Formafantasma creates a watch with a sense of secrecy for Rado

Italian duo Formafantasma has developed a watch for Swiss brand Rado that emulates the closed pocket watches of centuries past.

Set to launch during Rado Design Week on Dezeen next week, the True Square Formafantasma looks back to a time when watches kept their delicate mechanisms concealed behind a protective outer casing.

The True Square Formafantasma takes its cues from closed pocket watches

Similar to these pocket watches of the past, it is only possible to glimpse the time, thanks to a small round window in the centre of an otherwise opaque face.

By referencing the past in this way, Formafantasma designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin hoped to create a design with a timeless character.

"This special design edition draws on the historic idea of a closed watch to create a bold and impactful style statement that is designed to stand the test of time," said Rado.

The watch hands can only be glimpsed through a small round window

This reference to context – the idea of looking back as a way of looking forward – is a common theme in Formafantasma's work. Trimarchi and Farresin see research as a vital aspect of their design process.

After graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2009, the pair became known for their use of experimental materials, including bioplastics, animal skins and lava, as alternatives to artificial substances.

More recently, the Amsterdam-based pair have been exploring the impact of the timber industry and researching e-waste, to understand the historical, political and social forces shaping the future of manufacturing.

Both the case and bracelet are made from scratch-resistant ceramic

The True Square Formafantasma is also designed with longevity in mind – both the case and the bracelet are made from Rado's high-tech ceramic, making them highly scratch resistant.

Likewise, the window for the dial is made from sapphire crystal, while the mechanism inside is high-quality Swiss-made.

The watch also features a hypoallergenic titanium case back, to ensure a comfortable wear.

The watch features the square-shaped face that has become iconic for Rado

The design is one of four new Rado watches launching next week as part of Rado Design Week, a week of virtual content hosted exclusively on Dezeen from 30 November to 4 December.

All four boast the iconic square-shaped face that characterises watches in Rado's signature True Square collection.

The other contributing designers are Indian duo Thukral & Tagra, British designer Tej Chauhan and Japanese studio YOY, which has unveiled a design that celebrates the futuristic feel of the 1980s.

The titanium case back is hypoallergenic

More details about all the watches will be unveiled during Rado Design Week, when Dezeen will broadcast a video about each watch as well as live interviews with Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard and each of the designers involved. Click here to see the schedule.

Rado Design Week takes place from 30 November to 4 December at www.dezeen.com/rado-design-week

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Jaime Hayon designs Monkey side table for BD Barcelona

Dezeen Showroom: Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has created the Monkey side table for furniture brand BD Barcelona, which adds "a touch of humour" to the home.

Described by the brand as "an unthinkable piece for any minimalist or rationalised catalogue", the Monkey side table takes the form of a cartoon-like monkey holding a plate above its head with one hand, and scratching its head with the other.

Made from one single piece of concrete, the table is one of the brand's bestselling items.

The Monkey side table takes the form of a monkey holding a plate

First presented in 2015 to complement Hayon's Gardenias garden furniture collection, the Monkey side table is now available in a new white finish in addition to the existing grey and black versions.

According to the brand, the new finish accentuates the object's design and form more than usual.

"It provides the same service as any other side table, but has an added fun part, a touch of humour which is always appreciated especially in the times we are living in," said BD Barcelona.

Product: Monkey side table
Designer: Jaime Hayon
Brand: BD Barcelona
Contact: sales@bdbarcelona.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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TypeO Loft is a shoppable Swedish holiday apartment designed for the "new normal"

Creative studio TypeO has opened the doors to a shoppable guesthouse in southern Sweden where those wary of holidaying during a pandemic can relax in seclusion.

The loft is located on the rural outskirts of the picturesque town of Ystad. It takes over the second floor of a 19th-century farmstead that TypeO's founders, Micha van Dinther and Magnus Wittbjer, have used as a residence and office for the past five years.

TypeO Loft is set inside a farmhouse that dates back to 1842

Enclosed by trees and grassy hillsides, TypeO Loft is meant to be a calming retreat where guests can holiday away from crowds – an experience that the studio's two founders say is key in a world that's been "turned upside down" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Right now, travel is often associated with a lot of unease," Van Dinther explained. "We want to offer our guests a feasible alternative – a safe space, if you like."

The loft sleeps just two guests

"[The loft] is a secluded one-room, slow-living bed and breakfast where guests are invited to take a break from the expectations and demands of the daily grind without having to be surrounded by other travellers," he continued.

"TypeO Loft is about experiencing a different kind of luxury, the luxury of silence, serenity, seclusion and taking the day as it comes," added Wittbjer.

There's a small kitchen where guests can prepare meals

The 50-square-metre loft sleeps just two people and is host to a bedroom, kitchen and lounge, which are nestled beneath the exposed beams of the farmstead's pitched roof.

Each area has been dressed with products that are available to purchase in TypeO's online store, in case guests want to introduce them into their own homes on return from their trip.

The items in the loft can be purchased by guests after they check-out

"We chose to make all of the items, goods and furniture pieces available to guests as an extension of our webstore – a way to invite them to step into our aesthetic universe and live with the pieces, try them out," Van Dinther told Dezeen.

"We believe it creates an authentic and profound experience that no traditional retail concept or showroom can ever offer – with that said, we feel that it is important to never push products on people," he continued.

"We have selected all of them personally for varying reasons: for their beauty and functionality, for the way they engage our senses or for the way they instigate everyday rituals that we can connect with each other through."

Concrete surfaces feature in the bathroom

Products being showcased include the linens on the loft's king-sized bed, which are from bedding brand Read The Label.

In the kitchen, which features custom pale-timber cabinetry, there's also glassware from Studio Vit, tableware by Hasami Porcelain and a selection of cast-iron pots and pans from Skeppshult.

The lounge has a couple of comfy leather chairs

The adjacent lounge has a couple of leather slouchy chairs that sit on a grey patterned rug. A dining table has also been placed beside the loft's full-height front window so that, during meals, guests can enjoy views of the surrounding landscape and local wildlife.

Surfaces throughout the loft, including those in the bathroom, have simply been painted off-white or washed with concrete in an attempt to avoid any decorative features that are "merely excess".

An expansive window looks out to the rural landscape

TypeO Loft joins a growing number of shoppable holiday spots. Others include The McKinley Bungalow, a rental home in Montauk that Studio Robert McKinley has filled with items from its founder's favourite design brands.

There's also Pieces Home, an Airbnb in Maine that creative agency An Aesthetic Pursuit has dressed with furnishings from its own collections.

Photography is by Mike Karlsson Lundgren.

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Dezeen Awards 2020 interiors winners to be revealed in video show at 4:00pm today

The winners of the Dezeen Awards 2020 interiors categories will be announced today in the second of three special shows hosted by poet and broadcaster LionHeart and including a special message from Michelle Ogundehin. Watch the broadcast live here at 4:00pm GMT.

The 20-minute show will reveal the winners of the 12 project categories before naming the winner of the best interiors project of the year.

The interior designer of the year and emerging interior designer of the year will also be named.

We'll also be announcing the winners live on Twitter:

@dezeenawards
#dezeenawards

Today's show is the second of three programmes that reveal all 45 Dezeen Awards 2020 winners. The architecture winners were announced yesterday. Tomorrow's final show will reveal the design winners.

"The quality of entries was absolutely extraordinary," says Michelle Ogundehin

In a message specially recorded for today's show, Dezeen Awards judge Michelle Ogundehin saw a real "understanding of the power of interior design" in this year's interiors entries.

The entries included projects that "impact wellbeing, change the way we behave and generally contribute to the common good," said writer and broadcaster Ogundehin.

Dezeen Awards 2020 interiors show running order

4:00pm: Dezeen Awards 2020 interiors show starts
4:03pm: House interior of the year revealed
4:04pm: Apartment interior of the year revealed
4:05pm: Restaurant interior of the year revealed
4:07pm: Bar interior of the year revealed
4:08pm: Hotel and short-stay interior
4:09pm: Large workspace interior of the year revealed
4:10pm: Small workspace interior of the year revealed
4:12pm: Large retail interior of the year revealed
4:13pm: Small retail interior of the year revealed
4:15pm: Leisure and wellness interior of the year revealed
4:16pm: Civic and cultural interior of the year revealed
4:18pm: Small interior of the year revealed
4:19pm: Interiors project of the year revealed
4:22pm: Interior designer of the year revealed
4:23pm: Emerging interior designer of the year revealed

Winners selected by master jury

This year's interiors master jury included New York-based designer Rafael de Cardenas, Victoriya Yakusha of Yakisha Design, Alex Mok of Linehouse, Seyhan Özdemir and Sefer Çağlar of Istanbul-based studio Autobahn and Ambrish Arora of Studio Lotus.

Working remotely, the judges reviewed all shortlisted projects and chose the winners using Dezeen Awards' unique trio of judging criteria that call for entries that are beautiful, innovative and beneficial.

About LionHeart

LionHeart, the host of this year's Dezeen Awards 2020 Shows, is a poet, broadcaster and architecture enthusiast. A TEDx Speaker and BBC Radio London Presenter, his poetry explores connections between the built environment and wellbeing and he has acted as the poet in residence at architecture firms including Grimshaw Architects and Squires & Partners. London-based LionHeart, whose real name is Rhael Cape, was a judge for the Dezeen Awards 2020 architecture categories.

About Dezeen Awards 2020

Dezeen Awards is our annual awards programme, now in its third year. It identifies the world's best architecture, interiors and design, as well as the studios and the individual architects and designers producing the most outstanding work.

Organised by Dezeen, the world's most popular and influential architecture and design website, Dezeen Awards is the benchmark for international design excellence and the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere.

This year, more than 4,300 entries were received from over 85 countries across five continents.

To receive more information about Dezeen Awards 2021, please subscribe to our newsletter.

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Judge rules against Patrik Schumacher in Zaha Hadid court case

Zaha Hadid Architects principal Patrik Schumacher has lost the right to have full control over the architecture studio at the end of a legal battle over its founder's £100 million estate.

The four-year-long dispute over Hadid's estate, which began after her death in 2016, was settled in a court hearing held remotely on a video call due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The four executors of Hadid's estate – Schumacher, Zaha Hadid's niece Rana Hadid, developer Peter Palumbo and artist Brian Clarke – agreed that the majority of Zaha Hadid's assets will go to the Zaha Hadid Foundation.

However, Schumacher lost his right to have a veto on decisions made by an employee benefit trust that will be created to oversee the studio, which trades as Zaha Hadid Limited.

Executors disagreement a "toxic dispute"

Schumacher brought the case against the other three executors of Hadid's estate, who along with Schumacher are all directors of Zaha Hadid Holdings, as he wanted independent executors appointed.

The trio had accused Schumacher of attempting to remove them as co-executors, but the Zaha Hadid Architects principal said he was only attempting to move the negotiations along.

Judge Matthew Marsh said the whole case was a "tragedy" and that the late Zaha Hadid would not have wished for the situation to devolve into such a "toxic dispute", reported the Guardian.

An estimated £100 million of Hadid's assets – including paintings, sketches, architectural models and properties in Miami and London – has already been catalogued.

Monetary value from shares in the late British-Iraqi architect's companies, including Zaha Hadid Design, has been transferred to the Zaha Hadid Foundation. This charity plans to set up a museum and offer scholarship funds benefitting the architectural education of Arab women.

Accusations of sexual misconduct

The court case revealed the depth of acrimony developing between Schumacher and the other three friends and relatives appointed by Hadid to manage her estate.

Tensions first surfaced in 2016, when Schumacher made a controversial statement about social housing, prompting his co-executors to publically distance themselves from his comments.

Two independent legal reports were presented by the defendants in their attempt to block Schumacher's veto ahead of the hearing this month, the Guardian reported.

One report from 2019 alleged "numerous failings of corporate governance" by Schumacher, including an alleged history of abusing the power of veto – including vetoing the fees incurred by the investigation.

A second report from 2020 alleged that Schumacher had inappropriate sexual and romantic relationships with junior staff members and pursued pay rises and promotions for those he had romantic relationships with.

Practice "dismayed" by allegations

Marsh said his decision to rule against Schumacher was not influenced by these reports, which the judge described as full of "highly contentious evidence".

In a later statement, Zaha Hadid Architects said the practice "is dismayed by the unfounded allegations".

"The allegations are unproven, contested, and must be considered in the context of a long-running, acrimonious dispute between the trustees of Zaha's estate," added the practice.

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