Pastoe in Milan
12 - 17 April
The annual Milan Design Week, the largest furniture fair in Europe, will be held from 12 to 17 April 2011 inclusive. For the second consecutive year, the renowned Dutch furniture brand Pastoe will be presenting itself at design shop Understate. Pastoe will be introducing the Boxes cabinet and the wire chair SMO5, and will display innovations in a highly contemporary presentation.
Joost van der Vecht, art director at Studio Pastoe, is responsible for the 2011 presentation. His design was inspired by the colours of the Swedish police series Wallander. Joost says, “I opted for this concept because it fits well with the products we display and is also very contemporary. The presentation has an open structure, and the use of grey and subtle hues and a few dark accents gives it a fresh and elegant appearance. The walls are — as one has grown to expect from Pastoe — white. This allows our products themselves to receive undiminished attention.” This year's presentation, as every year, features a major role by Vision, one of the classics of the Pastoe collection. Joost adds, “Vision is a type of building block; the combination possibilities are endless. To demonstrate this, we create something new for every presentation with the same cabinet system.”
Boxes
Boxes is a new cabinet system consisting of individual, open elements in different sizes. Because the sides, the top and bottom are glued together, the connections remain hidden. Boxes leaves room for individual taste; the separations and rear panels can be selected in a different colour if desired. The elements provide storage for books, equipment or accessories. Because of its design, size and colour options, Boxes can easily be combined with Vision, allowing for the creation of beautiful combinations of open and closed elements.
SM05
Cees Braakman, designer of Pastoe, designed the SM05 chair back in 1958. It was one of the first chairs to be made entirely of steel wire. This wire design gives the chair a spatial effect. The timeless design of the SM05 is back in production, slightly elevated and thus adapted to the present time, people being taller now than in the past. The chair is available in black and white. For added comfort, a cushion can be added to the chair.
Product development
Besides new products, the current collection remains in continuous development. Studio Pastoe is constantly exploring new applications and capabilities, and applying market trends to both new and existing furniture.
The Low Chair LC03, designed in 2003 by Maarten Van Severen and Fabian Schwaerzler, has a new version in which the usual fibreglass of the seat has been replaced with flax. The flax is used in combination with a transparent resin, making it visible. At the end of its lifespan, the chair can be used as biomass, generating green energy.
Totem, the cabinet system introduced last year by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, will be presented without transoms. The various basic modules can be stacked into a cabinet of up to 206cm high.
With Vision, Pastoe has managed to create yet another new image. The closed cabinet system of Pierre Mazairac and Karel Boonzaaijer from 1985 has been combined with the open elements of the new Boxes furniture.
Visit Pastoe during Milan Design Week at the design shop Understate in the Brera quarter, near Corso Como and just a stone's throw from Moscova metro station.
Understate
Via Varese 20 / Viale Francesco Crispi
20121 Milan
Opening hours: 10:00 – 20:00
11 April press preview: 17:00 – 20:00
12 April cocktail evening: 18:00 – 22:00
