The 8 Most Inspiring Objects From Design Miami
This time last week, Design Miami, the annual fair celebrating the hottest pieces of furniture, decor, and objets d’art, was in full swing. There were items of interest as far as the eye could see: a Balenciaga printer! Fendi fountains! A couch made out of pink stuffed animals that cruelly, you couldn’t sit on! (Trust me, I tried.)
Now that the dust has settled, what emerged out of this beautiful, bizzare blur? That’s the question that my colleague Lilah Ramzi and I have been asking these past couple of days. What iPhone photos are we still pulling up? What are the things we still can’t stop thinking about?
Below, the 8 objects that most inspired at Design Miami.
Meander Armchair by Mattia Bonetti (Kasmin Gallery)
Sometimes, I’ll just Slack Lilah “the chaaaaair” with little to no context and she knows exactly what I’m talking about: the rich, plush Meander Armchair by Mattia Bonetti. It’s a little bit neo-Baroque, and with spiraling gold legs that crawl up the back like a gilded vine, a little bit surrealist. Lilah’s got another movement in mind, too: “An art nouveau redux, if you will.”
Installation by Guillermo Santomà (Side Gallery, Barcelona)
Guillermo Santomà created an entire living room using sheepskins, furs, and glass. It was a fascinating juxtaposition of materials, the severity of glass woven seamlessly into the soft fur. Plus, it looks like a yeti fever dream, so that’s fun.
Tasty Collection by Ahryun Lee (J. Lohmann Gallery) and Haas Brothers Collection for L’Objet
This year the best ceramics were colorful, playful, and in the case of Haas Brothers’s collection for L’Objet (shown outside the fair at the Bass Museum), actual characters.
Take the Tasty Collection by Korean artist Ahryun Lee, with its bright hues and Seussian spikes, which breaths fresh possibilities into the clay medium. Or the Haas Brothers’ Collection for L’Objet, which has dinnerware monsters with names like “Lynda” and “Lazy Susan.”
Jean Cocteau Plates (Lebreton Gallery)
While Design Miami shows off a lot of contemporary pieces, Lilah was smitten by some oldie but goodies. “Lebreton Gallery paid tribute to Jean Cocteau with a ceramic plate-filled wall that featured his surrealist doodles. Though antique collectibles, they felt right at home amongst the contemporary objects.”
Cap Martin Curved Sofa by India Mahdavi, for Ralph Pucci
Although not in the Design Miami program, another thing that caught Lilah’s eye was a set of pieces by the designer-of-the-moment. “Outside the tents of Design Miami, furniture and mannequins maker Ralph Pucci held their own India Mahdavi installation, which showcased the Cap Martin curved sofa—a variation of her famous rattan chair. Mahdavi proved once again that everything she lays her hands on is design gold.”
Channel Tufted Demi-Lune Settee, Todd Merrill Studio
Millennial pink’s moment continues. This Todd Merrill Studio sofa was one of many rosy-hued objects I saw around the fair, and my favorite. Something about their hemispherical shape and sumptuous cushions conjures up an image of a Art Deco socialite in her Park Avenue apartment, swirling the olive in her 5th martini. So, fairly fabulous.
Also worth a mention at Todd Merrill? Timothy Horn's Tree of Heaven No. 7, a wall sculpture the melded coral and pearl-shapes.
