TRENDS 2020: FUTURISTIC FLINTSTONE

TRENDS 2020: FUTURISTIC FLINTSTONE

The rise of organic shapes and forms, natural materials and craftsmanship have been the de rigueur in interiors for a little while now. It only makes sense that design trends are pushing towards a futuristic-retro take on these environs we're dubbing Futuristic Flintstone! 

Over the past few years, we've been seeing objects and interior architectural detail in plaster render of smooth, exaggerated organic shapes. These recall the likes of famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí and more specifically, the female ceramicist and sculpture artist -  
Valentine Schlegel. 

And more recently, we’ve been bombarded with homage’s to all things Schlegel – not that we mind! First, we saw the super Instagram-able Roman Plyus designed Buha’I’Rest bar in Budapest (left) with a space-agey fireplace in the style of Miss Schelgel. Then, photos of the 2020 Kips Bay show house featuring a room by Joe Lucas where he replicated a fireplace in the manner of Schlegel (middle). And as I was passing by a little Japanese Restaurant off the beaten path around London’s Spitalfields (right), I noticed a wall of glowing pillar candles inside primitive-looking plaster recessed shelves. 

This sparked a memory of a blog post I read by Commune Design in 2017 about Miss Valentine Schlegel. And three years on, it appears that the design cognoscenti have begun wholly embracing the Valentine Schlegel aesthetic.

Before the above blog post was written, and when Commune Design co-founder Pamela Samshiri was still a part of the studio, she designed the Irene Neuwirth Flagship in 2015 (left). It had beautiful wall niche arches finished in plaster render that I believe this was rooted in the influential works of Schlegel and has had influence in the imagination of the talented Samshiri. Especially, when comparing the 2015 Neuwirth Flagship and her latest launch, the Sonia Boyajian Studio 2019 (right) which references Schlegel even heavier than the Neuwirth Flagship. From the fireplaces to the wall display niches (bottom left and right), this artful display that Samshiri designed is a fantastical homage to the surreal, organic works of Schlegel.

“A pot is designed to hold flowers. Without flowers, it’s nothing. To have a life of its own, it must also be a sculpture” by Valetine Schlegel

Photography: Suzanne Fournier-Schlegel/Valentine Schlegel ©/VISDA.dk.

To give you a bit of history, Valentine Schlegel was born in the South of France (Sète) and moved to Paris in 1945. After travelling to Greece, Portugal and Spain in the 1950’s, Schlegel began experimenting with ceramics reminiscent of Matisse’s free form, organic minimalist shapes. While practically utilitarian, her ceramics also had a very futuristic aesthetic to them, and Valentine wanted her work to reflect its functional contents as well as being able to stand on its own as sculpture.

According to another article about Schlegel from Kinfolk, she created her first fireplace to showcase a vase she made for a friend. She disliked the mantle where her vase was displayed, so much so that (as one does of course) she designed and created their own distinctive fireplace with a mantle worthy of her works to be presented! This was also the beginning of Valentines fireplace creations until 2002. 

(We highly recommend reading this excellent archived article on Kinfolk to learn a bit more.)

Photography: Suzanne Fournier-Schlegel/Valentine Schlegel ©/VISDA.dk.

When you see a piece by Miss Valentine, you can’t help but notice the primitive futuristic nature these comforting forms have that is both raw and refined, and ahead of its time. And as the saying goes; “every dog has its day” and with designers and Instagrammers adoring this look in equal measure, I think we're going to be headed toward the tipping point on this trend soon! What's old is new again eh?

CREDITS:
1) Buha|I|rest designed and photographed by Roman Plyus
2) Kips Bay Show House by Lucas Studio. Photography by Karyn Millet
3) Yuzu, London Spitalfields. Photography from Tripadvisor
4) Irene Neuwirth Flagship by Studio Shamshiri. Photography by Spencer Lowell
5, 6 & 7) Sonia Boyajian Studio & Showroom by Studio Shamshiri. Photography by Stephen Buksen