For more than a decade, Buster + Punch has built a distinctive identity around solid metal, precision engineering and a particular fascination with the circle. Now, the London-based design brand is introducing something different: six sides, sharp angles and an entirely new approach to the details of an interior.
Launched in Australia by Living Edge at an industry event in October, Hex is the brand’s most expansive collection to date, extending across lighting, door handles, cabinet hardware, switches, dimmers and entrance door pulls.
Created by founder and creative director Massimo Buster Minale, the collection draws on the geometry of Art Deco and mid-century design, replacing the brand’s familiar cylindrical profiles with a faceted, hexagonal form. It’s a significant shift, although the weight, tactility and precision that have become synonymous with Buster + Punch remain firmly in place.
“For over a decade, Buster + Punch has been defined by a cylindrical form. With Hex, I wanted to break with our conventions and apply our engineering experience to a completely new format,” says Minale. “It had to feel unmistakably Buster + Punch but open a new world to experience.”
The six-sided geometry is carried consistently throughout the collection, from the smallest cabinet knob to larger lighting installations. Each piece is machined from solid metal, with angled end cuts that emphasise the form and interchangeable metal end caps offering further opportunities for customisation.
It’s a collection that makes a case for the importance of the smaller elements within a space. Handles, switches and fittings are often selected towards the end of a project, yet they are among the objects people interact with most frequently. Hex brings these everyday touchpoints into sharper focus, treating them as part of a broader architectural language.
Lighting is a particularly interesting addition. The modular Hex system can be configured in different sizes and arrangements, with wall, suspended and poseable chandelier options available with or without shades. A two-stage colour temperature function allows the lighting to shift between practical illumination and a warmer, more atmospheric setting.
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The brand’s signature switches and dimmers have also been reworked with low-profile Hex detailing, while retrofit kits allow for further personalisation. Extending the collection beyond the interior, Buster + Punch has introduced its first outdoor-ready entrance door pull, designed to complement the range’s wet-rated exterior lighting.
For Living Edge CEO Aidan Mawhinney, the collection represents an evolution of the brand’s approach to craftsmanship.
“It takes a familiar material and approach to craftsmanship and gives it a new expression, creating a sense of continuity across the details that define an interior,” he says.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Hex is its versatility. The geometric profile has a certain decorative quality that sits comfortably alongside period detailing, yet its clean lines and metallic finishes also lend themselves to contemporary interiors.
And while the collection introduces a new shape, it continues Buster + Punch’s longstanding interest in the relationship between objects and the people who use them. As Minale explains, “Ultimately, it’s the hand feel of the form that takes you somewhere new – the next evolution of Buster + Punch.”
With Hex now available in Australia through Living Edge, the collection offers architects and interior designers a coordinated range of details that can carry a consistent material and geometric expression throughout a project, from the front door to the final light switch.
Buster + Punch
busterandpunch.com
Living Edge
livingedge.com.au
Photography
Images courtesy of Buster + Punch, supplied by Living Edge
