Marcel Wanders’ rational and emotional worlds for LG Hausys at Milan Design Week 2015

Marcel Wanders’ concept of two opposite worlds for the LG Hausys stand at Milan Design Week 2015 is not just a spatial arrangement – it is an experience. In this space where rational and emotional meet, HI-MACS® becomes a piece of art.
Inspired by LG Hausys continuous material innovation, versatility and durability, Wanders tells the story of the endless possibilities of LG Hausys’ products for this amazing design. The pattern was originally conceived around the themes of macro-cosmos, the layered, ornamental vastness of the Universe, and the micro-cosmos, with its ordered systems and patterns which can be found on a microscopic level. This contradiction has inspired the space itself, where science and emotions meet and HI-MACS® becomes a piece of art.

„We have drawn up a space full of fantasy and surprise, where people can linger, enjoy and encounter the endless possibilities offered by the range of LG Hausys materials. We applied them in their full potential, from wall to floor, from covering to foil, and beyond. The most fun part was to really stretch the different materials’ possibilities all the way to the unexpected!” said Marcel Wanders.
Experience two contrasting spaces, the rational and the emotional zone. The rational zone, is a fundamentally functional and visually clean meeting space, which encourages dynamic dialog and information exchange. The floors and the walls are executed in metal panels with geometric shapes highlighting the openness and sharpness of the space. In the centre of the room, and inspired by one of Marcel Wanders’ patterns, lays an exceptional piece; a slowly rotating imposing Medallion which reveals all the beauty and versatility of the Solid Surface HI-MACS®.
Opposed to this rational and functional zone, the emotional zone is more intimate, mysterious and poetic. The entire space is covered in the Marcel Wanders ‘Blooming Universe’ pattern, and feels like a quiet pensive oasis. Here patterns extend to all surrounding objects: from seats, to decorative pieces and floor standing lamps. This surreal and visually imposing environment is contrasted with glossy white HI-MACS® and the metallic film surface of the Medallion in the centre of the space. The visitor is lured into taking a seat and appreciating the beauty of this slowly rotating, dramatically lit central sculpture.

The usually functional HI-MACS® achieves an almost poetic quality; LG Gracia wallpaper has been used to cover pieces of furniture, and the dramatic appliance laminates has been used as a wall covering. Marcel Wanders concept for the LG Hausys stand at Milan Design Week 2015 surprises and inspires, it highlights the creative use of LG Hausys products, whilst at the same time providing a perfect balance between tactile and the intangible, rational and emotional, practical and magical. A must see experience.
Dubbed by the New York Times as the “Lady Gaga of Design,” Amsterdam based Marcel Wanders (Boxtel, Netherlands, 1963) is a prolific product and interior designer, art director and co-founder of Moooi, with over 1700+ projects to his name for private clients and premium brands such as Alessi, B&B Italia, Bisazza, Kosé Corporation/Cosme Decorte, KLM, Flos, Swarovski, Puma, among scores of others. Marcel has made it his mission to „create an environment of love, live with passion and make our most exciting dreams come true.” In his designs Marcel often mixes innovative materials and techniques with references to well-known historical styles and archetypes, so users can easily connect to the pieces, enjoying them for a long time and in doing so create sustainable surroundings.
HI-MACS® is a solid surface material that can be moulded into any shape. It is widely used for architectural and interior applications, such as sculptural and high performance wall-cladding or kitchen, bathroom and furniture surfaces, in commercial, residential and public space projects. It is composed of acrylic, natural minerals and pigments that come together to provide a smooth, non-porous and visually seamless surface which meets the highest standards for aesthetics, fabrication, functionality and hygiene – offering manifold advantages over conventional materials.
HI-MACS® provides limitless possibilities for surfacing solutions and inspires creative minds from all over the world. Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Rafael Moneo, Karim Rashid and David Chipperfield, among others, have completed fabulous projects using HI-MACS®, from kitchens to bathrooms, including decorative items, in hotels as well as in museums, shopping centres and on external façades.
LG Hausys’ HI-MACS® uses a simple heating process to give three-dimensional thermoplastic forming capabilities, allows visually seamless designs, offers a virtually limitless range of colours and – for some shades – exhibits a special translucency when exposed to light. Although HI-MACS® is almost as robust as stone, it can be worked in a similar way as wood: it can be sawn, routed, drilled or sanded.
HI-MACS® is manufactured using a new generation technology, the thermal cure. The temperature reached during the manufacturing process sets HI-MACS® apart from other solid surfaces and creates a denser, even more homogeneous, sturdy, durable surface – with a better resistance and superior thermoforming performance.
As regards hygiene, HI-MACS® does not absorb humidity, is highly resistant to stains, and is easy to clean, maintain and repair.
Countless internationally recognized certificates attest to the quality of HI-MACS® in terms of ecological commitment, hygiene and fire resistance – being the first Solid Surface in the market to receive the official European Technical Approval (ETA) for façades – for Alpine White S728 colour.
HI-MACS® offers the longest warranty on the solid surface market with a 15-year warranty for products fabricated by a Quality Club Member.
HI-MACS® The New Generation
Inspired by Architecture
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