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Aug 18, 2023

Pentagram partners create colourful terrazzo objects

Graphic designer and creative consultant Astrid Stavro has rallied seven Pentagram partners for a colourful series of tiles and objects made by Mallorcan cement and terrazzo producer Huguet Receive

Graphic designer and creative consultant Astrid Stavro has rallied seven Pentagram partners for a colourful series of tiles and objects made by Mallorcan cement and terrazzo producer Huguet

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London-based graphic designer Astrid Stavro has always worked with an inquisitive approach, looking for the unexpected. So when she visited Mallorca-based cement and terrazzo producer Huguet and discovered its processes, wheels were spinning. She rallied seven former Pentagram colleagues (where Stavro had been a partner until 2021) to create a collection of tiles and objects using the company’s expertise. The pieces were created under the guidance of Biel Huguet, who now runs his family company, founded in 1933, whose ethos is rooted in Mediterranean culture and craft.

Planters composition by Jon Marshall

Making its debut during London Design Festival 2022, the project bridges the digital and physical realms, with participating creatives working across different media, from graphic, information, industrial and sound design. Focusing on materiality and craft, the project offers a fresh look at the process of design.

‘By incorporating technical and aesthetic improvements over the years, Huguet’s work has achieved the perfect balance of craftsmanship, sustainability, quality and innovation, managing to shift and grow with the times,’ says Stavro.

Tiles by Giorgia Lupi, representing a data visualisation of Chopin's 24 Preludes

The project includes tiles, objects and furniture by Stavro, as well as New York and London Pentagram partners Jody Hudson-Powell, Sascha Lobe, Giorgia Lupi, Jon Marshall, Luke Powell, Yuri Suzuki and Matt Willey. The group explore Huguet’s material possibilities, experimenting with glow-in-the-dark terrazzo (Hudson-Powell), dried flowers (Stavro), three-dimensional objects (Suzuki and Marshall) and furniture (such as the table and writing desk by Willey). Each designer seamlessly incorporated their creative focus into the piece – a fitting example being Italian data visualisation designer Giorgia Lupi, who created tiles to represent Chopin's 24 Preludes, which he composed while living in Mallorca in 1939.

‘Putting together contemporaneity with tradition, global with local, and international designers with Mediterranean artisans has always been essential for us, and this collaboration is one of the best ways we could have done it,’ concludes Biel Huguet. ‘We have shared views to blend cultures, to foster diversity and, in the end, to contribute (with a lot of humility), to make the world a little bit richer, a little bit more human, a little bit better.’

Alphabet tiles by Sascha Lobe

Glow in the dark tiles by Jody Hudson-Powell

Table with tiled top by Matt Willey

Writing Desk by Matt Willey

Composition of objects by Yuri Suzuki

Tiles featuring dried flowers by Astrid Stavro

Tile making process at Huguet

Tiles by Luke Powell

INFORMATION

The collection will be on view as part of Brompton Design District at London Design Festival, from 19 to 25 September 2022pentagram.comhuguetmallorca.com

ADDRESS

4 Cromwell PlaceLondon SW7 2JE

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Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.

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