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SPANISH DESIGN

When you look into Spanish design in terms of decoration, furniture and lighting, you discover highly colourful design with simple lines reflecting the dynamic vitality of its creators &ndash practical design that corresponds to our evolving life style, innovative design that has won international awards.

A strong identity
Spanish designers today, worthy heirs to the Madrilenian groove scene of the early 80s, stand out in a globalised environment for their strong identity products and concepts. More and more Spanish designers and brands are being exported and taking root abroad. Not all designers opt for expatriation like Patricia Urquiola in Milan and Héctor Serrano in London. Most of the best known names remain in Europe and open offices abroad, such as Jaime Hayon in Trevise and London and Marti Guixé in Berlin. The current generation of complex-free designers produces simple, colourful, original and always useful designs. The manufacturers who take advantage of their creativity develop a dynamic, modern brand image. Nanimarquina has always based the style of its rugs on originality of design and colour. Cristian Zuzunaga&rsquos Digit rug is a blow-up of pixels.Lladro, the porcelain figurine specialist, a veritable institution in Spain, is being revamped with style and poetry by Jaime Hayon.

Design in keeping with the times
In a highly competitive environment, Spanish brands have perfectly integrated the need to meet the expectations of end users. Alongside strong identity design there is a natural tendency towards environment-friendly products, the use of high quality materials and a return to traditional techniques. Sancal uses water-based lacquers and recyclable foam for its seat cushions. Roca, the leader in bathroom equipment, proposes single-handed taps with a water limiter that cuts consumption in half.
The tendancy to make the most of outdoor areas offers an excellent opportunity to major brands of outdoor furniture that are well-established in this sector such as Kettal, Gandia Blasco, Vondom, and Expormim. Both the garden and urban space are treated like a living room and require high quality comfortable furniture with a focus on indoor-outdoor design. The Spanish brands have been quick to follow and often anticipate this change in lifestyle, designing practical, adaptable furniture. New outdoor furniture brands are ofering very interesting and high qulity products such as Oi Side, Calma and Lobster's Day.

Recognised innovative design
Lighting is high-tech field in which Spanish brands are becoming references with products attracting international awards. Arturo Álvarez and LZF Lamps are Red Dot 2010 prize winners. Vibia, another top-of-the-range lighting manufacturer, has come up with an innovative one-meter diameter light that doubles as a parasol during the day.
 
Spanish firms know that their success mainly lies in design and technical innovation. Based on talented designers proud of being Spanish, Spanish companies are creating a Made in Spain offering that is gradually joining the ranks of products Made in France and Made in Italy.

Sancal
Roca, 
Kettal
Gandia Blasco
Vondom
Expormim
Arturo Álvarez
LZF Lamps 
Vibia  
 

| Bathroom company Sonia won a Good Design Award for the stylish, versatile Play, which comes in a wide variety of materials, finishes, sizes and colours.
| Two Spanish lighting companies Arturo Álvarez and LZF Lamps are Red Dot 2010 prize winners Arturo Álvarez won the Red Dot prize for its Guau lamp and LZF Lamps for its Air table lamp. Both products won the Good Design Prize awarded by Chicago&rsquos Atheneum Museum.
| UK&rsquos Tile Association selects Etna: Lava Surfaces line manufactured by Spanish company Decorativa as Best Natural Product 2010.

&ldquoAnish Kapoor&rdquo until Oct. 12, 2010 at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents a monographic exhibition on Anish Kapoor, one of the most influential sculptors on the contemporary international scene. The show was tremendously successful at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and has been organized in close collaboration with the artist.

www.guggenheim-bilbao.es