to your students when finishing their Architecture degree?
SEQ for MOX (www.mox.ch) by Charles O. Job
Rozina started the Belgium Design Council in 2016 with a view to educating the value of Design Strategy and the value that design has to business, government, communities and our environments; with a mantra of ‘Excellence, Enterprise and Efficiency’ in its culture! She shares about her company Design2style, NGO BIDs Belgium and her other professional engagements.
Can you tell us more about your design company “Design2Style”? What is your focus?
When I started Design2Style, the focus was to get to know my ‘local’ market after working in an international corporate environment. For residential and business clients to give an experience of how interior design can change how we feel and behave in an environment, with conceptualizing and delivering mid-size corporate and residential renovations. Moving onto some branding projects. I stayed in touch with my hospitality network, which also helped. I worked on some exciting projects for corporate regional offices of the Finnish company Kone. Mixing the technology into the design. I had to know what made the CEO ‘tick’ and it was definitely technology and gadgets. This reminded me of Renzo Piano, with his book of Technology, Place and Architecture, which I bought many years ago, merging technology and intelligent building and product development together.
DESIGN2STYLE
I had a fun time experimenting with some set designs also. I was approached to present and design for a U.S. home renovation programme. This was quite a surreal experience yet gave some insights into what’s required for Television. I designed the home of a Canadian friend, who runs an Art Fair in Brussels and who happened to be selected coincidentally by the producers of the show.
TECHNOLOGY PLACE & ARCHITECTURE, THE RENZO PIANO LOGBOOK / GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS – IBM – THOMAS WATSON
The business model of D2S is all about working with other freelancers on a collaborative project-by-project basis. I have an excellent team of loyal contractors, I have been working with them for many years. I want to keep it small, I never had the ambition to grow to take on-premises with 20/30 staff. I knew I would move into other spheres of design and wanted that freedom to grow, whilst keeping it personal. Placing emphasis on open communication and transparency while providing excellent personal service is definitely a huge plus for the D2S brand.
You are the director of the Belgium Design Council (SME), and the NGO BIDs Belgium (New European Bauhaus community partner), what are the missions of these organizations?
I started the Belgium Design Council in 2016 with a view to educating the value of Design Strategy and the value that design has to business, government, communities, civic society organisations and across our environments. With a mantra of ‘Excellence, Enterprise and Efficiency’. At the intersection of Design, Creativity, Sustainability, Innovation, and Technology as key levers for change. Promoting circularity and sustainability with enabling design-led innovation from products, services, systems to cities.
Understanding that using design as a tool, we can go deeper and create some of that all-important systemic change needed and understand better the complex systems and mechanisms that are needed to create that change. Linking also design, organizations, processes, systems and our environments, ‘design is good business’ for people and the planet. I also looked at the various disciplines of design professionally over the years. Including interest in Inclusive Design. Looking at the practices and principles of inclusive design and admiring the work of Kat Holmes and the work of the Royal College of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Centre, where Rama Gheerawo is the Director.
Many of the official design organizations in Belgium, over previous years, in my opinion, were predominantly focused on the aesthetic aspects of design and were there to support and promote designers home and abroad. I had the ambition and vision of them working together to go beyond this. I had the will to extend the knowledge base and the ability to think about design in more systems and strategic applications.
I was also heavily influenced by the work of Bruce Mau and his work with Massive Change. As a student, I had the book S, M, L, XL wrote with his collaborator Rem Koolhaas. Then at a later stage, I was gifted ever stylish Life Style by my then boss. Mau somehow made it ok to be working and evolving across various spheres of design, whilst creating impact with a massive change in small steps. Recently launched his new book MC24 which was a welcome therapy during the pandemic period. I reached out, connected and exchanged with him during this period, conveying how much of a mentor he had been to me, without actually knowing it himself.
BRUCE MAU MC24 / CITY OF DESIGN KORTRIJK
When starting the BDC, I initially reached out to the politics and many of the public-funded design organizations to talk about the vision of the BDC and aspired to this being a collective as such and for it to be ‘everyone’s’ organization moving it from a small enterprise to non-profit organization. To share more of the design-led innovation aspect, for the business sector to the varying levels of government and community as a whole.
Yet, this collective vision was challenging and perhaps somewhat naive with the linguistic and regional divisions – the idea of having an organization with the word ‘Belgium’ as one county seemed rather political at that time, as I was told. Belgium and its regions have multiple levels of government and public bodies and this wasn’t always easy to navigate through the layers, to understand who is in charge of what in the creative, cultural and economic sectors. The publicly-funded design institutions were also reinventing themselves at the time when I started the BDC. Some had closed down, such as Design Flanders and were restructuring within other entities. They were re-aligning with their political objectives and expectations of their funding streams and dependent on the flexibility and boundaries of the political parties in charge for that term. In saying this, there has been a positive move for 3 of the many regional organizations to align with the ‘Belgium is Design’ collaboration.
The BDC is privately funded as an enterprise and it has brought opportunities and the freedom to design the projects we wish. The awareness of design and creativity, as a tool and process is certainly spoken about more in the broader sense locally now and also for a policy that is a positive move towards the future. Yet there is room for more alignment and more of an inclusive approach and being open beyond the usual design crowds.
Therefore, reinventing and evolving BDC to build up international collaborations and awareness is a huge plus. The BDC stays will continue to stay as an enterprise for the moment. Providing the service to help the transition to a more regenerative culture through redesigning systems and education. Also designing community projects on the philanthropic side. Continuing the awareness on design strategy, systems design and with some foresight. This approach also seeps into the sister organization of our NGO BIDs Belgium more often.
I was in Scotland recently and had the privilege to participate and contribute to the Design for Planet initiative by the Design Council in the UK, during the period of COP 26. The BDC was invited to attend the international roundtable of 20 international Design organizations from around the world to see how we could share and collaborate further. I attended their 2-day event at the V&A Design Museum in Dundee, which was excellent.
There is much work to do within the inclusion and diversity aspect, in a sector that is predominantly run by non-ethnically diverse people. I focus primarily on consultancy and community projects that with a focus around awareness of design-led innovation and educating on the inherent value of design. Collaborating in the past, with some international foundations as we did in Asia, promoting Women in Design for the Belgium Design Council. This has also been playing a big part in BIDs Belgium’s creation of projects around gender equality and inclusion.
The Belgium Design Council’s community interest also launched the NGO BIDs Belgium over time. BIDs Belgium was initially inspired by the Business Improvement Districts around the world, ‘BIDs’ as they are known. BIDs take a defined zone in an area and focus on economic regeneration, city/community and place branding. Partnering with BIDs in Scotland and connecting to many of the European BIDs, I took the holistic approach of using some of the regenerative Design-led innovation and place-led development, toward the community improvement approach of co-designing inclusive, sustainable, resilient and healthy communities.
Understanding on a deeper level, what this means and the interconnectivity and integrated approach we need to transform our cities and places to work towards the UN Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Working on some small local pilots, to international projects and advisory. BIDs Belgium is fortunate to be part of placemaking networks such as Placemaking Europe and the City Space Architecture.
It has been a privilege for my small NGO of BIDs Belgium, to become a community partner of the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative. The initiative links to the European Green Deal; connects this to the spaces in which we live. Encouraging the exploration, experimentation and connecting with encouraging cross-sector collaboration, between the arts, culture, sciences and technology; fostering innovative collaborations and solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and beautiful. There are now well over 300 diverse community partners. I had the pleasure to be on the Jury panel with others for the selection process of the recent New European Bauhaus Awards, in which some incredible projects and concepts won.
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in your career now?
I think the challenges I have faced are those that most women face in their careers. The balancing of work, life, and family, as working for oneself can also present major advantages and disadvantages. Yet I do believe the good definitely outweighs the negative for me.
As a woman of color, I am now more conscious of the discrimination in the industry than when I was younger and started out. I wish for this to change dramatically for the next generation. The industry needs to move forward and not only look at the inclusion of more female leaders, yet the intersectionality of women and the representation is crucial.
It’s not a world of equal opportunities and not as inclusive as it should be in the cultural, creative industry sectors. Hence I’m glad to continue working on projects that align with my core values of inclusivity and growing my work and services more internationally and align with those that have a shared vision of ‘together we are stronger’.
Continuing on the awareness of the role that design and creativity play for social cohesion within our diverse ever-changing cities is essential. The CCI (creative and cultural industries) and the individuals involved have an intrinsic value and opportunity, to solve some of our greatest societal challenges. Designers can help create a socio-economic positive impact, with some strategic thought and with some foresight. I’ll continue to raise my voice further on the Covid-19 period series of podcasts, with the initiative of ‘Design Conversations’ and the topic of Inclusion in the industry. I also collaborate with friends/colleagues of Alok b. Nandi and Lefteris Heretakis for our monthly session on ‘Let’s Amplify Design’ on Clubhouse. We discuss the various spectrums of design and the future of design education on the 18th of each month at 18hrs CET.
DESIGNING CONVERSATIONS PODCAST – ROZINA SPINNOY / LET’S AMPLIFY DESIGN – DESIGN EDUCATION TALKS
I believe design should be taught for its value as a trans-disciplinary evolving tool and for problem-solving for societal challenges – even across mainstream schools. Yet we have a long way to go for that challenge of re-designing and regenerating our design education! Initiatives such as the New European Bauhaus, can certainly help in that awareness and bring in new narratives around design and co-design. Whilst helping to evaluate the projects submitted for the NEB Awards, reading through the many projects gave me such incredible hope, with the impact many collectives and organizations that are pushing forward with implementing.
I enjoy sharing and talking about the many interests that stem from design knowledge and experience. Therefore, I will continue to my public speaking engagements at every opportunity. Topics around the many innovative and inspiring projects, initiatives and solutions that the creative thinkers and change-makers bring to the global challenges from health, education to co-designing inclusive and sustainable communities.
I hope to get more involved in the Education sector with having enjoyed the many invitations from Educational institutions as a visiting ‘Professor’ and Expert. From the British Council to Kayseri University in Turkey to the Faculty of Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia and sharing some participative co-design thoughts on the art of democracy with the youth. To also contribute, sharing and exchanging with students and professors on the role of technology and design at Bolzano University, Italy.
I also have had the pleasure of connecting more to my roots in Scotland with sharing, exchanging, and working more there prior to the Covid-19 period. In February of 2020, I was invited to do a workshop by the Academy of Urbanism. I had been nominated as an Academician and helped co-organize a Futures workshop in the University of Dundee, with its stunning V&A museum and is a UNESCO Creative City. There are opportunities to work on more sessions with AoU on the feminist cities aspect, which I hope to engage further in soon.
V&A DUNDEE (Images Rozina Spinnoy)
I hope to continue to build on the relationships and work with the many I have encountered over the last years. Also, I’m hoping to continue to share and advise and further develop the corporate, business and NGO sectors on their business transformations and innovation processes, with a system and regenerative design focus.
The role and opportunities that we as designers and creatives, have to learn from the past in order to co-design our futures and to learn and enrich our very beings from the indigenous cultures around the world, is immense. I have an opportunity to use my voice, my creativity, my humanity, to continue to leverage my experience and network, to empower diverse women, girls and those that are vulnerable in our society and are often left behind, and continue to disperse some of my knowledge, while learning from others. There is so much work to do, so let’s start looking forward with hope, courage and co-creation with and for our next generation of aspiring Designers, Architects, Urbanists and Creatives.
What are you working on at the moment, and do you have any upcoming projects that you’re able to tell us about?
The projects I am currently working on have given me many reflective moments and brought certain moments and emotions of my past into future projects. Perhaps it’s middle age, who knows?
I’m working on designing programme of inclusive events for an initiative of ‘Empowering Women’ sessions. I started this collective of Empowering Women and Public Spaces during the Covid-19 period and launched it on International Women’s Day in March this year. This had a focus on awareness on designing safer public spaces across our communities. Yet whilst doing this, it was a focus on teaching women and girls self-defense.
I used to practice Karate and even competed at a professional level, regionally and nationally. I won gold and silver at the Scottish Karate Championships in the late ’90s. During this time I recall my thesis for my final year at university, being heavily influenced by Japanese culture and architecture. It was during this period I became rather obsessed with light and space and the works of Tadao Ando, whom I admire greatly.
TADAO ANDO – CHURCH OF LIGHT AND ARMANI TEATRO
I haven’t been in the Church of Light, yet I remember being in awe visiting the Armani Store for an event during the Milan Furniture store Ando designed.
For my thesis, I chose an old Church on the Southside of Glasgow and wanted to convert it into a multifunctional martial arts center for the young and old. I link this phase emotionally to an early influence of the play between light, shadow and architecture. Being a young girl and playing in the shadows of the brutalist architecture buildings of the synonymous Queen Elizabeth Square social housing apartments in the Gorbals in Glasgow. My Father had his business in this location during the 1970s.
I remember the concrete pillars and the long external corridors of these Le Corbusier-inspired buildings. I recently came into contact with the Irish community that knew my Father and were residents in these apartments before they were knocked down in the late ’90s. I got to know an Architect, Author and playwright who also said these light and shadows play of the structure paved his way into creativity subconsciously.
Back to the future, with this initiative of Empowering Women & Public, I connected with inspiring diverse women from Northern America, South East Asia and Europe to collaborate and create collective awareness and local actions in our respective areas. Knowing we could use public space and private space to practice. The debate knowing that ultimately women should not have to change or adapt their behaviors in public space, it’s our sons and men that require education on this. Yet we know that women for women do not design most of our cities and most women get harassed. I have been harassed and also physically when I studied abroad. Luckily, I was prepared and went into automatic self-defense mode and protected myself.
As well as the public spaces initiative, I’ve also started an Empowering Women and Climate Change initiative. I’m collaborating with a friend and colleague in the urbanism/architectural world based in Italy of City Space Architecture. We recently co-organized a session for the Innovate4Cities global conference, which was co-organized by the Global Covenant for Mayors for Climate Change and UN-Habitat. We dipped into our global network and had some incredible women attending from Brazil, India, Pakistan, Italy, Finland and Sweden.
EMPOWERING WOMEN & CLIMATE CHANGE / EMPOWERING WOMEN & PUBLIC SPACES TALKS (BIDs Belgium)
I’ve also recently finished a 3-year project collaboration with a European consortium for the JPI Urban Europe project of Placecity with Oslo and Vienna. We are hoping to continue this collaboration and have recently had a follow-up project session this month. In November, it was also COP 26, the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow. I had the pleasure to visit the public zone conferences and attend some side events, making new connections along the way. There is plenty on the horizon, including further public speaking engagements with The International Sports and Culture Association in Brussels and our BIDs partner, Scotland Towns Partnership.
Last, what are your passions outside of the design world?
Finding out what makes our people and planet ‘tick’ is a passion, with observing, listening, and feeling, with the good and not so good. Design is my passion and I don’t see the work I do, as work and I’m very lucky for that! My family outside of the design world is an instinctive passion. I have 3 incredible teenage sons for which I’m blessed and whom I’m very proud.
With keeping to the home environment, I absolutely adore gardening and it’s also a passion. Nature itself is the greatest design of all. I continue to take photos of the natural elements in my garden and relish them on a daily basis. The simple pleasure I get from planting a seed and to see this grow into the most stunning exotic flower or the flower into a vegetable is just so simple, yet immensely rewarding. I have also been dabbling in landscape gardening. I know I’m not alone in that, as the surge of people enjoying gardening and experimenting has grown over the pandemic period.
GARDEN & FAMILY
The idea to source and grow locally reminds us of the communities around the world that we must learn from. The many diverse and indigenous communities have lived sustainably, well before we even became so aware of the word and talk about in a global way are now. Yet we cannot design solutions unless we also redesign our global economies and acknowledge that climate justice is very much linked to social justice, equity, and racial justice, with the Global North/South divide. The activist in me only grows in middle age!
I often think I’d like to ‘design’ my own farm one day and continue to grow my own vegetables, watching the shadows and lights of the seasons change! The healing power from nature for our mental well-being is neuro-scientifically proven and it definitely benefits our busy lifestyles.
This also links to my middle son, who has mental health challenges, and my continued passion to drive and to create more awareness on mental health and the challenges associated there. Despite having more awareness on the topic over the years, we still have a long way to go in breaking taboos and designing accessible support systems at a local level. My list could go on as I have many passions, as I’m sure you have gathered!
Thank you for reading about my journey in the ‘diversity of design’ in my career. I hope sharing my story is of some value to students and those starting out their careers in design. Showing the value and power the creative brain and design has to make positive change across lives and create a positive impact for our beautiful planet.
It’s never too late to start your journey in the diversity of design!
This interview has been written by Rozina Spinnoy, Founder and director of the Belgium Design Council.
Rozina Spinnoy was born in Scotland and living in Brussels for the last 20 years. She holds a BSc(Hons) in Interior Design/Architecture from Glasgow Caledonian University and TEI Heraklion, Crete. She is the Founder & Director of Design2Style, Managing Director Belgium Design Council (SME), and NGO BIDs Belgium (New European Bauhaus community partner). Based in Brussels and working locally and internationally, Rozina is an experienced professional, with a career spanning nearly 25 years. Rozina is sharing with us her professional journey through art & design as well as her personal engagement towards children education and women.
Could you tell us a little about yourself and your professional journey?
I am from Glasgow, Scotland, with a South Asian heritage and I’ve been living in Brussels over the last 20 years. Working as a Design Strategist and Social Entrepreneur on purposeful projects that I’m passionate about, with my finger in a variety of pots.
My career has evolved continually around the various disciplines of design from the practice, the process to strategy over the last 25 years. I initially studied and graduated with a BSc (Hons) Interior Design/Architecture in Glasgow.
Growing up in Glasgow, it had a vibrant social scene and the friendly city certainly gave a core interest in creativity with Design, Culture, and Cities. I have fond memories of the City and growing up in this fashion and design-conscious cultural hub. The City has a rich heritage of Victorian and Art Nouveau Architecture. European Art Nouveau movements influenced Glasgow Architect, designer, and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh working alongside his wife Margaret MacDonald, with the stunning Glasgow Art School to the beautiful Hill House and House of an Art Lover. Sadly the Art School burned down twice in recent years and I hope this gets restored to its full glory once again…
House of an Art Lover, by Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chairs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh
The narrative of the industrial shipbuilding heritage of the city has also changed significantly, especially after the nomination as the European City of Cultural over 30 years ago, which I remember well. Brussels will be entering the nominations for 2030 and I hope the City wins this. This can create the same memories of a home city for my own children, as it did for me.
I studied Interior Architecture/Design, a carefully considered conscious decision as a mature student in my early 20’s. I went to Glasgow Caledonian University for 5 years to study a science-based honors bachelor’s. It gave an excellent grounding from the business, theory, and practice. The opportunity and experience to study Architecture in Greece at the Technological Educational Institute Iraklion, in Crete, was invaluable during this period. All thanks to the Erasmus exchange program!
My first experience of working was in my late teens, when I fell into working in the finance sector full time and Accountancy and Tax for three years and then Stockbroking. I didn’t know which direction to go for further education and decided to take some time out. I knew whatever I was to study, would eventually be connected to creative sectors in some way.
I’m the youngest of 7 children and have brothers that had an interest in all genres of music, society, and culture. I was lucky to have been exposed to this at an early age and went to many exhibitions and concerts. I remember going through the album and CD covers from Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Led Zepplin to Miles Davis. Being continually fascinated by all the Artwork and colorful illustrations.
My parents emigrated to Scotland in 1958; my Late Mother had attention to detail and in particular Asian materials, which was almost an obsession. . I used to go clothes shopping every weekend with her to the many exotic and intricately embroidered materials in the clothes stores in Glasgow Southside.
I went to the City of Lahore and also walked along the road to Amritsar at the border to India and other places in Pakistan in late 2019, it was a feast for the senses. To see the grand historic Islamic architecture steeped in history. The smells and sounds of the food, the hustle and bustle of the markets in the city to local craftsmanship of the wood carpenters in the villages, and the hospitality, have also impacted me greatly.
The City of Lahore is approximately the size of the country of Belgium in terms of population at just under 12 million people. Amritsar is more the population size of Brussels and Dehli incredibly nearly 19 million. The scale of the challenges, of such megacities as Lahore, Dehli, and many others, in terms of climate change and education in sustainability at ground level, is immense and quite overwhelming.
Leaving the ornate architecture within the touristic center, towards the roads filled with rivers of plastic really brought home the scale of the challenges the global South encounters.
I also visited the regional government in charge of urban development projects. It was also inspiring to see the sustainable projects and drive towards some of the co-designing of places for projects they were working on. There are many inspiring projects and initiatives from India, Pakistan and South Asia as a whole. Especially from the young dynamic entrepreneurs and change-makers. It would be good to hear and read more about these initiatives in the West.
Lahore – Historic Buildings (photos by Rozina Spinnoy)
Designing, co-designing, collaborating and researching on topics and projects that align with my own values is important to me. With a focus on designing inclusive environments and processes supporting that. Whilst looking at how we can evolve together in creating sustainable and healthy communities. Along the way using foresight and systems thinking approach, connecting the dots and working transversally.
Since starting my businesses over 10 years ago, I have aligned myself with working on designing projects around the topics of inclusion, urban design and place-making, gender equality, and women empowerment, with also advocating about more mental health awareness.
I’ve been very lucky with having a varied career path from working in finance, corporate hospitality from the late ’90s in marketing, brand, and design roles, to starting my own SME and NGO over this last decade.
Not long after graduating, I fell into corporate hospitality. A leading Boutique hotel UK-based brand, Malmaison Hotels, working within its headquarters in Glasgow. The brand was the vision of the Glasgow hotelier Ken McCulloch, who had an eye for detail.
Designed by his wife, acclaimed Scottish Interior Designer, Amanda Rosa. The strong focus is on converting architectural heritage buildings of interest with that brand. I looked to the hospitality industry and trends of design from some of the interiors of the on-trend bar, nightclub, and restaurant designs of entrepreneurs such as Colin Barr. I admired the works of Graven Images and know the Designer, Jim Hamilton. The Head of Design at the then College of Building and Printing that I attended before I went on to University, had also taught Jim prior to me. Jim and Graven were then to come back in my professional life at a later stage, in the hospitality industry. I still stay in touch with him from afar after all of these years.
I transferred with my work and moved to Brussels, after the acquisition of Malmaison Hotels. Working in a variety of roles from regional PR and marketing, to covering the EMEA region with brands and concept development and hotel design, working for the multi-brand hotel operator Carlson Rezidor. It was an excellent experience in the global world of hospitality design that also seemed friendly and intimate, with the then family-like atmosphere that the previous CEO encouraged.
Malmaison Hotel Glasgow (Former Greek Church)
Further exposure to the global design world really took off with attending the Salon del Mobile in Milan regularly. Along with attending the various furniture fairs from Paris to London and beyond. I connected to many wonderful designers and had a few star-struck moments. Meeting Karim Rashid, whilst he was a DJ at a Boutique hospitality fair in London and also in Dubai, or seeing Philippe Starck from afar. I listened intently to the ‘king’ of hospitality, Ian Schrager at a design conference I attended in London. Sharing his story from the iconic Studio 54 and his collaboration with Starck for the Royalton in New York, which I recall visiting in New York in the mid-1990s.
There were many big-name designers that were collaborating and diversifying with other sectors and brands. The hospitality sector was no exception, such as the collaboration with the Italian fashion house Missoni. Missoni Hotels had opened in Edinburgh then Kuwait, under the iconic eye of Creative Director Rosita Missoni and Italian Designer Matteo Thun. The longevity of the hotel side of the fashion brand was not there, unfortunately. Yet exciting times at the point of my leaving work in the corporate hospitality sector.
I had taken a career sabbatical for one year after my 3rd child was born and eventually took the leap to leave the corporate world. I also choose to spend more time raising a young family and getting to know my ‘local’ market by starting my own business Design2Style.
Missoni Hotel – Graven Images
I left this phase of my corporate life after several years pretty exhausted, to then eventually start out on my own. This was the start of taking a different direction and also diversifying. My career moved in a variety of disciplines of design, gradually understanding the business of design as an entrepreneur. Delving deeper not only in the aesthetics, form and function aspects, yet also the processes of design.
Axel Vervoordt (image from www.axel-vervoordt.com)
As a designer and entrepreneur, I educated myself further with the Belgian design scene at that stage of leaving corporate life. Knowing the history of Antwerp as the fashion capital steeped in the reputation of the Antwerp Six. Appreciating the understated minimalist elegance of world-renowned Axel Vervoodt, with a slight enigmatic mystery. Working in the international environment hadn’t always given rise to the opportunities to explore and delve deeper into three Regional differences of the design organizations, yet the opportunity arose at this point for me.
I’ve always immersed myself in books as many do and in 2010, just I was leaving the corporate world I bought the ‘Design in Belgium’ book. It had given a comprehensive rundown of the design retail, to hotels and museums to see. Still linking to hospitality, I was a keen admirer of designers such as Michel Penneman. With his innate individual style, he brought to the boutique hotel scene of Brussels, such as the Vintage Hotel. I recall fondly the Summer opening of the Pantone Hotel, launched by the brand itself. This hotel was designed by Penneman and I felt the nostalgia and parallels of years gone by in Glasgow. The possibilities to be in purposefully ‘designed’ places encouraged the new boutique-style concept and Brussels vibe.
Design in Belgium Book – Pantone Hotel by Michel Penneman – Vernon Pantone Visiting the Interior Kortrijk in 1974 – Pantone Hotel by Michel Penneman
Having worked in a global corporate environment, I used to fear my professional world and network could not extend when starting out on my own. I couldn’t have been more wrong in that. I have grown spiritually, personally and my network has grown exponentially, in ways I would never have imagined initially. I’d say that’s thanks to many experiences, the love of networking, and listening to people and their stories. I also attribute this to the core design education of the arts and sciences based education all those years ago. I have had the freedom to ‘explore’ other fields of design and sectors whilst mixing the business and brands. Developing and pushing my own boundaries and going out of my ‘comfort’ zones’ has given me much confidence, critical thought, and reflection. I feel very privileged for that.
Alain Gilles for Fratelli Rossetti – Diane Steverlynck
When did your “entrepreneur “life in Design start?
I’ve always been around entrepreneurs growing up. My parents came from South Asia and came to Scotland in 1958 and my late Father was an entrepreneur right from the start. Therefore, it was only natural and it was in my DNA to be an entrepreneur in some ways.
When I started out as an entrepreneur officially in 2010, it felt like the ultimate freedom. Executing my dreams of starting my own business and designing all aspects from a blank canvas. Having the ability to be a ‘problem solver’ for others. To enhance and improve all environments no matter the client. To create a positive impact with good design and showcase how it can change and be an added value in so many ways, was imperative for me. No matter how small or big a project.
Going back the basics of the Design Education I mentioned earlier played an important role. From the concept development to learning how to budget with the basics of mathematics and understanding why the fire regulations mattered. At that time, it also included the digital dimension with learning the CAD – computer-aided design. I do recall initially going to see clients with my huge portfolio case, which I’m sure I still have in the cellar somewhere! This of course gradually reduced in size from A1 to A3, to then to eventually transferring my portfolio of work to an iPad. What a difference that digital transformation made to life of a Designer!
Starting out with Design2Style, as a small business, which was an easy transition. It was ideal with also having a young family of 3 children, having the balance of working from home. My experience over the previous years helped within the different aspects of developing a business and brand. The professionalism and service aspect to clients was incredibly important from the start. Developing the brand, social media, business development, marketing, and client base was important. Every experience from finance to design is important. The ‘global’ mindset and most importantly how relationships and networks matter. Having the ‘anything is possible’ mindset with being flexible, adapting to new situations and ultimately having the all-important ’empathy’ and listening ear with clients. At times I also felt like a therapist, as there are definitely the elements of that psychology in design, in more ways than one.
Over the last years, my business and I evolved. I moved from the design of interiors to the strategy of design and what that means. What would it mean to ‘co-design communities and educate the value of design as a strategy? Around 2016/17 I started Belgium Design Council and soon after launched my NGO, BIDs Belgium.
You have founded and co-founded several initiatives, including inclusive education programs; can you share with us your engagement towards children education and women?
My children and their creativity inspired my engagements towards education and in particular inclusive education. Observing over the years the inherent creativity that young children possess in primary school. To then how in secondary school the pressure of exams, tests and pressure at young age detracts from that creativity. This instigated a number of connections within childhood education. From the Lego Foundation’s Play Futures community, which I had the pleasure to be invited to join close to the start and connect to the global community. Also closer to home here in Brussels, an initiative of a local Foundation, which would hold several meetings at the European Parliament, where the intimate group would listen to experts linking creativity and education over recent years.
In 2017, I co-designed an inclusive Education programme, inspired by my middle son who has an intellectual disability and a variety of challenges including mental health. It’s called Analogue to Digital and it’s a programme of workshops linking social impact and STEAM. The term STEAM originated from Rhode Island School of Design, bringing Arts into the Science, Technology and Manufacturing education.
It has a variety of programmes for Teach the Teacher, ‘Espace Kalm’ that plays on mixing French/Dutch words for Space and calm. Equating to Calm Space and the need for this in our busy lives and countering the technology influence in our lifestyles, with the basic of hands-on creativity.
Analogue to digital by BIDs Belgium (Images of Rozina Spinnoy)
The Analogue to Digital workshops are incredibly rewarding. The pilot was with two amazing schools that in 2017 included a Dutch-speaking school in my own district. Eventually, they went for EU funding to open a STEAM lab and confirmed that our workshops validated the direction they wished to take. Encouraging an experimental, critical thinking approach and future-proofing the youth with exposing them to 3D printing and digital aspects, as well creativity such as clay-making.
There has been mentoring of youth in Slovenia with a lab for a European project, local workshops for kids from a variety of backgrounds and countries for a summer school on encouraging kids to design a local pedestrianized street. Analogue to Digital has its own separate site yet comes under the BIDs Belgium NGO.
My involvement over the years in women’s issues has become stronger as the years go on. Being a woman of color, breaking cultural and religious norms, feeling very grateful for having a voice, an education and a healthy family.
I’m striving to continually better myself through opportunities that I make and that are enabled through the environment and experiences around me. Having had influences of strong women around me, from my 2 elder sisters to admiring female Architects and Designers. I greatly admired the late Zaha Hadid. I recall going to see her talk in Glasgow during my university years at the Glasgow Film Theatre and being mesmerized by her presence and ability to have made in a predominantly male-dominated industry, whilst being a woman from another origin.
Zaha Hadid Riverside Museum Glasgow
Her futuristic architecture with simple curves and organic shapes showed me she had no fear and just went on to define her iconic style of architecture. I was so upset when she passed. I’m still waiting for such a diverse female ‘starchitect’ to emerge and be acknowledged in the way she was in the architecture and design world.
As a Mother myself, appreciating the journey of my Late Mother, also had a profound impact on me. Yet she had this sense of beauty with her personal belongings, from the jewelry and to clothing. Being fashion-forward with her material collection and keeping up with the trends. Her and my Father’s profound sense of giving back to family and the extended community with their hospitality, I’m sure had a subconscious influence on me growing up.
These and other experiences, observations and facts, I take with a kind of humility from being Scottish with the South Asian origins. Overcoming social stigmas, cultural and religious norms and expectations, having the mix of East meets West made me truly appreciate my journey of life and route that has the richness of the design and cultures with the Asian, UK and European continental mix.
I’m part of a collective of amazing women from an inspiring initiative of Women 100/ W100. We have a mission of breaking down the silos and of women building bridges across the Brussels Region. We co-designed and realized our first event in 2019 after a year of regular meetings. Bringing together 100 diverse women who were active during Covid-19. It was a truly humbling experience.
W100 Photography Exhibition
This interview has been written by Rozina Spinnoy, Founder and director of the Belgium Design Council.
Unlike home furniture, hospitality furniture is known for its ability to withstand wear and tear from continuous use over long periods of time. To meet commercial-grade standards, it must first pass stability, durability, and weight testing.
Hospitality furniture is also made to be easily maintained and to last a long time. Many major hospitality brands will require hotel owners to upgrade their hotel furniture every 8-10 years. These four companies are worth noting for their exemplary interior design strategies for the hospitality-built environment. The following are the winners in the past SIT Furniture Design Award for 2020.
The primary design requirement was to create a hotel with a local flavor, handcrafted and custom-designed, with distinct spaces that represent Barcelona’s lifestyle and architecture, an artsy neighborhood with a young soul and an old body. As a result, various and distinct spaces within the Hotel invite both guests and locals to stay, enjoy, meet, and interact. They all reflect the local way of life, with a chic and joyful atmosphere that is both unforcedly elegant and genuine.
The design incorporates beautifully crafted elements, local brands and art, colorful ceramic patterns, and reinterpreted historical references, all while incorporating a contemporary spontaneous design approach that gives Vividora Hotel a distinct, energetic personality.
The majority of the furniture elements and finishes are from local brands, giving the design a local flair while also supporting the local economy. Last but not least, we were able to avoid long transports while also contributing to the conservation of our planet.
Prize: Winner in Hotel Design
Company/Firm: EL EQUIPO CREATIVO
Designer: EL EQUIPO CREATIVO
Lead Designer(Other): Kimpton + IHG Design Teams
The restaurant is inspired by the client’s professional and personal environment. The client is a supplier of a well-known tequila brand that also has a personal connection to Mexico. When you first walk into the restaurant, it appears to be a little more private and cozier, but as you walk down the street, the room opens up towards the outside space and the kitchen. We used a pedestal and wooden arches to create different atmospheres within the room. The southwest-facing patio is separated from the streetscape by an untreated sheet pile wall.
The bar counters frame a large red skull, the restaurant’s signature eyecatcher. The orbital cavities of the skull are filled with bottle racks, resulting in a spectacularly illuminated scene. The teeth are represented by lighted wine glasses on the back counter. The bar counters vary in height, resulting in a flexible counter landscape with varying levels of quality of stay.
Prize: Winner in Restaurant Design
Company/Firm: Mark Studios
Designer: MARK Studios team
Lead Designer (Other): Carpenter: Teissl & Mark
Other Credit: Furniture & Interior: MARK Einrichten
The design concept is based on the Chinese Creation Myth, which shows the creation of Heaven and Earth by the god Pangu. The restaurant showcases the concept of family roots and values passed down to future generations through story-telling.
Through reinterpreting the concept of story-telling in a modern progressive way, lead interior designer Aedas aimed to create a hidden world for guests to explore within this historical landmark.
Prize: Winner in Restaurant Design
Company/Firm: Aedas Interiors Pte Ltd
Designer: Aedas Interiors Pte Ltd
Lead Designer(Other): Simon Thompson, Ji An, Teresa Evangelista
The Capsule Hotel and Bookstore in Village Qinglongwu is situated in the deep forests of Tonglu, Zhejiang province. It was an old house with a wood structure and mud walls, with a floor area of 232 square meters and a height of 7.2 meters. Atelier Tao+C redesigned and revitalized this historic structure by incorporating a capsule hotel with a capacity of 20 people, a community bookstore, and a library.
To keep the building’s original simplicity, the architects used restrained openings on the exterior wall. The original floors and partition walls were removed, allowing the ground floor to be used as a library and two independent “floating” structures above the open spaces to be used separately for male and female guests. Each of the male and female “buildings” has ten capsule rooms and a bathroom. The modular capsule rooms are hidden and surrounded by bookshelves, giving the accommodation area more privacy.
Prize: Winner in Hotel Design
Company/Firm: Atelier Tao+C
Designer: Atelier Tao+C
Location: Qinglongwu
Your sofa is the most used and, hopefully, most loved piece of furniture in your home. And, as any interior designer will tell you if you want to quickly update your living room, a new and stylish sofa can completely transform the space. In this sense, a well-designed sofa provides numerous options for free and flexible configurations. Different components allow for the composition to be changed over time, actively inviting users to unwind and rearrange them. There are some sofa designs that can provide a sense of openness that inspires and sparks creativity.
The following designs have won the prestigious SIT Furniture Design Awards.
The Pebble Bench is an unforgettable work of art inspired by nature’s finest curves and is designed to provide maximum comfort while reconnecting people with nature in indoor spaces. Pebble Bench is made of eco-friendly materials like recycled plastic, steel, and aluminum. There are no two Pebble Benches that are the same; the possibilities are endless. Each Pebble Bench is handcrafted with distinct color patterns and shapes derived from natural pebbles. By adding more “pebbles,” users can customize their benches.
Prize: Winner in Bench
Designer: Will(Penglin) Jiang
School: Syracuse University
Karim Rashid’s design language of fluid organic forms is exemplified by the Chelsea collection. More than just an aesthetic choice, Karim’s removal of hard surfaces and sharp edges creates visual and tactile comfort as well as an arresting sense of calm, qualities the designer believes are essential in the compact-living settings that inspired Chelsea.
The Chelsea sofa and chair are made with cold-cure foam over a steel frame and high-quality springs, resulting in precise 360-modeling, zero foam sagging, and exceptional comfort. The lightweight design floats on a black wooden plinth, creating the illusion of levitation. The collection includes a sofa, chair, coffee table, pendant light, and floor lamp. Karim utilizes a design ethos he refers to as ‘Sensual Minimalism,’ which is very simple, reductive, and minimal. But not in the way we think of minimalism: hard-edged forms, a square, a cylinder. Chelsea is concerned with the human body.
Prize: Winner in couch & sofa
Company/Firm: Karim Rashid Inc.
Designer: Karim Rashid
Other Credit: BoConcept, Denmark
The design firm Wid Chapman Architects created the sofa as part of a 3,000-square-foot Manhattan apartment renovation. WCA created a sculptural division between the two rooms because the client did not want a conventional wall separating the Primary Bedroom from the Living Room. To enter the Primary Bedroom, one “navigates” around this geometric, Venetian-plastered form. Simultaneously, the form creates a cocooning shape in both plan and section in the Living Room, which houses the 17′ long custom sofa.
The sofa is conceived to have an integrated chaise component on the right end. At the other end there is a smaller, protruding seating element that allows for social interaction both facing the sofa and facing the adjacent window seats- which in turn have breathtaking views over Central Park.
Prize: Winner in couch & sofa
Company/Firm: Wid Chapman Architects
Designer: Wid Chapman Architects
Other Credit: Fabrication Dune-NYC
Furniture is regarded as the focal point of any establishment, such as a home, office, or commercial space. Furniture, in a broad sense, refers to movable objects that support various human activities, such as holding objects at a convenient height and storing items. In a modern workplace setting, furniture plays an important role in the ambiance of the workplace, providing a safe and relaxing atmosphere as well as a comfortable feeling to all office occupants.
The significance of office furniture extends beyond mere comfort. The role of furniture in worker productivity and workplace efficiency is more extensive than we might think. The following designers have designed the perfect home office furniture and bagged the SIT Furniture Awards for 2020.
The desire to have a home office integrated into the living room, avoiding the annoyance of an untidy desk and the constant reminder of work to be done, inspired this furniture. The design brief specifies a high-end home office that is both comfortable and functional while working and easily stored afterward. The product can be produced in series and does not take up a lot of space.
Both working and living conditions are improved by the use of technology. It functions as a fully functional office desk in your living room during the day. When the workday is finished, the office can easily be converted into a nice sideboard, restoring the homey atmosphere.
To use, manually open the sideboard’s middle door. After lifting the lower panel, the other plates fit into a small groove on each side of the door. When the door is open, it quickly locks. A magnet on the two front panels holds the small lid in place. By pressing the up/down button, two electrical actuators are activated either using the button or the application available. Adjust the height of the table to your preferred sitting and working position.
SecretAir – The discrete home office sideboard
Prize: Innovation of the Year
Company/Firm & Designer: Myny
Lead Designer(Other): Woodwork tips & tricks: Philipp von Hase, Fredrik Bostad: render setup
Other Credits: Strength calculation: Magnus Rogne Myklebost
Resilience, privacy, and wellness are all important factors in achieving a sense of well-being in your personal space. Because of the collaboration with Benchmark and the use of sustainable, non-toxic materials and finishes, Rockwell Group’s collection is optimized for the workplace but would also look great in a hospitality or residential setting. Using biophilic design as a starting point, the collection includes adaptable pieces, many of which transform to accommodate multiple functions with the touch of a button or the toss of a pillow.
These soft, supple, and supportive seating and tables have natural wood finishes and upholstery materials sourced from sustainable sources. The pieces are made of ash and sycamore wood, with blackened finished copper accent detailing and natural upholstery layers of coconut fiber, natural latex, recycled shredded denim, and lamb’s wool.
Inspired by the classic drafting desk, the Sit-Stand Workbench and Desk offers a modern solution for flexible work surfaces.
Sage by David Rockwell for Benchmark
Prize: Winner in Others home office
Company/Firm: Rockwell Group
Designer: David Rockwell
Lead Designer(Other): Barry Richards and Shunyi Wu
Albasa is a versatile desk and shelving system with unique features that allow users to work from home professionally and confidently.
A retractable backdrop blind and ring lamp ensure that users appear professional during video calls. The desk can be converted into space-saving shelving when not in use. The blind is held up my arms and fits snugly into the frame. To provide a clean backdrop for video calls, it can be rotated out and dragged down behind the user. To make the backdrop stand out, logos or graphics can be printed on it.
The built-in ring lamp gives the user’s face a flattering glow, ensuring that they always look their best on camera. You can adjust the height of your screens and cameras with modular shelves. These features allow users to maintain a professional demeanor no matter what their surroundings are.
Albasa is capable of transforming into a set of shelves. With a single motion, the frame slides up on rails and locks into place. Albasa occupies one-third of the floor space in this position while remaining functional. While the shelves and mirror can be used as a vanity, and the screen can be pulled down to hide clutter, it can also be used as a projector screen or lamp.
Prize: Honorable Mention
Company/Firm: Albasa Design.
Designer: Lachlan Fahy
Location: Japan