Czech Grand Design 2014

The Czech Grand Design awards have become an annual prestigious event, highlighting the country's best designers of the year. Selected by the Academy of Design Czech Republic, the awards this year will be announced March 14th and will cover the following categories: Designer of the Year, Fashion Designer of the Year, Jewelry Designer of the Year, Graphic Designer of the Year, Photographer of the Year, Retail Store of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Discovery of the Year and Hall of Fame. The public can additionally vote in the category Grand Designer of the Year. This year, the trophy for the winners is a kimono, designed by the fashion designer Monika Drápalová, the winner of last year's Grand Designer of the Year.

Below is a lost of the recently announced finalists in each category, together with a few select photos of their work. The good news for lovers of great design is that you can see all the works at the National Technical Museum in Prague till the end of March. More information about the awards can be found here.


In the category Designer of the Year
DECHEM - Material vase (Křehký), Vase study, Bandasky, Laboratory Lights (Kavalierglass)
Koncern Design Studio - Car seat for children Aton Q, Solution Q-fix (Cybex)
Milan Pekař - Crystal vases

DECHEM - Laboratory lights (Kavalierglass), photo: Michal Šeba

In the category Fashion Designer of the Year
LaFormela - collection S/S 2015
Ivana Mentlová - collection S/S 2015 Pietro Filipi Silverline
Jakub Polanka - collection S/S 2015

 Ivana Mentlová - collection S/S 2015 Pietro Filipi Silverlin, photo: Pietro Filipi  

In the category Jewelry Designer of the Year
Nastassia Aleinikava - Bow & Pearls, Vermeer
Janja Prokić - collection Hidden place
Zorya - conceptual collection Poklady

 Nastassia Aleinikava - Bow & Pearls, Vermeer, photo: Alex Belyaev

In the category Graphic Designer of the Year
Tomáš Brousil a Radek Sidun - písmolijna Briefcase Type Foundry
Tomáš Celizna, Adam Macháček, Radim Peško - concept and visual style of the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno
ReDesign - Prague Spring 2014

Tomáš Celizna, Adam Macháček, Radim Peško - concept and visual style of the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno

In the category Photographer of the Year
Jan Grombiřík - portraits of Jana Kratochvílová (Bluepaper)
Adam Holý - book The Overview Effect (Polansky Gallery a VICE)
Václav Jirásek - photographs for the catalog TON 2014-15

 Jan Grombiřík - portraits of Jana Kratochvílová (Bluepaper), photo: Jan Grombiřík

In the category Retail Store of the Year
Bistro & obchod No. 19 - concept of the store and bistro and the project Zástěrka
Kurator - selection of clothing, fashion accessories, jewelery and designer objects
Lavmi - visual style and concept of the store in Zlatnická 12

 Lavmi - visual style and concept of the store in Zlatnická 12, photo courtesy of Lavmi

In the category Manufacturer of the Year 
Kavalierglass - collection of lighting Laboratory Lights (DECHEM)
Lasvit - Lights Moulds (Jan Plecháč a Henry Wielgus), Ice (Daniel Liebeskind), Das Pop (Maarten Baas) a Frozen (Maxim Velčovský)
TON - collection of furniture Merano (Alexander Gufler)

 Kavalierglass - collection of lighting Laboratory Lights (DECHEM), photo: Michal Šeba

In the category Discovery of the Year 
Jan Horčík - Boyscouts of Freedom (ve spolupráci s Tomášem Bilinou), Endless Illusion, Cutulum
Tadeáš Podracký a Markéta Kratochvílová - diploma study Dioscuri (Tadeáš Podracký), Enfant Terrible (Markéta Kratochvílová) and the collection Skywalker, Pineapples, Finland Objects
Klára Vystrčilová - leather clothing with hand embroider appliques

 Tadeáš Podracký a Markéta Kratochvílová Finland Object, photo courtesy of  Tadeáš Podracký a Markéta Kratochvílová

Contiqua

The one thing that I truly love about writing this blog is the constant, never-ending process of discovery of young talented designers. In fact, I come across so much talent that I don't even have the time to cover them all on my blog. And to think that I'm just focusing on ONE country...

Today was another one of those revelations. I came across a company called Contiqua, founded by the 25 year old Jindřich Fialka. The concept of the company is quite simple: "We use design to deal with waste." I know what you may be thinking right now, another one of those companies that manufactures women's purses from used tires...But Contiqua is anything but that. Yes, they reuse old materials but they use materials that are difficult to recycle like traffic signs, leather scraps and pianos and the way they use them is not like anything that I have seen before.

Their final products are breath-taking: top quality and top design. What makes the company even more interesting, is the fact that they work directly with the companies that the scrap materials come from (3M, Petrof, etc.), as these companies understand their own products best. THAT is a unique concept.

    

Photos courtesy of Contiqua

Čezeta

Have you heard the great news? The legendary scooter from Prague - Čezeta is planning a comeback! The original 501 model, also known as 'the pig' (due to its shape) first appeared in Czechoslovakia in 1956 and was designed by J. F. Koch. Today a new company, registered as Čezeta motors s.r.o. is testing and developing the production of a 506 model - five electric scooter prototypes inspired by the 50s design. There is a website entirely in English dedicated to Čezeta, where you can read more about the history of the scooter, as well as browse through the original models for sale... Wouldn't this be a great souvenir from Prague?

Below are a few pictures and videos that will take you down memory lane...careful, you will fall in love!

The new 506 model will look like this:

Photos courtesy of Čezeta

Coffee / tea collection, Good Design 2013

For all you lovers of great design and good coffee, here comes a product that should sit proudly on your kitchen worktop. Designed by Martin Žampach and Matěj Chabera, this tea / coffee maker set has recently won the prestigious Good Design 2013 award. The set is manufactured by Kavalierglass A.S. in Prague for the brand SIMAX and is available for purchase at the Kavalierglass store in Smíchov.

Good Design is the world’s oldest Design Awards program, founded in Chicago in the 1950s, and is organized annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies.

Photo: Petr Karšulín, foodstyling: Iva Jakešová