There’s something uniquely exceptional about the musicals of MGM, an era of film which provided the world with music, colour and escapism from the realities of a post-war world.  The world was looking forward and the future looked brighter and these films carried us (some of us, that is) with them.  Gene Kelly summed it up perfectly:
MGM's dream factory created a rich, romantic, compelling world of illusion. And although we may not ever see anything like it again, we are blessed with memories...And miles and miles of film.
An obscure premise for this post, but a premise nonetheless.   Stay with us. Jaime Hayon pops up on our blog far more regularly than any other character.  The reasons relatively obvious, his:
  • broad body of work.
  • enviable design aesthetic.
  • ability to work with various reputable international companies.
  • quality of work.
  • childish charm.
...and many more. The reason Hayon hits your screens today is all the above, and the ceramics he designed to fall into his 'Showtime' series for Spanish giant bd Barcelona.  The pieces were born from the concept of MGM musicals and you can see their adaptation in the pieces.  Their wide-armed shape resonate of dancers on stage and their colour availability mimics the flamboyant costumes of the silver screen stars past. Hayon has made these playful vases from ceramics, and available in five different shapes and sizes, all of which cement his concept when looking at the classic MGM actors and their vivid characters.  The addition of flowers to the vases only encourage references to the classic films. The entire Showtime series is modelled on the MGM dream factory era of film, and these ostentatious pieces utilise materiality with shape and form to give a glitz to furniture pieces geared towards the residential market.  The Showtime collection includes:  dining table, occasional table, sofa, outdoor sofa, indoor sofa, outdoor armchair, indoor armchair, hooded armchair, credenza, cupboard, chair and mirror. In the many tweaks and moves of the furniture here at the KE-ZU showroom, there always seems to be a place for one of these guys to sit. We’ve got a few of these joyous pieces, and at present you’ll find them: On the PURE dining table by Andreu World (where the KE-ZU staff get together daily for lunch and laughs). On EMU’s HEAVEN occasional table. ... and on Eden’s TABLECLOTH table/light. Hayon recently turned his hand to soft furnishings for the North Carolina based company Bernhardt Design, exclusively stocked in Australia with KE-ZU, you can see the launch party here.   The result is the Bardot (above), named after the starlet Brigitte herself.  You can read more information from the Bardot featured blog post here. Stay tuned to the KE-ZU blog to see the next installment from Hayon.