I was invited to view Atelier Swarovski’s home décor range including the new additions for Christmas. If your idea of Swarvoski is just glitter and twinkle, you are wrong. The home collection is gleaming, glossy and very sophisticated. Here I show just some of the collaborations that have taken place between the company and up market designers who are at the top of their game.
Atelier Swarovski was founded, by Nadja Swarovski, in 2007, as a showcase for creativity, craftsmanship, master cutting and material innovations.
Nadja Swarovski is the granddaughter of founder Daniel Swarovsk, who in 1892 patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.
Atelier Swarovski ‘s home décor collection was launched at Milan design week in April 2016, it comprises functional and decorative objects for the home.
In recent years the company has excelled in both its PR and marketing strategies and are well known in the fashion, jewellery and now interiors markets. They have collaborated with the top designers in all these fields to produce some beautiful and dazzling products.
One of Swarovski’s major collaborations has been with Daniel Libeskind. For Christmas he has created Eternal Star. It showcases his dynamic architectural vision in a stunning collection of standing and hanging ornaments. The irregular- shaped crystals encase a complex 3D laser-inscribed star, expertly designed to create wondrous reflections and refractions both inside and out.
If you are looking for a gift, rather than a decoration, Daniel Liebskind’s championship-size chess set is both a functional object and a remarkable art piece. The set fluently combines materials from the world of construction and artisan craft in a handcrafted board etched with maps of Milan and New York – the two cities where architect Libeskind lives and works. The bespoke crystal chess pieces in this truly unique piece are an ode to some of Leibskind’s most iconic buildings.
The two crystal kings take the form of the Freedom Tower in New York. The Queen, also in crystal, is represented by Libeskind’s City Life tower in Milan. The silver Bishop is the L Tower in Toronto, the marble Knight the Tor Di Valle in Rome, the concrete Rook is Century Spire in Manila, and the aluminium Pawn takes the form of the Pyramid Tower in Jerusalem.
Soft pond collection is by Nendo one of the world’s most celebrated design studio’s. Designer Oki Sato embraced the mesmerizing qualities of Swarovski crystal to recreate the effect of water in a lake as it travels from the deep to the shallows, from darkness to light.
The
crystals were made by gradually increasing the thickness from top down,
starting with 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, then 7mm. They were also tapered so they become
thinner towards the outer periphery, to create a gradient effect within the
same depth of water. The result is a small vessel that resembles a small pond
scooped up and placed on the table. The trays come in four different sizes, all
with change of cutting at the same thickness, aimed to make the depth of water appear the same when
using several vessels at the same time.
Dutch designer, Aldo Bakker, returns with the Facet Collection a series of stylish crystal objects inspired by his first collection for Atelier Swarovski Home, including bottle stoppers and playful paperweight lenses. The pieces encapsulate Bakker’s fixation with a purity of form and materiality, achieving the perfect balance of function and beauty.
Celebrated interior designer Barbara Berry has produced Lumen her first collaboration with Atelier Swarovski Home, Barry designed a range of multi-functional candleholders and vases in mellow hues. Brass and gunmetal effects accent the clarity of the crystal for a riveting juxtaposition of materials that coincide in perfect harmony. The versatile pieces play with compositions of color and light – always a focus of Barry’s – which bring intimate warmth to her magical home décor.
British designers Fredrikso Stallard
Design partnership Fredrikso Stallard create works that thrive on a raw sense of energy, chaos, destruction and recreation, to allow them to experience the world in new ways, and to see it differently.
Exploiting the subtle aspects of texture, material, volume, light, movement and contrast, the works function on a four-dimensional graph, between the twin axes of time and space. For Atelier Swarovski they have produced produced dramatic lines of vases, bowls and candle holders that create an incredible play of light illuminating any room in a stunning showcase of innovation and master craftsmanship.
Renowned architect and designer is John Pawson he has produced Vessels for Atelier Swarovski. Candle-holders, vases and bowls made up of deceptively simple looking convex and concave surfaces. The concave surfaces act as a lens playing with the optics of crystal, while the irregular facets are perfectly calculated to maximise the extraordinary clarity and refractive qualities of the material.
Lux Orbit is by Tord Boontje. Originally from the Netherlands, he studied at the Eindhoven Design Academy and then the Royal College of Art in London, before setting up Studio Tord Boontje.
Made from combinations of corian, glass and Swarovski crystals, the collection includes lanterns, wine coolers, nut bowls and caviar sets. Intended to be used with friends at a party or for a special occasion.
The scattered arrangement of crystals and polished curved surfaces took inspiration from the colours of the cosmos, patterns found in nature and star formations, with an added futuristic twist.
creativecolour.org 