MAISON&OBJET Americas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/503691
Maison&objet aMericas has chosen brazilian designer Zanini de Zanine as its first Designer of the Year. an extraordinar y talent, Zanine represents the dynamic innovation and cultural relevance that define Maison&objet. the choice of a Designer of the Year is integral to the fair, whether in Paris or singapore, and Zanine's selection is an essential step in inaugurating the debut show in Miami beach. in choosing designers for this prestigious honor, Maison&objet looks for those with an unwavering com- mitment to forward-thinking design, as evidenced by the exceptional body of work of the award's past winners, including such design stars as Karl Lagerfeld, Philippe starck, tom Dixon, architect jean nouvel, and Philippine industrial designer Kenneth cobonpue. Zanini de Zanine, born in rio de janeiro in 1978, showed an interest in design from his earliest years: Family legend has it that he started working with wood before he could walk. the son of celebrated designer and architect josé Zanine caldas, who collaborated notably with oscar niemeyer, a key fgure in the development of modernist architecture, Zanine grew up in a highly creative environ- ment where he was exposed to leading thinkers not only in architecture, but in art, design, and sculpture as well. He trained with sergio rodrigues, a pioneering brazilian industrial designer, with whom he produced his first piece. says rodrigues of his former student, "Zanininho, as i call him, served as an apprentice but collaborated with me like a veteran designer in my studio." Designing for the f uture Zanini de Zanine, renowned for innovative furniture refecting the culture of reuse in his native Brazil, is Maison&Objet Americas' frst Designer of the Year. from far left: Zanini de Zanine, Maison&Objet Americas' first Designer of the Year; his Prisma stools (2014); Zanine's sketches for the stools. m a i s o n - o b j e t. c o m 59