‘Let there be light’ seemed to be the mission statement radiating from Galerie Kreo's tastefully illuminated booth at San Francisco's FOG Design+Art Fair. ‘In all my booths, there is a lot of lights because that is my passion,’ says Didier Krzentowski, who founded the gallery with his wife Clémence, and also co-authored a history of lights with her. For Krzentowski, there is no greater talent than Gino Sarfatti – the late Italian maestro who was the subject of a 2012 retrospective at La Triennale Design Museum in Milan.
Dressed in a sharp blue suit and navy slippers monogrammed with ON and OFF, Krzentowski picked up a yellow-shaded, bronze-based floor lamp, adjusted it with a simple twist of his hand before moving towards his favourite: a two-bulb blue shaded Scarfatti sconce. ‘He was thinking about lighting different positions however you wanted,’ he says. ‘It's easy to do something complicated, but something so simple, it's very difficult.’
Around and under lamps, illuminated mirrors and chandeliers from Scarfatti, Studio Wieki Somers and the Bouroullec brothers, Kreo shed some light on their decor. Against one wall leaned a carbon fibre ladder by Marc Newson beside Doshi Levien's multi-colored 'Squarable Lune' mirror. Across the booth, Jaime Hayon's Venetian-influenced ‘Monkey’ mirror held court between Alessandro Mendini's reflective white gold 'Poltrona' chair and a hollowed console made from Maquina black marble by Pierre Charpin. ‘It's genius because it's concave inside,’ says Krzentowski pointing out the engineering that allowed for the weighty material to be so light.
However, the centre of attention in the booth seemed to be focused on the glass-topped 'Champions' table from Konstantin Grcic. Inspired by racing sports, its red, green and yellow aluminium base appeared to invoke a road bicycle or cigarette boat, enhanced via the word ‘Jetdog’ emblazoned down the middle by master lacquerer Walter Maurer.
‘It doesn't mean anything,’ says Krzentowski with a laugh. ‘But "Jetdog" gives you the feeling of speed.’
One especially defining feature of the booth was the gallery’s selection of vintage lighting by the late Italian lighting maestro, Gino Sarfatti (seen here with Jaime Hayon’s Venetian-influenced ‘Monkey’ mirror)
Seen here – with a floor lamp from 1962 and a round mirror with small spotlights from 1971 (both by Sarfatti) – is Alessandro Mendini’s reflective ’Proust’ All’aperto armchair. A white gold Bisazza mosaic helped to bring an added shine to the booth
Also on display was Pierre Charpin’s ’High Console’..
... and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s ’Geta Black’ coffee table
Much attention was drawn by the glass-topped ’Champions’ table by Konstantin Grcic, seemingly inspired by racing sports with its red, green and yellow aluminum base
A carbon fibre ladder
Pictured from left: François Bauchet’s ’Cellae Library’ in technical felt, fibreglass and epoxy resin; a pair of vintage rectangular box wall lights made from crackled lacquered metal and opaline glass; Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s ’Shells 3’ lights in black lacquered fiberglass; ’UN Lounge Chair’ by Hella Jongerius
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Fod Design+Art’s website or Galerie Kreo’s website
-
Unlike the gloriously grotesque imagery in his films, Yorgos Lanthimos’ photographs are quietly beautifulAn exhibition at Webber Gallery in Los Angeles presents Yorgos Lanthimos’ photography
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacyDavid M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
-
At the Institute of Indology, a humble new addition makes all the differenceContinuing the late Balkrishna V Doshi’s legacy, Sangath studio design a new take on the toilet in Gujarat
-
Desert X 2025 review: a new American dream grows in the Coachella ValleyWill Jennings reports from the epic California art festival. Here are the highlights
-
In ‘The Last Showgirl’, nostalgia is a drug like any otherGia Coppola takes us to Las Vegas after the party has ended in new film starring Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
-
‘American Photography’: centuries-spanning show reveals timely truthsAt the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Europe’s first major survey of American photography reveals the contradictions and complexities that have long defined this world superpower
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watchSundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
-
What is RedNote? Inside the social media app drawing American users ahead of the US TikTok banDownloads of the Chinese-owned platform have spiked as US users look for an alternative to TikTok, which faces a ban on national security grounds. What is Rednote, and what are the implications of its ascent?
-
Architecture and the new world: The Brutalist reframes the American dreamBrady Corbet’s third feature film, The Brutalist, demonstrates how violence is a building block for ideology
-
‘Gas Tank City’, a new monograph by Andrew Holmes, is a photorealist eye on the American West‘Gas Tank City’ chronicles the artist’s journey across truck-stop America, creating meticulous drawings of fleeting moments
-
Intimacy, violence and the uncanny: Joanna Piotrowska in PhiladelphiaArtist and photographer Joanna Piotrowska stages surreal scenes at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
