Kartell's Bourgie Lamp Reimagined by 14 Designers for the 10th Anniversary.

It's been ten years since Kartell introduced Ferruccio Laviani's Bourgie lamp to their collection. To celebrate the tenth anniversary, Kartell dreamt up a unique initiative for the January edition of Maison&Objet in Paris to celebrate the special occasion and invited 14 designers to re-imagine the now classic table lamp.



The Bourgie Lamp, in its first classic clear iteration of transparent polycarbonate, designed by Ferruccio Laviani in 2004:

and the available colored, gold, silver and black versions from Kartell:


Wallpaper magazine reports that "The Milan-based designer, who has been working as Kartell's in-house art director for over 20 years, designed the light in 2004 responding to the brief of creating 'an important lamp'. Inspiration came from an old fixture sitting on his desk and a 1970s disco song by Ashford & Simpson repeating 'Everybody wants to be bourgie bourgie' in reference to the wannabe bourgeoisie. The result features the silhouette of a classic table lamp, rendered in what the Italian company does best: plastic. Transparent and tongue-in-cheek, the Bourgie represents an important time in the company's history of experimentation with the material."

The 14 unique pieces shown below will be part of a traveling exhibition all over the world with events taking place over the course of the year 2014. Next steps will be Milan, in April, on the occasion of Salone del Mobile and New York in May during ICFF. At the end of 2014 Kartell will organize an online auction for the sale of the unique pieces, of which the proceeds will go to charity.

Alberto Meda:


Ludovica + Robert Palumbo (wrought iron):


Christophe Pillet (matte black felt):


Front:


Patrick Jouin:


Rodolfo Dordoni:


Patricia Urquiola:


Eugeni Quitllet (made to emulate a birthday cake):



Philippe Starck (with Lenny Kravitz):


Mario Bellini:



Piero Lissoni (rice paper):


Tokujiin Yoshioka:


And lastly, Nendo (turned the negative space into a lamp):


Images of the display Paris:



The 14 one-off designs are currently on display at Kartell's Paris flagship store on Boulevard Saint-Germain, after which they will turn into a traveling exhibition for the rest of the year before being auctioned online.

all images and information courtesy of Kartell (their site, their facebook page and pinterest page)

Kartell Bourgie 10th Anniversary site

Angela Nocentini Creates Couture Made With Magis Adhesive Tape.

Angela Nocentini, a sculpture teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, is known for her fashions made with recycled trash and waste to emphasize her environmental concerns. To illustrate the use of tape as a reusable resource, she collaborated with eco-conscious Italian adhesive tape company Magis S.p.A. (not to be confused with Magis Design) to create these fashions using their products.


















At Magis the respect of the environment has always been one of their main concerns and they have been investing in new technologies with low environmental impact and in the use of renewable energies.

In their production they use highly recyclable materials such as polypropylene, paper, cartons and solvent-free adhesives as hot melt and acrylic water based emulsions.



About Magis
Magis, founded in 1983, was one of the first companies in coating polypropylene film with Hot Melt glue and to experiment with a form of printing called Sandwich, protected between the film and the adhesive. Thanks to these innovations, Magis has shortly become one of the leading companies in Italy, and soon after in the European and International market.

Magis is located in Cerreto Guidi on a production plant of more than 28.000 sqm.Thanks also to numerous investments, new machines and skilled personnel, Magis is able to guarantee the highest flexibility to all its customers and the best quality of the products. Nowadays Magis is one of the leading companies producing customized packaging materials and is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

original images courtesy of Magis, but have been highly altered in color, contrast and cropping by If It's Hip, It's Here

Two Trippy Tubs For People and Their Plants from Libero Design.

Two organically shaped bathtubs, The Mother of Pearl and The Aurora, are complete with LED lighting, a place for you to soak AND a place for plants. Both designed by Libero Rutilo and Ekaterina Shchetina of LiberoDesign, they are created to be simultaneously stimulating and soothing.

The Mother Of Pearl Spa Tub:



A touch interface lets you create your own combinations of lighting, sounds and aromatherapy. Choose one of the available wellness programs (relaxing, energetic, fun, tropical pleasure) or create your own and memorize it.




Integrated pots allow you to have a glimpse of nature when indulging in the bathtub. You can create a blend of your favorite plants and flowers, such as orchids and ferns.



Hidden faucets and shower provide a feeling of perfect, all-in-one structure.


The Aurora Spa Tub:


The “Aurora” tub is part of the 3 element collection of backlit bathroom furniture, inspired by nature.



The “Aurora” bathtub has integrated LED lights which are cost efficient and friendly to the planet. The lighting diffusion effect is created by translucent material that allows light to pass through it, but in the same time doesn’t show clearly the light source inside the object. The intensity and colour of light can be controlled, creating a chromo therapy.



The washbasin has another particularity, like the Mother of Pearl tub – an integrated pot, that allows you to have your favourite small plants in your bathroom.

The “Aurora” design concept was honoured with a special prize in Cristalplant Design Concept 2013 organized in collaboration with Falper.



DesignLibero is a Milan based design studio, founded by Libero Rutilo and Ekaterina Shchetina. Its activity evolves in multiple directions, from interior to product design.

Fornasetti Makes Good Smelling Good Looking. Beautiful Ways To Scent Your Home.

With the latest of these ‘Collaborazioni,’ Barnaba Fornasetti has turned his attention towards the notion of home fragrance in combination with decorative objects. The core collection of Fornasetti Profumi per La Casa, celebrates the Fornasetti ceramic heritage in combination with both well-known and less familiar decorative images. Together they make up a desirable group of iconic objects and decorative pieces that are at once collectable and covetous.



The collection encompasses various home scenting devices from the ubiquitous scented candle and boxed incense sticks through to room sprays and ceramic globe diffusers (also referred to as 'Scent Spheres') for incense, perfumed oil or scented rocks. Each object has a clearly defined purpose and can be re-used, given an alternative use, or added to a Fornasetti collection.




To help realise this dream, Barnaba called upon the artistry of world-renowned master-perfumer Olivier Polge. Olivier is one of the leading stars of International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF) and creator of classic new fragrances such as Flower Bomb by Victor & Rolf, Dior Homme, Balenciaga Paris and many others.



Fornasetti Profumi per La Casa is a constantly evolving range of decorative objects and limited editions and scents. Below are several examples from the collection:

Globe Diffusers/ Scent Spheres:



Room Sprays:


Incense Boxes and Incense:





Large Scented Candles:




Small Scented Candles (with lids):



Scented Rocks:


All ceramic pieces have been hand-crafted in Italy by Ceramiche Dal Prà and all incense products have been created by renowned Japanese manufacturer Nippon Kodo.

Fornasetti Books and Products at Amazon

These collections can also be found at fine department stores such as Barneys, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus and Amara.