Today I was devastated to find out I had missed a presentation from the Bouroullec brothers yesterday. A real shame, but it is clear to see that the pair’s approach to design and a general aesthetic can be seen everywhere at this fair (and I’ve included some shots from the conference here too!).

The brothers have been recognised this year as Designers of the Year, along with French ‘Green Architect’ Edouard François and Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have been working together since 1998, developing their simple aesthetic – built upon complex design and manufacture. They have designed for some of the world’s biggest names, from Vitra and Alessi, Magis to Ligne Roset.

An exhibition of the Bouroullec’s recent works acts, in many ways, as a representation of much of what is seen out in the Now! design á vivre hall. They’re simple aesthetic echoes throughout – this isn’t to say that they invented it, but they’re approach has definitely become popular in recent years.

Check out the official video interview with the Bouroullecs below:

On with the show…

Today I browsed the latest homewares on offer from a range of different brands. Below I’ll take you through my top 10.

1. PUNKT.

This is not only a debut product, but a debut brand being launched at the fair. The PUNKT. DECT cordless telephone came about due to a lack of well-designed, functional options in this sector. English designer Jasper Morrison came on board as creative director to create the PUNKT. phone. It comes in red, black and white and will be joined by a clock radio some time this year. A little retro, but very cool.

2. JOE

ibride’s macabre display of animals’ heads on people’s bodies (bookcase/artwork hybrids) was lightened by these massive bookcases shaped like polar bears (AKA ‘JOE’).

3. Fun Time

Progetti had their latest wall clocks on display including a colourful dotty version of their ever-popular ‘RND time’ clock, called ‘Fun time’ and a very Gen Y ‘What-ever’ clock.

4. Peculiar Attachments

Singapore-based d.lab were on show at Now! design á vivre, with their latest products, including beautiful wood and aluminium ‘objects’ (can be used as lights) called peculiar attachments.

5. HiHo

Another Singapore-based designer, Jarrod Lim, had his fantastically-fun HiHo, adult-sized rocking horse on show with its new distributor, Innermost. They’re fluffy, they’re fun and they’re from a great local designer – check them out if you get a chance.

6. Join

This quirky little knife, fork and spoon set turns your cutlery into a design object when not in use. ‘Join’ by Konstantin Slawinskiis is described as more than cutlery; it’s decoration for the table. 

7. Whisk

These new whisks from Normann Copenhagen should definitely be kept out of the draw and on display and you may need to buy 16 of them; then you’ll get the full impact of them as a forest of little trees.

8. Friends

Another great one from Normann Copenhagen is the collaboration between a designer and street artists – these cork placemats will be hitting the shelves soon.

9. Tea Sets

Muuto have just launched this new tea set collection, featuring oversized “cartoon-like” cups, teapots, cookie jars and sugar pots. 

10. Wooden Spoons

Last but not least Muuto have these great new wooden spoons and salad servers that are affordable enough to be in everyone’s kitchen drawer, but so well made and beautifully simple.

Tomorrow I take on the huge Hall 7, featuring Scenes d’interieur and Maison et Objet éditeurs.

Stay tuned…