About three years ago, when the first global stirrings of “design­art” started to rumble, Wallpaper* was in the front row, applauding and devouring the juicy phenomena whole.

The bold spirit, creativity and sheer impracticability of all those limited edition pieces were not just the perfect counterbalance to the minimal years that had preceded them, they represented a new blurring of boundaries that could be debated and discussed ad infinitum. As well as show-stopping items, the movement came with a host of new designers filled with personality and vigour. It all seemed just too good to refuse.