Here’s our roundup of the latest products and brands in town.
26 March 2021
Text by Janice Seow
The highly expressive and iconic Italian furniture brand Baxter (here and top image) has arrived at Space Furniture. Launched in 1990, the family-run company follows the Made in Italy philosophy.
Baxter works closely with internationally renowned designer Paola Navone, who is known for her intuitive and unconventional working methods, and her ability to manipulate leather to make it come alive. A roster of other impressive names in architecture and design also collaborate with the brand, including Piero Lissoni, Hagit Pincovici, Federico Peri, Studio Pepe and Roberto Lazzeroni.
Baxter is available at Space Furniture
Nathan Yong, one of Singapore’s most respected designers, has released a new collection of furniture from his Folks brand, and it is inspired by the craft and dedication of Japanese woodwork.
Folks is a collection of furniture that “celebrates the purity of wood as a living and precious material”. But, as its name suggests, the brand is really about the “folks” behind the furniture – Asian craftsmen who have dedicated themselves to traditional carpentry works.
Folks Collection 3.0 features designs in wood and veneer. It pays homage to the skilled craftsmen of Japan, while fusing it with Nathan’s unique take on modern, everyday furniture. Each of the 14 pieces in the collection continues the brand’s meaningful tradition of humanistic design.
The latest edition to King, Fleur is a perfect response to our desire for comfort. The versatile sofa has a curvilinear and soft silhouette, and is specifically designed to maximise seating.
It comes with the sumptuous, sink-in comfort that King sofas are known for. The integrated folding backrests offer dual seating positions – enabling you to switch from a visually low profile when folded down, to a deeper seat with high-back and head support, depending on your preference.
The arms of the sofa are also adjustable for truly personalised comfort – enabling the sofa to switch from a more formal setting to a relaxed look in seconds.
Fleur is available in a range of sizes and in leather and fabric. There’s also a swivel lounge chair with 180o range of motion, and an ottoman in three size options.
Caesarstone, the inventor of quartz surfacing, has debuted a whole new product category: the Outdoor. It’s the one and only in the market with this patent-pending breakthrough technology to develop quartz surfaces for outdoor use.
Highly robust, the Outdoor collection has been extensively tested in high heat, harsh sunlight, and temperature variations where its colour consistency and product integrity remain intact. This makes it perfect to outdoor environments such as alfresco/outdoor kitchens, BBQs, rooftops, and more.
There are three colours to choose from. 515 Palm Shade™ offers the classic look of white marble with a white base and subtle warm veining; 405 Midday™ is a versatile light concrete look that correlates to the organic beauty of nature; and 406 Clearskies™ has a slightly darker, earthier concrete look that suits both indoor and outdoor applications.
Like all Caesarstone quartz surfaces, the Outdoor designs are all virtually non-porous, durable, flexible, and scratch, stain, mould and mildew resistant.
The lust list: New products
The Alumina lamp by British design and lighting brand Tala has many great things going for it.
This multifunctional, plug-and-play design caters to life on the go. It lets you to set up lighting in any space without the need for an electrician. It’s also great for small or awkward spaces – something apartment city dwellers will be all too familiar with.
Made from aluminium, this lamp is lightweight. And as a 2-in-1 design, it can be used as a table lamp or wall sconce.
Fancy a white midday glow or sunset-orange ambience? The lamp’s matte-porcelain Sphere IV LED bulb features Tala’s unique Dim to Warm technology, enabling Alumina to magically transform the colour as you adjust the dimmer. This gives you just the right light for focused tasks or relaxed evenings.
Alumina is available in Sapphire blue, Sage green, Blossom pink and Chalk white.
London-based designer Faye Toogood has debuted a capsule collection of ceramics that exude the warmth and comfort of good old dough.
Created to complement Toogood’s existing line of sculptural furniture, the new Dough collection of mugs, jugs and bowls are hand-shaped in the Toogood studio before being cast in earthenware. The pieces share a pared-back yet playful simplicity; the mugs and pitchers boast chunky, outsized handles, while the platter has a rounded swelling quality that calls to mind rising dough.
In addition, the vase and centrepiece are distinguished by a reactive glaze treatment that transitions between silky matte and shiny gloss in a single piece. All the pieces in the collection are available in two standard matte glazes: cream and charcoal.
“This debut homeware collection has been over two years ago in the making; the inspiration first came whilst I was exploring common items from the kitchen such as the soft volumes of rising dough and hand-shaped leavened pastries,” says Faye.
Forget about sticking messy paper notes on your refrigerator door. You can now jot messages down on Miele’s new Blackboard Edition cooling appliances instead. The door on the two ‘Blackboard Edition’ models – fridge and freezer – can be written on with school chalk or liquid chalk markers, and is a breeze to clean.
Great for families or those who simply need space, the new freestanding fridge and freezer offer an XL interior that can even accommodate baking trays. The frost-free feature also ensures less frequent defrosting.
The recessed handle with assisted opening action (Click2open) promises ease of operation, even when the door is opened several times in succession, thanks to an integrated lever mechanism. Inside, a TFT colour display and touch controls ensure an intuitive user experience.
The appliances light up slowly when opened thanks to energy-saving LED lighting, for greater comfort. And because needs always change, the glass shelves can be easily repositioned using the electrical contacts on the side of each shelf level. This gives you more space for say, a birthday cake…
The possibilities seem endless with the updated Storage system of wardrobes and dressing rooms from Porro. Designed by Piero Lissoni and the Porro Research Centre, the offering now comes with great new features. It has a slimmer profile that gives it a greater sense of lightness. This also gives more space inside and allows the different systems to be perfectly matched with transparent glass compartments alongside others that are partially or completely closed.
To illuminate the system, the transparent lighted shelf is now powered by a wireless electrification system which is perfectly hidden in the structure. Especially lovely is the way the drawers with glass fronts show and enhance the wardrobe.
To store one’s most prized accessories, the system has internal organisers in white cherry, and soft drawer bottoms and eco-leather storage trays in different colours and sizes.
There is full freedom to create one’s desired storage system. Each storage composition, custom-designed, is identified through a special “identity card”, which traces the production cycle and is delivered to you, the customer, so you are more aware and involved in the whole process.
Porro is available at Proof Living
Want to do more shopping? Visit Lookbox Collection.
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