Julia Black: It's pronounced Hi-Me

One of the designers at the IDS that totally blew me away was Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon. He's a fave of Arren's (who got a chance to meet him) but it was Hayon's collection of playful and imaginative lighting for Metalarte that totally struck a chord with me. His design sensibility, stemming from his early experiences in the skateboard and graffiti culture, is remarkably bold, whimsical and thrilling. Hayon's creative passion drove his studies in industrial art both in Madrid and in Paris, which led to a quick climb to the head of the Design Department of Fabrica. He first broke out with a collection of designer toys, ceramics and furniture, and then expanded into interior design and installation, a collection for Lladro, and even designed this collection of sneakers for Camper. Hayon's ability to blur the lines between art, decoration and design, makes him - for me at least - a master of contemporary design.

Below you'll see Jaime Hayon himself (Jaime is pronounced Hi-Me, btw) riding a giant chicken rocking horse. Next, a couple of snaps of Hayon's work with Metalarte, and finally, that sexy black number is from a collaboration with Swarovski. Metalarte is available through Lightform in Canada. [Images: Courtesy Hayon Studio. Portrait Nienke Klunder]