Luxurious Lace!

Valentino Catwalk Show, '07

Now, I'm a big fan of lace.. it's delicate, beautiful and feminine. And these days it seems it's walked off Grandma's table and right into modern design and high fashion, and I can happily say, its done well!

So, without further ado, here's a few designs I find interesting, and some of my favorites....

Above and Below, Brocade Design comes through beautifully once again! White Lace Storage Unit and a Laser Cut Wool Blend Flax Rug.

Marcel Wanders designed the above Crochet Table in 2002 (shown here in large), manufactured through Moooi. Below he added to his lace trend with the Crochet Chair, both of these are made of hand-sewn crochet flowers sewn together, placed over a mould and stiffened with resin. I love that these are made from real crocheted pieces... beautiful!

Below is the Nebula Table, designed by Chris Kabatsi for Arktura. Laser cut and powder coated in glass white, the piece is available in multiple sizes with glass tops, all of Arktura's steel and aluminum pieces are made using 35-100% recycled content.

The Random Suspension Light, designed by Bertjan Pot in 2001. Manufactured by Moooi, its made with epoxy and fiberglass, chromed with steel and plastic.

The Fiberglass Hanging Lamps below are designed by Niels Van Eijk & Miriam Van Der Lubbe, they provide light without the use of bulbs! Instead, the light is produced in a hidden box at the top, and is transported by the strands of fiberglass to the bottom. Therefore, the woven strands become the source of light in their own right.

Denmark's Gamfratesi gives us beautiful lace in fiberglass chairs,  "This project is the result of an intense study that embraces tradition as well as advanced technology; an idea that emerged from reflections on contrasts. A fascination of a fusion between high performance composite materials, as glasfiber, and the aesthetics from the antique art of lace. With inspiration from working methods in the textile industry, we have been experimenting with various techniques applicable to the glasfiber. This project is a dialog between many specialized sectors, and different historical references.

And did you ever think your regular paperclip could look this good?!

Drew Leshko designed the above and below light fixtures using 2,018 and 2,280 paperclips respectively. Amazing.... and one of those, 'I wish I thought of that' moments!

I am in love with Jethro Macey's work! Above, his Textile Side Unit, made in collaboration with Decode London. It's a stunning simple piece, and with it's subtle lace detailing on the front, I fell in love with it the second I saw it!!

Below, are his award winning (Elle Decoration British Design Awards - Best in Flooring) Lace Tiles, these are just stunning!! High technology surface design techniques turn an otherwise plain stone tile into a three dimensional piece of functional art. These will be in my future dream house I swear it!!!!

And just one more addition on how the purely functional can be decorative, the Lace Fence, created by the Dutch Design House, Demakersvan. Each fence is unique in it's design, and the patterns come in a variety of themes. Each application is created according to it's function, for example, to hide or enhance it's surroundings.

I think it's beautiful, and definitely one of the best fences I've seen, ever!!