AMBIENTE: accessories by architects

What does Peter Zumthor do when he’s not designing magnificent buildings? He relaxes at the wooden house he designed in the Grison Alps in the Canton of Graubünden, reading and thinking in his studio – or designing a series of elegant table accessories. The Swiss star architect recently created six precious crystal pieces for Alessi. Some of the irregular, organic forms of the dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar call to mind smoothly rounded stones, while others resemble pointed crystals. These items fit wonderfully in the hand, embellish every table setting – and are already regarded as design classics.

Zumthor is by no means the only architect who occasionally switches from the large to the small, from building to furnishings. The tradition of the architect who designs both, and even small everyday accessories, can be traced back to the early modern period. Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe created items of seating furniture that are still traded as coveted classics today. Josef Hoffmann designed fine silver cutlery. And the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto succeeded with his lively curving glass vase, the shape of which calls to mind the shoreline of a lake, in producing a brilliant design whose impact has endured to this day.

For this vase, which is still produced by Iittala today, is an everyday classic in the finest sense. Its form has impressive character, it fits with nearly any furnishing concept, and is compact and affordable – a classic for everyman. And that is precisely what makes accessories designed by legendary architects so desirable: they make it easy for people to bring authentic pieces by legendary designers into their own homes.

Thus it is no wonder that accessories from the drawing boards of well-known architects are repeatedly presented at major interior-design exhibitions like Ambiente. ‘We expect to see a number of spectacular and functional new products next year,’ notes Nicolette Naumann, Vice President Ambiente & Tendence. That piques one’s curiosity, as what was presented in 2015 captured the interest of both design and architecture aficionados alike. The trained architect Paola Navone, for example, presented her ‘Venezia Blueprint’ dishware series designed for the traditional porcelain manufacturer Richard Ginori. All of these plates and bowls exhibit the vivid, radiant blue that is so typical of Navone’s designs.

Among other objects, the Danish producer Menu, a company known for its high-quality everyday accessories in timeless designs, presented a brazier and a collection of tables and chairs by the Scandinavian architecture and design studio Norm Architects – designed with geometric precision and architectural rigour, with material and surfaces of noble simplicity. And Zada Hadid shows that such things can be opulent as well, with a handcrafted vase for the Wiener Silber Manufactur. It took three months to fashion the base material – an alloy consisting of 94% silver – into a dynamically flowing form. The end result is a vase that bears the unmistakable signature of this star architect.

It is no mere coincidence that accessories of the highest aesthetic quality are featured at Ambiente. With nearly 5,000 exhibitors from over 90 different countries, Ambiente has long since established itself as the leading international exhibition for products and design accessories for tables, kitchens and households. Thus trade visitors interested in current trends and innovations are as unlikely to miss this show as the exhibitors who come to present their innovations and forge contacts with customers and retailers.

A number of special events, thematic focal points, award ceremonies and young talent programmes provide deeper insights into issues of concern to the trade and offer further inspiration and orientation. ‘As the most important consumer goods exhibition in the world, Ambiente is the perfect platform for the presentation of new products – for it is here that producers meet buyers from all over the world,’ says Naumann. Those curious to know whether beautifully formed, unconventional accessories designed by architects will be presented again next year will find out between 12 and 16 February 2016.