The Frame Moooi Award was launched in mid-2011 with the goal of finding the best custom-made lamp or furnishing designed for a specific interior.
Dutch designer Bertjan Pot was announced winner by juror Philippe Starck and designer Marcel Wanders.
Earlier this year, Starck reviewed the 891 submissions without knowing their designers or countries of origins. After narrowing the competition to 10 finalists, Starck selected Stairway to Heaven as the winning project, and therefore Pot as the €25,000 prize winner.
When Pot, a Dutchman, received a new safety ladder for his studio he covered it with carnival lights to somewhat play a prank on a client.
‘It suddenly seemed like the perfect illogical combination to make: rawness and glitter,’ Pot says.
The ladder-lamp became a brilliant and attractive object that now illuminates the industrial theater-café in Schiedam, the Netherlands.. The space was formerly a distillery which is now home to a cinema, theatre, centre for visual arts and dance studio.
Top 10 finalists
In mid March 2012, the award’s juror, internationally celebrated designer Philippe Starck, selected the top 10 finalists for the Frame Moooi Award 2012
A whopping 891 submissions were received via framemoooi.com, by designers in 79 countries. The award’s juror, internationally celebrated designer Philippe Starck, selected the finalists with an anonymous approach, in that he didn’t know the designers’ names or countries of origins.
Starck will personally announce the winner, who will receive the €25,000 grand prize, in Milan at a gala award ceremony on 18 April. It will be held at Magazzini Generali (Via Pietrasanta 16, 20124 Milan), by invitation only.
In random order, here are the top 10 finalists:
Sneakerology by Facet Studio
In each of the 200mm x 600mm boxes, sneakers are carefully collected one by one. The boxes are repeated and offset by a half unit on each level and carried through over an entire wall. When repeated 281 times, something which has little meaning on its own creates an euphoric effect for one to experience a heightened emotion. The merchandise is neatly displayed in a fashion similar to museum artefacts; through touch panels centrally located within the shop, one can gain further understanding of the background stories of the merchandise.
Mist of Arch by KEIKO + MANABU
This Japanese department store completed earthquake-resistant structure reinforcement and renovation of the public space prior to the 2011 earthquake. KEIKO + MANABU previously designed six seating areas by escalator circulations. Combinations of the flower, heart, butterfly and star-shaped stools are arranged like a field of flowers. Each floor has unique color and combination of motifs to respond to the characteristics of the level, like women’s or men’s fashion. More recently, powder rooms and restrooms were renovated to achieve an elegant and happy atmosphere.
Ray by Shl Design
This subtle and extremely minimal design was created to fully integrate in the interior space. The light fixture was specially developed for a classic lamella ceiling system. The lamp blends into the simple geometry of the lamellas and is only visible when turned on. The light integrates with the ceiling system in perfect balance, and can be used in either very strict or more playful patterns; where ever you have lamellas, you can place the light. When the light is off, the fitting appears the same colour as the lamella, leaving the fixture almost invisible in the ceiling and thereby to create a visually clean and uninterrupted surface.
Whats in your locker? by Lab 3
For a Dutch school that spans 8000-sq-m, Lab 3 created prints for 489 of 689 lockers. The design had to enliven the vast hallway, which is 50-m-long, triggering the students’ curiosity and the lockers’ recognisability. The concept also has a sense of humour while appealing to sports and culture. For sustainability meanures, only the doors of the old lockers were replaced. Part of the project work was completed in a sheltered workshop.
Stairway to Heaven by Bertjan Pot
When Bertjan Pot received a new safety ladder for his studio, he covered it with carnival lights to somewhat play a prank on a cleint. ‘It suddenly seemed like the perfect illogical combination to make: rawness and glitter,’ Pot says. The ladder-lamp became a brilliant and attractive object that now illuminates an industrial theater-café in Schiedam, the Netherlands. The space was formerly a distillery which is now home to a cinema, theatre, centre for visual arts and dance studio.
Decanter light by Lee Broom
Lee Broom mixed his familiar styles of traditional and contemporary design to create the Decanterlight for the Coquine Bar in London. Designed as an alternative light fixture to a traditional chandelier, it glows in clusters to creating an eye-catching centerpiece. The lights are up-cycled from vintage crystal drinks decanters, making a new use of something that has always been aesthetically beautiful but is now rarely used. The lights are available in a clear or hand metalized in a gold finish and are available in a bell or square shape; due to the vintage nature of the decanter each is unique.
Kroon by ZMIK
To accentuate the three central entrances of an office and residential building, a relief structure greets visitors as they enter inside. Kroon is an opulent chandelier that creates a warm welcome gesture. It combines the elegance of an Art Déco chandelier with a smart contemporary design, using standard working lights and polished chrome steel elements.
Education Trestles and Easles by Studio Makkink & Bey
Trestle tables are joinable tables created for the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum. They can be positioned to form any desired length or composition, practical for workshops and studio sessions. Two Trestle tables can be joined with a larger tabletop to form a longer table; the same tabletop can be used as a vertically or horizontally placed easel. Depending on the placement, one or two children can sit behind their easel. The metal ridge used to join tabletops can also be used as a
pencil and utensil holder. The loose table tops, available in various colours, can be disassembled and stacked on top of an organizing system. This organizer was also designed for the museum and allows the staff to add or remove tables at their convenience.
Caelum by Pablo Martinez Diez
Located below a sweetshop, the Caelum bar invites visitors to taste artisanal cookies and cakes. Amid the dark underground atmosphere, the client requested a table-lamp unit that could display sweets without placing them under the heat of light. Pablo Martinez Diez used small points of cool light on the table, which is suspended from the ceiling. LED lights are attached to a large and thin stick, resting on the table. A neighbouring mirror makes the space seem larger, while the cool light accentuates the sweets (which resemble stars in the dark space).
Sketch by Ypsilon Tasarım, Yesim Bakırküre
The store display was inspired by a sketch, implying the process of a linear search from the beginning to the final function of a clothes hanger. While arranging clothes on the display, the user is involved in the creative process. In every shop the brand uses a different unique sketch display.
