April 2015

Milan 2015: Scent and Psyche. The Garden Of Wonders - A Journey Through Scent

Located in the beautiful Orto Botanico in the Brera district of Milan, we were invited to interpret an old Czech perfume, Waldes Et Spol, as part of BE OPEN’s ‘ The Garden Of Wonders. A Journey Through Scent ’.

Titled Scent and Psyche our installation, along with those of 7 other designers, each exploring a different perfume brand, previewed during the Milan Furniture Fair and continues to 24th May for the EXPO 2015.

My interpretation of Waldes Et Spol is linked to the Bohemian roots of the brand going back to the early 1900's. A contemporary interpretation of this origin, this is an opportunity to reinvent the brand with the launch of a concept for a new scent product where scent is a dynamic, living system - TB

BE OPEN is an international foundation which operates in the field of design and creativity.

Visit the installation from 13 April to 24 May at Orto Botanico di Brera, Via Fratelli Gabba 10/ Via Brera 28, Milan.

March 2015

Doll Chairs, a collaboration with Alexander McQueen, on show in London

To celebrate the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A Museum, we are showing the Doll Chairs from 2005 in the window of Themes and Variations in Notting Hill.

December 2014

Originals at Sotheby’s London

From 6th until 18th January 2015, Sotheby’s London will stage Originals, an unprecedented selling exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed designer Tord Boontje and sculptor Emma Woffenden in its New Bond Street Galleries.

Curated by Janice Blackburn, Britain’s most influential curator and promoter in the field of contemporary arts and crafts, Originals will showcase the Tord’s most celebrated pieces of furniture, lighting, jewellery and textiles, alongside sculptures and drawings by Emma.

On view at Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1A 2AA.

See images of the show here

October 2014

Latest commission at Barts Hospital

We recently completed our latest commission for Vital Arts in the new wing of St Bartholomew’s Hospital

We needed to create a permanent treatment of the windows that would provide privacy and at the same time a level of transparency to still enjoy a view from the inside.

The pattern is a mix of 24 different herbs and plants with medicinal qualities: from Arnica to Rosemary and Dandelion to Lavender.

I set out to create a pattern for the windows that would make you feel good about being in the rooms. The herbs add a botanical, floral and healing quality to the space.

See more on the project here

September 2014

Shoreditch Design Triangle video

We’ve had a great week as part of Shoreditch Design Triangle during this year’s London Design Festival. Thank you to everyone who came by! Here’s a video on a few of our neighbours that also features moments in our shop.

Our Enchanted Forest collection will be on show here until 15 October.

September 2014

Bouquet light for Habitat

Tord designed the iconic Garland light that first appeared in Habitat in 2003. The design was an instant hit selling out within days, with Habitat Tottenham Court Road reporting a waiting list of 400 customers.

My aim for Bouquet was to create a successor to the Garland - a delicate, floral light arrangement that was affordable and had a contemporary romantic look. Whilst I was considering this I was visiting my mother’s home in Sweden admiring the flowers in the garden and flower arrangements in vases inside.

Then I thought it could be great to create a light that works in a similar way – a light which allowed you to arrange a variety of individual floral elements around a bulb instead of a vase.

I collected a variety of leaves and flowers from this garden that I took back to London pressed in a book which were then scanned and became the basis for the new design. The starting shapes were modified, scaled and added to in the drawing process, always keeping in mind the way in which the leaves needed to shade the light bulb and the transparency of the perforations.

The material we chose for this design is a matt white flexible sheet plastic. It was chosen because of its durability, beautiful translucency and heat resistant qualities. This also allowed us to use a computer controlled plotter cutter – a device with a small knife blade that cuts exactly the digital drawing out of the plastic sheet material. The freedom that this new form of digital production allows makes it possible to have so much fine detail and variation. You’ll find 20 separate leaves and flower elements in Bouquet - each has a small hook on the top, which you simply fix around the light cable so it’s also very easy to install, just like arranging flowers in a vase.

Launching during London Design Festival as part of Habitat’s Design Reunion, a collection to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary, Bouquet will be available from 13th September.

Visit the Design Reunion exhibition at Habitat’s Platform gallery in their King’s Road store.

Bouquet will also be available to see and buy from our Shoreditch shop.

September 2014

Presenting Enchanted Forest during London Design Festival

Aptly enough, it was a chance meeting in a garden that began Porta Romana’s collaboration with Tord Boontje.

His exquisite interpretations of natural motifs; creeping ivy, fluid branches and textured bark provided the perfect centrepieces for the Enchanted Forest collection.

Tord remarks that the forest concept is a ‘familiar landscape’ to us all, somewhere we can connect with and a place to let our imaginations run wild. So fallen trees and sunlight now become a pair of side tables – a meeting place for woodland creatures perhaps. Sprawling ivy is tamed and twisted around a framework, projecting enchanting shadows of leaves and tendrils on to the nearest surface. And chairs that appear to be growing straight from tree roots delicately appear on the forest floor – whimsically beautiful.

There is a sense of romanticism and pure magic to Tord’s designs. Combine this with Porta Romana’s family of skilled artisan craftspeople and the result is something really quite special.

Welcome to the Enchanted Forest.

Watch the movie about the collection here and start the enchanted journey here.

Porta Romana is a British furniture and lighting company that collaborate with highly skilled sculptors and artists to produce timeless and unique pieces destined for the world's most beautiful interiors.

Our pieces are being presented during the London Design Festival both at our studio and at Porta Romana’s showroom for FOCUS/14 at the Design Centre, Chelsea.

The London Design Festival runs from 13-21 September with events taking place throughout the city.

August 2014

Tord talks during London Design Festival

London Design Festival takes place next month. Here are some dates for your diary.

Global Design Forum
Collecting Design: The Evolution of Collector and Maker

In recent years, design has grown the ranks of collectability alongside art, antiques, jewellery and fine wines. This upsurge has spawned a new generation of designers who are creating unique, limited-edition pieces for discerning collectors. How do institutions and commercial galleries assess and define the collectibles of the future? And what are today’s most effective outlets for such niche, high-end offerings to reach the buyer?

Chaired by Gareth Williams, curator, writer and lecturer, with speakers Jana Scholze, Curator of Contemporary Furniture at the V&A, Eleonore Halluitte-Andrews, Mallett, and designer Tord Boontje.

When: Tuesday 16 September 12.00pm to 1.30pm
Where: Mallett, Ely House, 37 Dover Street, W1S 4NJ

Global Design Forum is produced and delivered by the London Design Festival.

Tickets £20. Details here

Design Reunion
Habitat

Curated by Polly Dickens, Creative Director of Habitat, Design Reunion showcases work from six of London’s most respected names in design including Tord Boontje, Clare Norcross, Simon Pengelly, Sarah Campbell, Aaron Probyn and Shin Azumi in a multi-sensory exhibit to celebrate 50 years of Habitat.

Habitat will also host a public Design Reunion panel discussion chaired by David Nicholls, Design Editor of The Telegraph Magazine, and featuring Tord Boontje, Claire Norcross, Sarah Campbell, Aaron Probyn and Polly Dickens, which will explore the theme of ‘inspirations’.

When: Friday 19 September from 3pm
Where: Platform Gallery, Habitat, 208 King’s Road, SW3 5XP

Free event. Details here

More on what we’re doing during LDF in the next couple of weeks…

July 2014

GATHERING: From Domestic Craft to Contemporary Process at the Design Museum Holon

Curated by Li Edelkoort 'GATHERING: From Domestic Craft to Contemporary Process' brings together contemporary design themes that reflect traditional domestic crafts in an attempt to remain connected to authenticity: pleating, draping, layering, ribboning, smocking, wrapping, folding, needleworking, felting, knitting, quilting and baking.

Disdain for a boring global market coupled with a fear of the virtualisation of society has inspired designers to create work that is linked to the humanisation of the making process and the contextualisation of a more responsible lifestyle. Craft has therefore become one of the major movements of our time and can be understood as the repetition of skills that belong to our common past, exuding a sense of belonging and continuity.

Works will be presented by more than 70 contemporary designers from around the world including Anton Alvarez, Dror Benshetrit, Tord Boontje, Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec, Kiki van Eijk, Frederik Färg, Richard Hutton, Arik Levy, Bertjan Pot, Inga Sempé, Fredrikson Stallard, Patricia Urquiola and Tokujin Yoshioka.

The exhibition is on now at Design Museum Holon until 25 October 2014.

See more on the exhibition here and buy the accompanying exhibition catalogue here.

May 2014

'useful + beautiful: contemporary design for the home’ at the Geffrye Museum

If you’re in East London in the next few months, be sure to head to the Geffrye Museum to see ‘useful + beautiful: contemporary design for the home’, an exhibition celebrating innovative domestic design.

Including our 100 Years textile, Magnetic Fields table and O-Nest chairs – not to be missed in the beautiful gardens - this special exhibition showcases a selection of cutting edge design for the home by both well-established industry figures and emerging talent. A broad range of domestic products, from furniture to wallpaper and textiles, lighting to technology, is on show, spilling out into the museum’s gardens with a display of innovative garden furniture design. As well as highlighting local design from Hackney and London, the show looks further afield and includes work by leading national and international designers.

The Geffrye focuses on the urban living rooms and gardens of the English middle classes. Their collections show how homes have been used and furnished over the past 400 years, reflecting changes in society and behaviour as well as style, fashion and taste.

The museum is a much-loved gem in the lively and creative Hoxton area - historically a centre for furniture-making and market gardening. Set in 18th-century almshouses and surrounded by gardens, it is often described as an oasis in the heart of the city.

'useful + beautiful: contemporary design for the home’ is on until 25th August 2014.