EMU is the Italian manufacturer of outdoor furniture which has an uncanny knack to specify and use hard materials such as sheet metal and steel in their furniture offerings and give the pieces a stunning lightness to the overall visual impact. You can see from the EMU catalogue available at KE-ZU here.
Their furniture assembly, which you’ll find perfectly situated outdoors is as accessible as it is diverse. It’s no surprise that the company was one of the first in the world to patent an exclusive metal plasticisation process with exceptional resistance to atmospheric agents – cementing their place in the outdoor furniture hall of fame.
Recently working with some seriously exciting designers kicking goals internationally such as Jean Nouvel, Patricia Urquiola (Retrouve chair, title image), Paola Navone and Arik Levy (amongst many others), we love seeing their product installed in various spaces internationally. Below are a few of our recent picks:
Prominent French architect Jean Nouvel (pictured above) was awarded the highly-acclaimed Prtizker Prize for Architecture in 2008, the jury citing in their rationale:
His inquisitive and agile mind propels him to take risks in each of his projects, which, regardless of varying degrees of success, have greatly expanded the vocabulary of contemporary architecture.
Nouvel is the man who brought us the Torre Aigues de Barcelona, the Arab World Institute in Paris, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, One New Change in London and the Dentsu Building in Tokyo. He is the man with the plan, and has his troupe of architects currently have many exciting projects in the works.
With this is mind, we take this opportunity to introduce to you the MIA Collection of furniture available at KE-ZU, designed by Jean Nouvel and manufactured by Italian supplier EMU. Launching at Orgatec 2012, Nouvel designed the collection from flat metal bars specifically for the restaurant Mia, located in the RBC Design Centre in Paris. The RBC Design Centre is a design manifesto intending to showcase to visitors the leaders in design, production and distribution. MIA is a collection of furniture which understands the needs related to these three facets and now takes pride of place in the EMU catalogue.
Nouvel stated about MIA:
I was looking to create an archetypal outdoor chair… something that could become a contemporary reference, as XIX century chairs were in historical public gardens.
And that he did. By stripping back visible elements and unnecessary detailing, the MIA collection is aesthetically reduced to essentials, giving a nod to functionality and minimalist joy, yet packed with hidden features.
From the chair, the entire collection was born. Containing two types of folding tables, a stool, and chairs with optional arms all available in various colours.
Utilising simple clean cut lines comprising aluminium and steel, Nouvel has created pieces which are sturdy and light to assist their purpose around the contract and hospitality market, each having their own ability to either fold, hang or stack for easy storage and cleaning.
Originally slated as outdoor pieces, the MIA Collection is quickly finding itself pride of place indoors also. In our recent Orgatec 2012 Report (emailed to some of you recently) we brought you the new EMU release, high-powered magnetic cushions manufactured in top-Italian mould-impeding fabric “EMU-TEX”. These magnetic cushions are the perfect accompaniment to any MIA product, available in assorted colours.
We recently stumbled upon a video montage of Mia and Nouvel – you can watch the video here.
We love our furniture. Pretty obviously, we live and breathe it here at KE-ZU.
The distinction between tables available on the current market can be astonishing. Responding to designs changing needs in materiality, sustainability, size and adaptability lends itself to creating a diverse range of table components. Designers the world over are working with different methods, utilising different materials in exciting ways, and their designs are born from different concepts.
Pretty simply, this means at KE-ZU we have a large range of tables to suit any sort of project or space. Exciting!
Above you’ll find a collection of only some of the tables which are currently available for viewing at the KE-ZU showroom. A generous mix from indoor and outdoor occasional and dining comprising materiality variety of extruded aluminium, woven steel, plastic, Chestnut wood, lacquer MDF and so much more.
French Architect Jean Nouvel has created for EMU of Italy, a comprehensive family of chairs, stools and tables that he hopes will form a collection of contemporary archetypal outdoor furniture pieces – as recognisable in time as 19th Century public garden furniture is in Europe, today
The aluminium extruded designs are a study in simplicity, engineering and practicality.
Available as a chair, armchair, low chair, stool and folding table, the collection is premeditated and delivered as the 21st Century answer to outdoor cafe and hospitality furnishings. Currently MIA is offered in Red, Black, White and Grey.
Despite his immesurable experience across many design disciplines, Nouvel attributes this project as one of the most challenging he has ever faced!
The classic Ronda Armchair and Pigalle Table are familiar sights in cafes and homes across Europe and the US.
EMU have now questioned why the grown ups should be having all the fun… so here are the table and chair’s bright, bubbly offspring: Baby Ronda and Baby Pigalle. A cool collection for the little ones.
Maintaining the same standards and quality in production and design this “mini-me” range is offered in pint sized proportions and a whole new colour scheme exclusively for the kids.
As usual, the event was sold out and the spectacular after-party continued until the wee hours of Friday morning. Without saying too much, we may or may not be aware of a number of bleary eyed revelers crawling into work late on Friday… no naming names!
Winners this year were a welcome mix of large International practices and emerging, smaller firms – a heartening indication that the Australian Interior Design Industry is very much alive and better still: thriving. The fact that the shortlisted and winning projects ran the full gamut of budgets, scale and time-frames was proof more-so that the local talent pool is abundantly rich and fiercely creative in the face of the recent economic downturn.
Having had a hand in designing the venue for the awards night itself: The Ivy, Woods Baggot celebrated their win of the “overall best design” category for the breathtaking Hilton South Wharf in Melbourne’s docklands precinct.
Coupled with the integrated convention center, the project had already won them the category for Best Institutional Design, Best Hospitality Design as well as The National Award for Public Architecture at the recent Australian Institute of Architects Awards. It seems Woods Baggot have demonstrated their international design prowess with every facet of this immense project. Capitalising on the latest in local and imported designer fittings to furnish the world class facility, Woods Baggot specified striking Ferrari red Round Bar Stools from Christophe Pillet and EMU, Italy – A punchy addition to the public bar. As well as this, restaurants were fitted out with the Carlotta Chair from Andreu World, combining luxurious upholstered seats with fine wicker weave back rests in a timber frame. A study in pure refinement.
Luchetti Krelle were duly rewarded for their intensely productive two years since the firms inception. Having picked up the Best Emerging Practice Award in 2009, Rachel and Stuart were back on the podium this year triumphantly but no less humbly collecting their People’s Choice Award for Designer of The Year… not bad for a two year old!
Michael McCann and Dreamtime’s Victor Churchill Fine Family Butcher was unsurprisingly the big Retail Design winner this year. The incomparable project was a sure-fire winner as one of the most amazing retail fit-outs Australia has ever seen with Italian Calacatta marble stone floor and Himlayan salt brick walls.
The Major Commercial Category was a win for HASSELL and their ANZ Centre in Melbourne. The vast 84,450 sqm commercial complex was given life with stunning geometry, an uncluttered sense of space and a riot of colourful breakout areas infusing a sense of playfulness and intrigue. Very much at home within this brief were the bd Love Bench and bd Love Lamps by Ross Lovegrove and Spain’s bd Ediciones.
All in all, the Awards were again a celebration of local talent and best practice. We look forward to seeing you all next year!
Black is most definitely back! You asked for it and you got it, the perennial favourite: CU-C-ME from HIVE is now available for the first time in black!
We got so excited we wanted to showcase some of the other sleek black editions now also offered from our suppliers: bd Ediciones, VONDOM, EMU and Artifort.
Winners are grinners and we’d like to extend our congratulations to some of the biggest names in Sydney’s Culinary Community and acknowledge those new comers who have earned themselves a coveted “HAT” in the Herald’s annual dining review and awards. Check out some pictures from the awards night here.
The team at the stunning Manly Pavilion, which opened to much acclaim in March of this year, have taken out the prize for Best New Restaurant in this years Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards. An unrivalled marriage of location, service, design and dining options saw the heritage waterfront venue draw the winning votes in a hotly contested category. Click here to watch the Herald’s interview with chefs James Parry and John Barthelmess. The video beautifully captures the uninterrupted views across the water, complimented by the striking selection of Round, Ivy and Heaven pieces from Italy’s EMU collection and the attention to detail given to the unique project by Squillace Nicholas Architects.
Over in the CBD where the business lunch is king and the high-powered clientele: discerning, it is no surprise to us that the wonderful Martin Benn of Sepia took out the award for Emirates Chef of The Year. KE-ZU had the pleasure of working with Martin, Vicki Wild and the team at SJB in furnishing the “…gentleman’s-club-meets-brasserie…” atmosphere of the Sussex Street eatery with beautiful wicker and leather detailed Manila Chairs from Spain’s Andreu World.
Heading down to The Rocks now, where the wildly successful Sake Restaurant and Bar, in the Argyle precinct has been awarded a SMH Chefs Hat in its first twelve months of operation – No small feat! Luchetti Krelle crafted for the owners a space that brings toegther some of Australia’s most significant historical architecture with a contemporary Japanese setting populated with Smile stools and chairs from Andreu World and timber Mikado pendant lights from LZF. A triumph in taste and style, which obviously met with the Sydney Morning Herald’s approval!
Perennial favourite, ARIA scored two hats again, we like to think the Noosa, Anna and Lucrecia chairs from Andreu World went some of the way to contributing to a faultless dining experience overlooking some of Sydney’s greatest landmarks.
Congratulations to all! Talking about all these eateries is enough to make you hungry… see you at the bar!
The October/November issue of Belle Magazine goes out today with a cracking cover shot and some brilliant content…
Gracing the cover is Greg Natale’s “Tierney Watson Residence” featuring our ‘miami cool’Veranda Chair collection from EMU, Italy. Suitably paired with the sleek extending Piano Table (also from EMU), the whole scene is beautifully shot by the master of light and lens: Anson Smart, the vibrancy of the living space virtually leaping off the page at you.
Between the covers we are also excited to see Anne-Maree Sargeant, BELLE’s new design editor-at-large, has compiled a number of pages bumper to bumper with the coolest from here and abroad.
The Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) showcase the best of Australian design. First held in 2001, the prestigious awards program receives hundreds of submissions from across Australia each year and is recognised by the design community as the country’s pre-eminent design awards program.
Whilst the award winners are actually announced in November at a gala event, for now, the shortlisted projects have been made public and what a collection!
Head over to the IDEA 10 website to peruse the projects in the running! It’s been a big year for interiors and spatial projects so we eagerly await the announcement of the winners!
