Dutch designer Maarten Baas deals in the unexpected. “Beauty and ugliness is something that I find interesting,” Baas explains. “I have the feeling that our sense for beauty isn’t so pure anymore. I sometimes try to shake up the way we see things, to kind of ‘reset’ it.” His famous series “Hey, chair, be a bookshelf!” repurposes items from second-hand stores into seemingly precarious arrangements, …
Spanish designer JM Ferrero recently sat down during ICFF to discuss his singular vision in the areas of lighting, furniture, interior design and textiles. With a miniature version of his first lamp pinned to his sweater, I quickly learned that Ferrero (who’s helmed his own studio since 2003) might be serious about his work but he always adds a touch of underlying humor. His thoughtful …
Woodworker Palo Samko‘s impressive showing at ICFF has created a high level of buzz, and rightly so. Working out of his Brooklyn Navy Yard studio, Samko has been hand-crafting furniture and other housewares for years, lately turning out a whole new array of clocks, lamps and mirrors. By integrating metal with wood in several of his creations, Samko brings an intriguing element to woodworking and …
