Brands

Akari is a melding of East and West, of tradition and modernity, of light and weightlessness. Akari lanterns were conceived by Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi after a 1951 visit to Gifu, Japan, where he discovered the traditional mulberry bark paper and bamboo lanterns of the Nagara River fishermen. Inspired by these simple forms, and by his own background as a set designer, sculptor and furniture designer, he created the hugely varied collection of floor, table and pendant lamps that are made to this day by the foundation that bears his name.

Anglepoise is the original articulated desk lamp. George Cawardine’s signature model 1227 has been in production in the UK since 1934 and today is joined by companion models like the Type 3, the Type 1228 and the Type 75 – all offered in a range of striking finishes.

ArchitectMADE is a collection of unique, unexpected and often playful objects by the most renowned Danish modern architects of the past and present, from Jorn Utzon to Arne Jacobsen.

Areaware is a New York based manufacturer of design objects by a wide range of contemporary designers who share an eccentric approach and an appreciation for familiar forms taken to extremes.

Artecnica is a Los Angeles based design company that collaborates with international designers such as Tord Boontje, Hella Jongerius and the Campana brothers to create inspiring decorative objects for the living environment. Artecnica products are often made with recycled materials and transported in easy-ship flat packages to help reduce their carbon footprint. And their Design with Conscience® program works with artisan communities in developing countries to produce unique handcrafted objects that reflect indigenous skills.

Artek is a Finnish company founded in 1935 to produce and promote the furniture designs of architect Alvar Aalto. Aalto’s designs still form the core of Artek’s collection but they are complemented today by cutting-edge work from Natao Fukasawa, Eero Aarnio and Shigeru Ban, among others. The cornerstones of the company’s product development strategy are “ethics, aesthetics and ecology”.

Since 1908, this Danish furniture manufacturer, best known as the design home of Hans Wegner, has maintained an impeccable reputation for both design and workmanship. Wegner originally partnered with the company in 1949 for the production of the CH24 Wishbone chair – a model still in high demand to this day – and this partnership has resulted in other seminal pieces including the CH445 Wing chair, and CH07 Shell chair. Tables, office furniture and lounge seating round out their catalogue.

Connecticut-based BassamFellows is a relatively new design manufacturing company. “Craftsman Modern” sums up their traditional approach to modern furniture which is rooted in an appreciation for warm, natural materials like solid wood and leather, and in exquisite workmanship. Their line includes subtly beautiful, tables, case goods, seating and accessories.

Perhaps best known as the licensed producer of classic designs from Gerrit Rietveld, Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier, this Italian manufacturer continues to expand their catalogue of work representing the best of Early and Mid Century Modern design with the latest from some of the foremost designers of our era. Names like Phillipe Starck, Mario Bellini and Piero Lissoni all are represented within the luxurious but never ostentatious Cassina collection.

Norman Cherner’s 1958 molded plywood armchair is a midcentury icon. Cherner’s family agreed in 1999 to resurrect his timeless designs, and today the distinctive armchair, stool and tables are manufactured in America under their vigilant eye. While all the original pieces are created to the exact specifications of Cherner’s original designs, the family have also expanded the line to include task chairs and casegoods that only further the legacy of the original pieces to which he put his name.

Though relatively new, designer Jeff Covey’s simple, elegant design seems timeless in its industrial aesthetic and functionality. The adjustable-height Covey Model Six stool was originally licensed to Herman Miller for manufacture in 1996, but Covey assumed full control of the production in 2002, and it is now available in a range of finishes. A thoughtful and elegant (yet entirely utilitarian) solution to a range of seating applications.

Donna Wilson set up her company in 2003 after making odd knitted creatures for her final show at the Royal College of art. The creatures sold out and since then she has built her business designing and making a collection of curious cushions, luxurious lambswool blankets, and variety of products for you and your home.

Dwell Studio is a New York-based company who revolutionized the bedding market with their uniquely colourful and graphic prints. Today their collection covers furniture, tableware and home design products for kids and babies, in addition to their always evolving bedding line.

Q. What’s made from recycled aluminum to be lightweight, corrosion resistant, antimagnetic, stylish and comfortable? Oh, and also able to withstand a torpedo blast? A. The original 1944 Navy Chair from Emeco – and the rest of the full Emeco line, featuring designs from Philippe Starck, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and others. Adding to their list of environmental firsts, the company recently introduced the 111 Navy Chair, made of 80% recycled Coca Cola bottles – a design that adheres to all the above requirements, but takes a further step in establishing green design as not only viable but desirable.

Fatboys are fun, fat, colourful beanbags that come from Holland in a range of shapes, sizes and colours including licensed prints from Marimekko. Their expanding line now includes a range of shapes and sizes as well as additions such as hammocks and umbrellas.

Flos is not only one of the great modern lighting manufacturers but has been one of the truly iconic creative forces in design since the early 1960s. Their instantly recognizable designs, from the cantilevered Arco of 1962 to Marcel Wanders’s magical Skygarden of 2007, are classics.

Fritz Hansen has produced some of the most recognizable furniture designs in the world since their establishment in 1872. Design classics from such names as Pohl Kjaerholm and Arne Jacobsen, including the Egg, Swan and the original Series 7 chair are all exclusively produced by this Danish company, and are sought after by collectors the world over, while remaining staples in the most fashionable hotels and homes in Europe.

The clean, timeless aesthetics of Georg Jensen have defined this master silver house since 1904. A century later, the creative vision of one man has turned into a globally renowned design phenomenon. The Georg Jensen collection includes work from celebrated Scandinavian designers such as Arne Jacobsen and Piet Hein.

In its nearly 90 year history, this Zeeland, Michigan company has become home to a long list of iconic twentieth century furniture designers. Classic designs by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Isamu Noguchi, among others, are produced by Herman Miller to the designers’ original standards. They have mined their history for sensible yet artful pieces, as seen in the recent reintroduction of the Nelson Basic Cabinet Series, while continuing to lead with new products such as their Lifework line for small offices and the venerated Aeron task chair. Their latest creation, the Sayl chair by Yves Béhar, serves notice that, though Herman Miller’s roots lie in the past, they are a company always looking forward.

Horn of Plenty is the home of tableware and jewellery by Saskatoon-based ceramist Cathy Terepocki. Her designs feature original and found graphic images printed directly onto graceful hand-thrown pottery.

Iittala was founded in Finland in 1881, and it has a rich design history based in timeless principles of simplicity, utility and permanence. Iittala’s collection includes work by celebrated designers including Alvar Aalto, Kaj Franck and Tapio Wirkkala, and offers a wide range of both decorative and functional design objects for the home.

Since 1950, Jielde Lighting has offered stunning floor, table and pendant lamps that unite simple, utilitarian design with bold and unexpected finishes.

Jonathan Adler is a New York potter who has expanded his philosophy of “happy chic” into a namesake company that offers whimsical, colourful ceramics, textiles, and furniture–a design company “dedicated to bringing style, craft, joy, and a general feeling of grooviness to your home.”

At the forefront of design and technology, Kartell has made it their mission to continue to break ground in furniture production while partnering with designers who push forward furniture’s function and look. There is no greater or more iconic example than the Philippe Starck-designed Louis Ghost chair – drawing inspiration from 17th Century French style, and created using a one-piece polycarbonate manufacturing process.

An American company with a European outlook, Knoll produces pieces by some of the best known names in design from the past 100 years: seminal pieces such as the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer, the Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and any number of Harry Bertoia’s creations including the Diamond Chair and the Bird Chair. Despite a market flooded with knock-offs, Knoll continues to produce classic designs by Eero Saarinen, Warren Platner and company founder Florence Knoll with the same specifications and materials the designers originally dictated.

Loyal Loot is an Alberta-based design collective dedicated to producing lasting objects of enduring value and inspiration. Their work has been exhibited in London, Milan, Stockholm, New York and Toronto.

Marimekko was founded in Finland in the early 1950s to bring a breath of warmth, colour and modernity to a world still suffering the deprivations of the post-WW2 era. Marimekko’s foundation is a classic but ever-evolving collection of distinctive, bold graphic silkscreened fabrics whose patterns are adapted to clothing, bags, tableware and bedding.

Los Angeles-based MASH Studios offers a range of case goods, tables, chairs and bedroom furniture reflecting West Coast modernism at its simplest, using minimal profiles and practical applications that combine oiled English Walnut and powdercoated aluminum.

Modernica updates the West Coast Modern tradition with a range of simple midcentury inspired designs. Based in Los Angeles, the company proudly manufactures pieces commissioned for the original Case Study project by American Art and Architecture magazine including both bedroom and living room lines, and are the home of the original hand-made and cured George Nelson bubble lamps.

Muuto strives to expand the Scandinavian design tradition with new and original perspectives. In fact, the name Muuto, inspired by the Finnish word muutos, means “new perspective”. Muuto handpicks the brightest design talent in Scandinavia and gives them the freedom to express their individual stories through their designs, creating in the process an ever-expanding repertoire of striking, simple and often playful everyday objects.

For Brian Buchik of Calgary-based design company Room B, good design means creating products that not only look good, but are also practical, affordable, and responsible. Room B offers simple and elegant chairs, stools and upholstered seating that combine exceptional finish and value.

Affordable quality design is the benchmark of this Danish company’s upholstered furniture. Softline covers a range of seating categories: from non-mechanical sofa beds to modular sectionals, their seating reflects both strong esthetic quality and excellent workmanship. Using steel frame construction, natural fabrics and the convenience of easy re-configuration, Softline seating can change as quickly as your whims.

Combining modern simplicity and traditional joinery, Speke / Klein’s solid wood construction utilizing exclusively North American hardwoods such as oak, cherry and America walnut, results in pieces to be passed on for generations. Building a unique range of tables, chairs, beds and case goods, all handmade in Canada, Speke / Klein offers the warmth of rustic interiors with the profiles and functionality of the best in modern design.

While this U.K. designer’s work is firmly rooted in an examination of how and why objects are made, the results – while purposefully functional and minimal – are often breathtaking. The addition of Tom Dixon lighting or furniture to your living space brings no shortage of drama. Big and bold or sleek and minimal, from a shade made of a single folded sheet of stainless steel to lights created in factories once purposed only for the manufacture of car headlight covers, each Dixon design is thought-provoking, challenging and artful.

The sole licensed manufacturer of classic design pieces ranging from the 1920s through to today – from Jean Prouvé’s Cité armchair to Hella Jongerius’ Polder Sofa, Vitra is among the premier design concept companies in the world. With a steadfast eye to the classic pieces of mid-century modern, their commitment to craftsmanship is evident in everything from the handmade miniature replicas of furniture classics (right down to the scale and materials) to their faithful reproduction of the original colours used in George Nelson’s iconic wall and desk clocks.