Milan 2012: 'K%: black & black collection' by Nendo: photo © Architonic

Yesterday evening, on the eve of the official opening of this year’s edition of Salone del Mobile, we took a stroll around Via Tortona, where the coinciding Tortona Design Week takes place. Located in Milan’s creative district, the event brings together some of the biggest names in industrial design as well as young, emerging designers who present individual, site-specific exhibitions and installations in a limited and coordinated area of Tortona. And that’s where, at number 32, we have wandered into a spacious, darkly lit room where Oki Sato of much-acclaimed practice Nendo is showcasing ‘black & black’ – the first collection launched by K%. (more…)

In line with strict environmental policies of both companies, materials and manufacturing processes have been carefully selected both for their minimal impact on the environment and for their cost.

‘Muji manufactured by Thonet’ is a collection of simplified, stylised Thonet designs made of bentwood and tubular steel, manufactured to Thonet’s customary high standards at their Frankenberg HQ and available exclusively at Muji stores in Japan, Germany, Paris and the UK.

The tubular steel series was created by Konstantin Grcic and comprises a chair and desk in three sizes. Three polypropylene drawers can be suspended beneath the MDF table top.

By uniting the design heritage, skilled craftsmanship and manufacturing capabilities of Thonet with the streamlined design aesthetic of Muji, not to mention its youthful, design savvy audience, beautiful designs gain new relevance for today’s modern, urban lifestyle. The beech bentwood collection takes Thonet’s most famous bentwood chair, No. 14, as its inspiration. (This design – now called the 214 chair – still features in the Thonet collection, this year celebrating its 150th birthday.)

more products from Konstantin Grcic @ Architonic

The beech, bent wood collection was designed by Milan-based, British creative director of Thonet James Irvine and features a single panel supporting the back of the chair, which aligns with the accompanying table top.

more products from James Irvine @ Architonic

There are plans to enhance the collection in the near future. Both Muji and Thonet have collaborated with international designers in the past. What is ground breaking for both companies is their decision to work together with named designers to reinterpret important design masterpieces from Thonet’s historic back catalogue, making them accessible to a younger, broader, ‘Muji’ marketplace.

more products from Thonet @ Architonic

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