London indie outlet Darkroom currently looks like an explosion at a liquorice allsorts factory as it plays host to the So Sottsass Season, a rather splendidly shouty collection of candy-coloured geometry-driven products based on the work of Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass. The Bloomsbury boutique has launched the collection this month to mark London Design Week, as if an excuse was needed.
A Darkroom hero, Sottsass was never shy with his colours, and the clutch of designers who have contributed to this project revelled in this stylistic philosophy. Among the many notables working their magic is Milan outfit StudioPepe who dressed the window with some eye-catching examples, including the angular vases which update an ancient Roman amphora from Spotti Edizione. Also featuring prominently are the great Totem Lights from Jamie Julien-Brown with their stacks of salvaged glass and ceramic lampshades; each one is unique. Elke Kramer‘s quirky jewellery line, co-incidentally inspired by Sottsass, found a spiritual home amid the visual cacophony, and Stone Theatre masonry, mosaic king Trend, Zuzunaga textiles and Darkroom’s own designs – plates and soft furnishings – round out a vibrant collection.
