GROW! by Movisi: Meet the German Modular Furniture Brand Light as Air

What is it that the world's lightest furniture actually entails? Innovation, sustainability and being exactly light as air - these are the exact parameters Movisi originates in, being gravitated toward its innovative use of 'modularity' . As our interiors and workspaces are getting only tinier - Movisi's unique compact solutions, designed in Paris by Marine Peyre, have helped even big names, such as Google, Ferrari and The United Nations New York, declutter savvily. Although Movisi journey began already back in 2013, pioneering in the field of lightweight furniture made out of high performance plastic foam, Movisi has recently launched their new line of modular furniture - GROW!, recognised for its incredibly lightweight, multifunctional design language and endless configurations, helping to change the dynamics of every imaginable interior. I caught Natascha Stojanovic for a chat about directing our favourite space-saving, organic furniture brand since its inception. 

GROW! by Movisi kitchen

What spurred the idea of using modularity in furniture design? Was it precisely a functional issue that brought you closer to the realisation of Movisi?

It reflects in our slogan: MODULARITY – we’re crazy about it. I think that most of the furniture is boring and static and doesn’t really fit with modern lives anymore. Functionality doesn’t have to compromise on style and aesthetics. We love to combine both.

What is the new GROW! line release inspired by? What innovative solutions are brought together in the new range?

We wanted to create the world’s most flexible furniture system that fits in any interior: various areas in the home (as it is waterproof and anti-bacterial, it is also perfect for kitchens or bathrooms), office, retail store or even at a trade fair booth. It's an innovative solution to the way we live now - the connector system lets you create furniture in all 3 dimensions: vertically, horizontally and into the 3rd dimension (depth). 

In terms of design, we wanted to keep the 'cube' as the basic element, as it is very functional for storing. With the material we use (no wooden planks), the designer Marine Peyre was able to create a shape which is organic and elegant.

Movisi pioneered the use of one single sustainable material to make furniture products. What should we know about the material? Can we be sure that all pieces are free of toxic compounds?

Our furniture is basically air. Made from ARPRO EPP (Expanded Polypropylene): this is a lightweight, high performance plastic foam, which is 100% recyclable, toxic free, emission free, allergy friendly, energy absorbing, easy to clean. The material is 95% air and 5% PP (which is basically 95% air and 5% Tupperware, which is food-approved. Having a product, which is made from one single material, means that it is really easy to recycle.

GROW! by Movisi office

"Most of the furniture is boring and static and doesn’t really fit with modern lives anymore." 

To what degree is sustainability represented elsewhere within your brand's value system? Even the realm of production and logistics. 

Movisi wants to secure good quality as well as take on social responsibility. This is why our products are 100% manufactured in Germany and adhere to strict ecological and socially-responsible production methods. We try to use as little resources as possible (5% PP material only). Also, as most of our designs are based on one main element, this means that you can change and replace damaged units easily instead of tossing away the whole furniture.

As ARPRO EPP is a shock absorbing material, all we need to package and ship the furniture is a cardboard box. No additional packaging materials are needed, that usually immediately and up in the bin when unpacked. Lighter furniture reduces fuel consumption and exhaust emissions during shipping.

"Our lives change all the time and so should our interiors adapt to our changing needs."

Regarding the design aspect of your solutions, what do you keep in mind when creating new lines?

Flexibility, simplicity and sustainability: we want to offer maximum flexibility to the users. Our lives change all the time and so should our interiors adapt to our changing needs. Also, we like to  keep our products as simple as possible. This is why also for the GROW! system, everything is based on one main component, which lets you create endless configurations.

What are the most unique and characteristic spaces you can recall that have benefitted from using Movisi solutions? Which spaces and industry sectors could benefit in the future? 

Offices can benefit - they can use our modular furniture as a partition to create, for example, a meeting area. When exhibiting at a fair, or when creating a special event, the modules can easily and quickly be rearranged in minutes and without any tools or special expertise. Afterwards, they can be placed back in the office.

"Own only what you really need and what you really love."

GROW! by Movisi bathroom

If you could choose any artist / designer in the world to create their limited edition Movisi collection, who would it be?

I personally love the work of London based design studio 'Raw-Edges'. Their work often surprises and inspires me. Plus Shay and Yael, who run the studio, are great characters.

In London, we often have a problem with storage space - apartments are quite cramped and there's a lack of storage / shelves / cupboards. How can Movisi wall solutions help to minimise clutter and store things away in a more compact way? 

GROW! is designed to be flexible. You can create shelves storage, partition or seats/benches with the units you have. Also, you can create the shelves in any depth you want, as GROW! can be extended in all dimensions (height, width and depth). The system can always adapt to your needs, also when you move home.

Share your personal tips on how to make our interiors look better even without necessarily using expert help.

 - Own only what you really need and what you really love. 

- Use different, warm light sources instead of only one light source in a room. This let’s you create different atmospheres and makes a space cosy and warm.

- Decorate your home with accessories that tell a story. Something you got from a special place or which reminds of something special. 

- A space needs time to grow. Slowly.

GROW! will internationally go live on May 16th on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Find here. 

AGUSTAV Furniture: Finding Innovation in Functionality

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AGUSTAV Walnut Shelf.

Sustainability and innovation don’t always stem from new materials, but from clever solutions used in design process. Icelandic furniture manufacturer AGUSTAV is a fantastic example of how design meets innovation, with their timeless interior pieces using wood as their main material. AGUSTAV has also gone big on an environmentally conscious approach - for every item they sell, they plant trees to help boost the growth of a new forest. You give what you take - one of the main principles of circular economy model. Ágústa Magnúsdóttir, one of the founders of the brand, offered us a glimpse into AGUSTAV's world of subtle innovation paired with sustainability. 

Words: Johanna Raudsepp

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AGUSTAV bar stool.

What do you value most about interior design?

Interior design as we see it is the art of establishing a deeply-rooted connection with your surroundings and habitat. It’s sort of like nesting. It’s nesting that we sometimes do for other people. 

We like to keep our lines clean and we value interior design with a solid base. As furniture makers, what we most cherish are spaces designed with a natural calm sense to them; spaces that are grounded with natural materials and allow the furniture to shake up the centre of attention.  

Iceland is a place of great natural beauty. How does that come into play in your design process?

Design is just something we do, it comes naturally to us and the creation process is where we focus most of our energy. It is likely that our foundations are rooted in Icelandic nature, but it’s not something that we identify with specifically. The Icelandic hardness is embedded in our DNA and it’s probably something that moves within us and influences us, without us attempting it per se. We use the nature to get away more than we do [use nature] during the process itself. It’s our safe haven where we catch our breaths and regain our stamina after busy periods at the workshop. 

"We don’t see beauty in buying one thing today and replacing it with whatever comes out in the next seasonal catalogue. We buy once and hold on to [it] forever." 

People are looking for new, innovative ways of creating staple furnishing pieces. What is your approach to innovation and how do you apply innovative methods?

We have always been more interested in the innovation element of creation than the actual 'design' part. To us every thing is designed. In one way or another, intentionally or not, everything is designed. Whether it’s innovative, functional or even useful, is another element and those elements happen to attract our interest even more. We strive to make our items functional and useful; yet we would like them to be innovative and we ground all these things in our perception of aesthetic appeal. 

I have to ask about your infamous book rack - what inspired you when creating it?

The book rack came to be when we still lived in Copenhagen. Initially, when we moved in together, we lived in a very small and crooked apartment. We desperately needed space and a place to put our things away (whatever that thing was). The book rack sprung from our original design of the coat rack. We were looking at ways to utilise the same rack system in more ways and the book rack jumped right at us from that process.  

"We strive to make our items functional and useful; yet we would like them to be innovative and we ground all these things in our perception of aesthetic appeal." 

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AGUSTAV Book Rack.

Finally, how does AGUSTAV follow principles of sustainability? Why is it important to you and the consumer? 

The environmental issues the world is facing today are very scary and very real. It’s extremely important that everyone does what they can to contribute to the environment, to reduce their waste and think wisely about their purchases. These elements are key to our process, our creations are centred around the fact that we want our items to last. We create high-end quality furniture and encourage our customers to choose wisely before buying, we create our furniture to last and hope that they will be passed down to generations to come. We don’t see beauty in buying one thing today and replacing it with whatever comes out in the next seasonal catalogue. We buy once and hold on to [it] forever. 

As to sustainability, we use every piece of wood we get hold of in the workshop and do our best to minimise waste. If we can’t see use for the cut-offs, we’ll give them away to projects that can make use of them. Additionally, we strive to give a little back by planting a tree for each item we sell. 

Find AGUSTAV furniture here. 

HIIS Design Furniture: Interior Solutions with an Eternal Stamp

Looking for something to light up your interior design dreams? Something timeless, yet modern? Something bold, yet subtle? Estonia-based HIIS Design furniture stunned us with their effortlessly elegant design furniture made sustainably, with a dash of care and love. To shed light on HIIS Design’s innovative creations, young furniture maker Tõnis-Sander Maarits opened us a door to his creative workshop...

Words: Johanna Raudsepp

HIIS Design furniture, 2016. 

What’s your personal take on furniture? What makes a piece of furniture excellent?

The attractive outline, not only at the shop or in pictures, but in the interior where it’s used. Comfort and simplicity, while having down-to-the-tiny-detail design and quality combined, make a piece of furniture a great one. Something made from heart is not just another piece of furniture, but creates an exquisite experience in a room. Take a table, for example – it’s not just some thing to sit and dine at, but it creates a heartwarming shared experience with your friends and family. Good design can help enhance that feeling. 

How does HIIS Design apply ethical practises in your workshop? What’s particularly important for you?

The most important thing in furniture manufacturing is that quality and timeless design [are there]. When a design piece lasts you ages, fitting in with the old and the new, it becomes an environmentally sustainable piece. HIIS Design is for someone who values quality and wants an enduring piece of furniture to bring into their interior that lasts for years. We aim to create furniture that can be the anchor-point in a room, around which you can design everything else. 

As wood production can be harmful for our environment, we make sure to use FSC certified wood as our resource. For Hiis Design, it’s of high importance we use consciously produced wood to ensure forests lasts for future generations. That also reflects in our name (’hiis’ in Estonian translates to ’ancient grove’).

"We aim to create furniture that can be the anchor-point in a room, around which you can design everything else."

HIIS Design furniture, 2016. 

Is there a personal story… how did HIIS Design come to be?

As a young boy, I used to make ships and other toys in my father’s wood workshop, hammer and chisel in hand. When I was 13, we moved to a new house and I didn’t have any furniture in my new room. That’s when I decided to design and make my own furniture. I made a pretty good bed, which gave me more drive to build other things, like a closet. Every summer I used to earn pocket money from furniture making and restoration. At first, in 2013, fresh out of university, I started my own custom-made furniture workshop, but I always felt like it was not enough for me to build things designed by other people. I began to experiment more with my own designs and one thing led to another, as they say. In spring 2016, HIIS Design was brought to life. 

“Take a table, for example – it’s not just some thing to sit and dine at, but it creates a heartwarming shared experience with your friends and family. Good design can help enhance that feeling.”

HIIS Design furniture, 2016. 

With regards to environmental protection, how do you imagine the future of furniture design?

Endurance is what makes furniture environmentally friendly. An oak table will last generations, unlike a cheap mass produced equivalent from melamine. A toxin-rich piece of furniture will last 10 years at most. But an oak table will last you until a new, baby-oak is growing, reducing environmental damage. More materials will be used, of course, and a lot of new solutions to battle space deficiency. However, we must not undermine natural materials and living in harmony with nature. I find that people are starting to value earthiness and natural things even more [in furniture design]. Families with kids, especially, want to be able to make more sustainable choices when choosing products for their homes. 

If your brand has a soundtrack, then what would it be like and why? 

The first song that popped up in my head was ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC. Probably because I often listen to that song, when I start my day at the workshop. It creates a nice energy and gets you going for the day. But that’s only a small part of our brand. HIIS Design’s soundtrack would be ‘Spiegel im spiegel’ by Arvo Pärt (Grammy-winning Estonian composer), because when I listen to that piece I find myself in a powerful state of creativity. As the title suggests, a mirror against a mirror reflects into infinity, the same way inspiration has no boundaries. 

"A mirror against a mirror reflects into infinity, the same way inspiration has no boundaries."

Where do you draw inspiration from for new pieces?

Inspiration can strike at any moment, which is why I always carry a notebook along. Even a quick sketch right there in the moment can be a life-saver of a striking flash-idea. I feel like inspiration is deep inside of us, piling up in our sub-conscience since childhood, and is often brought onto the surface again by some small trigger in our adulthood. It’s important to capture those moments and know how to fuel them. I like to get my creativity flowing by going through old books, magazines and websites. Other times, I draw inspiration when watching a movie or a TV show – like Mad Men, where the 60s American-style surroundings can fire up some great memories.

http://www.hiisdesign.com/

nitsn: Bespoke Furniture Filling Living Rooms with Ideas of Eternity

nitsn is a sustainable French furniture studio excelling in bespoke, one-of-a-kind furniture with a modern twist. In addition to the slow and carefully considered approach, the minimalist furniture — each wooden piece touched up with metal inlays, carved textures or laser engravings to boast unique identity — aims to recreate the short-lived moments of our existence. By connecting ideas of sustainability and renewal, the very essence of nitsn's bespoke pieces is to remind us that nothing is eternal, and that way bring the practice of mindful, circular economy closer to the end customer. Savant went into further detail with Roman Wisznia, nitsn's creative and technical mastermind, regarding what connects the creativity and sustainability behind the brand. 

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

What's unique about the way you imagine furniture? 

I see furniture as pieces of nature that we shape to suit human needs. I like to work with natural materials — wood for structure, wool and cotton for fabrics, small touches of polished metals here and there — then shape them with absolute straight lines, like only humans can do. This way, the pieces reflect both the nature and the human side, a perfect balance between the two.

Because every tree is unique, every home is unique, and every person, too, it makes sense to me for each piece of furniture to be unique as well. I understand why mass production eventually has become a standard in the industry. Yet, I like to believe that there is space for a more meaningful approach to work, and to life. Humans have this wonderful ability to think of new things and be creative, and this should be applied every single day. Mass production doesn’t encourage creativity. 

What are your brand’s values?

I try to develop genuine relationships with my customers. It matters to me that people who purchase my pieces, understand who I am, and how these pieces were made. My goal is to make sure the person, who will sit on my chair or put their vest on my coat-hanger, is conscious of the seed that was planted to provide the wood they are using. Perhaps even conscious about the person who planted that seed, and realise that everything works in a circular model. Having a neutral environmental impact is therefore an essential part of the consistency and sense I am looking for. 

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

Do you think customers today show more interest towards one-of-a-kind pieces and furniture brands with a story? 

I think our societies have reached the peak in bare buy-and-throwaway consumption model. We’ve come to realise that acquiring mass-produced things at an ever increasing pace does not contribute to filling the shells of our existence in any way. I believe we need fewer things, things which will make sense to us and that we will truly care for. Making one-of-a-kind pieces that will live once and never be produced again is a way to remind us that nothing on this planet is eternal, and that the shortness of life is what eventually gives it meaning. The story is equally important, and it has to be clear. If people don’t understand the story, they cannot understand the role they play in it.

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

What made you start with nitsn? 

After I graduated from my mechanical engineering school in France, I went to Stockholm’s Royal institute of Technology, where I specialised in renewable energy systems. That Scandinavian adventure certainly played a role in giving me a taste of a slow and cosy lifestyle, as well as minimalist design. After that, I worked for an international organisation known as the authority in energy security and energy-related environmental concerns for three years. I enjoyed it, but quickly realised that I would feel more at ease creating my own means of expression in this world. nitsn appeared to be the answer, a creative activity that would gather all my interests — visual arts, craftsmanship, engineering, politics and environment — in one place. I taught myself woodwork mostly on Youtube, spent my first salaries on professional tools, and began this adventure.

"I understand why mass production eventually has become a standard in the industry. Yet, I like to believe that there is space for a more meaningful approach to work, and to life."

What’s the niche you aim to bring to the market?

With nitsn I chose the approach to have very simple designs for each piece, that I call my standards, and to differentiate them with subtle touches, so that every piece ends up being different. These touches can consist of metal inlays, carvings or laser engravings. They are usually fine-detailed and time-consuming works, but I make each of my pieces an artwork of their own. My standard designs are just like a blank canvas on which I can express my creativity to create a continuous sequence of unique pieces.

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

What's your opinion about sustainability trend in furniture design?

Making stools from recycled cardboard is great and can prove very useful. Finding uses for things that are abundant and that should be recycled is one important part of the equation. Another part of this equation is to reconsider the way we consume objects and furniture. My personal approach is to keep things simple and focus on the essential. Whatever I can do without, I’ll do without. Owning fewer things gives me extra freedom that I really enjoy. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t redecorate your place when you feel like it, but perhaps there is another way than throwing away your sofa, chairs and coffee table, and replacing them with new ones. We never get tired of seeing trees in the forest. Yet they are the same trees, only the change in seasons make us see them differently, and their appeal is renewed every year. Perhaps there is something to think about there. 

"Making one-of-a-kind pieces, that will live once and will never be produced again, is a way to remind us that nothing on this planet is eternal, and that the shortness of life is what eventually gives it meaning."

What’s your brand’s link with sustainability?

My approach to sustainability is to make robust and great looking pieces that my customers will want to take care of. The goal is for the piece to last at least as long as the time it took for the tree that provided the wood to grow. I also committed to planting one new tree for each piece produced. If my customers have a garden, I offer them to plant it there. This way, I create the missing link in completing ‘the circle’.

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

What are the materials you are using, where are they sourced from?

The wood I use exclusively comes from French forests that I know are managed responsibly. I have nothing against foreign woods, but the further away you get them, the harder they become to trace. It matters to me that I know exactly where the things I use come from. And using local resources simply makes more sense. Because France only produces linen and velvet, I had to look elsewhere for my wool. I’ve had a great experience with a Danish producer, which manufactures absolutely stunning fabrics made in a transparent and environmentally conscious way.

"My standard designs are just like a blank canvas on which I can express my creativity to create a continuous sequence of unique pieces."

What trends appeal to you personally in furniture design?

 Because I don’t have an academic background in design, I really draw what comes to my mind and find a way to make it work once I am settled in the workshop. I don’t usually follow the design trends. I like things simple, and straight lines are usually the simplest way between two points. My engineering background encourages me to understand, how everything is made and how it works together. I think this is reflected in my designs in which every part is visible and every joint shows clearly. Nothing is hidden. Some of the decorations I make, like metal inlays, can require complex calculations and very fine adjustments of CNC machinery. Yet, when you look at the finished piece, a straight line of brass triangles inlayed in a piece of walnut, following an inclined plane, looks very simple. I think that’s where the beauty of the nitsn pieces really stands out — in this apparent simplicity. 

nitsn sustainable bespoke furniture, 2016. 

Do you reckon French customers are more after comfort, visual appeal or a mix of both?

When it comes to comfort vs visual appeal, I am not sure what the French market is after. Because being ergonomic is such a crucial quality for a chair, I made the designs of my chairs entirely parametric, so that I can adjust any dimension and angle to precisely fit my customer’s body types. I just need the measurements of 5 parts of the body and my computer can instantly generate a fully bespoke chair according to their measures. I don’t think any mass-produced chair can achieve such a perfect fit. It’s like wearing couture as opposed to ready-to-wear.

Learn more:

http://www.nitsn.fr/

https://www.instagram.com/nitsn_france/

https://www.facebook.com/nitsn.fr