From interiors and lighting to architecture and landscaping, here’s Icon’s fantasy list for home renovation
INTERIORS
From residential to retail, these select designers are experts in colour and detail
Meacham Nockles McQualter The go-to for Bill Granger’s restaurants, their style is casual but materials are fine-tuned and high quality.
Luis Laplace Argentinian-born Laplace takes inspiration from South American modernism. He’s a master at making artwork feel at home.
Andrew Trotter The founder of Openhouse magazine offers up a minimalistic, but not untouched or impersonal, style (pictured above).
John Tong (+tongtong) Eclectic but not novelty, Tong’s recent projects include the youthful Drake Devonshire hotel outside Toronto.
India Mahdavi Celebrated interior designer of London’s Sketch, it’s her more relaxed work for clients such as Le Cloître hotel in Arles that compels us.
LANDSCAPE

These practitioners combine architecture and nature to redefine outdoor space
Patrick Blanc If space is limited, go vertical. Blanc does this for clients the world over, winning him renown and excusing him his all-green sartorial repertoire.
Andrea Cochran Landing somewhere between formal, geometric spaces and windswept, rural ones, hers is an aesthetic of balance (above).
Kathryn Gustafson Her contemplative aesthetic has been applied to everything from memorials to corporate headquarters.
Piet Oudolf A landscape “it boy”, at 70 years old he still manages fresh concepts – whether for the Highline or Zumthor’s Serpentine pavilion.
Topotek 1 Famous for Superkilen park in Copenhagen (along with BIG and Superflex), they excel at bold, confident and geometric design.
LIGHTING

The brands and individuals leading the way in one of design’s most profitable fields
Flos Pushing the boundaries of lighting since 1962, Flos creates desperately desirable classics, from the 1967’s Snoopy lamp to this year’s Copycat by Michael Anastassiades.
Alvaro Catalán de Ocón Bridging regional textiles design and industrial design, his lighting projects are gentle but playful.
Davide Groppi A thoughtful Italian designer, Groppi’s work (above) has been full of sensuality and good taste since starting out in the 1980s.
Allied Maker The Long Island-based lighting designer and manufacturer produces simple and strong design mostly in brass and hardwoods.
Wästberg With a slew of top-notch designers, Wästberg’s mission is to “restore light to mankind”. And it does so with style.
FURNITURE

In both design and manufacture, these companies are doing things differently
TON The Czech remnant of the old Thonet empire, TON (above) has recently started investing in young designers – the awards keep pouring in.
DesignByThem Bringing together the best of Australia, the eclectic collections range from understated to bold and brash.
Lensvelt From classic modernist chairs by WH Gispen to the latest cabinets by Studio Job, Lensvelt offers a who’s who of Dutch design.
Bend A relative newcomer founded in 2010, Bend specialises in intricate steel-wire tables, seats and ornaments, available in all colours of the rainbow.
New Standard Launched in 2009, the brand enables the venerable Japanese manufacturer Karimoku to collaborate with the hottest international talent.
ARCHITECTURE

Visionary practices that are reinventing the form and function of the modern home
Office KGDVS The work of the Belgian practice (and curators of the next Biennale Interieur) is known for its geometric and exacting precision.
Muji If any country has mastered compact living, it’s Japan. Muji’s prefab homes (above) simplify this idea even further.
Tatiana Bilbao One of Mexico’s leading architects, Bilbao uses locally found materials to create context-specific and culturally sensitive work.
Sarah Wigglesworth The award-winning British architect has designed everything from live-work homes to sustainable co-housing units.
Isandra Andra Matin A major force on the Indonesian scene, Matin Ahmad designs houses that play with contrasts between exterior and interior spaces.
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