Michael Zimber ist passionierter Sportkletterer sowie Gründer und Konzeptdesigner von Stone Forest, einer Firma aus Santa Fe (New Mexico, USA). Gemeinsam mit Michael Cahill, einem ausgebildeten Waldressourcenmanager, verarbeitet er seit gut 15 Jahren natürliche Materialien von Kupfer über Bambus bis hin zu Naturstein und kreiiert oftmals preisgekrönte Objekte für Küche und Bad. Für den monatlichen Designer's Talk haben wir Fragen zum Veneto Pedestal gestellt, einem eleganten und minimalistischen Standwaschbecken aus Naturstein, welches vor allem in hinterleuchtetem Onyx eine überwältigende Wirkung entfaltet:

Erneste Appell | What was the main idea of the Veneto Pedestal collection? What is special about it? Or to put it this way: Why should a consumer decide to buy that sink and not one of the million others?

Stone Forest | Our Veneto Pedestal is inspired by classic Italian design. We wanted to create a striking yet elegant barrel-shaped vessel. There are a lot of pedestals on the market, but none quite like ours. In addition to the design being a departure from the majority of pedestals out there, Veneto is carved from single blocks of solid multi-color onyx.  It’s really a one-of-a-kind sculpture that includes a cavity in the back to accommodate a light source that enhances the luminosity of the architectural form.

EA  | Where do you get your inspiration for designing? Are different cultural background than your own an often used source of that inspiration? Art? Architecture? Nature?

SF | We draw inspiration for our designs from a variety of sources, including nature, classic Italian and other European design, modern architecture and forms, Asian influences and more. Many of our pieces have a minimal design aesthetic. We’re not trying to be “Zen” or “contemporary”; the clean lines are simply adaptable to a variety of decorating schemes and let the stone’s natural beauty shine through. More than anything, though, we have to draw inspiration from each and every piece of stone that we use.  We start with a basic form in mind, but often have to adapt to best meet the unique aesthetic and structural qualities of the stone.

EA | Designing in between fulfilling functionality and free, artistic form-finding, where do you see your work? Which one comes before the other, how do they come together?

SF | Our design philosophy lands right about in the middle of functionality and art. There’s no doubt we want to create one-of-a-kind  pieces that are artistically beautiful in their own right. That’s what we’re known for and why many people come to us.  But to be competitive in the marketplace we also have to place an equal amount of importance, may be even more, on making sure our products perform with the best of the best on the market.  Let’s face it, a beautiful stone sink or tub quickly loses its appeal if it leaks. Art and functionality have to go hand-in-hand, and we enjoy the challenge of making products that serve both purposes.

EA | What was special/difficulty in the process of creating this collection? Are there any technical difficulties you had to master for mass production and how did you do it?

SF | The Veneto Pedestal’s descending taper design was carefully thought out. You have to remember that we’re working with solid stone. So in creating these pieces we have to make sure that the taper is enough to create a striking visual effect, but not so much that it makes the piece top-heavy. We feel that we have accomplished a well-balanced and striking design. As mentioned before, we also have to work with the unique aesthetic and other qualities of each piece of stone. The key is to make sure we are capturing the full extent of the stone’s beauty in each piece. In terms of “mass production,” our pedestals and other solid stone products are created one piece at a time.

Heute im Desinger-Talk: Nancy Yusko, leitende Industriedesignerin für dekorative Produkte und Farben bei Kohler. Sie beantwortet unseren Design-Fragebogen zur speziellen, ornamentalen Caravan Collection mit dem blau schimmernden, geometrisch bemusterten Waschbecken Nepal und dem in freieren Formen geschmückten und von Weiss und Gold dominierten Waschbecken Persia.

Erneste Appell | What was the main idea of the collection? What is special about it? Or to put it this way: Why should a consumer decide to buy that sink and not one of the million others?

Nancy Yusko | The Caravan collection exudes a subtle sophistication of craft from the Middle East and India. Its fresh, global perspective blends beauty and utility in a form appropriate for the contemporary home.

EA | Where do you get your inspiration for designing? Are different cultural background than your own an often used source of that inspiration?

NY | The Artist Editions group pulls inspiration from a variety of sources. Within our product offering you’ll find pieces inspired by different regions in the world, fine art, folk art/traditional craft, architecture, cultural periods—even fairy tales.

Nepal was inspired by the East Indian textile techniques and the tradition of Henna ceremonies. And just as delicate detailing is a staple of Indian design, so is it in this lavatory. Its tone-on-tone quality creates a calming effect—a perfect option for a consumer seeking a peaceful escape in her own home.

Persia takes its cues from Middle Eastern traditions with its decorative architecture and Moorish style. Juxtaposition can be found throughout Middle Eastern craft, and that’s captured through the contrast between organic, open line work and its geometric, structured pattern. A curious classic for the bath, Persia is for the consumer seeking an eye-catching, focal point-worthy sink.

EA | Designing in between fulfilling functionality and free, artistic form-finding, where do you see your work? Which one comes before the other, how do they come together?

NY | We approach our products as functional works of art. We want each piece to be enjoyed and used for many years, so we ensure that every piece provides a high level of function and performance. All are tested against the same standards as non-decorated plumbing products.

EA | What was special/difficulty in the process of creating the caravan collection? Are there any technical difficulties you had to master for mass production and how did you do it?

NY | Designing Nepal meant creating and combining things we hadn’t used on other products, such as its blue base layered with a translucent glaze. We even put platinum and gold into the pattern to add richness to the design.

Kohler Caravan Collection Decorative Lavatories

Wer als Designer auf Bewährtem verharrt wird entweder zum Klassiker oder verschwindet in der Versenkung. Gleiches gilt für jeden gut geführten Blog. Um letzteres zu vermeiden, versuchen wir in der Zukunft das bewährte Präsentieren von Trends und Objekten um den 'Designers Talk' zu erweitern. Anhand von konkreten Objekten soll den Designern somit die Möglichkeit gegeben werden, die Qualität ihrer Arbeit darzulegen und darüber hinaus ihre eigene Designphilosophie und ihre Inspirationsquellen zu erläutern. Den Start macht das bekannte Designerpaar Ludovica+Roberto Palomba mit dem oben abgebildeten Waschbecken LAB 01, das sie für KOS entworfen haben:

Erneste Appell | What was the main idea of the piece? What is special about it? Or to put it this way: Why should a consumer decide to buy that sink and not one of the million others? 

Ludovica+Roberto Palomba | LAB 01 is a washbasin in which geometric and organic shapes perfectly combining together, to harmonically create soft and sensual forms. We wanted to obtain a brand new shaping that could represent the eclectic and international character of contemporary times. We think that is the only and right way to intercept consumers’ flavours, and our guideline is always the same through the years: look forward!

EA | Where do you get your inspiration for designing? Are different cultural background than your own a source of that inspiration? Nature? Existing objects? Art? 

L+R P | We travel a lot, both for work and our own passion. We are literally captured by what we see around us, and we meet: natural forms, architecture buildings, as well as faces and bodies. For us, as designers and architects, everything can be a great source of inspiration… creativity and inspiration are essential in our every day job.

EA | Designing in between fulfilling functionality and free, artistic form-finding, where do you see your work? Which one comes before the other, how do they come together? 

L+R P | If you just take a look to what we design, such as LAB 01, you can easily understand that for us the three things come together, since they’re closely linked. Designing means to improve other people lives, considering every single aspect: functionality, aesthetics, beauty, sustainability. It is certainly not easy to achieve a balanced result, but that’s what we really like to do: the research, the challenge, the new never imagined before.

EA | What was special/difficulty in the process of creating the sink? Are there any technical diffiulties you had to master for mass production and how did you do it? 

L+R P | Let’s see…  actually we didn’t encounter any particular difficulties, since we started working  in this area (bathroom we mean) a lot of time ago… so we perfectly know how to manage certain materials, as well as production dynamics.

ps+a /palomba serafini associati 

KOS LAB 01 

Manchmal stimmt einfach alles. Dies kann bei einem Objekt - vom Stadionkomplex bis zum Teelöffel - der Fall sein oder bei zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen. Eine grosse Freundschaft, intellektueller Respekt, Liebe - wahrscheinlich verbinden Roberto und Ludovica Palomba beides. Das Designpaar aus Mailand arbeitet seit 1994 gemeinsam unter dem Namen palomba serafini associati an Entwürfen für das Badezimmer und hat die Entwicklung vom ehemals "vergessenen Raum des Hauses" zum privaten Rückzugsort mit viel Tageslicht und Wohnqualitäten von Anfang an begleitet. Dass die beiden dabei mehr Würdigungen und Preise erhielten als manch anderer Designer überhaupt Produkte zur Marktreife führt, kommt nicht von ungefähr: Harte Recherche, Forschung und analytischer Geist paaren sich hier mit "Verrücktheit und ein wenig Überheblichkeit", laut Ludovica Palomba die Grundvoraussetzungen für jeden wegweisenden Planer. Mehr über ihre Motivation und die Grundidee ihres als Evident Design bezeichneten Entwurfsansatzes gibt es im Interview mit dem deutschen Architekturmagazin Detail. Von ihrer eigenen Webseite aus findet man die Links zu den Produkte, die sie in den vergangenen Jahren für fast sämtliche namhafte Hersteller des Sanitärdesigns entworfen haben.

Interview
ps+a

Bisazza, ein italienischer Fliesenproduzent aus dem Luxussegment mit einem Faible für Mosaike und mein persönlicher Favorit in diesem Bereich, erlaubt derweil einen Blick in die Collecioni 2009. Offensichtlich fährt Bisazza dabei auf dem in den letzten Jahren eingeschlagenen Weg fort und treibt die Renaissance von verspielten Formen, floralen Mustern, intensiver Farbigkeit und strukturellen Mosaiken voran. Was will man da noch sagen? Anschauen, rumstöbern, zuschlagen!

BISAZZA Mosaik