The new Tagli d’Autore DesignTaleStudio Gold and Platinum are now available: a touch of prestige added to an already existing collection of 30×120 ceramic inserts, conceived as a design element for walls. These two new collections use the same precious material which have already been used in the Pareti d’Autore collection, and together with it, they represent our DTS point of view on luxury aesthetics in design, a theme we have gone into in great depth many times. And you, what are your thoughts?

As announced in the previous post, from now on this blog will habitually launch discussion themes which will be the focus of the posts for a short period of time: themes associated with design, architecture, creativity, the market place… and obviously ceramics.

The first theme we wish to concentrate on is the use of precious metal inspired textures in design, in particular gold. A choice that seems to have split the world in two halves: those who see gold as the divine, absolute and infallible material and those who consider it merely as a symbol of opulence, excess and the total desire to be flamboyant.

Gold has always been considered the “cherry on the cake” and golden accessories as something that communicate importance and uniqueness. Being able to work gold is a prerogative of master craftsmen traditions; having and showing gold is a sign of riches and distinguishes those who can from those who “cannot”.

But in the Spring 2007 it seems that we are witnessing a mutation of the aesthetic character of gold. Mainstream fashion is dominated by gold, all one needs to do is look in a shop window display. Actually I was reading on a recent issue of Repubblica Affari & Finanza that every 37 minutes a gold coloured pair of sneakers or other “precious” texture is sold on eBay.

For two famously controversial designers like Dolce & Gabbana gold is the “colour of positivity, of the sun, of luxury and the new dolce vita”, with such a strong communicative potential to even inspire the creation of the first concept restaurant D&G in Milan. Once we had decided to design Gold and Platinum Pareti d’Autore, desired to create a luxurious, extreme object, purposely not for all that could represent an archetype of elegance and absolute prestige but we were well aware of running the risk of falling into kitsch.

Our Pareti are not simply “gold-plated” with a varnishing process: they contain pure 24 carat gold and because of this they are produce in a limited number as if they were pieces of jewelry. We reflected at length on the oxymoron of creating a product purposefully with no obvious market but at the same time fashionable. And we constantly struggled against the unpredictable nature of an expensive material rarely used in the ceramic industry.

Today, many designers choose gold to communicate a flavor of excess of the new riches of the emerging world markets, but at the same time the “old” western bourgeoisie that has always been familiar with it and continues to consider it a prime element of its lifestyle.

So, isn’t gold THE status symbol par excellence, used by the emerging classes of all generations to express their recently achieved social standing? or, over time has it become a cheap and trivial finishing only for those who are happy to express their personality with something shiny and expensive? Is it possible to design elegant and refined spaces using gold, or are we destined to descend into flamboyance?

We will discuss these themes in the weeks to come, listening to the testimony of personalities who had already pondered this issue at length.

[tags]Gold, DesignTaleStudio, Dolce&Gabbana, D&G, fashion[/tags]

Just one week is missing until Design on Stage, one of the “coolest” events that you could ever visit during the Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan! From April 18 to 23 at the Triennale in Milan the chance to meet your favourite designer in a surreal and glamourous setting, an Art Gallery built on the same Works exhibited: DesignTaleStudio’s Pareti d’Autore.

The guest list is complete and the calendar is set. The porcelain stoneware slabs that the guests have designed are now ready, and even if we can’t reveal anything about them, we are really hyped-up about the results. The works are signed by leading figures in the world of design , fashion and art such as Sandra Bermudez, Michele De Lucchi, Elio Fiorucci, Peter Halley, Romina Power, Karim Rashid. Different personalities from varying artistic backgrounds who, thanks to DesignTaleStudio, have found a “fil rouge”, a common artistic code. Being able to join different visions and methods of working has been exciting, always endeavoring to communicate the great creative potential of Pareti d’Autore. Each single artist, as you can well imagine, has given a personal interpretation of the project, perfectly summarizing his/her own personality on ceramic.

The event will be captured by Claudio Porcarelli, the famous photographer of the stars, who has been invited to take portraits of the guests (and not only). Therefore, the event will also be an exclusive photographic set, through which Porcarelli will give his personal view on the world of Design. During the event Claudio Porcarelli will create a “work in progress” in front of the audience, capturing the identity of the celebrities: the set will change every day creating a visual track of the guest stars present at the exhibition. As for the blog, we will tell you about Design on Stage adding live contents throughout the event and publishing interviews and images during the following weeks.

A real baptism of fire for DesignTaleStudio after the event held in September in Bologna: the Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan, core of the design world for 6 days. Over the past few weeks we have been completely immersed in the organization of the event and to be honest, the stress level is high: yet seeing the evolution of Design On Stage day after day is really firing us up. The communication campaign was launched a few days ago and we already have one hundred registrations, mainly designers, students of architecture, many of them foreigners.

What are you expecting from Design On Stage and its guests? We invite you to leave your comments and of course… to register to the event if you haven’t done it yet, we are also waiting for you at the Triennale.