Category: Featured

APPARATUS launches ACT IV

New collections from APPARATUS, and the presentation of their lines are always highly imaginative and eagerly anticipated moments in the world of home furnishings. The unapologetically seductive aesthetic of the New York design studio’s work courses through both design and delivery. Even their parties and the environs- imagined by founders Jeremy Anderson and artistic director Gabriel Hendifar- are legendary. So the rollout of ACT IV, their largest collection to date, after 18-months of enforced isolation and launch delays due to Covid, had the makings of another moment that captures pulse and potential.

Drawing inspiration from the 60s-era and the playful optimism of a time where machine perfection, scientific innovations and the human hand coalesced in an attitude of wonder, the 40-piece line expands the scope of APPARATUS’ unique vision. Think forward-looking cultural touchstones like the Jetsons, Pierre Cardin’s Space Age fashions and Regency robots meets midcentury modernism. ACT IV explores a period in which man-made ingenuity and technology elicited delight and includes lighting, objects, seating, and rugs.

To launch the ACT IV, a series of films were produced to live online, with costumes courtesy of American couturier Ralph Rucci and a supporting role by model Debra Shaw. But the lead is all APPARATUS, the “sets” built in a soundstage in Brooklyn and filmed to look like a diorama will soon populate many a mood board and absolutely lives up to the theatrical billing.

See the entire collection here.

Organic contours coupled with luxurious materials, the designs of the British brand, OCHRE, strike a mood that falls into step with the gloaming of fall days to come. Perhaps best known for their lighting, OCHRE is understated elegance. Discreet though it may try to be, however, the work of designers Joanna Bibby, Harriet Maxwell Macdonald and Solenne de la Fouchardière possess such exquisite features that they still manage to be the center of attention in any interior setting.

Among their most iconic designs, the Seed Cloud reflects the subdued glamour as well as versatility OCHRE is known for. The mesmeric light holding strands of solid cast bronze buds each house a glass, jewel-like pods. A Seed Cloud installation can be made up of any combination of these drops and in custom dimensions to create a bolder, sculptural statement over a dining room table or a smaller grouping for a quieter moment in a corner. By contrast the Cloud is a simple pendant light with a three-tier fine woven metallic fabric shade creating a shape that appears to float and shimmer overhead.

The upholstered range of OCHRE is a testament to the brand’s commitment to function, craftsmanship and comfort without forgoing the beautiful silhouettes they are known for. The refined, organic forms reflect the way nature smooths edges over time, making these pieces the perfect foil for the modern home.

Jérôme Aumont, curator and design authority of the Paris-based design company, Collection Particulière, dubs his range of upholstered furniture and objects, “objets de nécessité” (necessary objects). R HUGHES is in full accord that the sculptural forms and sumptuous materials are indeed that, and a perfect fit for the showroom and now represents the complete line. 

The collection elevates daily life objects, whether a bench, a candle holder, or a small side table, in materials chosen for their ability to age with elegance and subtle patina: wood, marble, leather, brass, ceramic. The chiseled shapes of upholstered pieces seduce in almost archaic forms and fluid silhouettes are designed by some of the leading names in European design, including Grégoire de Lafforest, Dan Yeffet, Christophe Delcourt and Arno Declercq.

At the core of Collection Particulière dwells an air of mystery. Not a hint of decorative overstatement to be found, the range’s presence is a settled one, exuding confidence and calm.   

Known for her border-agnostic take on haute interiors, Natasha Baradaran’s new line evolved with the moment of uncertainty and quietude of 2020. Jaunts along the Mediterranean became humble neighborhood strolls. Visits to the markets of Marrakech transformed into weekly visits to the local farmer’s market.

Her newest collection—NB ESSENTIAL— is a design response to a year of inner reflection and quiet stillness. Wanderlust reinterpreted, the great romance and allure of travel and work turned inward in 2020 revealed a new type of exploration.

The result is a rigorously optimistic offering of warm woods, plush upholstery, and blushing finishes against timeless silhouettes.

Shop NB Essential

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