如果我說：「這張色彩繽紛的地毯圖案是來自天堂鳥的羽毛和葉形海馬 ，厚沉沙發皮革是短腿犀牛皮。」你們會相信嗎？
If I say, “The patterns on this colorful carpet come from the feathers of birds of paradise as well as from leafy seadragons, and that the leather of this simple, unadorned sofa comes from the skin of dwarf rhinos,” will you believe me?
這些都是絕跡世間的絕種動物，怎可以製作家具？可以的，只需要想像力或冒險心！來自荷蘭家具品牌Moooi，2018年年頭在米蘭家具展預展稀世奇珍的動物博物館系列「Musuem of Extinct Animals」。設計師們找遍全球博物館館藏中的科學動物繪圖，全是早年歐美航海家、動植物學者遊歷全世界後，筆下紀錄的熱帶奇珍異獸，透過家具業的新設計技術和美學實驗，全部變成了新布材，應用於室內設計家品上，那些仿製奇獸皮毛的布料質感豐富，有些柔軟，有些硬朗或充滿視覺感個性的幾何圖形。「我們嘗試以有機結構、視乎柔軟或硬度、環境和幾何形狀重塑大自然的奧妙，這些新布料用料選材高級棉絨和提花，還有經過處理的皮革和蓬毛，具備珍獸的外形、質料和觸感。」系列應用於家具製作外，還有地氈和掛牆系列，且剛於倫敦設計週推出，由Arte製作的掛牆圖案，每幅內藏多眼飛魚、鬍子花豹、戰皮豬、杜杜鳥與各種熱帶植物，詭異豐富，百看不厭。
Given they are all extinct animals that have disappeared from the world, how can they be used for making furniture? It is possible as long as you are imaginative and adventurous! In early 2018, Moooi, a Dutch furniture brand, unveiled Museum of Extinct Animals at Milan Furniture Fair. Their designers made a sweeping search among the archive drawings of animals in museums all around the world. They are all rare tropic birds and animals recorded in pen by European and American voyagers, zoologist and botanists following their world travels. Through new design techniques and aesthetic experiments from the furniture sector, they have all been transformed into new fabrics to be applied to interior design home products. The fabrics modeled on the skin of rare animals feature a rich variety of textures, some being soft while others are hard or in geometric shapes rich in visual originality. “We tried to use organic structures to reconstruct the wonders of the Great Nature based on softness, hardness, environment and geometric shapes. These new fabrics have been made using cotton velvet and jacquards, as well as processed leather and fur, which have the shape, texture and touch resembling those of rare creatures.” Apart from furniture series, there are also those featuring carpets and wallpapers, which have just been presented at London Design Week. Created in collaboration with Arte, each wallpaper features hidden flying coral fish, bearded leopards, armoured boars, the Dodo and various kinds of tropic plants, being bizarre yet rich, and at all times a great pleasure to admire.
取材自博物館的靈感也延續至燈具設計，包括Bernard Dessecker設計的Iconic Eyes，車頭燈組合造型源自德國Bavarian National Musuem的掛燈，新設計則換上經典的橢圓形狀和LED燈；品牌設計總監Marcel Wanders亦親自操刀桌燈Pet Lights，白瓷身加黃金色的企鵝、兔子和貓頭鷹造型，精緻中見親和力。「家」可以是奇幻、充滿想像力，不一定要處處功能至上。
The inspiration drawn from museums has also been extended to lamps, including Iconic Eyes designed by Bernard Dessecker. Its automotive headlights appearance is taken from the pendant light made for Bavarian National Museum in Germany. The new design features an oval shape and LED lights. Brand design director Marcel Wanders himself also designed a series of table lamps called Pet Lights, whose white ceramic body is shaped into a penguin, a rabbit and an owl in golden colors, being both elegant and endearing. “Home” can be fantastical and bursting with imagination, without having to prioritize functionality in every possible way.
