Karim Rashid - Orgo
Ora Ito - Edgy Popline
Jean-Marie Massaud - Aleph
So far Konstantin Grcic, Matteo Thun, Karim Rashid, Ben van Berkel, Ora Ito и Jean-Marie Massaud have changed our furniture concepts and now they are about to do the same with the floorings - they are taking them away in new dimensions.
Karim Rashid
Karim Rashid was born in Cairo and his name is currently one of the most popular. Hotels, restaurant chains, furniture for more than 60 companies - one may say that Rashid is a real star. His design style is popular for combining futuristic with classical and etno forms.
In the „Laminate 2.0” series Karim Rashid had used the harmonious combination of pink, blue and purple colours, creating an illusion of a 3D images, using 2-dimensional graphics with huge elements - following the traditions of Vasarely, Escher and Magritte.
Ora Ito
Ora Ito is French and he is the youngest member of the group that worked on the Parador`s collection. He decided to make design series for famous brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Apple - presented them on he Internet and... he was famous! His styles - EDGY POPLINE INFINITE CAPSULES are made of geometrical lines, absolutely minimalistic, achromatic /black, grey, white/ creating endless three-dimentional spaces under our feet.
Jean-Marie Massaud
The use of computer-generated elements, reminding of natural forms - that`s the trick the young designer born in Tolouse uses for his furniture and parquets. He graduated at a design class in ENSCI – Paris and his studio designs everything - from perfume bottles through furnitre to complete interiors. His models - AGTC and ALEPH are based on three-dimentional images using 2D graphic.
Matteo Thun
Feel with you eyes, see with your hands! - this is the slogan of the Italian designer`s sets, made for PARADOR. Both the solid wood and laminated parquets, created by Thun, have a great appearance (without making the natural look artificial). They remind of the oldest wooden floorings made of big planks. The only way to distinguish the massive from the laminated parquet is by touch. For the „Laminate 2.0” series Thun has chosen a magnified wooden theme, following the maxim "the immitation is good when it is straightforward". Before he opened an office in Milan, Matteo was a partner and cofounder of the „Sottsass Associati” and the legendary Memphis group. He is teaching design in the Vienna university and is also Swatch creative director, designing watches, porcelain, furniture, carpets, bahtooms, hotels, etc.
Konstantin Grcic
Born in Munich in 1965, he is considered one of the most influential contemporary designers from Germany.After finishing an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker and studying design at the Royal College of Art in London, he started his own business in 1991. His MAYDAY lamp was accepted into the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. His latest chair creation was a prominent seating spot at this year's Milan Furniture Fair.
Ben van Berkel
The Dutchman born in 1957 runs the architecture and design office UNStudio in Amsterdam together with a female partner. At the State University for Visual Art in Frankfurt am Main he directs the architecture course and, among other things, is knows as the architect of the new Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
