Design Miami:

Africa Takes the Spotlight
By Frank Webb

For the past few years, I’ve joined the art-and-design-loving hordes for the annual December pilgrimage to Miami Beach for Art Basel and Design Miami. With the promise of masterpieces from the worlds of contemporary art and design, the side-by-side fairs attract a global audience, who never tire of the smorgasbord of talent (nor the plethora of parties).

While you can expect to see works from the top-tier galleries of America, Europe and, increasingly, Asia, I was thrilled to see Africa gain the stage with a particularly noteworthy presence at this year’s Design Miami.

Click here to view gallery

It all began with architect David Adjaye being named as the fair’s Designer of the Year, a prestigious recognition for a body of outstanding work that expands the boundaries of design. Born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents, Adjaye has achieved worldwide acclaim for designing structures that foster community, use novel materials, and interweave connections between architecture, design and art.

As a fitting example of this talent, he designed a stunning temporary structure at the entrance to the fair (pictured above) that was equal parts monumental sculpture, functional gathering space and mesmerizing design study. Clearly influenced by the ten years he spent traveling throughout Africa to document the continent’s huge diversity of architecture, Adjaye is now turning his attention to the design of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American Culture and History on the Washington Mall.

As if Adjaye’s presence wasn’t enough of a treat, my Africa fix was further fed by meeting South African exhibitors, Julian and Trevyn McGowan. This dynamic husband and wife team are the founders of Southern Guild, a collective that harnesses the energy of South Africa’s top design talents and brings their exquisite works to a global audience. I was blown away by the beauty and ingenuity of the artists they represent, all of whom are at the forefront of defining modern African design.

Click here to view Southern Guild catalogue

Great design is always a function of marrying respect for tradition with fresh perspective. This year’s Design Miami shined a light on just such talents in Africa, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world starts to recognize the same.

Marquetry ~ Masterpieces in Wood

Fine furniture over the centuries has taken on every conceivable form of surface decoration. Painting, gilding, tooled leather, carving, parchment, mirror, shagreen ~ you name it. One form that seems to be linked with every age is marquetry.

Marquetry is the application of veneers to the structure of a piece of furniture. This can be applied to case or seat furniture, or even objects such as boxes and jardiniers. Marquetry involves pictorial designs, parquetry, on the other hand, uses the same technique but with geometric designs that repeat, much like a parquet floor. Such as on the eighteenth century Italian piece on the right.

Both Marquetry and Parquetry are different from inlay work, which may have a similar look, but instead of veneers adhered onto a solid item, the body of the furniture is carved out to receive a piece of wood which is inlaid. The nineteenth century French jardinier below perfectly illustrates the use of bronze, ivory and rare woods to create an elaborate marquetry design.

The visual delight that marquetry provides, and the design versatility is perhaps why the technique has been used from the 17th century to modern times. Rare woods can create beautiful effects, but these materials can be combined with others such as ivory, tortoiseshell, and metals including brass, silver and even gold.

Quality and condition are key when seeking out fine pieces of marquetry. But above all, the design of the work must enhance the overall design of the piece itself.