Clowning Around

"It's like a book you can't put down, except that you're not holding the book and it's reading itself!" Acclaimed designer Jasper Morrison was not referring to any tome but Spanish wunderkind Jamie Hayon in the designer's first monograph.

In Europe, Hayon is the darling of the creative world. Be it interior or furniture design, Hayon attacks them all with the same self-expressionist vigour in a riot of colours, quirky shapes and whimsical appearances, mirroring his distinct blue spectacles and bright red shoes outfit.

Nowhere is this more visible than in Lladro's Fantasy collection. The newly appointed creative director of the Spanish porcelain company injects his madcap antics into the finely crafted sculptured figurines. The effect is surreal, resembling something that popped straight out from Hayon's imaginative world.

Within the series, vases front clown-like faces while figurines take on make-believe characters in an interplay of pastel hues and bold primary colours. Still, it respects the true heritage of the brand, albeit with a playful twist. Now what would the craftsmen at Lladro's ateliers in Valencia make out of it?.