Formafantasma named creative director at Rubelli
Innovative Milan design studio Formafantasma can now add creative director of the heritage Italian fabric house Rubelli to its long list of imaginative endeavors. Its first challenge? Revamping Kieffer, the textile atelier that joined Gruppo Rubelli in 2001. Untitled, a collection launching in the US by the end of the year, will focus on such tactile materials as linen, mohair, wool, hemp, cotton, alpaca, and paper in shades of pale yellow, lilac, and pink, an energizing contrast to Kieffer’s long-embraced classic neutrals.
Togo celebrates 50 years with two special-edition releases
The late Michael Ducaroy designed the cozy Togo sofa in 1973, the same year Ligne Roset was established, and the French furniture company is honoring five decades of this compact, foam-filled icon with a duo of limited releases. There’s a Togo swathed in Atom, for instance, the bouclé that takes cues from pointillism that Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons designed for Kvadrat (only 878 pieces are in production), as well as the one covered in Pierre Frey’s Toile du Peintre, a bold, graphic reimagining of a Heather Chontos artwork, available through December.
AD PRO Hears…
…that American architect, artist, and activist Beverly Willis, FAIA, died on October 1, at the age of 95. Among her many industry contributions was the founding of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, created to support women in architecture and correlated fields by sponsoring research and spotlighting the significance female architects have had in history.
Design Happenings
Whitney Krieger debuts Soft Witness
Memories are deeply entrenched in objects, and these inanimate observers of emotion and history are the driving force behind Soft Witness, a new label from New York– and Florence-based designer Whitney Krieger replete furniture, lighting, and accessories brought to life by Italian craftspeople. Currently on display at New York’s Objective Gallery (through December 15), the collection spans Liberamente, a range of seating that mixes sleek metal with upholstered curves; Joan tables combining hand-formed brass feet and cast-glass tops; and Patty lighting, which evokes heirloom jewelry with its fusion of Murano glass and brass beads. One-of-a-kind Soul wall sculptures are also born from Murano glass that is blown and shaped by hand.
