At Salon Art + Design in 2018, Galerie kreo presented a piece that quietly shimmered from its corner: Alessandro Mendini’s Poltrona White Gold. Unlike some of the louder, more colorful Mendini works, this chair relied on subtlety — and sparkle — to draw viewers in.
Covered entirely in tiny reflective mosaic tiles, the chair appears almost liquid in its surface treatment. The white-gold finish catches light gently rather than dramatically, giving the piece a soft glow that shifts as you move around it. From a distance, it reads as a single luminous form; up close, the meticulous craftsmanship of the miniature tiles becomes apparent. Continue reading Eye On Design: Poltrona White Gold By Alessandro Mendini→
There is no doubt that the best Pink Things surprise me when I’m just going about my day. On the final day of February, I noticed that the bus shelter on the corner of Avenue A and 14th Street had undergone a rather fabulous transformation. What is normally a standard-issue city bus stop had been temporarily turned into a bright pink boutique-style waiting area as part of an ad campaign for Jelly Job lip gloss. Continue reading Pink Thing of the Day: A Jelly Pink Bus Stop on Avenue A→
Transparent furniture has always walked the line between novelty and design icon, and the Mina Acrylic Ball Swivel Chair leans confidently into the latter.
With its transparent spherical seat and gleaming metal base, the chair feels like a playful nod to the futuristic optimism of mid-century design. The structure is built around a clear acrylic orb, creating a light, almost floating presence in the room. Because the material is transparent, the chair doesn’t visually weigh down a space the way a fully upholstered lounge chair might. Instead, it acts almost like a design accent — adding shape and personality while allowing the rest of the room to shine through. Continue reading Eye On Design: Mina Acrylic Ball Swivel Chair with Lambskin Cushion→
The frame of André Dubreuil’s Spine Chair (1986) is constructed from five steel rods, each shaped by hand in a vice or jig and joined with visible welds. Lengths of flattened iron tubing — purchased flat and then formed in the workshop — are openly attached to the frame, with the marks of manufacture intentionally displayed rather than concealed. This emphasis on process reflects Dubreuil’s rejection of modernist ideals of seamless perfection in favor of material honesty and expressive construction. Continue reading Eye On Design: Spine Chair By Andre Dubreuil→
Different designer’s experiments with new materials have marked important, turning points in the history of design. Gaetano Pesce never stopped experimenting with them – in particular with residence. As one could infer fro its name, 1984’s Pratt Chair (3) is one of nine he produced as part of a project for the Pratt Institute, are renowned art, and design school in New York. Continue reading Eye On Design: Gaetano Pesce Pratt Chair (3)→
