This end of January saw the FOG Design and Art fair come to San Francisco. A celebration of modern and contemporary art and design, this show is in partnership with, and a benefit for SFMOMA, raising funds to help acquire important works for the museum’s Architecture and Design Collection.
To my delight, designs around the principles of biophilia were evident everywhere. From gorgeous utensils incorporating natural elements such as shells, to furnishings developed through the integration of technology reproducing the processes of nature, I was inspired throughout.
One of my favorite pieces was Mathias Bengtsson’s Growth Stools. He blends new and old technologies into revolutionary organic furnishings. Beginning with a “digital seed”, organic growth is simulated to design the form. Bengtsson’s extraordinary craftsmanship then carves and assembles these evocations of living nature. His work has been noticed, and shown in a myriad of museums in England, Europe and the US.
Another stand-out piece is work by renowned craftsman Marc Fish, a mokum- gane console. Fluid and sculptural, Marc’s exploration of new ways to use laminated veneers is an innovative material science. Sliced from boiled and then steamed logs, they are then reassembled in the same order as they would grow on a tree. All with no waste.
The effect is a beautiful form from nature. The top layer is from the ancient art of mokume-gane, a Japanese metalworking process, loosely translated to “wood grain metal”. It fuses several layers of differently colored metals together to form a sandwich of alloys that can be pressed over itself creating gorgeous finishes with diverse patterns.
Francesco Perini’s Nucleo dining table was warm and gorgeous. A grand slice of an Oak tree, Fiori di Bosco marble is inlaid in the form of the rings. Its amorphic shape is soothing and inviting.
Lighting was an important element to the fair. This chandelier by James Plumb is unique in both form and function. The brass and copper tubing can be designed in wonderfully organic shapes. Each LED lamp can be repositioned anywhere on the tubing, the concrete ballasts holding them in place.
If you are interested in acquiring these types of functional art and sculpture to enhance the design of your home, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help guide you to the right piece for you, your family and your interiors. Incorporating high-resonance elements as these will bring you not only beauty and functionality, but benefit your health and well-being as well!
Visit https://staceylapukinteriors.com/biophilic-design/ for more information on the art and science of Biophilic Interior Design. 415-320-0077. stacey@staceylapukinteriors.com
