Whether to lighten up a material, let light shine through,
or just add a bit of flair, perforations are popping up everywhere. Small holes
may have driven the Poinçonneur des Lilas crazy, but we’re mad
for them!
The 3+ collection by Oskar Zieta features furniture entirely
composed of perforated steel plates. Perfect for cable management, keeping
laptops and sweaty backs cool, letting the water through in an outdoor
situation, or making a giant chair mobile (?).
Mutina’s latest tile collection by the Bouroullec Brothers, ‘Pico’,
has very small loosely imprinted dots in red or blue, which create a slightly
quilted texture from far away. The very subtle touch of color adds an almost
nostalgic childhood feel to a clean, modern bathroom or kitchen.
Somewhere between a huge domino and a monument to braille,
Barber Osgerby’s marble bench by Established and Sons for the Victoria &
Albert museum in London was inspired by the shrapnel marks left on the museum’s
façade.
Nothing says Champagne like bubbles, which for HK designers
John Lin, Joshua Bolchover and Jason Carlow translates into perforations all
over the wall, bars and seating of the ‘Maison du Champagne’ in Wan Chai.
Inspired by factory workers’ lockers in the sixties crossed
with 18th century French furniture with mid-century proportions, the
pieces in the ‘locker’ collection by Magnus Pettersen each have perforated aluminum
fronts. A great way to keep your socks aired out yet out of sight.
The Dream Downtown hotel by Handel Architects takes
perforation to an Olympic level. Overlapping layers of perforated metal in
different scales give you a connect four, porthole or Swiss cheese feel,
depending on how far away from the façade you stand.
‘Down side up’ by Fabrica is a modular furniture system
where each element has an irregularly perforated surface designed to accommodate
many variations in configuration. Very clever, although it looks a bit
worm-eaten.
‘Moon’ is a perforated serving dish… for your larger fruits
and non-saucy items only.
The Kanazawa Umimirai library’s outer shell is evenly
perforated from floor to ceiling. The relatively small holes allow bright daylight
in the (w)hole building, but take away the view of the outside. No distractions
here.
By Claire Toussaint
