Leather designer and Queen’s Park resident for the past two decades, Bill Amberg was inspired to launch this year’s new Design District at the London Design Festival having noticed the number of design companies that had sprung up in the area in the past few years.
Many of the design companies that line Lonsdale Road and the surrounding streets will be throwing open their doors to the public throughout the week, culminating in a family open day and party with workshops, live music, food and drinks on Saturday 20th September.
Friends The Rag and Bone Man will also be making an appearance, showing their bar stools with leather seats by Bill Amberg Studio
Amberg will be exhibiting a sofa, armchair and footstool made in collaboration with Case Furniture.
These have the squish of a bean bag whilst remaining structured enough to be used outside a teenager’s bedroom.
The range is available in sheepskin, felt, and Amberg’s signature material, leather.
“Leather has an amazing durability,” he says. “It lasts for hundreds of years. It’s quiet, warm – it’s a lovely natural insulator, it’s draft-free, unlike wood, it’s dust-free, unlike carpet.”
It’s also versatile and Amberg’s interiors business has made furniture, floors, handrails, even curtains from leather.
Projects have ranged from residential interiors to grand scale interiors for hotels in New York and Dubai, via a range of camera cases for Leica.
“We can do anything with leather, we laser etch it, hand stitch it, emboss it…. Don’t think car upholstery, think saddlery.”
Perhaps the most unexpected item being shown next week is Amberg’s Lucent lamp, never previously showcased in the UK.
These are made from hand-woven leather and are tube-shaped, with the electrical controls hidden in the metal ends.
They have the futuristic appearance of artisanal light sabres but emit a strikingly pretty sparkling light through the weave.
Alongside the product showcase, in a move which may have gained a new historical significance following the Scottish vote next Thursday, the studio has commissioned nine interpretations of the Union Jack from a range of designer friends, which will be unveiled on the 18th.
Ron Arad has contributed a mechanical interpretation, a sculpture comes from Moritz Waldermier, and a massive tarpaulin from Tom Dixon will be unfurled during the festival, along with a film commissioned by Amberg himself.
Visit Amberg’s studio at 2 Lonsdale Road from 15-20 September. The open day for the Queen’s Park Design District is Saturday 20th September
Read more:
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