Apr 10 2008
Three young, Norwegian furniture designers will in a few days be heading down to Italy to take part in the major international furniture exhibition "I Saloni". They are taking with them their own new product - an anodized aluminium table - plus some practical and financial support from Hydro.
YOUNG DESIGNERS: Marte Frøystad (left), Øyvind Wyller and Runa Klock are ambitious and hopeful ahead of the prestigious furniture exhibition "I Saloni" in Milan, Italy, from April 16 to 21. (Photo: Kåre Foss)
The "I Saloni" exhibition is being staged in Milan from April 16 to 21 and is considered to be the biggest and most important venue for the global furniture industry. All the exhibitors maintain a high standard, and the exhibition is an important showplace for innovative furniture design attended by a demanding, international public.
Øyving Wyller, Marte Frøystad and Runa Klock all have Bachelor degrees in interior architecture and furniture design from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, and they are now aiming to take their Masters. As students they have participated in several design competitions and exhibitions in Norway and abroad, winning prizes and gaining recognition for their work. All three have developed furniture items that have also been produced commercially.
Their partnership "Wyller, Frøystad & Klock" has secured a 16 square meter exhibition area in the exhibition hall "Salone Satellite". Thius where young and upcoming designers from all over the world have been invited to exhibit their prototypes for the media, furniture producers and dealers. The entry requirements are extremely rigorous and it is quite an accolade just to gain entry to this exhibition.
Anodized aluminium
The talented furniture designers will be exhibiting a stylish dining table in Venetian red, anodized aluminium. Hydro is making a contribution towards their travel and exhibition costs, and the aluminium plant at Holmestrand has provided welding and anodizing assistance.
The three designers are ambitious and have set themselves some clear goals for the Milan exhibition:
"This is a unique opportunity for us as students and recently qualified designers to exhibit these prototypes to a wide-ranging international public and establish important links with specialists and producers in an international arena. It is our proud duty and pleasure to act as representatives for good, innovative Norwegian design," is how the designer team present themselves in their publicity material.
Recyclable
"Working on this product has given us some interesting experience with aluminium," says Runa Klock.
"Aluminium is an incredibly exciting material offering many possibilities. The use of aluminium makes our table well suited to streamlined and cost-saving mass production. And not least, it's important to remember that the metal can be recycled."
"That's why we've used the same type of clean metal in the entire table, without varnish and any plastic coating," adds Øyvind Wyller.
"We've got a tiring, but exciting few days ahead of us at "I Saloni"! We're confident and really feel that we've every right to be there. And we hope that somebody really likes our table and we get to see it produced," says Marte Frøystad.
Posted April 10th,2008