Headshot courtesy of Victor Affaro
From the Jumby Bay private island in Antigua to the palatial Palacio Tangara hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazilian architect and designer, Patricia Anastassiadis has collected a long, robust list of high profile international projects. Anastassiadis blends her love for anthropology, art, nature and history to create timeless and minimalist furnishings that create a dialogue.
Most recently, she was chosen to be the Creative Director to design Artefacto’s highly-anticipated 2019 collection, which hit South Florida showrooms this past summer. Unique Homes spoke with Anastassiadis to discuss her journey to create Artefacto’s 2019 collection, her style and the future of design in a changing world.
What was the first time that you ever thought about being a designer? Did it coincide with your original career path?
As a child, I was always put to sleep listening to Greek Mythology stories told by my father (who is Greek) and that exposed me at a very early age to the power of storytelling and the classics. My mother, on the other hand, is a fashion designer, a writer, and a painter. So as a teenager, I’ve always known that I would take part in the creative business … At 17, I decided to apply for an architecture major as we’ve realized that architecture has always been a reference and a part of my life.
Why do you do what you do? What about interior design draws you into it doing it every day?
Architecture itself tells a beautiful story about our time on this planet and the relationship we establish with our surroundings. That idea completely amazes me.
I don’t make a distinction between my work as an architect and my work as an interior and product designer. They are all extensions of my work. For me, it is all connected as I enjoy working with design on different scales, but most importantly, I like living with the idea of creating something that puts you in contact with another human being.
How would you describe the style of the new Artefacto collection?
This new edition is the continuation of the previous one launched in spring 2018 and our aim was to promote a dialogue between the two of them. I believe a good design piece ruptures its timeline without losing its aesthetic or functional relevance. Thus, my intention with this edition is to design furniture that is truly timeless. We are proposing a more holistic aesthetic linked to values that, despite the strong visual appeal, are not a synthesis of a trend.
What do you draw inspiration from to form your own unique perspective?
My inspiration comes from nature, materials, architecture… All those different elements are part of the repertoire that moves me to create and design products of my own.
What can a client expect from you when you take on their project?
What marks our work is how we evaluate the location where the project will be held. I take into account the cultural characteristics; the local materials we can work with; the vernacular architecture of the place, and how people interact with it or behave there… I also really enjoy exploring and connecting materials, textures and colors… The aim of my work is to turn it all into an enhanced experience that will bring out the real essence of that location to visitors.
What recent changes in the industry have you noticed and want other designers to take part in?
I’ve been really concerned with the environmental issues, and consumption plays a big part in it as we’re also discussing discard. I believe we’ve really passed the time where we could just raise a flag over the problems we’ve been noticing in the world as a consequence of our damaging exploration of natural resources. We’re right now sensing an imminent call for action regarding the environmental issues. Change really is urgent. It’s essential that we, as designers and architects, are able to engage in the cause and make conscious choices when developing a project.
What can people expect from your new collection?
We’re now working with the concepts of a brand new edition. We’ve been inspired in the past by Japanese architecture, culture and design so we’ll keep developing that. We’ll also create a brand new chapter of furniture design with natural fibers and materials, inspired by food. We’ve also been experimenting with shape, adding volume to new pieces.
Any goals for this year, both for you and/or your brand?
Right now, I’m working on an upcoming Four Seasons hotel as well as a brand new collection of furniture design for Artefacto. There are new projects to be announced as well. But we can’t reveal much just yet.
Photos courtesy of Artefacto
Known for the classic-modern style that has distinguished her designs since 1994, Adriana Hoyos knew that for the 10th collection by Adriana Hoyos Furnishings, she wanted to break boundaries. To produce a bold collection that fuses timeless elegance with elements of modern architecture, Hoyos teamed up with someone who could inject the perspective of the “new generation” into the design process — her daughter, Andrea Perez.
By Sarah Binder
The first-time collaboration married Hoyos’ experience and knowledge with Perez’s refreshing and cutting-edge perspective. They dubbed their creative development process, “Passing on the DNA.”
The phrase is a fitting description for the new TEN Collection, which draws inspiration from Mid-Century Modernism, “particularly the innovative architectural trends that emerged from design pioneers Oscar Niemeyer and Dame Zaha Hadid,” explains Hoyos. “By reviving and reinventing the design style from this era, we developed new products that blend strong architectural qualities with flexible, free-flowing figures found in nature (curves made by waves in the ocean, the winding trail made by rivers, etc.).”
The collection redefines the Quito, Ecuador-headquartered design house’s look by applying avant-garde concepts to classic designs in products including furniture, daybeds, vertical cushioned arm sofas, upholstered chairs, ottomans, and cocktail tables. Yet, Hoyos notes, her clients’ evolving needs were a driving factor in the design process: “Aside from being innovative, each piece should also be practical, comfortable, and durable.
“The TEN Collection delivers concepts that transform the design panorama for furniture, proving that the reinvention of mid-century elegance never goes out of style,” says Hoyos.
TEN Cocktail Table
$3,160
“With its striking metallic finish and glass top, the TEN cocktail table adds an extra dose of refinement to any room. The unique geometric figures and smooth angles in its base are symbols of this tenth collection and convey elegance, modernism, and a new approach on design.”
TEN Dining Table
$3,050
“We adopted a sculptural approach in the design of the dining table. Our main attention was achieving the right movement, which is accomplished when a structure has the right balance and equilibrium. The window-like spaces between the base forms convey translucent lightness, while the sturdiness of wood adds the needed stability. It can be customized with a round or squared base.”
TEN Side Chair
$1,342
“An ergonomic chair, beautiful and functional. Its organic form is complemented with metal accents that dress its legs, while the back is decorated with new hardware from the TEN Collection and gives way to a lower space that accentuates its delicate curves.”
TEN Upholstered Chair
$3,050
“The details of this chair give it a grand presence and character: a hierarchical back, elegant metallic heels adorning its legs, and a unique silhouette that transforms it into an exquisite piece of design. Metallic accents in the past were used to add resistance in the structure, but now are used as an elegant accent, while the shape represents an architectonic interpretation of works that inspired the collection.”
Photos courtesy Chris Falconi
Designer and author Barclay Butera has collaborated with a team of artisans to create The Barclay Butera Outdoor Collection for CASTELLE.
Transitional deep seating from the Barclay Butera Outdoor Collection for CASTELLE. All photos courtesy of CASTELLE.
The Barclay Butera Outdoor Collection for CASTELLE features intricate fretwork, curves and engineered castings. Within this designer collection, Butera’s signature white and navy blue color story is impressively presented in the finishing and textile selections.
“Well anyone who knows me has seen the evolution of my love affair with blue and white over the years,” says Butera. “It’s such a classic, and the pieces had a nod to nautical, but definitely have a little all-American and a little European influences. I love the ocean, the beach, the sun and sky; blue and white just seemed right.”
Butera began working on the collection with CASTELLE, a furniture company specializing in cast aluminum outdoor furnishings, in June 2016. He says he has been designing outdoor spaces “for what seems like forever” and wanted to make a change when it came to creating outdoor furniture pieces. “We are so fortunate in Southern California to be able to use our outdoor spaces year-round, I often refer to porches, patios, decks and the like as the fifth room. I was constantly on the lookout for a fresh, traditional-with-a-twist furniture; I wanted something that could go transitional and contemporary if need be as well. So I was thrilled when CASTELLE approached me about a line, I could not be more over-the-moon with the end result.”
The celebrity designer says he has thoroughly enjoyed working on the collaboration and with the team on such a spectacular collection since they started. “When I first approached the design process, I was inspired by this magnificent geometric ceiling carving I saw in an English manor years ago. I have incorporated this pattern into carpets, wallpapers and now the fretwork for outdoor furniture; I think it translates beautifully! And, of course, clean navy and crisp white are always in fashion.”
Butera’s vision for the collection was to have pieces that were glamorous yet comfortable, with an emphasis on versatility and being “chameleon-like.”
Barclay Butera
“This design is so versatile it will work in a Central Park penthouse as well as a chic beach home on Newport Harbor and everywhere in between… I can’t imagine a home that this collection would not work with!” Butera affirms.
The collection debuted earlier this year at the Spring High Point Market in CASTELLE’s showroom, exhibiting a deep seating collection including a sofa, loveseat, lounge chair, ottoman and coordinating tables, as well as cushion and sling dining. All the pieces received high marks and positive feedback from buyers, according to CASTELLE President and CEO Derek Ritzel. “We had great numbers for the launch reception and were especially excited about our products being selected from the entire market as favorites by show spotters.” In regards to the Butera collection itself, Ritzel had his own positive remarks to share.
“Throughout the design and production process, partnering with Barclay and his team has proven to be a very creative and positive experience for CASTELLE,” said Ritzel. “The final designs definitely present the quality and luxury of CASTELLE and the unique design aesthetic of Barclay.”
Reflective of the success of the outdoor collection already, Butera is prepared to continue working with CASTELLE and make changes to the outdoor furnishings market. “As we grow our partnership, expect to see a wide range of chic styles and design choices. For me, it is always all about giving the clients furniture that they will love for a very long time.
Chaise lounges from The Barclay Butera Outdoor Collection for CASTELLE.
Visually representing a river ecosystem, the Kasparo I table merges interactivity with interior furniture as it magically comes to life when someone enters the room.
By Samantha Myers
Produced from three basic materials — wood, glass and resin — and coupled with cutting-edge LED technology, the Kasparo I table evokes the sense of observing a small creek flowing into a larger river, eventually cascading into a glass waterfall. Created by a team of six in Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Poland, the Kasparo I took over a year to design and each individual table requires 200 hours of hand labor and fifteen intricate stages of execution.
“I think that the table has many connections to nature. But I think the main one is the simple idea that when you go into a forest, you find a river and a tree,” says Rafal Kasprzak, founder of Kasparo. Each table is made from a single tree and after it is finished, a tree is planted in return. Customers receive a certificate of the planting with details of the location.
“We are showing the problems with the forest and the environment and, of course, with the concept of one tree, one table. It’s not a lot, but it helps in a small way and establishes a good point of view to think about the environment,” says Kasprzak.“The idea was also to speak with friends and family around the table and having an interesting story for it.”
Each table is embedded with proximity sensors that begin an animation when someone approaches the table, using simulation of light to suggest water movement. While the animations tend to be 25 seconds long, it can be programmed to meet the customers’ desires — just one of the many customizations Kasparo offers. “The customer can make changes, bigger or smaller, and we have 20 colors of transparent resin,” he says. Although the typical wood used is oak, the client also can choose the type of wood or tree they’d prefer.
Only a year old, the company aims to make no more than 100 Kasparo I tables — providing each one with a certificate of authenticity and a number — and to venture into other designer furniture that will also take inspiration from nature. While not yet in showrooms, the company accepts personalized requests — a complete rarity when it comes to this type of technological innovation in furniture design.
www.kasparo.pl | 5,000 to 12,500
