Richard Yasmine and the restorative power of white at Milan Design Week

Can the design of objects around us affect our physical and psychological wellbeing? A glance at the new collection by the Lebanese designer, Richard Yasmine - The Cure - on display during Milan Design Week 2019 suggests that the answer is yes.


The 58th edition of Milan Design Week - the highly anticipated event for the world of design, where all the latest trends in interior decor, household accessories and flooring are showcased - is just around the corner (link Agnese).
One of the hotly anticipated guests at MDW2019 is the Lebanese designer, Richard Yasmine, whose HAWA Beirut (link) and Wake up Call collections were met with great success at the 2018 edition. Richard Yasmine's work is distinguished by its very close ties to the artisan tradition of Lebanon and last year it was expressly reminiscent of the vernacular architecture in his home country, with the arched shapes of his furniture and accessories.
On the other hand, his new collection “THE CURE” (HEAVENLY PIE(A)CES) stands out because it is the purest of whites. Faithful to its name, which refers to the restorative power of beauty and to these items that are a gift of peace to our souls that are always under tension, after last year's pastel shades, the dominant colour in this work is white. 
Yasmine has designed an armchair, a pendulum clock and a wall-mounted light. The collection is made of white powder-coated aluminium structure combined with various other materials such as brass, seamless neo-cement, suede, and Carrara marble. The texture of these materials is skillfully enhanced with artisan techniques that, in this case, also embrace the world of dressmaking, with handmade embroidery featuring beads, pearls and silk. 
Perhaps the best way to sum up the message that Richard Yasmine is sending is with some famous words by Oscar Wilde: “Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. (...) what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity.” Because The Cure really proposes that timeless beauty that is revealed to be deeply sustainable because it is not affected by passing fads and fashions, and is always relevant. 
Indeed, time is the key to interpreting this collection, implied with more or less subtle references: the backrest of the armchair is reminiscent of a tombstone, the pendulum clock is a reminder to seize the moment - carpe diem - but at the same time shows a glimmer of light for the future and, lastly, the wall lamp, whose rays of light forming a luminous circle pointedly suggest a halo.
Time is a concept, something we cannot physically touch but which we cannot ignore. For Richard Yasmine, the best way to be truly aware of this intangible dimension is through the design object. He sees that as an opportunity to see time as the totality of three separate elements: past, present and future, considering the past, living the present but at the same time preparing ourselves for the future and/or eternal life. A discordant and yet extremely mature response simply because, particularly in the fleeting world of design dominated by passing trends, he stops to think about these aspects. Truth be told, taking things nice and easy and being aware are effective and sustainable fixes for our souls, over-stressed by the frenetic pace of modern life. 

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Richard Yasmine - http://www.richardyasmine.com/
Year: 2019
Images: Bizarre Beirut
Milano Design Week 2019
‘The Cure’ by Richard Yasmine is part of Ventura Future, BASE Milano (2 entrances): via Bergognone 34 or via Tortona 54, open from April 9th until April 14th..