As the evenings begin to draw in and the leaves start to turn colour, The Calico Club is back with its exciting calendar of events for the autumn/winter season.
After a brief summer hiatus, members of The Calico Club came together for its first event at London Design Week, gathering in the impressive lobby of hotel One Hundred Shoreditch. Surrounded by Jan Hendzel’s eye-catching sculptures and distinctive furniture by Philippe Malouin, we enjoyed catching up over glasses of chilled sparkling wine by Hambledon, kind sponsors of the evening.
Jacu Strauss is the designer, architect and creative director of Lore Group, and the visionary behind One Hundred Shoreditch. With a deep understanding of the elements that went into reinventing this design-focused hotel (formerly the Ace Hotel), Jacu chose to invite additional three guests, who were also an integral part of the journey, to sit on the panel alongside him: Caitríona O Sullivan, Philippe Malouin and Jan Hendzel.
Hosted by Davey Hunter-Jones, curator of The Calico Club, the evening began with introductions of these three key people, their relationship with Jacu and their contributions to One Hundred Shoreditch – starting with Caitríona, the design director of Lore Group, otherwise referred to by Jacu as ‘his partner in crime’. Caitríona explained that she met Jacu when finishing her studies in Amsterdam and together they worked on the design elements of another Lore Group hotel, Pulitzer Amsterdam – a hotel consisting of 25 Dutch canal houses spanning a huge part of the Jordaan area of the city.
Since then they have worked together exclusively and gone on to design another six hotels. Moving on to Philippe Malouin, Jacu explained that they met when both working under the British designer Tom Dixon. Since then, Philippe has founded his own studio in 2009 and created a diverse portfolio which includes tables, rugs, chairs, lights, art objects and installations. Jacu and Philippe have now come full circle, working again together on design elements and furniture for One Hundred Shoreditch.
Then it was the turn of Jan – whose passion for his craft was evident to everyone present. He explained that his journey in design started at the age of 15, and that he stood out from the crowd when enrolling at Central Saint Martins with his portfolio of engineered pattern cuttings for a degree in product design. Jan now has his own design studio, Jan Hendzel Studio, and worked with Jacu to create a selection of sculptural totems made from reclaimed and fresh-sawn green timbers, all sourced within the streets of london: these striking pieces can be admired in the lobby of One Hundred Shoreditch.
As the conversation flowed between the panellists, we learned about the importance of storytelling within design. Jacu made specific mention of this, telling us that if ever he came to a crossroads in the process of designing a hotel, he would refer back to the story and the ‘why’ behind the project to help refine his focus. In each hotel the Lore Group has developed, the notion of a story is very evident. Jacu explained that for every hotel he has worked on, he would relocate to that particular place to fully appreciate the culture and atmosphere – with the idea that this would translate into every aspect of the hotel’s design. All the panellists made specific reference to the importance of designing for hospitality, and stressed how essential it is that a hotel should reflect the character of its location.
As the conversation progressed, Jan also emphasised the importance of celebrating new talent. As an advocate for budding designers, he held an exhibition called 11:11 at the Staffordshire St gallery in Peckham, SE15, where selected new designers were given the chance to exhibit their work during London Design Festival alongside prominent names in the industry. For this showcase, Jan and 10 other established designers, including Alison Crowther, Martino Gamper, Charlotte Kingsnorth, Sophie Sellu of Grain & Knot, A Rum Fellow, Sedilia and Simone Brewster, exhibited their own work beside that of the up-and-coming designers they had chosen to share this unique platform.
When the fascinating group discussion came to an end, members of The Calico Club moved into a beautiful dining space in One Hundred Shoreditch for an intimate supper with the panellists, which offered a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper into topics raised during the evening. The meal featured seasonal dishes specially created for London Design Week, which were set off perfectly by an array of fine English sparkling wines provided by Hambledon Vineyard, the generous sponsors of this most enjoyable evening.
Membership of The Calico Club starts from as little as £75 a month, and gives instant access to events like this and many more. Membership also includes access to the full catalogue of online talks Conversations with The Calico Club and House & Garden’s online masterclasses How To with House & Garden, an annual subscription to the magazine, and exclusive offers and discounts for your favourite interior shops.
Keep an eye on the calendar for exciting new events and experiences announced weekly.
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