Design | Jamie Hayon: New Roman Collection for Paola C

MFM gives a rousing review of  New Roman’s collection, fruit of collaboration between Paola C, established by curator Paola Coin in Milan, and famous Spanish (but London based) designer Jaime Hayon.

Amphora, large and small vases, cups and decanters, all oozing stage presence and supported by stands: this collection sees both history and present day. Ten years after Paola C.’s and Jaime Hayon’s first encounter, their union has been renewed with this exclusive collection for which the Madrid born designer have drawn from ancient Rome’s iconic life. New Roman, living up to its name, provides a fresh nuance, contemporary at times, to the classic Roman tone.

The feeling is crystal clear when one glances at one of the collection’s leading pieces: the large silver plated decanter with eyes and nose, a clear funny ironic and typical Hayon reference. Often surprising, Jaime Hayon has created a collection that celebrates past glamor mixing up antique materials with modern ones, in a creative joyride, passing through time and places making them eternal and timeless. Materials are mostly branch and aluminum but also polished and matte ceramics, transparent glass or either colored blue, green or pink.

Hayon does have a glamorous style but sometimes with a tendency towards decorative overkill and the saccharine. Happily with New Roman the excess is in the publicity images not the works themselves which have a pleasing, chubby classicism. We made this point by showing both the flamboyant staged photographs and the simpler ones that focus on the form of the designs. Not groundbreaking but quietly pleasing.

Hayon sees this work “Inspired by the vessels of the Roman Empire, this collection transforms antique references into a celebration of contemporary craft.” The Coliseum is referenced in one of the metal bases and in the tradition of the amphora all the vessels forms have stands except for the silver pitcher. The ceramic surfaces are either matte or are polished to a velvety glow.

He is one of the most popular and productive designers today with a huge European following and a growing American one. More specifically for these pages he is also one of today’s prolific creatives in ceramic design returning again and again the kiln with new designs and in this case, a eye for the old as well.

Garth Clark is the Executive Editor of CFile.

Any thoughts about this post? Share yours in the comment box below.