MUT design launches duplex, a small range of occasional tables for sancal

The Triangle Side Table, designed by SouleWork, offers a minimalist solution to furniture design, aiming to reduce clutter in living spaces. The table's unique triangular form is specifically engineered to accommodate essential items like a book and a beverage, while deliberately limiting the capacity for extraneous objects. This design philosophy directly addresses the common issue of horizontal surfaces accumulating unnecessary clutter, promoting a more organized and serene environment. Crafted with beveled edges and functional splines, the Triangle Side Table exhibits a refined aesthetic that appeals to minimalists. Its base is designed for stability without compromising its sleek appearance. The table integrates specific features such as a dedicated space for a currently-read book, which also functions as a bookmark, and a small ledge for placing a drink. Additionally, a grooved indent is provided for holding a writing instrument, further enhancing its utility for focused activities. Beyond its primary function, the interior space of the table is conceived to be versatile. It can hold a small collection of coffee table books, a decorative plant, or even serve as a compact bed for a small pet, adding a layer of adaptability to its design. The inspiration for this distinctive furniture piece came from Matthew Soule, the founder of SouleWork, who drew from the simple yet compelling shape of wooden toy blocks, particularly the triangle, observed during playtime with his three-year-old child. Soule noted the infrequent use of triangular forms in interior design and recognized its potential for innovative applications, especially in how it could cleverly secure a book. This observation spurred the experimental and innovative design process characteristic of SouleWork, leading to the development of the Triangle Side Table. The piece not only serves a practical purpose but also stands as an artistic statement, reflecting a blend of functionality, minimalist aesthetics, and thoughtful inspiration from everyday observations. Photography for the product was handled by Design Imaging Studios, showcasing the table's features and design elements. The article itself was authored by Kelly Beall, Director of Branded Content at Design Milk, who highlights the table's design and functionality from a contemporary design perspective. The piece reflects an ongoing trend in home furnishings towards more deliberate, clutter-reducing designs that maintain aesthetic appeal. #TriangleSideTable #SouleWork #MinimalistDesign #HomeFurnishings #InteriorDesign #FurnitureDesign #ClutterReduction #InnovativeDesign #MatthewSoule

At Milan Design Week 2025, Belgian design house NOËL & MARQUET, in collaboration with Milanese design collective studioutte, unveiled Galerie Rouge. This independent showcase presented an evocative, monochromatic installation that reimagined decorative mouldings as sculptural elements. The exhibition, bathed in a bespoke burgundy hue developed with Sigma Coatings, offered visitors an immersive experience highlighting the expressive potential of wall décor. It blended classical inspiration with contemporary aesthetics, focusing on symmetry, texture, and mood to redefine the role of walls in interior design. The core of the Galerie Rouge experience featured a curated selection of NOËL & MARQUET’s three-dimensional wall panels. These panels were presented not as mere embellishments but as distinct design statements, functioning as sculptural and intentional elements. A notable piece was DORIQUE, which draws inspiration from ancient Greek Doric columns, translating this historical symbol into a contemporary context with its vertical rhythm and structured lines to imbue modern interiors with timeless elegance. Expanding on this concept, DORIQUE FLEX, set to launch in May 2025, introduces fluidity by adapting to curved surfaces such as pillars, counters, and rounded walls, thus providing designers with enhanced freedom in spatial arrangement and movement. Further demonstrating the brand's vision, the CANELÉ S and L panels incorporate gentle, wave-like textures that introduce softness to geometric forms. These panels evoke the serene minimalism found in Scandinavian and mid-century design, subtly altering a room's atmosphere by adding depth and calm without being overwhelming. In contrast, the ARC S and ARC L panels offer a bolder and more playful aesthetic with their sweeping curves and smooth surfaces, reflecting the retro-futurism of the 1970s, an era characterized by optimism, rounded shapes, and tactile qualities in interiors. These panels can be used individually or in combination to inject personality into various settings. Collectively, these wall panels articulate NOËL & MARQUET’s belief that surfaces are not merely to be covered but should be celebrated, shaped, and experienced as integral parts of design. Beyond the wall panels, NOËL & MARQUET exhibited a selection of decorative profiles, emphasizing their role as subtle yet impactful design elements that enhance architecture through meticulous detail, establishing visual rhythm and continuity within an interior. Among these were the IL8 and IL12 lighting profiles, which discreetly integrate LED lighting to cast a warm, ambient glow, transforming ceilings and walls into sources of atmosphere and depth, treating lighting as architectural poetry rather than a mere function. The Z52 cornice made a stronger statement with its sharp, geometric lines, forming a clean, linear connection between wall and ceiling, creating dynamic shadows that add texture and definition to a room without dominance. For designers seeking both structure and subtlety, the Z13 and Z1360 chair rails offer versatility, serving to divide color fields, frame specific areas, or introduce layered visual interest, acting as tools for precision and personalized expression. The collection is completed by the FL2 skirting, which provides a refined connection between the floor and wall, grounding the space with elegance. Studioutte, founded by Guglielmo Giagnotti and Patrizio Gola, applied its signature "warm minimalism" approach to the project, conceptualizing NOËL & MARQUET’s components as artifacts. The exhibit functioned as a modern temple of decorative arts, where light, texture, and silence converged into a sensory experience. Galerie Rouge underscored that walls are not merely backdrops but canvases for emotional and architectural narratives, with NOËL & MARQUET reaffirming its commitment to "Create Unique Living Spaces," where intricate details become foundational design elements and traditional forms are reinterpreted with contemporary expression. #MilanDesignWeek #ArchitecturalInstallation #WallPanels #InteriorDesign #DecorativeMouldings #Studioutte #NOELMARQUET #MonochromaticDesign #ProductLaunch

MUT Design Studio has unveiled a new collection of acoustic panels for Sancal, drawing inspiration from the anatomical forms of beetles. This innovative "Beetle" collection aims to transcend the traditional functional role of acoustic panels by integrating aesthetic appeal, transforming them into sculptural elements for interior spaces. The design concept originated from the studio's visit to an entomology exhibit at a natural science museum, where the intricate structures of beetles sparked the idea for a new approach to sound-absorbing surfaces. The collection moves beyond the conventional rectangular shapes typically associated with acoustic panels, offering a more dynamic and visually engaging solution for noise reduction in public and private environments. By abstracting the beetle's form, MUT Design has created panels that evoke natural beauty while effectively mitigating sound. The design process focused on translating the organic curves and segmented bodies of beetles into a series of upholstered panels, making them less literal and more artistic in their interpretation. This abstraction helps to diminish any potential "ick factor" that might be associated with insects, instead presenting them as sophisticated design motifs. Comprising six distinct upholstered panels, the Beetle collection allows for a total of twelve different design configurations. This modularity enables users to mix and match the panels in various arrangements, fostering creativity and customization in design schemes. The versatility of these panels means they can be adapted to a wide range of interior aesthetics, from minimalist to more eclectic styles, while providing the practical benefit of improved acoustics. The integration of sound absorption with a unique visual language addresses the growing demand for interior elements that are both functional and aesthetically refined. The "Beetle" acoustic panels were officially introduced at iSalone during Milan Design Week, an event renowned for showcasing cutting-edge innovations and trends in furniture and design. Their presentation at such a prominent international platform highlights the collection's significance in contemporary interior design. The reception at iSalone underscored the industry's interest in solutions that combine advanced acoustic performance with distinctive design, offering an alternative to purely utilitarian sound-dampening materials. The collection's debut at this prestigious event positioned it as a noteworthy addition to the market for design-conscious acoustic solutions. This collection represents a thoughtful fusion of nature-inspired design and practical acoustic engineering. The panels are crafted to enhance the auditory comfort of a space by reducing echo and reverberation, common issues in modern open-plan environments and public areas. Beyond their acoustic properties, the panels serve as a strong decorative statement, contributing to the overall ambiance and character of a room. The emphasis on sculptural form, combined with effective sound absorption, makes the "Beetle" collection a comprehensive solution for designers and individuals seeking to elevate both the sonic and visual qualities of their interiors. #AcousticPanels #MUTDesign #Sancal #InteriorDesign #ProductDesign #SoundAbsorption #MilanDesignWeek #HomeFurnishings #Biomimicry

Mòz Designs, a metal manufacturer with three decades of experience, has expanded its product offerings to include a new line of acrylic barriers. The company, known for its innovative columns, wall panels, and room dividers crafted with perforated and laser-cut patterns, has a history of collaborating with prominent design firms and servicing major tech clients. This new acrylic collection incorporates Mòz Designs’ signature craft techniques and artistic inspirations into a versatile new medium. The development of these acrylic barriers was significantly influenced by the evolving needs of hospitality clients, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Linda Gutierrez, Mòz Designs' director of marketing, highlighted the increased demand for transparent dividers that could safely demarcate spaces while facilitating communication. The design team aimed to balance protective functionality with aesthetic appeal. As a result, 11 of the 16 new designs in the Divider Collection are original concepts tailored for the acrylic medium, allowing for vibrant and playful designs that maintain visibility. Maintaining their commitment to artistic roots, Mòz Designs has adapted the lifeworks and patterns previously used in their metal dividers—created through engraving and laser-cutting technologies—to their new acrylic products. These acrylic barriers are highly customizable, offering clients the ability to specify exact brand colors or inspirational shades. The designs can also incorporate layered effects, such as color gradients combined with textural elements and backlighting. Additionally, specific graphics, including logos and images, can be imprinted or digitally projected onto the acrylic screens. To ensure seamless integration into various environments, Mòz Designs provides several mounting options for the dividers, including posts, cable systems, or framed installations. These options are designed for light-touch application, allowing the dividers to serve as impactful room-dividing statements. Each acrylic barrier is meticulously crafted with minimal hardware and is easy to clean, enabling designers to create safe yet collaborative spaces. An example of their application includes a Texas health resources center, where versatile Divider panels are used as an accent wall behind the main reception desk and to separate employee workstations, demonstrating their practical and aesthetic versatility in professional settings. #MozDesigns #AcrylicPartitions #RoomDividers #InteriorDesign #HospitalityDesign #WorkplaceDesign #DesignInnovation #CustomizableDesign #SafetyAndAesthetics

The "Ideas for Business" initiative, launched by DesignWanted in May, aimed to reimagine the side table, a typically overlooked domestic object. The call challenged designers to explore new functionalities, materials, and meanings for this common furniture piece, in response to evolving domestic life and contemporary living. This platform connects designers with industry stakeholders to foster the development of innovative, relevant, and thoughtful projects through open calls and competitions. Over 150 proposals were submitted, each demonstrating creativity and effort. A jury comprising Juan Torres, DesignWanted’s Creative Director; Mario Alessiani, product designer; and Denis Aktay, designer and founder of DEZIN, selected three winning projects. The criteria for selection emphasized not only design quality but also the projects' ability to reflect and adapt to a changing understanding of domestic spaces. The modern home's side table is no longer merely a surface for books and lamps; it must accommodate diverse activities, serving as an office, lounge, or personal retreat. The winning designs stood out for their unique interpretations of care, intimacy, and daily life, illustrating how a simple object can become emotionally resonant, sculptural, or intelligently designed. The call revealed that the side table can act as a micro-stage, capable of shifting the narrative of domestic life and reflecting broader themes such as sustainability, technological integration, emotional well-being, and the increasing fluidity of home spaces. The selected projects underscore that effective contemporary design can be subtle, attentive, and purposeful without being overtly radical. Each of the three winning entries embodies distinct aspects of DesignWanted's research focus. "Bable" by industrial designer Abin Rajendran, a side table that subtly integrates ambient lighting, gentle notifications, and a ring light, reimagines the home robot without resorting to typical tech aesthetics. Its strength lies in its poetic restraint and emotional tuning, aiming to blend seamlessly into the domestic environment and provide quiet care. "Ardea" by product designer Giuseppe Campanale, is a sculptural and architectural piece that serves as both a shelf and a light. Its elongated vertical form impressed the jury with its formal coherence and its delicate balance between functionality and artistic expression, offering a calm presence in an interior space. "Bale" from Copenhagen-based Bundle Studio, is a highly functional side table crafted from a bio-composite of flax fiber and PLA. Designed for the living room, it functions as both storage and seating, featuring four thermo-pressed panels joined by visible snap rivets. This design was recognized for its material honesty, emotional clarity, and inherent adaptability, making it approachable, repairable, and ready for practical application. The diversity of the winning projects, which included speculative technologies, handcrafted aesthetics, modular systems, and social rituals, highlights the richness of the submissions received. All entries utilized the side table as a means to observe and re-envision contemporary living. This first edition of the call demonstrated that such initiatives can foster a dynamic dialogue between designers and their innovative approaches, reaffirming that even minor domestic details warrant reconsideration in a design landscape that often prioritizes revolutionary concepts. The three winning designers will receive dedicated editorial features, social media promotion, and newsletter inclusion to amplify their work within the DesignWanted community. DesignWanted encourages designers to participate in future "Ideas for Business" calls to share their visions. #Design #FurnitureDesign #SideTable #ProductDesign #InnovativeMaterials #SustainableDesign #HomeDecor #DesignCompetition #DomesticLife

The Surface Design Show is set to feature its 'New Talent' section once again, providing a platform for emerging creatives in surface materials and lighting design. Scheduled from February 11 to 13, the event aims to highlight innovative designs and materials. This year's 'New Talent' section, curated by Jennifer Castoldi, Chief Creative Director at Trendease International, has significantly expanded, showcasing 37 exhibitors compared to 16 in the previous year. All participating designers have been in business for five years or less. Christopher Newton, Director of Surface Design Show, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration with Trendease International, noting that Jennifer Castoldi has assembled a collection of exciting new designers with fresh ideas in material design. He anticipates that visitors will engage with the diverse designs, textures, and materials presented within the 'New Talent' area. Many of the exhibitors integrate traditional craft techniques with contemporary design approaches. For instance, Charlotte Relf, an experimental embroidery artist, utilizes exaggerated stitches to impart detail and energy to her work. Similarly, Frances Stone, a Royal School of Needlework graduate, employs various experimental embroidery techniques, including gold work, crewel work, and beading, to craft footstools, chairs, and cushions. Charlotte Clayton Design merges knitting with automotive interior design for surface applications, while Farr Designs combines photography with contemporary design through hand screen prints and digital technology. The 'New Talent' section demonstrates a broad spectrum of approaches to surface design. Janine Partington emphasizes carving and hand-painted leathers. Trifold presents designs featuring thermal and acoustic layers, folded using traditional origami tessellation. Research-based designer Megan Cowley creates mild steel molds using water jet technology, which are then transferred onto glass. Wallcoverings are a prominent feature among the 'New Talent' exhibitors. Olenka's luxury British wallpaper collection showcases natural motifs of leaves and flowers. Catherine Griffiths' work includes bold wallpaper designs, fabrics, and cushions, drawing inspiration from Celtic mythology, the Renaissance, and European architecture. West by Design specializes in intricate hand-painted wallpaper inspired by the English countryside. King Kong Design produces site-specific corporate wall art and custom wall panels for retail, public, and residential settings. A significant theme among the 'New Talent' exhibitors is sustainability and a focus on nature, reflecting the broader 'Close to Home' theme of the Surface Design Show, which emphasizes designing with a conscience beyond mere aesthetics. Jonel van Schalkwyk creates surface designs with human-sized plants in a painterly style. Designer Paula Nerlich concentrates on circular biomaterials, exploring vegan compostables and foams derived from industrial and household food waste. Atticus Durnell, founder of That’sCaffeine, has developed a material from recycled coffee grounds that emulates granite stone. Brussels-based Studio Gilles Werbrouck employs an innovative approach to material reuse by knitting textiles from unconventional sources such as video tape and dead stock from fashion designers. Access to the Surface Design Show is free for professional and trade visitors, with registration available online. #SurfaceDesignShow #NewTalent #EmergingCreatives #SurfaceMaterials #LightingDesign #InteriorDesign #SustainableDesign #MaterialInnovation #CraftTechniques

During Milan Design Week, London-based Italian designer Martino Gamper presented an innovative in-store installation titled “Magnetism” for the luxury leather goods manufacturer Valextra. The installation aimed to re-imagine product display, moving away from traditional shelving units to create a more engaging and visually striking experience for customers. Gamper's design transformed Valextra’s Milan store by replacing conventional furniture and display cases with a system of floor-to-ceiling metal panels. These panels were upholstered in two distinct shades of grey fabric, a deliberate choice by Gamper to visually connect the store's interior with the urban landscape of Milan's streets. The natural Italian stone flooring, characterized by its "beautiful dry finish," was laid in a herringbone pattern, further referencing Milan’s diverse street pavings, from cobblestones to the larger stones of Via Manzoni outside the store. The core of the "Magnetism" concept revolved around the use of hidden, super-strong magnets. Each Valextra product, including classic wallets, bags, and small leather goods, was outfitted with one of these magnets, discreetly clad in leather to maintain the product’s aesthetic integrity. This allowed the items to be attached directly to the fabric-covered metal walls, giving them the illusion of floating. The design encouraged visitors to interact directly with the products; they could effortlessly pull an item from the wall to examine it more closely and then reattach it at their discretion. This hands-on approach was a significant departure from typical retail displays, fostering a sense of discovery and playfulness. Gamper’s primary objective with this installation was to highlight the products themselves, making them the central focus of the display. He articulated that by suspending the bags on the wall, rather than placing them on shelves, customers could observe the products more comprehensively and from different angles. This method not only showcased the craftsmanship and design of the leather goods but also eliminated the visual clutter often associated with traditional retail setups. The flexible nature of the magnetic system also invited experimentation and tactile engagement, which Gamper believed would enhance the customer experience and potentially boost sales by making the interaction more memorable and unique. “Magnetism” successfully demonstrated how innovative design and a simple, yet ingenious, mechanism could transform a retail space. The installation created a dynamic and interactive environment where products were not merely displayed but became an integral part of an artistic presentation. By making the products appear to defy gravity and allowing customers to manipulate them freely, Gamper created an unexpected and memorable surprise for visitors to Valextra during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, positioning the brand at the forefront of creative retail display. #MartinoGamper #Valextra #MilanDesignWeek #RetailDesign #ProductDisplay #InstallationArt #InteriorDesign #MagneticDisplay #LuxuryGoods