Scandinavian design brand MENU has released Connected Spaces, their latest collection for Autumn/Winter 2018. Centred around the belief that it's not just the places itself but the objects we fill it with that ground and connect us, the collection showcases furniture that is functional, minimalist and beautiful. Bringing a sense of calm and joy to our gathering places, the pieces are designed to make interaction with our spaces more meaningful.
The new collection includes the Knitting Chair designed by Ib Kofod-Larsen that I featured recently and today I've picked out some more of my favourites to share, including some updates to the existing range. Designed by Copenhagen-based Norm Architects as a portable, lightweight lamp, the Carrie LED Lamp unique for its multiple uses both indoors and out now comes in a brushed brass finish. This beautiful extension brings an additional sense of richness and elegant texture to the sleek lines of the lamp.
Distinguished by its playful yet elegant silhouette, the Androgyne Side Table was first designed for the Menu Space Cafe but quickly went in to production for a larger audience. Designed by Copenhagen-based Norwegian architect and designer Danielle Siggerud, it comes in black and ivory, with laser-cut steel legs and a stunning marble top that can be bought separately. Featuring a harmonious sense of balance, proportion and mixed materials, this blend of the masculine and feminine—true androgyny—is what lends the table its name. Suited to a range of decors, the Androgyne Side Table is not only useful, it is sculptural and adds an artistic silhouette to any room.
How do you strip away even more from an already pared down chair, including the backrest, yet retain a high level of comfort? Stockholm-based design duo Afteroom answers this question with their eponymous stool. An extension of the hugely popular Afteroom Series, the Afteroom Stool is a piece of furniture that manages to be both quiet and attention grabbing at once. A study of unity between functionalism and minimalism rendered in black powder coated steel, it comes with or without an upholstered seat and is available in three heights—stool, counter stool, and bar stool—making it easy to slide up against a bar or keep in the home as small-space or additional seating.
The TR Bulb is MENU's first collaboration with New Zealand-born, London-based industrial designer Tim Rundle. Bridging technical sophistication and modern aesthetics, Tim stepped away from the lighting playbook to reimagine the potential of the LED light bulb. With simplicity as his guide, he combined form and function in a single, multi-functional object. Following the success of the original TR Bulb in opal glass with a matte finish, the range has been expanded with a shiny opal finish, which lends the bulb a more classic expression. The TR Bulb is dimmable and available individually or with MENU’s specially designed range of accessory fittings. Pure in their geometry, the fittings are crafted from thin black steel tubes and grey marble discs, instantly transforming TR Bulbs into wall and ceiling lights, table lamps, and my personal favourite, linear chandeliers.
Designed by Norm Architects as a tribute to the particular beauty of marble, the Plinth continues to be a standout. Available in cubic, tall, and low varieties as well as a small range of colours, this includes the beautiful new variety brown grey.
With the ethos that a few well-placed, beautiful items bring a room to life, giving it meaning and character, MENU have introduced updates to their wonderful Accessories line. These include new editions to the Échasse series of glass vases and bowls designed by Theresa Arns. The first piece in the now-iconic series the Échasse vase was inspired by laboratory test tubes. The drop-shaped form is as elegant when holding flowers on a desk, living room floor, or nightstand as it is when left unfilled. The smallest vase is now available with clear glass and bronzed brass legs; a classic pairing to complement any interior palette, in a size ideal for more compact spaces.
The Échasse Bowl is available in two sizes in smoked glass and brushed brass and offers a modern, centrepiece-worthy take on the traditional serving bowl. Alone or together, filled with favourite flowers, fruits and objects or displayed alone as sculptural focal points, I love the elegance, simplicity and functionality of these gorgeous pieces.
The Pepe Marble Mirror, designed by Milan-based firm Studiopepe was previously only available as a standing mirror and is now available in a wall-mounted option. One side of the mirror offers regular reflection, while the other shows magnification of 300%; a perfect mirror for self-grooming. The colour combinations of black, white or brown marble with brushed brass offer a sophisticated contrast, one that emphasises the texture and heft of the materials. This is a mirror that, while utilitarian, adds a certain refinement to the room through its simple form and beautiful craftsmanship.
Such a beautiful collection that encapsulates the brand's signature aesthetic of soft minimalism, I hope you're as inspired by the new designs as I am.
Images courtesy of MENU