Tent & Superbrands: highlights

Arart from Emily Nicholson on Vimeo.

Here's a quick round up of my favourite stands seen at Tent London which I attended earlier this week; altogether a compilation of Nordic style furniture, graphic prints and innovative concepts.

This installation in particular blew my mind by Japanese visual communication experts, Amana. This suspended cube, Arart is decorated with floral and graphic designs so that when a phone with an assisting app is hovered over the artworks, each is instantly animated, overall highlighting the correlation between life and technology.

& New furniture combines steel and plywood for a minimalistic style of furniture, with an almost geometric structure thanks to the irregularly shaped hair pin frames.

One of the Superbrands seen at Tent, Custhom had a creative display by integrating it's popular ceramic and wallpaper lines. Nude and blue are one of my favourite colourways, set to be a popular combination for A/W14.

Another emerging trend is the splattered and painted watercolour aesthetic currently popular within the design of ceramics and soft accessories.

Design aside, Mindful Eating by Camillia Akersveen is a collection that is part of 100% Norway and highlights eating as a multi-sensory experience. Through innovative design choices, such as adding insulation to ceramics, the concept is to make the owner feel more connected with these items through heated tablewear.

For me, 100% Norway was the hub of the event, exhibiting the latest designs from established designers and the up and coming talent of the Bergan Academy of Art & Design. Other than Mindful Eating, my favourite items have to be Sting by Aud Julie Befring, a hollow pouffe with oversized stitches through a birch wood top, and Seasons, a series of vases by Kristine Five Melvær that are representative of the changing hues of nature.

The Marvellous Marble collection by Barcelona design studio Aparentment is minimal and truly marbellous.

This concept is an exploration of design that I have fallen in love with. By travelling to new places and taking inspiration from other cultures, furniture designer and textiles expert Zoe Murphy restores retro furniture with a colourful twist. This year brought Mexico to Margate, resulting in a combination of pastel screen prints and my favourite, cactus cushions.

Originally a Melbourne brand, Curio & Curio is now based in the UK and has graphic textile prints to DIE FOR.

All photography by Emily Nicholson, Dursk 

These illustrations by Louise Wilkinson are right up my street, her timeless designs adorn fine bone china, tablewear and textiles beautifully and I feel have an almost folkloric charm.