A Man Of Many Talents

Wanders went from an ordinary student in art school to a man of many wonders.  Being first discovered for his "Knotted Chair", and then creating many product collections for high-end, top of the line companies, including Moooi, B&B Italia, his talent does not stop there.  His love and passion for design has allowed him to broaden his expertise and scope of work to also designing for interior and architectural spaces.  He's like the Lady Gaga or Elvis Presley of industrial design, as he is talented in a large spectrum of works, including hotel, academia and architecture.  He's at the top with all the other leading designers, including Philippe Starck and Jergen Bey, whom he had the honour of working closely with.

In all of his works, he displays his niche for theatricality and manipulating with space and textures.  They are all unique, over the top, and portray the feeling of luxury and elegance, with a slight sense of whimsy.  He doesn't just design a space but he tries to create an experience that is magical and memorable.  He wants to make you fall in love with the space and have an emotional impact on you even after you leave the space.  Therefore, his designs speak for themselves as words cannot describe the beauty, intricate details, patterns and grandness of the space. 

Here are some examples of his interior and architectural design projects:

Kameha Grand, Bonn

 



Lounge Area

Wanders believes that hotels are all so boring.  Even though many designers may not approve of his crazy designs, he feels that different is interesting. People are so used to the box-shaped hotels with an unappealing exterior, and even more so, the 4 wall bedrooms with wallpaper, a bed and some furniture. Sure they may have a nice chandelier or some soft couches in the lounge area, but once you see so many of them, they all start to look the same and nothing sets one apart from another. 

The Kameha Grand Bonn Hotel is a beautiful architectural building with glass panel windows on all sides with breathtaking views.  Wanders created a connection between the outdoors and grand scale of the architectural building by bringing those inspirations inside.  The space is very large and extravagant with high ceilings that create the open and airy feeling, while maintaining the warmth and comfort.  Consisting of a hotel and conference hall, Wanders played with contrasts.  From a personal, intimate setting of the Rhine-Hotel to the high energy, lively atmosphere of the conference rooms, Wanders combined the obvious differences to create a medium.  The large space and hard materials were softened with more curvilinear shapes and elegant materials, such as glass and crystal, for sparkle.  And the result is a space that is a calming, serene getaway with design that evokes the imagination and inspiration. 



Stonehouse

 

 

In 2002, Wanders designed the "Stonehouse" for Interpolis, an insurance company's main office building, located in Tilburg, the Netherlands.  The purpose of the space is to have enough flexibility for the 3000 employees to do their work in their office, meetings rooms or workstations.  Wanders based his concept on the club scene where gatherings and discussion can take place at a more personal, intimate setting.  It is to feel like a city with different spaces specializing different services, such as food, education, culture and communication, that surrounds a square-shaped, central area.  Open workspaces are available for meetings, discussions and conversations.  The relaxed nature of the company is represented through the fun, round, dome-like shapes that act as rooms.  While the space is whimiscal and fun, the linear, angular lines of the furniture pieces keeps the office feeling professional and respectable. 

 

 

JVC Building

 

Although Wanders is not an architect, he could fool anyone with his design for the JVC Building situated in Mexico.  Architects may think he is crazy because their way of thinking is very structured and different, but he strongly believes that straying from the norm can be interesting and unique.  And Wanders loves to be different and set himself apart from other designers.  Therfore, he strives to design architecture that is monumental, legendary and will be talked about for years. 

 

In the JVC Building, his concept was inspired by how he " dream[s] of creating an open fortress which makes the inhabitants feel safe and protected and is a welcome, new garden for a city of flowers."  They look like clouds in the sky and his use of greenery feels fresh, lively and inviting. 

So...

I've learned that being a designer, limitations is not an option.  In this day and age, students go through high school and post secondary believing that we have to choose one major and stick to it.  When we graduate, we have to find a job that relates to our field of study.  But learning from Wanders experiences and works, I think what makes him a great designer is that he's not afraid to try new things.  Though he may have started out as a furniture designer, his passion for design has allowed him to branch out and learn the skills needed to be an interior designer and architect.  This is truly inspiring because it opened my eyes, and I hope it also does for you, that we're not stuck to just one profession.  Even if I may have graduated with a diploma for interior design, I, too, could work on designs for an architectural building or create furniture designs and collections for an elite design store.  Or even so, I could incorporate my love for interior design and combine it with my love for handmade arts and crafts.  A combination of Martha Stewart and Marcel Wanders?  It's a possibility. 

Expanding boundaries and breaking out of one's comfort zone is the key to success.  But most importantly, keeping an open mind and believing that there are no limitations in the design world and life in general is the biggest lesson we can learn from Wanders.

Who Would've Thought?

When Wanders says he takes his job seriously, but not too seriously, he's telling the truth.  In the Happy Hour Chandelier project, he displays his sense of humour and whimsy. 

Wanders and famous Dutch dance choreographer, Nanine Linning, collaborated to come up with a design concept that was different, innovative, showstopping and would knock everyone's socks off.  Without a doubt, Wanders did just that.  Featured in hospitality, and art and design events, entertainment was an important factor.  Therefore, they fantasized about "being served petit fours at tea time, [or] little spoons of chocolate mousse" that would provide an unique experience for anyone.  But the one idea that struck them was the possibility of having beautiful female angels float from above while serving flutes of champagne.

And the result was the Happy Hour Chandelier.

Happy Hour Chandelier features sexy Dancing Angels who perform beautiful dance routines while hanging upside down on these large chandeliers.  But what makes them unique is that hanging around the base of the chandelier are bottles of champagne which these Dancing Angels serve to the party.  They also serve cocktails and alcohol, as well as chocolates, caviar or any savoury treats of your choice.  They are renowned world-wide and fly anywhere around the world to provide great entertainment for spectacular events, including award ceremonies, red carpet events, fashion shows, charity gala's, or smaller, more intimate functions at night clubs and restaurants.

Wanders has shown through this project how he has taken an ordinary object of a chandelier that acts as a light fixture, and transformed it into something bigger.  He has combined the beauty and grandness of a chandelier with the beautiful movements of the dance form shaped by the human body.  He also created contrasts with the chandelier's simplicity in its form and shapes with the complexity and details of the female form.

I think we could learn a thing or two from this project.  Thinking outside of the box can lead to great ideas.  Human interaction should always be factored during your design process.  They play a huge role in the impact of one's design.  Wanders always designs for the people and wants them to fall in love with the design as much as he did.  I believe that everyone should learn to do the same.