Philippe MalouinDesign Miami/ Basel: Industrial Office

For Design Miami/ Basel, 2019, Salon 94 Design presents a new and exclusive body of work by Philippe Malouin, Industrial Office. Philippe’s new series is inspired by an in- depth study on office furniture, and fabricated using a variety of industrial materials and techniques.

Industrial Office brings together a complete executive office suite comprising of ever ything from an Executive Desk made of nylon, to a welded and Polyurethane coated steel Pen Pot. Working with an aray of materials and techniques including, dyed nylon, Polytek Polyurethane casting rubber, leather, and textured Polyurethane coated steel, enables Philippe to adorn Industrial Office in a spectrum of colours.

Philippe continues to push the boundaries of familiar materials such as nylon, which is used to make Executive Desk, Sideboard, and Swivel Armchair. The Swivel Armchair, upholstered in leather also harnesses a technique from Philippe’s Turntables — perfect spheres of nylon are used as bearings which allow the chair to fluidly swivel.

Exploring new materials and techniques, Philippe embraces casting rubber in its original state, the Rubber Chair is made from a single-mold which is casted in rubber commonly used to make molds for concrete. The result is a chair with the perfect amount of flexibility and translucency. Metal Rug is made up of galvanized steel wire rings which are held together using an intricate Japanese chainmail pattern, creating a strong yet flexible membrane. Both Rubber Chair and Metal Rug, interlace notions of rigidity and plasticity, allowing soft materials like rubber to appear resistant and hard materials such as metal become pliable.

Industrial Office is an experimental exploration of executive office furniture, and a survey of his keen observations on color, scale, and materiality. Philippe manages beautifully, the complexities drawn into the histories of office furniture as it has evolved since the birth and boom of the skyscraper in the twentieth century, as he joins the industrial with objects within the executive office.

British-Canadian Philippe Malouin holds a bachelor’s degree in Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven. He has also studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris and University of Montreal.

His diverse portfolio includes tables, rugs, chairs, lights, art objects and installations. Philippe’s client list includes: SCP, Marsotto Edizioni, Resident, OTHR, Hem, Ace hotel, Matter-Made, Established & Sons, Roll & Hill, 1882 ltd., Kvadrat, Umbra Shift, Caesarstone, IZÉ, Swarovski, Bloomberg, Aesop,Touch Digital.

Philippe won the Wallpaper* Magazine ‘designer of the year’ award in 2018. Philippe lives and works in London, where he operates his design studio.