LEE BROOM LAUNCHES NEW COLLECTION – NOUVEAU REBEL DURING LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2014Critically acclaimed British designer Lee Broom will launch his new collection Nouveau Rebel at Electra House, his flagship store and interconnecting design studio, during London Design Festival.
Nouveau Rebel is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the cultural associations of marble, the collection’s core material. The collection is comprised of five products in lighting, glassware and accessories.
“I named the collection Nouveau Rebel as it is a material favoured by the traditional art world and also the nouveau riche. I like the tipping point between these two worlds, and I wanted to create contemporary products that use the material in new ways whilst referencing 80’s styling and traditional production methods” says Broom.
Lee Broom’s collections juxtapose design cues and materials: the old and the new, the tough and the delicate, the heavy and the light weight. Nouveau Rebel is no exception as Broom fuses together traditional materials including Italian Carrara marble and hand-blown lead crystal to create contemporary and original pieces.
In a similar fashion, the production process combines modern techniques such as water-jet cutting, acid etching and CNC-controlled milling machines, as well as the traditional lathe and hand-crafting by skilled stone masons and crystal artisans. The marble becomes core to the function of the product rather than just being a decorative finish.
In signature Lee Broom style, Nouveau Rebel will be presented in an innovative installation inviting the visitor to take an immersive journey through the space to discover the collection displayed on graphic plinths hidden from immediate view and set within a dramatic curtained maze.
The collection follows the hugely successful On the Rock – a set of wine and champagne glasses that combine lead crystal and Carrara marble – that was the hero piece of Broom’s Milan 2014 show.