Swarovski Crystal Palace

Playdays at Salone: We've been looking forward to this expo for weeks, since they always seem to surprise us with these faboulus crystals. In the same venue as last year, a little bit dark and spooky at first, you enter into something that reminded me of Alice's Wonderland, but with a tad more of a bling-factor...

(Ok, I forgot my tripod... But bare with me, please;)





AQUA JEWELS by MARCEL WANDERS :
"Bisazza, the famous tile manufacturer teamed up with Swarovski to create a mosaic wall designed by Marcel Wanders. The wall is encrusted with specially designed Swarovski crystal tiles. This mosaic wall is the backdrop wall for a shower room which contains three Shower Chandeliers. Marcel Wanders grew up in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and graduated from the School of the Arts Arnhem in 1988. Marcel Wanders' fame started with his iconic Knotted Chair, which he produced for Droog Design in 1996." (Press release from Swarovski)

...and yes, we are in Italy, so there had to be half naked showering babes!






RÉ by ZAHA HADID: "Zaha Hadid’s design pushes the boundaries and preconceived notions of the chandelier, redefining the nature of the object. “From my first days in architecture at the Architectural Association, I have always been interested in the concept of fragmentation. For me the idea of fragmentation has also to do with the idea of dynamism, of a cosmic explosion of some kind. For this piece, each Swarovski crystal can be considered as an individual element that interrelates with, and responds to, every other crystal. Locked in a spiralling vortex, the crystals direction is determined by the forces of an explosion. As with our architecture, contextual embedding is always considered. The chandelier relates to - and interacts with - each new environment in a unique manner; constantly reinventing itself and offering exciting new possibilities with each installation. Zaha Hadid is a notable British Iraqi deconstructivist architect. In 2004, Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize."






CAVERN COLLECTION by FREDRIKSON STALLARD:
"Transcending convention, Fredrikson Stallard has created a collection of solid monolithic furniture forms in three different materials – concrete, wood and leather. Perforated by cavernous openings, the interior surfaces are encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals and lit from within to add volume and density to the sculptures. Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard began their collaboration in 1995 and have since become internationally recognised as leading exponents of British Avant-Garde Design."









GLOBE by Studio Job:
"Studio Job has created a 175cm diameter spinning globe applying 500,000 Swarovski crystals. "Maybe it's the sense of time and gravity that touches us, maybe it is the earth that keeps turning and turning.” They are graduates of the renowned Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel form Studio Job. From the beginning, their collaboration resulted in highly expressive, usually one-off or limited-edition artesian works."

DOUBLE SOLO by MARCUS TREMONTO:
"Adding to his infamous and groundbreaking artistic interpretation, Marcus Tremento adds crystals to electro luminescent wire where he aims to mould the crystal like clay rather than restricting it to being a mere accent to the light source. Marcus Tremonto began his career as an artist and successfully exhibited his work in galleries, but his fascination and enjoyment of the future soon directed him to new mediums."





ELLIPSIS FRAGMENTS by ARNE QUINZE:
"Belgian designer, Arne Quinze, created “Ellipsis” a sculptural light, as well as Fragments, a space dividing sculpture that fuses the effects of material, colour and light. Staged together, they create a landscape of sculptural forms. Arne Quinze is self taught. He now produces over 15,000 pieces annually at his studio in Belgium.

All photos and text by Natalie