January 2020 sees the HFDA participate in MAISON&OBJET for the first time, showcasing eleven Hungarian designers as part of the ‘Budapest Select’ exhibition.

Following the success of their debut at the London Design Festival in September 2019, the first ‘Budapest Select’ exhibition at MAISON&OBJET, organised by the HFDA, will showcase designers who have a healthy mindset of sustainability and responsible design, with installation concepts based on environmental awareness and practicality.

The brands featured at the exhibition cover a wide range of design disciplines, from lamp makers to architectural studios. The harmony of the objects presented will convey the atmosphere of the vibrant and contemporary Hungarian design community.

Hungary has a strong history of bringing incredible design to the world, from the emergence of the Bauhaus movement to critically acclaimed creatives such as Sándor Bortnyik and Marcell Breuer.

Already being recognised worldwide as a top 10 leader in production and a top 5 rising leader in craft*, Hungary is a global authority in creativity, and the HFDA is now bringing a new generation of talent to the world stage.

“The design industry division of the HFDA was established to celebrate and support the current concentration of creative powers in Hungary,” says Zsofia Bata-Jakab, CEO of the HFDA.

“Our aim is to showcase this creative power as quickly and effectively as possible. Our participation at events such as MAISON&OBJET gives the opportunity for everyone to experience the inventiveness of Hungarian design and share our pride in our creative designers.”

The HFDA strives to help the Hungarian design industry thrive by connecting creative makers with both Hungarian and international professional organisations and educational institutes. By working closely with designers, enabling them to collaborate with manufacturers and by organising branding and marketing workshops, the HFDA gives up-and-coming talents the opportunity to make a living from their craft.

Some of the eleven Hungarian designers taking part include:

Ábel Lakatos – DANUBO

Founded by ceramic artist and designer Ábel Lakatos, Danubo aims to revive traditional ceramic craftsmanship with crisp but quiet pieces. To produce his work, all moulds are manually crafted by the designer, resulting in modern shapes that feel organic to the touch. Danubo is committed to socially sensitive, sustainable ceramic design, so each set is carefully handmade in Hungary to order.

Barnabás Szakács – Viaplant

Viaplant is an independent brand that attributes high importance to appreciating nature’s beauty and diversity by introducing more elements of life into our homes. Having created a material which contains the renewable parts of the plant, the application is wide and varied from fashion design and tiles to lights and furniture.

A second key aspect of Viaplant’s design approach is the renewal of urban green waste: the brand finds beauty in plants usually considered weeds or invasive, which communities often try to get rid of, e.g. ragweed and goldenrod.

Barnabás comments, “Using real plants creates texture and appearance rich in colour and decorative details. Moreover, it emits a wholly unique, never-seen-before atmosphere once light shines through. For us, it is of the utmost importance to bring more nature into our homes and also upcycle useless plants, weeds and green waste.”

Anna Regős – Regős

The ethos of Anna Regős’ textile designs is not to keep up with the latest trends, but to express her sense of life and style, with the need to create long-lasting materials. This is what she believes is one of the fundamental pillars of environmental awareness. This belief is supported by Regős’ commitment to using only natural materials and working exclusively with Hungarian manufacturers.

When designing the Geometric Pattern collection (above), Regős combined traditional patterns with space issues and took inspiration from op-art and the works of world-famous Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely.

‘Budapest Select’ will take place at Stand K123 in Hall 6 at MAISON&OBJET.

*both statistics were taken from the FutureBrand 2019 Country Index, www.futurebrand.com.

The full list of Hungarian designers is as follows:

  • Ábel Lakatos – DANUBO
  • Kovács Móni – KOMONKA
  • Daniel Lakos – PLANBUREAU
  • András Kerékgyártó – PLYDESIGN
  • Barnabás Szakács – VIAPLANT
  • Attila Kertész & Bence Simonfalvi – POSITION COLLECTIVE
  • Mátyás Hídvégi – BEWEQ
  • Lehel Juhos – SOCOWOO
  • János Andrási – LUMOCONCEPT
  • Ramón Nieto – NIETO LIGHT
  • Anna Regős – REGŐS

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