Collaborations with artists and well-known designers have become de rigeur for high end porcelain and crystal makers. Many have chosen the start of this year and Maison& Object Paris 2016, a large interior design trade fair now running until January 26, to unveil new collaborations which will trickle down in retail stores around the world throughout the year. Blouin Lifestyle picked up five:• Lladró has unveiled a quirky collection of table-top lamps, titled hairstyle lamps, inspired by historic Japanese characters and their unique signature hairstyles created with renowned Japanese designer Hisakazu Shimizu.• Portuguese porcelain maker Vista Alegre presents the Blue Ming collection in collaboration with Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. The pieces have sculptural elements and mix the Cobalt blue of Chinese porcelain with the Delft Blue of Wanders’s Dutch heritage with an asymmetric pattern of sculptural flower and leaves. Some of pieces offer unique versatility – by removing the top of a vase you create a small bowl or a candleholder can be used to hold a flower.• Lalique has reached out to Mario Botta, an architect known for his crisp lines and sharp angles, who has created a sculptural square vase for the crystal maker, with a ‘pyramid’ patterning on its surface. The Geo vase has a round hollow center as if creating a small window onto another world, and come in limited editions in clear, black and blue crystal.• Daum has unveiled several new collaborations with artists, including a series of four tall colorful glass sculptures, representing a face with an elaborate leafy hat by Georges Saulterre, a French sculptor known for working on large scale project.• Japanese porcelain company Arita is celebrating its 400th anniversary with no less than four collaborations. Film director Beat Takeshi, architect Kengo Kuma, industrial designer Ken Kiyoyuki Okuyama and designer Kashiwa Sato have each designed very different creations, ranging from plates to vases.Click on the slideshow to see all these new projects.
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