High Gloss: lacquered surfaces bring a new deep shine

(Web article written for Clippings)

High shine is fast becoming the order of the day in furniture design: Dipped in vivid colours, lacquered surfaces make for richly sophisticated pieces.

Coloured surfaces are heading in the opposite direction from the metallics, with high shine fast becoming the order of the day. Dipped in vivid colours, these lacquered surfaces feel richly sophisticated due to the optic depth of their finish – achieved through the gradual layering of thin coatings to build up a sleek shine. Traditionally a look associated with traditions from the Far East, these saturated pieces feel distinctively modern.

Simple shapes take on an alluring opulence with the application of rich reflective coatings.

Swedish design practice Claesson Koivisto Rune has created the Roundel dining table, produced by Milan brand Baleri Italia. It has a thick layer of glass that reflects the light of the room, as does the glossy finish of the rounded base.

Image: Baleri

Design duo Barber & Osbergy developed the free-standing Bellhop table light for Italian brand Flos. Its mushroom-shaped, shiny red shell is made from a light polycarbonate.

Image: Flos

The L447 table lamp, designed by the late Kossi Aguessy, is an elegant exercise in balancing proportions. The two voluminous, lacquered brass disks are connected only by the slim stem, with a hinge enabling the acrylic diffuser to tilt. Hand-produced in the atelier of Maison Charles Paris, the black piece also adds shine to a room by reflecting surrounding light sources.

Image: Maison Charles

Claesson Koivisto Rune developed the slick Optunia lighting range for Italian brand FontanaArte. The rotating disks and the stem are made from metal glazed with a shiny black lacquer.

Image: Claesson

Danish brand Please Wait To Be Seated has created a pendant light with a honeycomb-structured diffuser. Inspired by lighting equipment used in photography, the shade has been dipped into a warm yellow lacquer.

Image: Please Wait To Be Seated

The rectangular Bold console table by Chinese designer Frank Chou comes with a top in lacquered MDF and legs made from fibreglass.

Image: Frank Zhou

South Korean designer Jeonghwa Seo achieves a deep glossy effect on this table by choosing a translucent resin for the table top, which sits on a brass foot. The piece is part of a limited series for Lebanese Carwan Gallery.

Image: Carwan Gallery

German brand Schönbuch has taken a side table by London design studio Bodo Sperlein into production. The Ant table stands on solid wood legs and the MDF tabletop is filled with a clear glass surface creating a high-gloss effect.

Image: Max van Eicke for Schönbuch

The winking Jolly mirror is a design by Jaime Hayon, which is produced in a limited edition of 8 pieces for Galerie Kreo. Its frame is made from wood and finished with a glossy dark red lacquer.

Image: Sylvie Chan-Liat / Courtesy of Galerie kreo

Furniture brand MDF Italia has launched a lacquered red version of its Tense dining table that’s made from a coloured cement resin inspired by Chinese lacquer. The table is made up of rough layers of hand-spread cement resin and treated with a polyester finish on top, resulting in a deep high-gloss sheen.

Image: Lorenzo Cappellini Baio for MDF Italia