Maison et Objet 2018: Meet the Lebanese Rising Talents – Maison et Objet, the leading lifestyle and design event, revealed its Rising Talents of the upcoming September edition, that will take place from the 7th to the 11th in Paris. Anastasia Nysten, Carla Baz, Carlo Massoud, Marc Dibeh, Paola Sakr and Studio Caramel, are the chosen names that represent the future of Lebanese design. They are a new generation that has followed in the footsteps of their ancestors, by combining their international experience and knowledge with the service of local, little-known manufacturing techniques. Let’s get to know a bit more about each of these talented designers.
The first Rising Talent of Maison Objet is Anastasia Nysten. She comes from a multicultural background but chose Lebanon to study, pursuing a degree in Industrial Design at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. After graduating, she started working alongside Karen Chekerdjian and then with Michael Anastassiades, in London. It was in 2015 that she created her own design studio, specializing in furniture and interiors.
Anastasia has been distinguished by the Beirut Design Fair for the design of her Troll Chair, that combined Scandinavian comfort with a bold design. This is one of the trademarks of her work, which pushes formal research beyond the classics, always using natural materials. Her latest renovation project will be in Helsinki.
Carla Baz is a French-Lebanese designer with a masters degree in Product Design for the Luxury Industry from ECAL Lausanne. It was in London that she had the privilege of being trained by Zaha Hadid Architects. Later on, she started her own career that landed her a recognition by the Boghossian Foundation, thanks to the elegant lines of her designs.
Her furniture conveys the beauty of fine materials, with the help of Lebanon’s most experienced artisans. One of the best examples is her Hay Bench, a handcrafted design made out of solid oak and completed with traditional cane weaving techniques. The stunning Borgia candelabra is also a great example, with an extraordinary design made out of solid brass, hand-brushed and hand-polished.
Carlo Massoud graduated from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and ECAL Lausanne, afterwards moving to New York to continue to improve on his craft. He later joined Nasser Nabik Architect to supervise bespoke furniture designs for high-end residential projects. It was in 2014 that he started his solo career by showing his Dolls project at the Carwan Gallery.
His work is best defined as a balance between functional design and art, but still maintaining a social and political statement, like the Autopsy project, a collection of stools designed in collaboration with his sister Mary-Lynn Massoud, the Otto du Plessis foundry and the South-African Imiso ceramicist Andile Dyalvane, that was inspired by African fertility dolls.
Marc Dibeh, with a masters degree in Product Design from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, gained experience by working with Marc Baroud. After that, he opened his own studio in 2009 and has been exhibiting his work at a worldwide level, in cities like Paris, London or Miami.
He seeks the creation of something that has a story, while keeping the pieces timeless and simple. Please, Don’t Tell Mom, is one of his most compelling pieces. Another piece is a very dramatic rattan umbrella system, which he named “Somewhere Under the Leaves”, an evocation of a safe haven in the jungle.
Paola Sakr has a degree in Product Design from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, but she is quite talented in other areas like photography and art. This versatility allows her to satisfy her taste for innovation and her curiosity, which are the basis of her projects. She has already participated in several design festivals, that allow her to show the world her experiments.
Her pieces show her ability to transform things into useful objects, like Impermanence, which is a series of vases that were made from a pile of concrete cylinders she found on the edge of a construction site, or the Morning Ritual collection, consisting of recycled coffee grounds and old newspapers.
Finally, Studio Caramel, a duo comprised of Karl Chucri and Rami Boush, who met while studying Interior Design at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, and created their studio in 2016. Both have a lot of experience, and their creations are often shaped by a specific context without ever compromising on the furniture’s ability to decorate a room.
The Mirage music box and the Indolente armchair are some of the most iconic pieces by the duo. They bring a nostalgic feeling of the 50’s, benefiting from vintage details and historical references. Studio Caramel were also behind the design of the Baron bar cart for a restaurant designed by FaR Architects.
Don’t miss the chance to see these designer’s exhibitions at Maison et Objet September 2018, get your tickets here.
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