Philippe Malouin Industrial Office Salon 94 Design Miami

Philippe Malouin debuts Industrial Office furniture range with Salon 94 Design in Basel

(Image credit: Photography: Justin Borbely)

last updated 16 October 2022

Steel wire rings, rubber and nylon are just some of the raw materials designer Philippe Malouin has been working with lately. He’s not uprooting his design career and turning to factory work, instead he has been rustling up his first collection of office furniture for Salon 94 Design, all made with industrial materials, that will launch at Design Miami/Basel next week (11-16 June).

This collaboration follows on from Design Miami 2017. Salon 94 Design co-founder Paul Johnson spotted the brutalist concrete Core bench by Malouin (Wallpaper* Designer of the Year in 2018, and a 2019 judge) that was created for the Kalejdohill project in Sweden. Johnson was swiftly keen to create a version for the gallery, which showcased at the Floridian fair. There is a similar type of robust energy in this vibrant collection, which uses an assortment of techniques: from welding to casting, to develop the modern workplace pieces.

Industrial Office collection by Philippe malouin

‘We were interested in studying office archetypes and reinterpreting them using industrial materials and processes,’ says Malouin. Taking into consideration the pacy evolution of office environments, from executive spaces in skyscrapers to the hyper-networking co-working culture, the London-based designer has realised experimental forms including a translucent sculptural seat in rubber and a chair in steel that riffs off the classic executive office chair in its structure, with its nuts and bolts exposed. A monolithic cargo container-style sideboard packs a punch too, but the fact that it exists in a bright, sunny yellow tone, and is made out of nylon, adds a playful slant.

‘So many offices are grey and plain. Some vibrancy is very important,’ Malouin explains. But these colours were not artificially injected into the collection, they are indicative of the process. ‘The colours are a direct result from working with these specific industrial materials as they are standard colours. I thought it was important to use the standard colours materials come in in order to communicate process’.

The collection could deck out an entire office; smaller tools come in the form of sturdy pen pots and bookends in steel, wall hooks and even a 1970s-esque nylon telephone. Malouin’s vision for the office offers a fresh take on archetypes, edging these away from grayscale and corporate.

So many offices are grey and plain. Some vibrancy is very important

As for his own office? ‘[It's] a jumble of materials and samples, and experiments, and it is packed to the brim! It has lots of plants and nice daylight’. Hopefully more modern masterpieces we get to experience soon.

2 Black leather and wooden chairs on a concrete floor next to a large wooden crate

Cream table on a concrete floor next to large wooden containers

INFORMATION

Industrial Office is on view 11–16 June. For more information, visit the Salon 94 Design website

ADDRESS

Hall 1 Süd
Messe Basel
Switzerland

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Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.

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