kathy dalwood at Habitat
introducing the setsquares collection designed by Kathy Dalwood for Habitat For the Habitat Autumn Winter collection 2007 -08
launched in stores worldwide the setsquares collection is a range of related designs produced in matt white porcelain comprising 2 vases and 4 decorative wall panels
the project
“I was delighted to engage in this collaboration with Habitat which has been an exciting and interesting project from start to finish.
It’s been great to work with the product development team at Habitat and get the opportunity to discuss and develop my designs with such creative and imaginative people.
The team initially picked up on some tile designs from my cast collection, a range which had presented me with huge manufacturing problems at the time and consequently – and frustratingly – never really saw the light of day.
These designs became the starting point for the setsquares Habitat range, with two vase designs in addition to four decorative wall panels, all exploring the same visual themes and references.
The manufacturers whom Habitat commissioned achieved an outstanding level of expertise in producing what turned out to be six very technically challenging designs.
The finished products are absolutely faithful to my original concept and it has been fantastic to see the designs realized to such a high standard of craftsmanship.
And of course to be able to present my designs to such a wide audience, through Habitat stores world-wide, is a really exciting opportunity. I hope that audience will also be interested to find out something about how a contemporary product range comes into being.”
the
designs Inspiration
for the collection came from architecture and civil engineering of the
Modernist period – monumental industrial buildings and vast abstract
structures such as silos, dams, water towers and bridges. An intriguing
contradiction arises when these monolithic, raw concrete structures are
reduced to a domestic scale and interpreted in delicate, textured white
porcelain
click
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"every product tells a story"
the story of kathy dalwood's setsquares collection
the setsquares collection
wall panel installation
vases tall vase
tall vase h43 w15 d11cms white porcelainsmall vase
small vase h30 w12 d12cms white porcelaindecorative wall panels
30cms square white porcelain
placement The designs are intended to work both singly and grouped together – see some arrangements below.
The abstract nature of the design means that the panels can be placed in any orientation or configuration. There are fixings on the back which allow the panels to be hung almost any way up.
originating & developing the designs
Initially ideas are developed through many sketches with reference (in this case) to a collection of images and photographs referring to architecture and engineered structures.
Some of these two-dimensional ideas are then explored in three dimensions through solid plaster maquettes, cast from moulds constructed from various materals chosen to create indentations and textured pattern.
For the vases, it was important that the object was interesting to view on all sides, and for the wall panels, the squares needed to work whichever way up they were, and in relation to each other.
A final selection was made of the most successful designs – according to those criteria – and these maquettes (along with detailed plans) were passed on to the manufacture, who transposed the entire concept to porcelain.
