A visit to the Venice International Design Exhibition

A flying visit to Venice last weekend… one of my favourite places in the world. I was only there for a day this time as Venice was the final stop after a long bike ride from Geneva, but it still gave me a chance to wander around this unique city again, as well as to catch up on the latest in contemporary design.

Steeped in history and oozing charm, the crumbling city – and the interior of the Palazzo Michiel – is also a perfect backdrop for these wonderful new products and fascinating design installations.

60 designers from 30 countries exhibited their designs, and explored the role of design in today’s society. Here are some of my favourties…

A collection of vases by Faina Collection, based on traditional festive pottery and transformed into modern interior accessories:

Sculptural wall lights in rock crystal and cast bronze, by Hicham Ghandour:

The stunning ‘Design #1’ chair by Revology, made entirely from plant material and recycled metal. The back and legs are made from compressed flax linen, and the transparent resin seat and back support are derived from sugar. And it’s incredibly comfortable and supportive to sit on:

The woven fibres of of the compressed flax linen material can be seen in the chair back and legs:

And the detailing on the chair is exquisite, with accents and fixings made from recycled brass:

Pure minimalism – the Balance mirror from Selek. As silent as possible in order to emphasise the beauty of whatever’s reflected in it, without getting in the way:

And maximalism from Lyk Carpet and Unique Factory with their joyous Pouf Characters. It was great to see these and play with them, having featured them on the blog earlier this year after the Milan Furniture Fair:

The ‘Lum’ sculptural wall installation by QStudio. A combination of copper panels in different finishes and levels of oxidation, and at different angles: