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"Chic ! meets" : Juan Amador - "A potted history" of the Coconut chair - "Rising trends" : Concrete jewellery - "What to do with" oranges ? - "Insights" : Joris Laarman

"Chic ! meets" : Juan Amador
This week's creative talent is chef Juan Amador. His penchant for experimenting and his molecular adventures have earned him increasing recognition, but despite this success, he continues to seek out new flavours to stand out from commonplace cuisine. A philosophy he puts into daily practice at his restaurant in Langen, a few kilometres outside Frankfurt.

"A potted history" of the Coconut chair
It's the story of an American designer, Georges Nelson who loved to create furniture that was aesthetic, practical and philosophical. All his creations had to embody the idea of progress and modernity. He worked with the greatest names of his era, Charles and Ray Eames, who invented the molded shell, and Isamu Noguchi, who designed the famous Akari lamps. In the 1950s, he had fun inventing two completely offbeat armchairs - the Marshmallow Bench and the Coconut Chair. The idea behind the chair was to reproduce the form of a shell. Georges Nelson took his inspiration from shapes in nature to design a totally curved chair. Moulded in plastic and glass fibre, supported by three small chrome legs, the Coconut Chair met with huge success particularly among wealthy American industrialists. 82 cm high, 104 cm wide, and 84 cm deep, the Coconut Chair embodies simplicity, comfort and mobility. The Coconut Chair today resides in the most prestigious museums. It has become a veritable 20th century design icon.

"Rising trends" : Concrete jewellery
Jewellery designers, like Patrice Fabre and Marie-Françoise Rouy are taking their inspiration from increasingly surprising sources, particularly from concrete.

"What to do with" oranges ?
We asked top pasty chef Pierre Hermé what to do with an orange, a fruit that is omnipresent in Spain. Especially for Chic, the Parisian pastry chef concocted an exceptional dessert.

"Insights" : Joris Laarman
You've probably already heard of the young trio of Dutch designers, the Demekersvans. Today we meet their neighbour in the workshop next to them in Rotterdam - Joris Laarman, another design prodigy. Like the Demerkersvans, he was noticed at the Endhoven design school by the great priestess of trends, Li Edelkoort. The young man's talent carried him along... and he earned immediate recognition. Blending poetry and experimentation, Joris Laarman's objects and pieces of furniture have already become design classics and are now on display at major international biennials.

Mohei Honda is one of Japan's most innovative tea masters. He experiments, purifies and reinvents the ancient art of tea, which he presents as a perfect antidote to the frenzy of today's world.

Through the personal quest of this young, determined and visionary tea master, a whole generation takes shape, trying to build another Japanese society that could reconcile ancestral values and the modern world, where man and nature would have their full place. Mohei does not intend to stop at the Shizuoka region, at the foot of Mount Fuji, he also travels the country in a "tea truck" with, as his ultimate destination, the conquest of the Tokyoites...

Swanetia is considered the "Crown of the Caucasus" and is one of the most fascinating, but also most remote regions of Georgia. 

In order to involve all inhabitants in the development of the country, the Ministry of Education decided to send teachers to the country's remote villages to teach the children there. This film tells the story of whether and how the dedica-ted English teacher Lana Dvalishvili in the village of Kala, 2000 metres above sea level, suc-ceeds in inspiring her 17 pupils to learn the new foreign language, what role her youngest pupil, Giorgi, plays in the process, and what the shaking of modernity means for them all.

Swanetia is considered the "Crown of the Caucasus" and is one of the most fascinating, but also most remote regions of Georgia. 

In order to involve all inhabitants in the development of the country, the Ministry of Education decided to send teachers to the country's remote villages to teach the children there. This film tells the story of whether and how the dedica-ted English teacher Lana Dvalishvili in the village of Kala, 2000 metres above sea level, suc-ceeds in inspiring her 17 pupils to learn the new foreign language, what role her youngest pupil, Giorgi, plays in the process, and what the shaking of modernity means for them all.

"Chic ! meets" : Marcel Wanders - "A potted history" of the Alto vase -"Rising trends" : The Vespa craze - "What to do with" haddock ? - "Insights" : Timorous Beasties

"Chic ! meets" : Marcel Wanders
This week, we meet Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders. Brimming over with ideas and with an insatiable appetite for action, he is, at the age of 44, a star of world design. Launched by what have become cult objects, like his famous knotted chair - a reinforced macramé chair, which appears to be floating in thin air - he has notched up experiences and managed to be everywhere at the same time, especially where you're not expecting to find him. His secret is to both surprise and reassure, with objects that blend innovation and nostalgia, practicality and poetry, without forgetting humour.

"A potted history" of the Alto vase
The Alto vase was born in 1937, when the famous Finnish architect Alvar Alto was taking part incognito in the competition run by the Littala glassmakers. The objective was to present objects in Paris for the Universal Exhibition of 1937. Alvar Alto won the competition thanks to one of his creations - the appropriately named Alto vase. This modern vase, made in the old-fashioned way, was an immediate and tremendous success and orders started pouring in from everywhere.

"Rising trends" : The Vespa craze
It's one of the symbols of the Italian dolce vita. Born just after the second world war, the Vespa is once again on the rise, and today it has an increasing amount of fans. Of course, like all two-wheelers, it's highly practical for weaving in and out of heavy traffic. But it has above all become a cult designer object, a vehicle that is today worshipped by lovers of all things retro, and is a common feature of all European street corners.

"What to do with" haddock ?
Chef Christopher Moret at Alain Ducasse's three-starred restaurant at the Plaza Athénée prepares a ceviche of haddock.

"Insights" : Timorous Beasties
Created in 1990, the Timorous Beasties studio specialises in wallpaper. Viewed from afar, their Glasgow wallpaper looks like magnificent classical paintings straight out of the 19th century. But on closer examination, one discovers a more sombre world, in which junkies, prostitutes and homeless people feature. Wallpaper with a subversive touch, once referred to as "a 19th century poem on acid"!

"Rising trends": chef Gérald Passedat's Mediterranean cooking - "A potted history" of Chanel N°5 - "Rising trends" : Recycling in Brazil - "What to do with" chocolate ? - "Insights" : A very chic prison

"Rising trends": chef Gérald Passedat's Mediterranean cooking
A stopover at the "Petit Nice", which contrary to what you might think from its name, is located in Marseille. It's the restaurant of chef Gérald Passedat, custodian of traditional Mediterranean cooking and an opportunity to sample forgotten fish such as forkbeard or sea anemones. At the "Petit Nice", everything is line-fished that very day!

"A potted history" of Chanel N°5
The only thing Marilyn Monroe wore to sleep in... was Chanel N°5. This mythical perfume is a veritable concentration of sensuality. One drop is enough to dress the most naked of women.

"Rising trends" : Recycling in Brazil
In Brazil, sustainable development inspires artists. Jewellery designers, painters or fashion designers, they stimulate their creativity by feeding it with totally recyclable materials. For them, all materials are noble, especially if they protect the planet. An ecological and militant approach, as well as a philosophical one. They make waste valuable, in a country badly affected by deforestation, and where economic inequalities are among the most extreme in the world.

"What to do with" chocolate ?
We asked Pierre Hermé what to do with a product that has become synonymous with today's destination. For Belgium, we've chosen to concentrate on chocolate. The top French pastry chef creates a recipe especially for Chic.

"Insights" : A very chic prison
In Oxford, the Malmaison Hotel located in the heart of the university town is set within the confines of an old prison that is listed as a historical building. Between its keep and its brick walls, the architect and interior designer have preserved its old look and the history of the existing buildings.

"Rising trends" : Senderens, the starred-chef's revolution - "A potted history" of Doc Martens - "Rising trends" : The Dutch design boom - "What to do with" Griotte cherries ? - "A week with"... The world of Serge Lutens

"Rising trends" : Senderens, the starred-chef's revolution
He is unique, rare and cheeky. At the age of 66, Parisian chef Alain Senderens has given back his three Michelin stars and changed his restaurant from the "Lucas Carton" to the "Senderens". His concept is to maintain gastronomic standards, but to make the food more accessible, with a less stuffy waiter service, and a more palatable bill!

"A potted history" of Doc Martens
The story of Doc Martens doesn't begin in Britain but in Germany.
In the winter of 1946, in the village of Seeshaupt in Bavaria, Doctor Klaus Martens injured himself while skiing. He created an orthopaedic sole equipped with air cushions and patented his invention. It met with incredible success, albeit local, and his clients were elderly. His second life started in 1959 when an English company bought the patent, modified the name to make it more English-sounding, and produced its first model. This first model was worn by firemen, dockers and pump attendants and was quickly adopted by working-class youth. Their strong leather and indestructible sole made them the ideal shoes for walking the streets. They soon became an integral part of Skinhead and Punk fashion, and still enjoy a cult following today. "Docs" as they have come to be known, transcend eras and appeal to the new alternative trends. Over 50 million pairs have been sold throughout the world since they were launched. And they are not just for the most subversive among us - in 2007, Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto revisited the mythical model, and created a limited edition.

"Rising trends" : The Dutch design boom
Droog! In Dutch, the word that sounds more like a sneeze means "dry". It's also the name of a group of iconoclastic designers who have been shaking up the world of furniture since 1993. Their style now has its own following, giving rise to a highly talented generation of designers whose astonishing and moving creations manage to reconcile the demands of art with those of industry. Why does design flourish in Holland like nowhere else?

"What to do with" Griotte cherries ?
European populations have been eating cherries since the 4th millennium B.C. There are two kinds - sweet ones and acidic ones, including the griotte with its light and sour flesh. Chef Pierre Gagnaire has concocted a recipe of cheese and griottes.

"A week with"... The world of Serge Lutens
Serge Lutens is a visionary aesthetic who is perpetually reinventing himself. Having spent more than thiry years perfecting the world of make-up for Dior and Shiseido, he then turned his hand to the world of fragrance. In 1992 he opened the Salons du Palais Royale, a secret and sophisticated place dedicated to his intoxicating fragrances.

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PARIS I LOVE YOU COLLECTION
EUROPEAN WAY OF LIFE COLLECTION
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