Made in Russia: SaloneSatellite 2018 Highlights

The competition for beginning industrial designers from Russia, the CIS countries and the Baltic states SaloneSatellite Moscow allows young people not only to introduce themselves but also to establish connections with leading furniture manufacturers and international press. It has been held in Moscow already 14 times. This year's event aimed to show the connection between past and modernity through projects executed at the intersection of new technologies and traditional crafts.

With Vladimir Samoylov, we offer you to get closer to the most vibrant participants of the competition as well as its winners. The latter were given the opportunity to participate in April 2019 in the Young Designers competition in Milan — an event of global scale.

Vladimir Samoylov is an expert, trend analyst, design consultant, and founder of designet.ru

1st Place: Anna Strupinskaya

Hako is a lamp that unites nature and technology. The author scanned an untreated piece of century-old pine on a 3D scanner, then designed and grew the upper part of the lamp using 3D printing. The surface fit accuracy of the artificial element to the outer surface of the wood is just 0.03 mm.

In Japanese woodworking culture, there's a belief that untreated wood is always more perfect than any object created by humans.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "The trend of combining natural and artificial materials. Poetic minimalism. Japanese motifs. However, it requires improvement — remove the cord. After that, it's ready for use."

2nd Place: Dina Akkubekova

The "DNA" hanger was designed for public spaces. The wooden frame, on which an elastic textile membrane is stretched, serves as hooks for clothes.

As is easy to guess, the hanger got its name due to the spiral shape resembling DNA.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "Almost finished product. I think the memories of similar art experiments in Italy in the 80s influenced the jury's choice. And also the overall trend toward more emotional design."

3rd Place: Ivan Basov

The motif of this table collection was the shape and petals of a flower.

When designing, the task was to achieve visual unity both within one item and in a group.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "An adult and refined product-level project. Quality in details, materials and approach. Super. The object fits all trends: from colored metals to neo-retro. Well done."

Special Prize: Andrey Budko

In the competition, Andrey participates with Velvet Rugs Like a Russian made in three color variants — shades of meadow grass from central Russia: clover, quinoa and sunflower.

This is a reference to the memory of my generation's childhood game with a wall rug. When, running our fingers over the complex pattern, we searched for simpler and more familiar forms.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "Excellent mix of tradition and design approach. Attention to details. Battle for technology. Beautiful and practical."

Nikita Gorchkov, Petr Kroshchinsky

The coffee table P.A.C. designed by the designers for outdoor use from composite wood chips looks very similar to granite, only lighter. The comparison with stone is not accidental — the material's strength far exceeds that of concrete.

There is a lot of wood chips left over from the router. Using them instead of raw material, we bring to life the idea of zero-waste production.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "Form, proportions, technology — all super. If only the boys had listened to advice to improve the technology and enhance surface quality."

Ekaterina Vagurina

The creation of this lamp was inspired by an old still life from the Reichsmuseum collection, which depicted various delicacies and, among them, the well-known Dutch round cheese.

I found it amusing to make a lamp in the shape of a glowing piece of cheese. This image can be seen as a sharpened reaction to sanctions against Russia, which resulted in many beloved products becoming the ultimate dreams.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "In trend, irony — a cheese lamp glowing on its cut surface. Subtle postmodernism wrapped in design. The prototype is already good, but requires refinement in details."

Taras Zheltyshov

The Lymphochair is a composition made of a metal frame and milk-white wool filled with down and polyurethane. At first glance, an uncomfortable seating structure pleasantly surprises with softness and comfort.

This is the guardian of our body — a lymphocyte. The object awakens human imagination, thus this chair has a therapeutic effect.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "The most emotional, absurd art object made of hand-woven white wool. In trend — design craft. There's more of these, but sitting is also possible."

Anna Kharchenko

Baskets, planters and vases from the "Scale" collection are made from scraps of soft leather furniture production. This collection aims to inspire everyone to treat resources responsibly and save them.

I think that through such concepts, I can influence the solution to the problem of environmental pollution. And thus, design will help solve global problems.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "A good idea of using leather scraps for new products. Upcycling is a trend. The material isn't recycled but its status rises due to new use. In my opinion, a niche story. Requires refinement of details: how to finish the edges."

Ilya Lazukin

"The Chair with Memory" is a special model of chair where one can leave their trace while sitting. The chair is made from a metal frame and covered with thermochromic fabric.

The feature of the fabric is that it reacts to heat and changes its color.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "The technology is not new. One question — why does this thing exist?"

Alexandra Gromchenko

Alexandra Gromchenko, a graduate of BSHD, worked on the creation of a 21st-century chair for two years. As a result of experiments, a spring chair Chiller was born, which allows one to "feel themselves floating above the ground".

To fall in love with it, just sit in it — it immediately catches the rhythm of your mood.

Vladimir Samoylov's Comment: "Idea, form, softness — normal. It even sways and rocks well. One 'but' — the cup of the chair is not deep and lacks neck support. So it's still impossible to fully relax."