The Business in February


News and pictures from the design sector


PriestmanGoode LATAM design ready for take-off

PriestmanGoode has designed new aircraft interiors for the South American carrier LATAM as part of its vision to offer passengers a travel experience with more options, flexibility and personalisation.

The two companies have been collaborating for many years and PriestmanGoode has helped the airline group establish a reputation as a leader in onboard customer experience.

The new cabin interiors will be introduced to more than 200 aircraft through a retrofit programme over the next two years and will also feature in LATAM’s new aircraft. Passengers will be able to fly the new designs from early this year.

Luke Hawes, director at PriestmanGoode said: ‘We have a long-standing relationship with LATAM Airlines Group and have collaborated on many projects over the past 10 years. As a result, we have an intimate understanding of the brand, its requirements, its ambitions, and its passengers.’

PriestmanGoode has built a reputation for creating designs that celebrate local heritage and resonate with global audiences. Daniel Sohi, project head said: ‘It was important to us to imbue the aircraft with a sense of place, but LATAM Airlines Group encompasses a lot of different countries and therefore different visual identities.

We decided to look through commonalities in landscape as the key element that draws everything together, with the design language of the Business Class cabin [shown above] drawing inspiration from and reflecting iconic architecture seen throughout South America.’

The design for each cabin was carefully considered as part of a passenger’s holistic travel experience and lifestyle, and ranges from elegant and modern in Business Class to a more playful and colourful palette of materials in Economy Class.

Still in the pink for 2019

Living Coral has been named Pantone’s Colour Of The Year, 2019. ‘In its glorious, yet unfortunately more elusive, display beneath the sea, it [Living Coral] mesmerises the eye and mind,’ according to a Pantone spokesperson.

‘To us, Living Coral (Pantone 16-1546) is the fun, vibrant cousin of the (now overdone) “millennial pink” which took over every inch of the design sphere for the past two years.’

Surface Design Show ready for you this month
A must-attend event for designers, architects, specifiers and decisionmakers is the Surface Design Show. Source products, meet suppliers, network, hear from industry professionals, gain new insights and connect with innovative and exciting materials: it’s all for the taking 5-9 February at the Business Design Centre, London (colocated with Light School and Stone Hub). In addition to 150 exhibitors, there will be some 45 speaker presentations, awards, Surface Spotlight Live – the best in innovative and inspiring materials – and two special materials focuses.

By Bailey merger
UK dealer By Bailey has joined forces with US-based dealer Insidesource to create a first-of-its-kind global furniture dealer. The boutique By Bailey studio was opened in 2015 by industry veteran Mark Bailey. Bailey’s tenure in the industry will provide valuable insight in the European market, including manufacturers, brokers network, A & D relationships and ancillary services.

New partner
EGGER has announced that it has been appointed as Material Lab’s latest surfacing partner. Material Lab is a leading design resource studios and material libraries in the UK, hosting some of the biggest global surfacing brands. EGGER now has a dedicated display area in Material Labs studio.

214 chair colours up for Thonet anniversary

This year furniture manufacturer Thonet celebrates its 200th anniversary. For the occasion, the company commissioned the designers Marcel Besau and Eva Marguerre to create a special version of the Thonet Coffee House Chair 214.

The famous coffee house chair designed by Michael Thonet in Vienna in 1859 is considered the most successful mass produced product in the world to date: it initiated the history of modern furniture. The basis was a new technique – the bending of solid wood – that Thonet developed and perfected during the 1850s, and it was the first time serial furniture production was possible.

Added was an ingenious distribution model: 36 disassembled chairs could be packed into a cubic metre box, shipped throughout the world, and then assembled on site. With its clear, reduced aesthetics this classic has been placed in the most diverse environments for more than 150 years. It is produced in Thonet’s facility in Frankenberg, Germany.

For Besau Marguerre’s special feature the connecting elements of the 214 are stained several shades lighter than the seat ring and legs. The play of colours attracts the eye to the ingenious, minimalistic construction and, at the same time, transports its classic silhouette into a contemporary context.

The natural look of the stains creates a translucent effect and the contemporary interpretation of classic colours creates a modern look.

A special exhibition dedicated to Thonet is being held from 16 May at the Museum Die Neue Sammlung – the Design Museum – in Munich.

All aboard

Construction has begun on the Royal Wharf Pier, a new floating riverboat terminal incorporating a large new public space on the Thames, designed by London-based architecture practice Nex—. The 130m-long pier, at London’s Royal Docks, came to the practice through a competition win in 2016, and marks the practice’s first major infrastructure project. Nex—’s Pier replaces an existing derelict jetty with contemporary design that addresses the practical requirements of Thames Clippers’ traffic while also providing a unique and generous public space by the end of the year.








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