Interview: Jill Bokor on the design trends to watch out for at The Salon Art + Design 2017
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New York’s most anticipated design festival, The Salon Art + Design, opens today and it promises to be as delightful as ever with its eclectic array of art and design exhibits from across the world.We get Jill Bokor, Executive Director, The Salon, to share
Interview: Jill Bokor on the design trends to watch out for at The Salon Art + Design 2017
New York’s most anticipated design festival, The Salon Art + Design, opens today and it promises to be as delightful as ever with its eclectic array of art and design exhibits from across the world.We get Jill Bokor, Executive Director, The Salon, to share her insights into the upcoming design trends and the show stealers at the fair’s 2017 edition. Edited excerpts:What are the themes and trends to watch out for in The Salon Art + Design 2017?Though we certainly aren’t living in a gilded age, I am seeing a lot of shiny new pieces of furniture, whether they be all in one metallic material or combinations of wood and marble. You can find these kind of pieces in the booths of Negropontes and Garrido. There’s also been a resurgence of interest in ceramics; great examples can be found in the varied pieces brought by Adrian Sassoon of London, Pierre Marie Giraud of Brussels and Joern Lohmann and Joan Mirvess of New York. Between these fascinating galleries, the visitor can expect to be inspired by form, texture and color — the perfect mix of art and design!What are your observations about the major changes or shift in the world of design since the festival’s first edition? What I’m seeing now is a definite shift away from earlier 20th century material. It’s the inverse of what was happening 10 years ago when people put together collections of Art Deco or International Mid-Century modern. Back then, an “experimental” piece of contemporary design might be added to the mix to be admired and talked about, but it acted more as an enhancement rather than seen as integral to the collection. Now, people are buying much more contemporary work by designers like The Campana Brothers, Joseph Walsh, David Wiseman, Glithero, and Mattia Bonetti and choosing them to accent them with more vintage material. So you get something like a Mattia Bonneti console augmented by working perfectly with a Sottsass chair. Overall, people are feeling fewer restrictions, generally freer to mix materials, genres and periods.Would you like to predict how the future of design is going to be in the next five years? I would say two things to that point; firstly, with the millennials entering the marketplace for collectible design and art, accessibility will be important — both artistically and materially. And, luckily, there is work being made that is affordable to this new group of collectors. Education will become an important factor for these new collectors. Because they’re fresh to the market, they’ll be looking at the continuum of design to understand the work that’s being made today. Real estate is going to play an important role as well; as apartments and houses become smaller, editing becomes more necessary, as does a greater focus on functional design. Secondly, for both new comers to the market and established collectors, overall quality, which has always been a primary concern, is going to matter more than ever. The quality of contemporary design gets better all the time — referencing the craftsmanship of the pieces that we now call antiques. Just as Boulle, Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Regency furniture were made to last, the pieces being created now are made and look just as fresh in 2117 as they do today!How do you go about shortlisting the galleries?We’re always looking for the best possible mix, and at the end of a show, we’re talking to the exhibitors who are likely to return. Then we think about material that has either been underrepresented or not represented at all. For example, last year we added one of the world’s great dealers in mid-century glass. This year, seeing a niche, we have added dealer of contemporary glass, meaning we now have good coverage of 20th century and contemporary work in the field. We also consider how people are furnishing their homes. As previously discussed, we have seen an uptick in primary buying of contemporary design that is then accented by vintage pieces, and the show is proportioned accordingly. There’s also the question of what is fun and whimsical. While we take the material we sell seriously, we want our attendees always to find something to smile at.Who do you think would be the show stealers this year? Our returning galleries never fail to surprise us. This year Delorenzo Gallery, known for Art Deco, is bringing mostly contemporary design. Maria Wettegren, who works with contemporary French and Scandinavian designers, is bringing beautiful material, and new exhibitor Stage Projects, who also shows contemporary Scandinavian design, has commissioned pieces especially for The Salon — we can’t wait to see them! David Gill Gallery is showing a glowing globular sculptural chandelier by Barnaby Barford. Patrick Parrish is bringing an assortment of pieces by Carl Auböck that are sculptural and intriguing. Amongst our new exhibitors, Twenty First Gallery brings a table by Marcin Rusak that encases flowers in resin, which is beautiful. Lost City Arts, also exhibiting for the first time, brings amazing Bertoia sculpture and Galerie BSL brings a selection of functional sculptures — referencing exactly the need for elegant, graceful design that also serves a purpose.Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the top picks from the fair. Read more
