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2021 was an uneasy year. Only when life began to return to normal again did events quickly fall back into surreal territory. The design world reflected those ups and downs with moments that spanned the beautiful and the exotic, the luxurious and the horrific. Here are 13 popular events from the last 12 months.
Problems surrounding a residential skyscraper
432 Park Avenue was meant to be one of New York’s most sought-after skyscrapers, a billionaire addition designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects. But soon the residents became less enamored with the billiard room and wine cellars, as well the The New York Times Detailed, more frightened by a host of unsafe conditions including elevators that trapped them during strong winds, floods and electrical explosions. In fact, the tenants were so deceived by the laundry hazard list that the condo council sued the developers of the 1,396-foot towers, CIM Group and Harry B. Macklowe. Although it’s a frustrating experience for those who bought 432 Park Avenue, the scandal shows that the high-end finishes and views of Central Park ultimately can’t hide the bigger problems.
The descent of imitators
Unfortunately, imitations are common in the design industry, and for many creatives, it’s easy to get angry and keep going rather than pursue an expensive lawsuit. But with the arrival of 2021 for the Instagram designwithincopy account, it has become difficult to ignore such excesses. The anonymous and account-connected creator singles out the furniture pieces that look almost like replicas of the originals, and puts their photos side by side to show similarities. Whether you love or hate the online shame that accompanies each post — the account currently has 37.5K followers — Design Inside Copy is a thought-provoking test of that fine line between inspiration and idea theft.
Afrofuturism finds a prominent place at the Met
Afrofuturism, the fusion of African diaspora culture, science fiction, and fantasy that has been illuminated in films such as Black Panther, is shaped into a new voluptuously-driven Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An African Futuristic Period Room At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is centered in Seneca Village, a pivotal 19th-century development area established by free blacks that was demolished to make way for Central Park. Through ceramics, Bamileke beads, and other objects culled from the Met’s collection, the installation imagines what happened in the modern village of Seneca, while drawing attention to a forgotten example of empowerment and opportunity.
Camaleonda sofa is witnessing the Renaissance
Every model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen wanted to do in an Instagram post in February 2021, spread the word about comfy robes and slippers on her Cravings site. But the low-hanging sofa she was sitting on, which was too inviting to ignore, also piqued the interest of her followers. The beauty of the rust color turned out to be the catchy retro Camalunda of Mario Bellini, first introduced by the Italian architect and designer in the 1970s. Before B&B Italia’s re-release of the seating system in 2020, vintage units were snatched away by tastemakers like Daniel Arsham and Athena Calderone. Besides his impressive spherical shape and padded Stitching, Camaleonda is plush and comfortable, offering flexible configurations that are a boon for unexpected scenarios. Teigen reminded consumers that it was an essential epidemic era, and they responded by looking for other bubble-shaped iterations of the past, such as Soriana’s Afra and Tobia Scarpa designed for Cassina in 1969 and Michel Ducaroy’s 1973 Togo for Ligne Roset.
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