Eero Saarinen
The man behind the name.
Born on August 20, 1910, Finnish-American architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen was immersed in the world of design right from the outset. His parents were renowned in their fields – his father the great architect and Art Director at Cranbrook Academy of Art Eliel Saarinen, and his mother the textile artist Loja Saarinen. Immersed in a culture of design under their guidance, it seemed a natural progression when Eero began helping his father design furniture and fixtures at the Cranbrook campus while still in his teens. After a year of studying sculpture in Paris in 1929, Eero enrolled in the architecture program at Yale University.
Eero’s professional career in the United States began with a 2-year stint at the Flint Institute of Research and Planning in Michigan, where he immersed himself in housing and city planning research. In 1938, he left the institute to join his father’s firm, beginning a decorated period of collaboration which saw the duo win numerous competitions for their innovative designs.
It was at Cranbrook that Eero became acquainted with Charles Eames. The two of them quickly became fast friends, kicking off what would become one of the most successful partnerships in the history of design. Perhaps their most notable collaboration was the revolutionary collection of molded plywood chairs for the MoMA-sponsored 1940 Organic Design in Home Furnishings competition, where they won first place in all categories. The success of the collection launched them to the forefront of the modern American furniture movement.
The Knoll connection.
While at Cranbrook, Saarinen also met another young designer who would go on to become a titan in the design world in her own right – Florence Knoll. A promising young protegé of Eero’s father, she spent a great deal of her spare time with the Saarinen family, even joining them on their summer vacations to Finland. It was this familial closeness that led to the sibling-esque dynamic that defined Eero and Florence’s relationship, and fostered a powerful partnership when the two joined forces at Knoll in the 1940s.
During his 15 years with the company, Eero Saarinen created many of Knoll’s most recognizable designs, such as the eminently stylish and timeless Tulip collection of tables and chairs, and the forever iconic Womb chair.
Architectural Projects
A leading 2nd-generation modernist, Saarinen constantly pushed material and aesthetic boundaries beyond the world of furniture. Some of his most famous and enduring works include Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C., the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, and the TWA terminal at JFK Airport New York.
LIV Design Studio x Livingspace Interiors at IDS Vancouver 2022
Imagining the future of work.
We hope you had a chance to catch up with Livingspace at IDS Vancouver! It was a pleasure to work alongside LIV Design Studio for their first ever Student Challenge!
In May 2022, LIV Design Studio launched their first ever Student Challenge, tasking local Interior Design students and recent graduates with imagining what the future of work might look like. Entrants had 3 months to design and submit their work for the chance to win a cash prize, a unique internship opportunity, and have their work displayed using AR technology at IDS Vancouver 2022.
At this year’s IDS Vancouver show from September 22-25 (the first since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the top four finalists had their future-of-work designs displayed via AR. The popular LIV Design Studio booth featured an entry lounge area furnished by Livingspace Interiors followed by a four-part walk-through AR-experience, enabling IDS attendees to see the future of work through the eyes of Vancouver’s newest generation of designers! After progressing through the tour, audiences were given the chance to vote on their favourite design.
To celebrate the hard work of the newest generation of Interior Designers in our community, we were proud to host a private party for the LIV Design Studio Student Challenge at the Livingspace Interiors showroom in Vancouver! This invite-only industry event provided an opportunity for participants of the LIV Design Studio Student Challenge to mingle and network with design industry leaders, Livingspace executives and the local interior design faculty while enjoying Italian aperitivo, the Livingspace way.
After a long weekend of exploring and celebrating IDS Vancouver, the Student Challenge award ceremony took place at the Convention Centre on the final day of the show. Livingspace was honoured to present the third place prize to winner Vivien Tam for her “Hybrid Office Design” interpreting the ever-growing importance of technology by featuring clean, simple elements to reduce distraction and encourage productivity.
For more information on the LIV Design Student Challenge, please visit liv.ca/student-challenge/.
Ligne Roset's Togo
The story behind the revered design.
It is said that all good things must come to an end. While this is undeniably the case in most things in life, the enduring style of Ligne Roset’s iconic Togo sofa shows all the signs of an ageless wonder whose best days remain indefinitely in front of it. Although born in an era of shag carpeting, floral furnishings and patterned linoleum in 1973, the Togo has remained effortlessly in vogue throughout the decades while flash-in-the-pan trends have come and gone all around it.
Despite its royal status of present-day, the concept for the Togo came about in rather simple fashion – as great ideas are often wont to do. While standing at his sink one morning in the 1960s, French designer Michel Ducaroy observed how his aluminum toothpaste tube “folded back on itself like a stovepipe and closed at both ends.” A few quick sketches later, his most recognizable design, Togo, was born.
In 1973 the cushy, crimped, ground-hugging sofa series was unveiled at the Salon des Arts Ménagers in Paris. It was immediately met with skepticism. The first of its kind, the hunk of foam wrapped in quilted polyester took people by surprise. The conventional wisdom of the day dictated that sofas had to have a base. “People thought we forgot or didn’t have time to build one,” recalls Antoine Roset, global marketing director and great-great-grandson of Ligne Roset’s founder. Despite these mixed reactions, Togo still won the René-Gabriel prize for high quality at a fair price, and it wasn’t long before the revolutionary design won over its detractors.
Comfortable, groovy and easy to move, Togo has maintained a dedicated fan club of artists, designers and collectors over the decades since its inception. Musician and designer Lenny Kravitz installed a quartet of Togos in his Paris townhouse, and today it has developed a fevered following among design lovers on social media the world over.
Sustainability alongside innovation.
Today’s Togo reflects Ligne Roset’s holistic approach to furniture design alongside the authenticity of its original design. Founded over 160 years ago in 1860, sustainability – from the design process to green manufacturing and employee wellness – is at the forefront of the company’s mandate.
Based in Briord, the French village is home to one of Europe’s most advanced manufacturing complexes. All of their furniture is produced in line with FCBA-certified forest-friendly wood, while sophisticated UV acrylic varnishes are used to minimize air pollution. This ensures all furnishings are completely free of the biocides, heavy metals and halogenated compounds typically found in furniture varnishes.
Furthermore, roughly 56 percent of all factory waste is recycled, including all foam, cartons, leathers, fabrics, wadding, polyethylene and paper. “When one has the good fortune to grow and develop in an environment of such quality, one naturally wants to protect it,” says Pierre Roset, President of Ligne Roset.
But perhaps the most important detail that sets the Togo apart from its contemporaries is the cohort of expert craftspeople who flawlessly execute on each design. Ensuring an attention to detail rarely seen in modern machine-led manufacturing processes, the majority of Ligne Roset’s furnishings are finished by hand. Additionally, new employees are trained in a comprehensive one-year apprenticeship program that ensures the company’s meticulous standards are passed on from generation to generation.
Livingspace at the 2022 Odlum Brown VanOpen
This year’s Odlum Brown VanOpen tournament had its designation promoted to a combined ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125 event. Audiences were in for a treat with the elevated level of competition on display, which saw Constant Lestienne emerge victorious in the men’s singles championship, while Valentini Grammatikopoulou took home the crown in women’s singles.
A major sponsor of the tournament, the Livingspace Lounge offered a birds-eye view of the action, providing spectators with respite from the blazing sun and an enjoy refreshments from the breezy comforts of the RODA furnishings.
The Tennis Canada court-side lounge featured the stylings of Coro Italia, also provided by Livingspace Interiors.
Centre court featured plenty of riveting performances, including a thrilling tilt between Canada’s Alexis Galarneau and Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
See all the results and news from the event here.
Santa & Cole: Modern Design Without the Lead Time
Seeking to remove a key obstacle to investing in original design.
Let’s face it. One of the biggest obstacles when deciding to invest in authentic modern design is reconciling the desire for originality and superior craftsmanship with the extended lead times that accompany those qualities. There are plenty of good reasons for this, but for those moments when your home is just that one table lamp away from being the finished oasis you envision it to be… well, let’s just say that while patience may be a virtue, home isn’t merely a place – it’s a feeling. So time is of the essence.
Select lighting designs ship in 1-2 weeks.
Santa & Cole, a small, independent outfit based in Barcelona, understand this. They have positioned themselves to address this specific challenge by establishing a proactive warehousing strategy for many of their most popular and iconic lighting models. This enables them to ship new orders within 1-2 weeks from date of purchase to anywhere in the world – a timeline which is unheard of in the world of bespoke furniture and accessories.
Cesta Metalica, Cesta, Cestita Bateria table lamps.
As a company, Santa & Cole have been on a mission to develop light as a medium for creating ambiences and moods which enhance the beauty of objects, shadows and people since their founding in 1985. Entering a bright new era fresh off the heels of a dictatorship, anything seemed possible – a sentiment which imbued founders Nina Masó, Javier Nieto Santa and Gabriel Ordeig Cole with the inspiration to try something different.
In those days, cool-to-the-touch halogen lights which gave off a clinical bluish light were in vogue, bu Santa & Cole opted for an alternative approach. They advocated for the use of natural materials such as wood, stitched cardboard or ribbons – inspiring designs such as the classic Básica lamp – and shifted the mood from cold and technical to warm and human.
