Spanish Design at Clerkenwell Design Week

Unlike the Spanish economy, Spanish design is going gangbusters.  Several Spanish products caught my eye this week at Clerkenwell Design Week.

You know how I love concrete tiles, right?  I was delighted to find these encaustic concrete tiles from Entic Design which are handmade  in the south of Spain using a traditional 19th century technique.

It’s great to see contemporary design and colours being made with traditional methods.  Check out this great video from Entic which shows the whole process from inspiration, drawing the design, filling the mold, using the hydraulic press and showing off the final product.
[vimeo 50902753 w=400 h=300]
Entic describe their tiles as

“little jewels of modernism you can walk on”

which seems a fairly accurate description to me.

In other encaustic tile news, leading Spanish designer and architect, Patricia Urquiola launched her fourth tile collection named Azulej for Mutina at Domus.  The Azulej tiles feature contemporary colours and designs created with the use of inkjet technology.  It comes in 3 colours and 11 designs which look fabulous individually, in a pattern or as a patchwork.

Estiluz is a contemporary  lighting company from Girona, Spain with a long history of great design.  They were showing off the Siso Drum Pendant which looked stunning in its various forms.  It comes in three finishes (white, chrome or black chrome) and four shapes (pendant, table lamp, floor lamp and wall lamp).

The swirling circles  are a dynamic and fluid design.  They remind me of fashion favourites such as tri-band rolling rings and bandage dresses.

Big comfy chairs seemed to be everywhere during Clerkenwell Design Week.  Jaime Hayon, another well-known Spanish designer, was showing off his version named Ro for the Republic of Fritz  Hanson.  The showroom displayed two variations of Ro, one inspired by New York City and the other by Berlin.  With its bronze legs, the New York version is done in a dark fabric representing the colour of the skyline at twilight.  The chair is designed to reflect power and beauty, just like the city which inspired it.  The Berlin version of the chair reflects the dichotomy of a city in transition.  With its cherry wood legs and comfortable fabric, the chair is both hard yet soft.

So what do you think?  Are you as impressed with the new Spanish designs as I was?