Objects of Desire

Notes on our most coveted art & design pieces and collaborations.

Design Kartta glass sculpture

Escape to the cooling climes of Finland through the Kartta glass sculpture. Designed by artist Santtu Mustonen, this bold piece offers a mental (as well as material) gateway to another world. ‘Kartta’ is the Finnish word for map, and the work – representative of how Mustonen renders emotional, mental experiences in visual, tactile form – refers to an imaginary map of another reality located in our mind. The sculpture is made at the Iittala glass factory through a combination of digital manufacturing methods and more traditional metalworking, resulting in its distinctive aesthetic. After a week of tropical heat, it’s the bedside table companion you need.

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Design Mesedia Chair, Versace Home

Bring a touch of colour and mystique to those dreamy outdoor summer evenings. In a now-iconic piece by Versace, the brand embeds its own Medusa figurehead into a climate-proof aluminium chair. The first of its kind for Versace Home, the chair was first introduced at the Salon de Mobile in 2016. ‘Versace lives through colour and pattern, breaking rules and promoting a sense of confidence and glamour’, the brand says – qualities all exuded in this piece entitled Mesedia. The chair comes in a variety of colours, from midnight blues to smokey blacks. Sink back and lose yourself.

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Design Keith Haring x The Skateroom

Whether for wall or streetside, this is art to mount. The latest release by The Skateroom – a social initiative empowering youth with art – is a set of boards paying homage to legendary American pop artist Keith Haring. A leading figure in the New York graffiti subculture of the 1980s, Haring’s universally recognised visual language – here featuring his famous monster motif – is a fittingly energetic adornment for these decks. This limited-edition set is made from responsibly source wood, and harks back perfectly to Haring’s artistic vision: ‘Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. By taking it off the pedestal, I’m giving it back to the people.’

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Jewellery Bubble, warm (2020), Mariko Kusumoto

The ethereal delicacy of Mariko Kusumoto’s designs are a triumph of skill and craftsmanship. The artist specialises in creating jewellery and objects out of polyester fibres, inspired by motifs of marine life, flowers and the everyday. The result is somewhat magical and uplifting: ‘My work reflects various, observable phenomena that stimulate my mind and senses. I “reorganize” them into a new presentation that can be described as surreal, amusing, graceful, or unexpected,’ she describes. Shown as part of Kusumoto’s fittingly titled show ‘Natural Grace’ at Micheko Galerie in Munich, ‘Bubble, warm’ encapsulates the lightness of beauty that pervades her work.

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Book Bright Stars: Great Artists Who Died Too Young, Kate Bryan

Short careers, long legacies, immortal artwork: Kate Bryan’s upcoming book Bright Stars is both an examination and a celebration of the lives of 30 great artists who died young. It’s hard to believe that such heavyweight art figures as Van Gogh in fact died at 38, or even Jean-Michel Basquiat at 27. This new book explores how such premature ends contribute to the mythologisation of the artist figure – while reappraising the importance of other artists whose early deaths excluded them from the history books, from Charlotte Salomon to Amrita Sher-Gil. Bright Stars makes their stories shine: pre-order away.

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Design Vitra Sunburst Clock, George Nelson

Time won’t forget George Nelson. As one of the founding fathers of American modernism, he was part of a generation of architects who re-envisioned the design of everyday objects as art. Perhaps most famous for his series of clocks, Nelson was the first to eliminate the use of numbers in their design, re-establishing the value of clocks as a decorative interior product in a wristwatch age. His ‘Vitra Sunburst’ design in particular captured this refreshing new idea, embodying the joie de vivre aesthetic of the 1950s. There’s a reason it’s still in production today – this sits just as well as any artwork on the wall.

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The Wick - 1970 large-scented candle, Bella Freud

Objects 1970 large-scented candle, Bella Freud

Bella Freud’s 1970 candle is one that shouts scent. Taking its name after the decade that popularised the fragrance of heavy incense, the graphic power of its design is almost synesthetic: a rich mixture of hand-poured natural mineral wax infused with luxuriously intense notes of vetiver, sandalwood, oakmoss and myrrh. ‘It’s very much about storytelling with the candles and fragrances, because a scent is so evocative. 1970 has a real frisson to it, a tension,’ says Freud. Set in gold colour and with a metallic shimmer, it strikes an indulgent and heady mood. This is one to save the date.

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The Wick - Silver-tone suede earrings, Isabel Marant

Fashion Silver-tone suede earrings, Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant’s design purpose is clear: to make pieces that women can wear whether they’re ‘walking down the street or zipping off a scooter’. The appeal of this ethos is reflected in the success of the Parisian fashion designer’s eponymous brand, which boasts decades worth of accolades and customers ranging from Kate Moss to Sienna Miller. Carefree and eclectic, these earrings are no exception. Cast from silver-tone metal and shaped in a fan of suede tassels, their vibrant cobalt-blue hue evokes the magic of Yves Klein and the mystique of Frida Kahlo. Whether you’re strolling down the Seine or whizzing down the Champs-Élysées, these bring a sure-fire spark.

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The Wick -
You Deserved Better, Emma Witter

Objects You Deserved Better, Emma Witter

Beauty to the bone. London-based artist Emma Witter has carved out a distinctive aesthetic, using intricate bone structures to create fragile and flower-patterned forms. In her work, the material takes on a spiritual rather than a macabre significance, representing the endurance and beauty of nature. ‘It’s interesting because the bones are dead, but in a way they’re still alive,’ says Witter. From salvaging bone remains from restaurant planes to the Thames riverbed, the result is a delicate and contemplative body of work – one that reminds us how all art is, in some form, a relic of human nature.

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Objects Liu Wei x Hennessy

Liu Wei’s geometric forms stop you in your tracks. And Spring, his new canvas commission for heritage cognac brand Hennessy, is no exception. Its palette of fuchsia, blue, green and yellow buoys the spirit, while its organic curves invite endless interpretation. It conjures ‘a certain kind of beauty within a world of possibility,’ says Liu.

Created in celebration of the Lunar Year of the Ox, the joyful composition has inspired two new bottle designs: the Hennessy V.S.O.P and Hennessy X.O bottles (and packaging) now pop with vibrant colour, channelling spring’s cheerful optimism. ‘Each year brings change and new possibilities, even in times of crisis,’ says the artist. ‘Focusing on new creativity gives me lots of hope for the future.’ We say cheers to that!

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