Tag: Sancal

Down By The Danube…

© Julien Lanoo

Pritzker prize winning Architect Jean Nouvel signed off on the Sofitel Vienna in December last year.

From the street, sheer walls finished in glass and steel – some at atypical angles, trade surprisingly well within the subdued hues of historic Vienna.  Ultimately though, these elements belie the moments of riotous colour and haphazard geometry that jump out sporadically from internal balconies, feature ceilings and wall detailing.  The panoramic double height top floor restaurant offers sweeping views across Vienna, the canopy of colour overhead imbuing a sense warmth even when the city beyond the huge panes of glass is dusted in winter snowfall.   Rafa Garcia’s luxurious Artica Armchairs for Sancal were selected by Nouvel for the same reason. Their crisp, formal lines reflect the language of the external architecture all the while providing superior comfort and warmth for the user.

© Julien Lanoo

© Julien Lanoo

The prolific Frenchman has been turning his hand to International projects further and further afield with Australia soon to get it’s own taste of the  Ateliers Jean Nouvel at Central Park, Sydney.  Having designed One Central Park for Fraser Property Group, the Frenchman’s dramatic foliage-clad residential tower with cantilevered mirror elements and Babylonic gardens will play neighbour to Frank Gehry’s forthcoming  “Wrinkly” Business Faculty for the University of Technology, Sydney.

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Spanish Success…

Interiors From Spain.com has launched it’s Hits of 2010 winners list.

The site, dedicated to proudly promoting the vibrancy and ingenuity of the Spanish design scene, has compiled a list of they best bits that went into production in 2010.

We’re not surprised to find many of our suppliers included in the collection: Sancal, Andreu World, Nanimarquina and BD Barcelona.

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ITO + BCN = Porta Fira…

Arguably Japan’s most Internationally recognised architect and designer: Toyo Ito has made a striking, indelible mark on the Spanish design scene, adding his Modern Asian chapter to their multi-faceted design history.

Hotel Santos Porta Fira in Barcelona’s port district combines conference facilities, a cubist commercial tower and 110m tall hotel in a distinct irregularly shaped building referencing the form of a lotus flower.  As Ito has famously been quoted:

there is no better architecture than a tree

This reverence for natural form and organic structure is evidently carried through in the design of internal furnishings too.  Toyo Ito with Spanish firm Sancal collaborated on the public seating for the tower’s vast foyer, the result is Konoha.  The gentle leaf-like bench seating affords the space a minimalism not compromising versatility.  When arranged circularly, each plays a part in creating a functional floral motif, begging to be repeated for ultimate visual effect.

Beyond the main hall Sancal were entrusted with furnishing much of the hotel in it’s rooms and common areas.

The Lugano Armchair by Daniel Abate and the 1+1 small tables by Odos Design were designated for the suites; while the Nosso armchairs by La Cubitera and a special  customised edition of the Sax sofa by Rafa García was also used in one area of the grand lobby. In the restaurant, the Menu bench was adapted to surround a towering column decorated with plant motifs which were also reflected in the patterning underfoot – a reference to the Konoha collection.

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Happy Camper…

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost…

..and so the rhyme goes, a ramshackle chain of events that ultimately see a battle lost and a kingdom conquered.

Ok…. ok, so humour us for a moment: dismissing the tenuous shoe analogy and the context being that of a horse shoe, we can all concede (rather clumsily) that the fine folk over at Camper have had no such misfortune befall them in over a century.  Rather, the strength of their empire has been built on the back of their trendy footwear being sought after globally.  Adding weight to their image as luxury lifestyle brand, is the recent opening of their second designer hotel in central Berlin: Casa Camper.  It would seem these guys are not mere cobblers!

The hotel boasts 51 rooms, the eight storey building decked out in the finest Spanish furnishings from Sancal, bd Barcelona, Nanimarquina, Andreu World and Sellex, a line-up that could see the whole venture justifiably stand in as KE-ZU’s Berlin showroom!

The project has been underway for four years helmed by architect Jordi Tió and interior designer Fernando Amat, a response to the runaway success of Camper first hotel in Barcelona which was unveiled in 2005. In Camper’s words:

Its design hinges on the idea of understated luxury as well as on sustainability, and aims to inspire its clients to share these positive values.

Having previously worked with man on the rise: Jaime Hayon and made extensive use of his showtime collection in their boutiques, the brand aligns itself closely with creativity and the design community wherever it finds itself trading, a deliberate move rationalised here:

Camper’s philosophy is that luxury can also be found in simplicity, discretion, authenticity and a healthy lifestyle.

Can’t argue with that and neither, it seems, can the consumers.  Afterall, if the shoe fits…

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Sancal Want You to Read….NOW

Sancal have come leaps and bounds in the past 40 years from a humble 3 person family affair to one of the leading contemporary furniture design and manufacturers, exporting from Spain to the world.

The third instalment of their newsletter: “NOW” is out and well worth a look.  A good read, really.

Download it here or flip through it online.

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