18 February 2009

Finding that Sweet Spot

Indesignlive recently visited Methis Australia in their newly refurbished Pyrmont showroom in Sydney. What we saw will make you want to sit down...

“We aim to provide that sweet spot with high end design at a mid-range price point,” says Methis Australia’s General Manager Martin Hoelzl.

True to their word, Methis have definitely found that sweet spot with a range of hand-picked furniture for the office and home.

Heading up their collection is the Methis office range, sleek and streamlined in structure with a varied selection of add-ons such as file trays, desk dividers and stationery storage.

Filling out the spacious showroom and complementing the Methis office furniture range is their wide selection of Züco chairs.

“We live now in a world of copy; the chairs seem to be the part where you can add some technology,” says Hoelzl. “To find a solution you must first solve a problem and while you can copy an end result, you’ll never really know how the designers arrived at that end result.”

A relatively small design house, Züco is a Swiss company, headed up by Roland Zünd, grandson to founder Karl Zünd. As a trained industrial designer Roland works alongside talented architects and designers, conjuring that ergonomically advanced, “thoughtfully designed” and aesthetically distinctive Züco style, time and time again.

Also on show is German office and home furniture producers, Moormann, who take a very signature yet adventurous approach to their products (scroll down to see their coat hangers and desks).

“When we went to Orgatec we visited Moormann in this ancient 500-year-old building in a tiny village, complete with snow-capped mountains and castle,” says Hoelzl.

“Nils Holger Moormann, who founded the company, was a lawyer but very interested in design. He has a very clever knack for picking his designers. He always has his eye out for young established designers.”

This much is evident when viewing the range of thoughtfully designed products, “[Each brand conjures] an appeal, aesthetic and history you want to be part of,” says Hoelzl.

To see their range in person, visit the newly refurbished Methis Sydney showroom at Unit 3, 37-69 Union Street, Pyrmont, or other locations throughout Australia.

Methis Australia
+61 2 9660 4411
methisaustralia.com