Author: iroco-admin

Long before ‘green’ entered the popular vernacular, American company Emeco was salvaging aluminum to produce functional steel seating. When a 1944 commission from the US Navy demanded a resilient and lightweight design, capable of withstanding salt water, sea air and the odd torpedo, the 1006 Navy Chair was born.

Back in the 1940s, no one imagined the Navy Chair would find its way into fashionable circles (courtesy of Ettore Sottsass, Giorgio Armani and a large order from Philippe Starck, for The Paramount Hotel in New York City), or that it would become a frontrunner for an extraordinary range of trailblazing designs produced in collaboration with international designers including Starck himself (the Hudson Chair) Frank Gehry (the Superlight Chair), Norman Foster (the 20-06 Chair) or Ettore Sottsass (the Nine-O Chair). Click here to see our selection of Emeco furnitures for purchase in Hong Kong.

Similarly, no one imagined recycling would become the defining signature of this pioneering company, but Emeco is constantly exploring new ways to use consumer and industrial waste, and environmentally responsible resources to create and built simple, timeless furniture. Witness its collaboration with Coca-Cola, who approached them with the idea of recycling discarded plastic bottles, and resulted in the funky 111 Navy Chair.

Today, Emeco’s craftsmen use PET (polyethylene terephthalate), reclaimed wood polypropylene, previously used wood, eco-concrete and cork to hand make stylish and beautiful chairs that are also strong, engineered to last and designed to be passed down through generations – with a keen eye on the future.

Click here to see our range of Emeco products.

Founded by Alex Henrich and Sonia Jackson in 2011, IROCO Design is based on a passion for contemporary design, and a desire to make it more easily available to everyone. Here’s a low-down on the key players:

 

Alex Henrich
Three best things in life? My kids, my wife and the outdoors.
Last item you bought for yourself? The Slab Table in natural lacquered wood by Tom Dixon. It has rounded edges and corners, and is simply a delight to touch and feel. The size, 200cm in length, is ideal for a large family, or to host a dinner party!
If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be? A bench made of solid oak, reliable and eternal.
Which piece of contemporary design or designer do you admire most and why? Patricia Urquiola for her innovative use of materials, and continuous evolution across a wide range of furniture.
Give us a hot interior design tip? Following the onset of mass production of plastic-based furniture over the past 40 years, and the smaller homes we are all living in, people want to curate their spaces, according to needs and taste. This has lifted the craftsmanship and custom-made furniture industry to new heights. This trend will surely continue.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? People think I am balder than I really am!
What would you be doing if you weren’t running IROCO Design? Designing and custom-making hand crafted sculptures or furniture.

 

Sonia Jackson
Three best things in life? My family, the great outdoors, a notebook and my camera (that’s four!)
Last item you bought for yourself? A long dining table with plenty of room for a huge Spanish-style dinner party.
If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be? A large round sofa covered in a rich brightly covered fabric, perfect to snuggle into.
Where do you draw your inspiration? I’m obviously inspired by travel – places like Laos, South American, Sri Lanka and Africa are so rich in colour. I love colour!
Which piece of contemporary design do you admire most and why? For me it has to be the Voido Rocking Chair by Ron Arad – a classic piece that was inspired by an old Mini seat in a scrap yard.
Give us a hot interior design tip? Invest in Spanish and Portuguese designers – they are right on the cutting edge at the moment.
What would you be doing if you weren’t running IROCO? I would be training to climb Mount Everest with my eldest daughter.

Hong Kong residents are expert when it comes to living in small spaces, but rising prices in big cities across the globe has meant the ability to maximise every square inch, is an important one. Sonia Jackson of IROCO Design provides five tips:

Opt for Light and Bright: Pale furniture is light and fresh and will lift a room – choose a white desk and chair for an unobtrusive home office, or a see-through acrylic dining or coffee table to maximise space (the Pic Table by Max Design is an ideal choices). Tables with open metal bases will also create an uncluttered impression – try the Tray Table range or the DLM Collection from Hay, which comes in a variety of different sizes and colours. Click here to view our large selection of Hay furnitures for purchase in Hong Kong.

Find Double-duty Pieces: Pieces on castors can be easily rolled away, when a room is to be used for several different purposes. Think carefully about whether furniture can double up – a stool as an end table, or a convenient spot to perch; an ottoman with a tray can become a coffee table or additional seating. IROCO Design has a range of ottoman and poufs that can double up as seats or tables.

Be Creative with Lighting: Instead of standard or table lamps (which require a table!), consider using sconces or wall mounted lights instead.

Don’t Neglect Corners: Squeeze an accent chair into an overlooked corner (Starck’s Louis Ghost or Victoria Chair would be perfect), or create an attractive reading nook by placing cosy seating (such as the Pasha Armchair) and side table at an angle against the wall.

Swap Sofas for Settees: There’s an argument that oversized sofas can make a tiny room look larger, but another solution is to consider swapping a substantial couch for a less intrusive settee. Try the Pix Poufs by Arper, perfect for smaller spaces, or the Loop Centre 3S. Leaving a few inches between the wall and the back of a sofa or settee, will give a room the feeling of openness.

New year, new trends: it’s no secret the interiors world follows the international catwalks, but seismic shifts in global politics and culture also affect design aesthetics, and ultimately how we want our homes to feel. Here are six design trends IROCO Design CEO Alex Henrich, predicts will fly this year:
Jewel Tones: Pale pinks and blues will be replaced by rich, dramatic jewel tones for an elegant look the style pundits have christened Modern Natural: midnight blues, forest greens and chocolate brown hues are the new colours to desire. Hay has produced About A Chair in covetable shades including Hunter, Dusty Blue and Warm Red, and Insidherland’s striking upholstery comes in dreamy tones of Atlantic Blue, Espresso, Olive and Esmerald.

The New Metals: Warm metals like copper and brass will continue to be a hot interior pick this year, but high gloss or super shiny finishes will be replaced by a more muted or burnished, vintage look. Tom Dixon is still the go-to designer for warm metals; new lighting for 2017 includes the spectacular Curve, Fade, Melt or Etch Mini designs. Also worth a look is Heritage Lighting from DelightFULL, and the range of elegant tables in mixed metals from Italian maker Pedrali. Click here to see our large selection of Pedrali products for purchase in Hong Kong.

Texture: A traditional favourite with interior designers, the layering of textures has become more interesting. New techniques such as pleating or folding in velvets or cottons are everywhere this season: look at DelightFULL’s new collection – the velvet rouche of the Doris Armchair and pleated upholstery of the Bogarde Armchair are both strikingly unusual.

Artisanal: Skilled craftsmanship and a folk-inspired, handmade vibe continues to be a sought-after trend, as taste-makers move away from manufactured finishes. There are some truly innovative pieces in Insidherland’s new catalogue, from fantastical mirrors fashioned from leaves, to rock-inspired furniture. Like fellow Portuguese brand DelightFULL, they also offer custom-made furniture.

Wood: There’s a love affair with wood and wood panelling this season; combine dark woods such as walnut or oak with steely greys and metallic finishes for an enviably contemporary interior. It’s worth looking at DelightFULL’s stunning Anthony Sideboard, where a polished marble top and solid walnut structure is combined with brass detail. Insidherland has some of the best solid wood pieces this season; the Special Tree Sideboard marries brushed brass with three types of exotic roots in natural colour.

Anyone who’s anyone in international furniture design hotfoots it to Milan in April for Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest and most important event on the design calendar. This year, the 56th edition, there were 343,602 attendees from 165 countries and over 2,000 exhibitors, showcasing innovation, quality and excellence with breathtaking new product designs and collections.

At IROCO Design, we were particularly interested in the Workplace 3.0 pavilion; an exploration of the evolving workplace of the future. From new solutions for office chairs to internal partitions and coverings – Fireworks, coloured room dividers by Muller Van Severen turned heads – the exhibition focused on human factors and smart technology. There were new environments and facilities for work sharing, for ‘nomadic’ professionals, and for relaxation/leisure, and an original approach to customization, exploring how spaces should be made bespoke.

We were also absorbed by the Euroluce pavilion, displaying the very best from the contemporary lighting market. Of particular note were the softly glowing pendants hung at different heights from Italian brand Slamp, modular cube lights from Hideki Yoshimoto, and the cutting-edge debut collection from lighting designer Moritz Waldermeyer. Waldermeyer has experimented with LED technology to create the mesmerizing movement of a flame: Eternal Flame and Midnight Oil are works of technological genius, with the silhouettes of a traditional candle and oil lamp. With a focus on energy saving, environmental sustainability and light pollution, the 454 exhibitors made use of new materials, geometries, structures and LED technologies to produce outstanding lighting designs and innovations for the home, right through to sectors including hospital, theatrical and industrial.

The next Salone del Mobile won’t take place in Milan until April 2018, but Salone del Mobile Milano Shanghai will be held at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre from 23-25 November 2017. Staging the best of furniture and Made In Italy interior design, this show will be the 2nd edition, and will be well worth attending.

Selecting the right lighting is as important as choosing furniture, says Alex Henrich, CEO of IROCO Design. He has some tips:

Be Creative with Accent Lighting: It’s no secret one light source cannot meet the diverse requirements of a single space; a living area of around 20 square meters, for example, should have at least three to five light sources. Create a reading corner with a free-standing light (try our Pivot Lamp), place decorative table lamps on sideboards, shelves or occasional tables to spread accentuated light (the Tripod Table Lamp is very versatile), and emphasise paintings, sculptures, shelves and cabinets with wall lamps or carefully positioned ceiling spotlights. In bathrooms and kitchens, install brighter, task lighting for vanity units and work surfaces.

Diffuse Light: Diffusers spread soft light evenly within a room, creating immediate atmosphere. Our Box or Egg Table Lamps have the dual advantage of creating a warm glow, and being very much on-trend! With standard or floor lamps, using the right bulbs can also make a significant difference.

Size Matters: Consider size when choosing fixtures, as lights that are too small or overlarge can mess with a room’s proportions. A general rule of thumb is that a lamp should be no more than 1.5 times the height of the piece it is sitting on, and lampshade diameter should be no wider than the table top.

All Lampshades are not Created Equal: Darker lampshades create a more dramatic effect, localising light above and below the shade, while lighter shades allow more light into the room. The Bougie Black Lamp will light a space entirely differently to the Bougie Transparent, for example.

Utilise Height: When lighting a small floor space, use height: torchiere or tall floor lamps (try IROCO Design’s vast range of lighting, or the King Floor Lamp or Tripod Floor Lamp) provide plenty of light without taking up space on the floor or a table. Another way to avoid cluttering floor space is to use sconces on the walls; these can also work particularly well as bedside lighting.

Elegant and timeless wood – and especially dark wood in cocoa-coloured, hazelnut, or rich chocolate brown – is very much back in fashion this year, says IROCO Design CEO Alex Henrich. Of course, wood has always been one of the natural choices for furniture-makers through the centuries, but today’s artisans and designers are imagining striking new uses for this versatile material.

Henrich believes Portuguese designers such as Boca do Lobo and Insidherland are taking the lead where furniture design is concerned, incorporating many different types of wood or wood finishes into their collections. See some of Bocadolobo’s incredible and innovative designs (including the Frank Chest of Drawers, the Queens Highboy, the Guggenheim Nightstand or the Eden Patina Coffee Table), or Insidherland’s Four For Luck Console, Into The Woods Bookcase, or The Special Tree Cabinet. The founder of Insidherland, architect Joana Santos Barbosa, says she is influenced by organic forms of nature, legends and traditional culture, and the furniture is certainly strikingly original and imaginative.

In interiors, cladding a wall in wood panelling might seem like a retrospective move (think back to the seventies love affair with vertical wood slats), but this year, it’s shaping up to be one of the most contemporary and on-trend designs. We’re not advocating chalet-style strips of cedar wood, of course, but the clever use of timber to create texture and warmth: a fashion a growing number of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops are readily embracing. A restaurant in Mexico City, Canalla Bistro, has created an elegant scale-like effect by overlapping pieces of wood on the walls, and other designers are using it on ceilings or counter tops. Suppliers are appearing to meet the demand for goods: Wonderwall Studios based in The Netherlands, or Teak Your Wall in Brussels both have stylish and innovative collections using a variety of materials such as tropical hardwoods, vintage rail sleepers or recycled teak from Indonesia.

By keeping a watching brief on the best new designs, and by nurturing our relationships with the most talented global designers, IROCO Design is in a unique position to offer customers the most exciting and innovative products on the market, says CEO Alex Henrich. His tips for the products and makers set to storm the market this year:

SOFTWALL BY molo: Canadian company molo produces extraordinary modular partitions which can be manipulated to create discrete and interesting spaces, or simply provide a beautiful backdrop in any room. The fluid, flexible Softwalls are made from textiles, and can open up to a maximum length of 4.5 metres. A clever system of concealed magnets allows each Softwall to easily and seamlessly contract or expand. There’s even an option to integrate LED strips, turning the partitions into amazing sources of light. Click here to see our selection of molo furnitures for purchase in Hong Kong.

FOLLY BY RON ARAD: Design genius Ron Arad’s Folly is a rust-coloured, wavy plastic bench that has been designed to resemble the infinity symbol, with curving backrests stretching upwards at each end. Constructed from rotational-moulded polyethylene, the bench is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and can accommodate up to ten people.

BALL MODULAR BY LINA FURNITURE: These funky, colourful ball-chairs are equally at home in gardens, parks and open-air terraces, as in hotel lobbies or airports. This playful product won the Red Dot Design Award in 2014, and the seating combinations – utilizing three large ball chairs and a small two-in-one ball-backrest or armrest – are as comfortable as they are stylish. The 3D removable covers are available in 36 colours, which can be mixed and matched.

FLASK BY TOM DIXON: Tom Dixon believes any designer worth his salt should be concerned about choice of materials, but for him, it’s a veritable obsession. His new lighting designs, fashioned severally from etched metal, blow-moulded polycarbonate and glassware are breathtaking; of particular note are the iridescent, luminous Flask pendants.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on a few remarkable brands emerging from Portugal: most particularly DelightFULL and Insidherland. Their innovative use of locally sourced products and centuries-old craftsmanship are redefining contemporary furniture making.

Hong Kong is now the world’s third largest art market, with – it is reported – auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s selling more contemporary artworks in their Hong Kong branches than the rest of their salesrooms combined. The city has also become an important destination for buyers and gallerists: Art Basel began exhibiting in Hong Kong four years ago, and Art Central – part of the city’s wildly popular Art Week – returned in March for its third edition, hosting 32,000 international collectors, curators and art enthusiasts.

Apart from showcasing some of the world’s most beautiful and inspiring artworks, Art Basel and Art Central have something else in common – IROCO Design has provided rental furniture for both shows. Providing the right ambience and aesthetic means furniture for seating or reception areas must enhance, not detract, from the artworks – and after all, beautiful furniture can be works of art themselves, according to New York architect Lee F Mindel. He once remarked: “Furniture is usually considered part of the decorative arts, but the blurring of the line between the disciplines of art and design opens furniture to the art category. Furniture is being marketed as art, so it’s on topic with the way the contemporary art world works. Interiors are no longer decorated, they are curated”.

To create an interior with understated elegance that was suitably striking and contemporary, the organisers of Art Basel sought input from IROCO Design in designing the layout and look of the show; furniture was selected from Arper, renowned for its minimal design, clean lines and high quality (see image below). The Italian design company produces a range of beautiful pieces with pleasingly fluid curves and shapes – see Meety for architectural tables in which the top appears to hover or float over sleek aluminium legs; Catifa 53 for graceful chairs which are as comfortable as they are stylish, or Parentesit – an innovative acoustic wall module designed to reduce extraneous background noise, and create an enclosed space. IROCO Design has a large selection of Arper products for purchase in Hong Kong.

IROCO Design was also responsible for the design and layout of furniture at the popular Art Central show, held in the same week in Hong Kong: the bar was furnished with Pedrali’s Inox tables and Babila stools in black (see image below).

Outdoor Furniture Options

Outdoor furniture sales are on the rise, and manufacturers are producing increasingly innovative pieces to withstand weathering and create a splash on the patio.

Sonia Jackson, CEO of IROCO Design, looks at 2017 trends.

WHAT’S EXCITING US IN FURNITURE TRENDS

Make it Shine: Illuminated furniture is still very much on trend, and adds instant atmosphere to any outdoor gathering. Slide Studio make an elegant selection of softly glowing benches, tables and poufs, and the illuminated Ball collection is glamourous and fun. Cordless and rechargeable outdoor lights are also practical; look at the Pivot Lamp from Carlo Constantini, or the Bijoux lamp from Wortmann.

Blending Indoor & Out: Outdoor contract furniture in Hong Kong looks increasingly similar to indoor – Serralunga’s zany Sirchester Sofa is rain-repellant but mimics the comfort and style of a classic Chester, while Philippe Starck’s polyethylene Magic Hole Sofa is stylish but practical, as is Palomba’s Plie Armchair. Invest in versatile outdoor furniture that is movable or multi-functional; tables with wheels, foldable chairs, or seating that doubles as storage. Ross Lovegrove’s BD Love Lamp provides both lighting and seating, and is also an exuberantly lively sculpture. IROCO Design is proud to offer a stunning selection of cutting edge contemporary furniture.

New Brights & Weaves: While black and brown finishes are still perennial favourites, there is greater expression in colour, shape and prints for 2017, especially where cushions and outdoor accessories like beanbags are concerned. Peacock, coral or fiery red tones; multi-coloured yarns; braiding, and exciting new weaves and textures are all on trend. Vondom has the most exciting collection of brightly coloured sun chaises and chairs – see images below.

Raw Materials: Along with the trend for metals in interiors, unfinished stone, concrete and steel will be popular outside, too. Aged patinas on brass and steel bring a warm feel to an outdoor area.

A STUNNING COLLECTION OF OUTDOOR CONTRACT FURNITURE

Click here to see our selection of outdoor furniture for purchase in Hong Kong.

The right restaurant furniture can make or break a new business venture in Hong Kong, but which pieces should you choose?

Alex Henrich, CEO of IROCO Design, has some tips:

Plan The Design: The starting point for every restauranteur is the aesthetic or theme of his eatery; envisage the design as a whole, and choose complementary colours, patterns and materials. There’s a psychology behind the colour and design of restaurant furniture which is well-researched: it shows neutrals such as black or brown create a warm and positive feeling, reds and yellows stimulate appetite, but cool colours like blues can act as appetite suppressants!

Consider Your Clientele: The restaurant furniture you choose will ultimately help to attract your clientele: older customers tend to prefer conventional, fabric-covered chairs and a table, while informal benches with refectory-style tables are popular with a younger crowd.

Calculate Available Space: Work out exactly how much space you can devote to seating, and – depending on your design – whether booths will seat more customers than traditional tables and chairs. Aim for the maximum number of tables and chairs, while leaving enough room for staff and customers to circulate.

Create a Mood: Shape, height and length of tables can all affect the mood of a restaurant; large, round tables engender discussion, for example, while high cocktail tables encourage mingling. Lighting is also important: it creates atmosphere and mood, but should be appropriate to the restaurants’ style or theme.

Prioritise Quality: Always buy the best quality, restaurant contract furniture you can afford: pieces at the budget end of the market don’t last, and will be a false economy. Choose pieces that are waterproof, easy to keep clean or wipe down in hygienic plastic or polyethylene, and that are free of deep crevices or grooves where food can collect. If you buy chairs with fabric seats, treat the fabric with a stain resister, and budget in professional cleaning a couple of times a year.

A smarter choice in contract furniture

Enhance the look and feel of your Hong Kong restaurant and speak to the team at IROCO Design today to learn how we could support you.

With construction budgets for new schools increasingly squeezed, the focus has turned towards upgrading and renovating older buildings, and also to the importance of investing in new school furniture to transform spaces into modern learning environments. Enhance the ways in which your students interact with their surroundings and offer them more opportunities to work, study and learn with functional, beautiful school contract furniture.

The educational power of furniture

The buzzwords in education are interaction and collaboration, and the contemporary classroom looks like a very different place in 2017. As new styles of teaching emerge, school contract furniture in Hong Kong needs to respond: it needs to be easy to reconfigure, to accommodate a variety of group sizes, and to enable teamwork and co-operation.

Pedrali firmly believes the places people learn can play an active role in engaging and empowering them, and is combining a research-based approach with design expertise to spearhead the development of stylish yet functional classroom furniture that can really engender learning.

Certainly, studies show real-world learning environments help prepare students for the professional workplace, by making them familiar with the concept of meeting spaces or conference rooms: a student role-playing a clinical situation, for example, should have furniture and equipment similar to what he/she might encounter post-graduation.

For schools, Pedrali believes ergonomics is also key. It was previously believed too much body movement meant loss of concentration, but modern research shows educational furniture that provides rocking features or flexibility actually supports the body’s natural inclination to shift posture.

IROCO Design has extensive experience in the sourcing and curation of furniture for educational environments across Hong Kong. If you’re looking for a simple solution for your school contract furniture needs, start a conversation with us today. Click here to see our selection of school furniture for purchase in Hong Kong.