21/11/19
Stellar Works unites modernist principles with Asian craft, and revives mid-century classics
Design
Jens Risom was one of the first modernists of the twentieth-century to take Scandinavian design to the US. He had studied alongside the likes of Hans Wegner at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design and later worked with Alvar Aalto in Stockholm, before setting off to New York in 1939 to study American design. There he teamed with Hans Knoll to launch the Hans Knoll Furniture Company, where fifteen of the twenty pieces in the inaugural ‘600’ line were designed by Risom. Now, Stellar Works is recreating some of his classic works, namely his C140 in the original caned back version, and the C142 upholstered in Hallingdal 65 fabric designed originally by Nanna Ditzel and produced today by Danish textile firm Kvadrat.
Also as part of its Vintage Collection, Stellar Works is delving into the archives of another great Danish architect and designer, Vilhelm Wohlert. The collection includes some of his most celebrated designs from the 1950s, including the Louisiana Chair and Louisiana Lamp. Wohlert originally designed these for the Lousiana Museum of Art in Copenhagen, and the contemporary collection furnishes the museum’s cafe. The Wohlert Bar Chair, a prototype that never made it to production at the time, is also in the collection.
Stellar Works is an exciting brand. Apart from the Vintage Collection, the studio’s main focus is to create new designs that unite modernist principles, Asian sensibility and the art of craft. With studios in London and Shanghai, this collective of designers makes furniture and products that are Asian in their inspiration, modernist in their design and speak to an international audience. Available through The Hackney Emporium in London, Stellar Works represents the creative landscape of our time.
The company was founded in 2004 by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, the inter-disciplinary architectural design practice run by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. They direct each project, yet Stellar Works is very much a collaborative studio. Team members include Space Copenhagen and its ‘poetic modernism’, balancing classic and modern, industrial and organic, sculptural and minimal, light and shade, and another Danish firm OEO Studio who brings a strong passion for craft. Based in New York and Toronto, Yabu Pushelberg works with innovative materials, artisans and a contemporary approach, as does New York architecture and design practice Rockwell Group. While, Sydney-based interior designer Nic Graham and his small team of architects, technical craftsmen, and landscape designers bring with them a multidisciplinary approach to design.
Stellar Works represents a diverse team that is focused on working with elements of classic craft and Asian sensibility, paying attention to material and process, all within a modern and contemporary context.
To view the collection, make an appointment at The Hackney Emporium in London.
Images all from Stellar Works: Risom C142 chair with Hallingdal 65 upholstery by Nanna Ditzel; Vilhelm Wohlert collection for the Lousiana Museum of Art; Stellar Works Valet Collection; and Valet Bar Cart.
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