Muller Van Severen’s ‘Match’ kitchen wins Wallpaper* Design Award for Best Domestic Design

WINNER

‘Match’ kitchen, by Muller Van Severen, for Reform

Belgian husband-and-wife duo Hannes Van Severen and Fien Muller describe their material-driven concepts as ‘landscapes for living’, and they applied this approach when designing the ‘Match’ kitchen for Reform, a Danish brand specialising in stylish doors for Ikea cabinets. With multicoloured panels, brass details and a silky marble worktop, the ‘Match’ kitchen is intended as a playful and unorthodox step away from its typically white and neutral counterparts. Doors and drawers are cast in the designers’ signature HDPE – a material commonly used to make cutting boards – and open via a handle-less push function, contributing to the colourful-yet-clutterless look.

KEY FEATURES: An Ikea-compatible designer kitchen with playful, colourful fronts
MATERIALS: HDPE polyethylene resin, Italian marble, brass
mullervanseveren.com

SHORTLIST

‘Beosound Stage’ sound bar, by Norm Architects, for Bang & Olufsen

The Beosound Stage sound bar marks a first for Bang & Olufsen, which worked with Copenhagen-based Norm Architects on the look and feel of the design. With the aim of ‘humanising technology’, Norm came up with a design that is simple in terms of form and material, while the technology aims for ease of use. An engraved touch-sensitive control panel is set within the frame, available in natural aluminium, bronze-tone aluminium or smoked oak. Clever engineering leaves a 2mm gap between the frame and the fabric-covered speaker, visually suggesting it is suspended or free-floating within its solid exterior.

KEY FEATURES: A sound bar with seamless design, Dolby Atmos and 11 power amplifiers
MATERIALS: Aluminium or smoked oak; Kvadrat fabric
normcph.com; bang-olufsen.com

‘Earth to Sky’ lighting, by Doshi Levien

Muller Van Severen's ‘Match’ kitchen, for Reform has scooped our coveted Wallpaper* Design Award 2020 for Best Domestic Design, as selected by our discerning jury

This venture from design studio Doshi Levien feels like its most personal to date. Known for their distinct aesthetic and shaping dynamic forms for the likes of Kvadrat, Galerie Kreo, Moroso and more, the London-based duo took a thoughtful step back into the studio this year, creating their first collection – seven sculptural objects – that are entirely self-produced. The ‘Earth to Sky’ lighting range is seamlessly engineered; pieces of automotive-grade aluminium are shaped using the machine rollers often employed when restoring classic cars, then beaten with a mallet on a wooden block before being welded together to create organic forms. Fixed to the wall with a sleek brass pole, a trio of lights blossom like flowers, while a layered version creates a more abstract arrangement, with a punctured blue aluminium panel bringing texture and concealing a light bulb. The range also includes a ceiling light and table lamps.

KEY FEATURES: A self-produced lighting range made using automotive aluminium
MATERIALS: Aluminium, brass
doshilevien.com

‘Industrial Office’ phone, by Philippe Malouin

Steel wire rings, rubber and nylon were just some of the industrial raw materials designer Philippe Malouin worked with when creating his first collection of office furniture for the Salon 94 Design gallery, which launched in June at Design Miami/Basel. The collection, steeped in nostalgia and brimming with colour, overlooks no workspace necessity; smaller items include sturdy, polyurethane-coated steel pen pots and bookends, while among the bigger pieces are cast-rubber chairs and blocky nylon desks. The standout design is a 1970s-esque nylon telephone, which at first glance looks like an artwork but is fully functional.

KEY FEATURES: A fully functioning cubist telephone
MATERIALS: Nylon
philippemalouin.com

‘LG Signature R9’ TV, by Foster + Partners, for LG

This year, Foster + Partners joined forces with LG to create a TV for the most minimal of minimalists. Once the stuff of sci-fi movies, the high-tech engineering behind the ‘LG Signature R9’ TV enables an OLED screen to fold away into its base when not in use, making blank TV screens a thing of the past. With the ongoing trend for invisible technology in mind, Foster + Partners set about creating a structural geometry that would be ‘unobtrusive with a quiet sculptural presence’. Finishing touches in the form of Kvadrat fabric and polished metal give a luxurious feel.

KEY FEATURES: A rollable OLED screen that tucks away into the base when not in use
MATERIALS: Polished metal, Kvadrat fabric
fosterandpartners.com; lg.com

INFORMATION

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