Karim Rashid’s Nafir lighting design for Axo light at nhow Milan
nhow Milan, a design hotel from the NH Hoteles chain, was presented at the recent Milan Design Week with an exclusively restyled bar area by designer Karim Rashid, who based the lighting project around Nafir, the suspension lamp designed by himself for Axo Light. With this restyling project, the American designer of Egyptian roots has brought his lines and colours to Milan as well, creating a common thread with nhow Berlin, the facility which was inaugurated in 2010 for which he designed all the interiors.
“After spending many nights staying at nhow Milan, I thought it would be interesting to subtly change the bar where I have had countless meetings, cappuccinos, interviews and glasses of wine,” says Karim Rashid. “I wanted to create a sense of positive energy by furnishing the bar in my new designs from Spain, Portugal and Italy. I added new works that bring a sense of connectivity, like a conduit for meeting, deal making, engaging and flirting, with colours, forms and materials that speaks about the digital age, making the bar a microcosm, a human global intersection.”
The project involves four different design companies for whom Karim Rashid designed several objects whichnow decorate the new bar at nhow.
“nhow Milan has a consistent theme of orange throughout their hotel branding,” explains Rashid. “I chose to highlight this theme throughout the bar by keeping a minimal colour scheme of white, orange, chrome, gold with an accent of lime. I’ve included the Axo Light ‘Nafir’ lamps in white/gold, Casamania ‘Kant’ stools in orange and the Redi ‘Kat’ chairs in lime. The ‘Tak’ tables by Redi have been customized with unique graphics printed with HP’s digital technology. To continue the graphics and colour scheme throughout the space, HP has created custom films I designed to apply to the bar mirrors.”
Nafir, the collection of lamps which Karim Rashid designed for Axo Light in 2012, stems from the idea thatlight, like music, is pure emotion. Its name is also a tribute to music: indeed, the term Nafir is used to indicate a small North African trumpet, without pistons, used to obtain especially acute sounds.
Watch Karim Rashid’s interview regarding his Nafir Lighting concept:
