During 3 Days of Design, Fogia and one of Scandinavias leading designers, the multi awarded Monica Förster are launching Kern – an expressive collection consisting of a coffee table and side table, both crafted entirely from OUTT, a groundbreaking and sustainable new material made from waste sourcedfrom marble quarries in Northern Italy. Kern is a system of tables offering various options, asymmetrical forms and different combinations, multiple heights, and both long or square configurations, allowing for versatile use of the design.
Award-winning Swedish furniture maker Fogia is known for making products that blend thought-provoking design with timeless materials and expert craftsmanship. The brand is unafraid to pave the way for new design thinking and to push the development of new materials and production methods.
Monica Förster approached Fogia with her table designs after discovering the potential of OUTT, a groundbreaking material offering numerous creative possibilities. Fogia is proud to now be the first design brand to incorporate this innovative material into its collection.
The material is the outcome of an innovative manufacturing process that enables the reuse of not only marble chips (which have long been used to make terrazzo, for example) but also marble dust, which here functions as a binder. Through a refined, patented process, these remnants are transformed into architectural materials. The result is a material with a unique character, with a marble content as high as 85%, the rest being cement.
Kern is as much a sculpture as it is a table. Your eyes, as well as your hands, are drawn to it. It isn’t enough to look at Kern — you must run your fingertips across its slightly uneven surface: brushed, rather than polished, to emphasize the material’s natural characteristics.
”At Fogia, we are always eager to find new exciting collaborations, especially those involving bold and innovative design and materials. When Monica approached us with this idea, we were instantly intrigued. We are very proud to be involved in producing Monica´s tables and to be the first manufacturer to use this material”, says Marcus Huber, CEO of Fogia.
“This is a completely new material with a fascinating appearance,” explains Förster. “We worked with the material as the project’s starting point, which is what led us to create a brutalist furniture piece. But we ended up softening that by breaking off the corners. The breaks are done by hand, so no two tables are identical.”
Monica Förster Design Studio draws inspiration from a wide range of disciplines to create products and spaces that push boundaries and challenge conventions. Under Monica’s visionary leadership and deep passion for creativity and innovation, the studio continually strives for excellence, delivering designs that aim to make a meaningful, positive impact on the world.
Förster describes the process behind Kern as open and exploratory. For example, the idea of breaking off the corners arose fortuitously when a material sample arrived in the same state. The fact that a process is open doesn’t mean it’s aimless or haphazard. For Förster, there’s always a fundamental problem to solve, which in this case was how to interpret the material. And, after all, serendipity isn’t just about stumbling on something valuable; it’s equally about recognizing and harnessing its value.
The Kern tables have a bold physical presence and are equally suitable for outdoor and indoor environments. The material’s weight and history contrast with the lightness and elegance of the furniture. In this way, Kern manages to be massive, yet graceful, and primitive, yet sophisticated.
“To me, it’s like unlocking a world within. Finding the inherent poetry of each object, so people can connect with it emotionally and keep it for a long time. I believe that using your hands in creation plays a big role in that poetry. It lets the object speak to the heart,” says Förster.
Product information: Kern Coffee table
Design: Monica Förster
Material: Outt
Color: White, Grey and Brown terracotta
Size: H: 330 mm W: 800 mm D: 370 mm
Approx. price: 2975 EURO
Product information: Kern Side table
Design: Monica Förster
Material: Outt
Color: White, Grey and Brown terracotta
Size: H: 400 or 450 mm W: 330 mm D: 250 mm
Approx. price: 2190 EURO
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