SWEDISH DESIGNER PIA WALLÉN AND THE LEMON YELLOW FELT A sun-splashed, glass-enclosed penthouse topping an 18th-century building is the enviable workspace of Pia Wallén. Situated in the center of Stockholm, it has sweeping views of the 80-meter-high tower of the Oscarskyrkan, a church dedicated to Oscar II, former King of Sweden.March 10 - 2022Not that this stops her talent from crossing the boundaries of fashion, accessories, and interior. While a graphic red cross is often her signature, Wallén is not one to shy away from vibrant hues of pink, green, and yellow, often in contrasting combinations with black and white. Here she divulges the story behind her customization of the 4PM Self-Build chaise, and its celebration of a color she associates with joy, happiness, and survival. "The naked wood and playful color also come closer to the chaise’s inspiration, Italian designer Enzo Mari and his self-build furniture." What drives your creativity? My creativity is like an ongoing research project. In all my work, I continue to search or to seek answers to questions I ask myself. If I do this and that, what will happen then? My new objects and products often transpire from my previous, responding to innovative and unique materials, techniques, and production practices. I might also be inspired by personal events or stories that move me. As a child, I worked with whatever came my way, whether it was textile or clay or paint. I always did something creative, but I didn’t have this idea to be a designer. In fact, in the beginning, I wanted to be a buyer – until I was a buyer at around 20 years old. I then saw that I wanted to change everything that I wanted to buy. That’s when I made the decision to try out being a designer. Now I’m trained as a fashion designer, but I like very much to crossover into different fields, with a common thing that is often material or technique. I appreciate the total design process for a product. What I like most is to make a process and a product from the very beginning. It’s difficult, perhaps, to make a story of something already there, and not the way I am used to working. " My combination of function and decoration for your body is quite similar to my past combinations of function and decoration to wear on your body – and why not a piece of furniture thatis also like jewelry?" A sun-splashed, glass-enclosed penthouse topping an 18th-century building is the enviable workspace of Pia Wallén. Situated in the center of Stockholm, it has sweeping views of the 80-meter-high tower of the Oscarskyrkan, a church dedicated to Oscar II, former King of Sweden. "The studio was actually intended for an artist when they built the building. It’s a fantastic space with lots of windows, I live and stay here, and work a lot.” The color is the first thing we notice. I thought about survival and the affirmation of a sunny day on the beach, with its tranquility, reflection, and joy, and realized that I wanted to do it in yellow. There were no other colors coming up, just yellow standing up strong and clear. I think the color adds joyful attachment to the chair. Initially I thought about painting the entire frame yellow as well, but then I saw that the wood is very nice, Scandinavian in a way, and I wanted to save the beauty of the raw material. " I wanted to have some textile on it, to make it a bit softer, and I work a lot with wool fiber and felted materials in my own production, mostly on slippers, table top decorative items, and bags. It’s a material I’m used to. The 4 millimeter-thick felt, which I source from Germany, is quite stiff. It’s an industrial textile that is not knit or woven – instead the wool fibers are pulled together in a mechanical way with needles." " I have my own company and I work from the initial idea until it gets out to the customer – even down to the packaging. I think I’m a little bit of a control freak. Of course there’s both a positive and negative side to that!" What impression do you hope to give with your customization of the 4PM Self Build chaise? This isn’t my first experience with self-build furniture. Several years ago a Swedish newspaper published blueprints for the Red Blue chair, designed in 1918 by Gerrit Rietveld. I took the blueprints to a carpenter and now I have a few of these chairs in my studio. With this kind of project, you take a product and then add something – it’s always interesting to see how you – or others – use their own creativity, add their own fantasy to something that is almost ready. "I cut out the felt forms of the seat and laminated the wool felt on the four panels that make up the seat. I use this same method in my Slitz jewelry collection of bracelets and rings, which have laminated wool felt on metal such as sterling silver and brass. For me, it is always interesting to continue and build upon my previous projects."

BLUE SHADES OF CÔTE D'AZUR Le Corbusier's architectural colour scheme, the French Riviera and the La Fondation Maeght art museum were the inspiration when Massproductions set out to develop a new colour for their Tio collection. The outdoor collection is now launched in the colour Overseas Blue.March 24 - 2022 Le Corbusier is considered one of the most important architects of the 20th century. Colour and its effect on architecture is said to have been as important to him as the room and its layout. In 1930, Le Corbusier created a colour system called "Claviers de couleurs" consisting of 43 colours in twelve scales. The Tio Collection's new colour Overseas Blue is taken from this scale, which is well suited for a company based on modernist ideals. The collection was photographed by Martin Runeborg at the La Fondation Meaght outside Saint Paul De Vence, where it takes its place in the Sculpture Garden and the Miró Labyrinth. Fondation MaeghtSome of the biggest names in 20th-century European sculpture, including Georges Braque, Joan Miró and Alberto Giacometti, came together to help create La Fondation Maeght, which has become France’s most important art foundation and is among the world’s leading cultural institutions. La Fondation was established by Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, a visionary couple who were publishers and art dealers, and who represented and were friends with some of the most important artists of the era, including Braque, Miró and Giacometti, as well as Alexander Calder, Fernand Léger, Marc Chagall, and many others. "The Tio Chair is the contemporary design classic that started Massproductions journey." Le Corbusier's architectural colour scheme, the French Riviera and the La Fondation Maeght art museum were the inspiration when Massproductions set out to develop a new colour for their Tio collection. The outdoor collection is now launched in the colour Overseas Blue. "Outdoor environment differ from indoor environment in so many ways. Of course, high demands are placed on the material to be able to withstand the influence of the elements. But you also have other types of spaces to relate to, ranging from a park to an outdoor terrace or balcony. Overseas Blue is a nice addition to our range, it is a lively but balanced blue shade, which fits just as well into nature as in an urban environment. "- Magnus Elebäck,CEO and co-founder ABOUT TIODuring the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2009, Chris Martin and Magnus Elebäck launched both Massproductions as a brand and their first product: Tio Chair. Tio quickly gained recognition in the industry and in Massproductions first year of operation it won the Swedish Association of Architects’ Golden Chair design award.

4PM Self BUILD BY HANK GRÜNER While fantasy is natural to a child, Hank Grüner had, perhaps more than his fair share. “Mine was so overloaded I had five psychologists hanging around,” remembers the Swedish artist. Born in Brazil, Grüner was adopted by a Swedish family and moved to a small town outside of Gothenburg at six months old, where he developed a rich alternative universe with his childhood toys.  February 7 - 2022 Words by Mairi Beautyman The 1996 movie “Space Jam,” in which basketball player Michael Jordan travels to the animated Looney Tunes’ universe, was lifechanging for the teenage Grüner, who now canonizes his rich imagination into ceramics and large-scale paintings. “Eventually I learned drawing could help me with all of the things that I had in my head,” he notes. Here he shares the journey behind his customization of the 4PM Self Build chaise, and its mystical world including a squid, a devil, and characters taken from popular animations. How did this reoccurring love affair with toys of the 1990s develop in your work? The dreams that you have enable you to chase something. I chase to understand myself as a younger person. I take all of my imagination from what I loved as a child and still love to this day. I still have all of my childhood toys on a shelf in my studio, like Sailor Moon [a schoolgirl superhero from the Japanese anime series]; Street Sharks [characters that are half-man, half-shark]; Power Rangers [a team of superheroes], Transformers [giant robots that change into cars and other objects]; and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [turtles with superpowers that fight evil]. I also buy a lot of old toys from online sites. There are particular colors and shapes – such as the Transformer form – that I involve. Could you describe a few of the drawings you made?Right as I began working on the chaise, I picked up two new Street Sharks figures. That meant I really wanted to draw them. On one of the biggest spaces on the chaise, the wood plate where you lay your feet, I drew a 10-centimeter-long, five-centimeter-wide Street Shark. There’s also another cartoon character, Casper the Friendly Ghost, as well as a skeleton dressed as the Grim Reaper, a dragon, a squid, and a devil riding a motorcycle in the desert with lightning coming down. ...A devil riding a motorcycle? Say I start drawing a devil and then I add a motorcycle and then I think about a narrative to place yourself in...maybe the devil is going somewhere. Often they are ideas about what I want myself to be able to do, from flying to being a squid or big green fire-breathing dragon or riding a motorcycle... While fantasy is natural to a child, Hank Grüner had, perhaps more than his fair share. “Mine was so overloaded I had five psychologists hanging around,” remembers the Swedish artist. Born in Brazil, Grüner was adopted by a Swedish family and moved to a small town outside of Gothenburg at six months old, where he developed a rich alternative universe with his childhood toys.  "Eventually I learned drawing could help me with all of the things that I had in my head” Your 4PM Self Build is like a big collage. I filled every spot on the three large front panels. There are a lot of clippings, drawings, and tags made from mixing old English or Germanic letters with current letters – although there are no words. Using acrylic, markers, pen, and paper, I left what you might call the skeleton of the chaise clean as the wood is so nice. A lot of stuff has been torn off in order to take on something new. What remains is worn out and layered. "I started thinking about furniture accessible to everyone. The laminated wood used for the 4PM Self Build is very similar to that of the basketball court benches I remember from my childhood. These wooden benches were covered with tags and burn marks, and people were always drawing, for example, the name of a girlfriend. Somehow writing on the benches made them accessible to everyone, made them feel like it was their court. The court also had places where concert posters were repeatedly put up – after someone tried to rip off all of the concerts that had been, creating big clusters of papers. When I was making the chaise, I could see in my head all of these layers of concert posters. Your collage effect is really unique. How did you create that? Out one night, I met a girl who had been collecting National Geographic magazines for 20 years. She gave me a bunch, and now a big shelf in my studio is stacked with around 100 different ones. I rip out colorful pieces and then use brushes to apply acetone. Say it’s a butterfly – the color bleeds out and it gets more abstract. For the 4PM Self Build chaise, I chose a lot of photographs of coral with fish and underwater flowers. After drawing the squid, I pasted fish and underwater flowers around it in order to make a world mixed together. What impression do you hope to give with your 4PM Self Build chaise? "Really, it’s a big toy. I hope people might think, looking at the one I made, ‘I can do tags, I can draw, I can make another collage...hey, I could also do that in my own style."   Hank Grüner on instagram

PRESENTING 4PM AND 4PM SELF BUILD During Stockholm Design Week 2022, Massproductions presents the new 4PM chaise longue, made in Sweden from laminated douglas fir or cherry. In a homage to the Italian designer Enzo Mari, 4PM Self Build is also released, where you build a chaise longue yourself with the help of drawings and materials from your local hardware store. February 4 - 2022 Words by Sanna Fehrman Initially, 4PM was about creating high comfort from a hard material. The design language of the chaise is a combination of curved and flat parts and has been designed to provide the best possible comfort. In this case, Massproduction’s chair library has acted as a study in seating comfort, together with a number of prototypes developed at Massproduction’s design studio in Stockholm. It was also where the Self Build project started. Originally, 4PM Self Build was a fast model for analyzing comfort, where Massproductions’ product developers had to build multiple versions to create the right feeling. From above, the profile of 4PM tapers towards the footrest, which enables the feet to fall comfortably on both sides, something that also simplifies getting in or out. The horizontal footrest can also be used as a temporary seating area or a table surface. "We named the chaise longue 4PM, as it is the perfect time to sit back and enjoy a cup of tea. The chaise longue is a perfect place to put your feet up in the afternoon or any other time of day." - Chris Martin, Designer in Chief 4PM is available in two types of wood, Douglas fir which is characterized by its warm tone and fine grain and cherry which is slightly darker. Instructions and drawings for 4PM Self Build can be downloaded free of charge from Massproductions’ website. The material for the furniture can be purchased from approx. 50 EURO and up, depending on the material chosen. In connection with the project, the publication To Build A Chaise, written by the design writer Mairi Beautiman, will also be released. The website also sells a 4PM Self Build kit containing the publication, headrest in S rensen leather, Massproductions branding plate, certificate and feet. During Stockholm Design Week 2022, Massproductions presents the new 4PM chaise longue, made in Sweden from laminated douglas fir or cherry. In a homage to the Italian designer Enzo Mari, 4PM Self Build is also released, where you build a chaise longue yourself with the help of drawings and materials from your local hardware store. "A chaise longue is not really a piece of furniture you will ever need, but if you can afford it, it can gild everyday life. And when I say can afford, I mean can afford in terms of space, because a chaise longue takes up a lot of space in relation to its function. " - Chris Martin, Designer in Chief "Enzo Mari’s design was on another level. He was careful not to pollute the world with objects. He did not present anything that could not be justified as a long-lasting product. He had a talent that inspires you." - Chris Martin, Designer in Chief Chris Martin wanted to create a comfortable chaise longue that also has its place in a public environment, without unnecessary upholstery that may eventually need to be replaced. Chris therefore chose to add a single dressed element where it was needed most, a headrest. The headrest is adjustable in height and it is elegantly balanced on top of the backrest, and is held in place by an enclosed steel weight. The headrest is available for purchase separately for those who build their own chaise longue. "We realized that the self-built version of 4PM was cheap, simple and fun to build. You may not be able to afford 4PM, but with instructions you can make your own and get the luxury of the chaise longue, without the luxurious price tag. Maybe there is something exciting in being able to build the furniture yourself. That’s when I realized that Enzo Mari never included a chaise longue in his self-build project." - Chris Martin, Designer in Chief In 1974, the Italian designer Enzo Mari released his book ”Autoprogettazione”, consisting of drawings for 19 pieces of furniture that you can build yourself. Mari is one of Chris Martin’s great design heroes and this is where the idea for 4PM Self Build was raised. "Building something yourself gives a completely different feeling, you value the furniture more. Maybe it reminds you of building models as a child? It is a satisfaction in the work. Even if you have clear instructions, you can customize the furniture and personalize it as you wish." - Chris Martin, Designer in Chief

NEW BRAND IDENTITY BY design studio FIGUR Stockholm-based furniture company Massproductions launches a new visual identity developed by Figur. The idea behind the identity is based on the company name and highlights repetitive patterns and movements, that can often be found in industrial production. Stockholm-based furniture company Massproductions launches a new visual identity developed by design studio Figur. The idea behind the identity is based on the company name and highlights repetitive patterns and movements, that can often be found in industrial production. February 1 - 2022 Written by Sanna Fehrman  “As a furniture producer you have an endless number of applications where a strong and functional graphic identity is needed. Our new graphic identity draws inspiration from industrial processes, repetitive motions and modernism in a bold and playful way. Figur have done an absolute brilliant job in interpreting the essence of Massproductions” says Magnus Elebäck, CEO and CO-Founder of Massproductions. Central to Massproductions identity is system that refers to known industrial processes. Content stems from an M in a repetitive manner to mimic a production line. The design system is flexible in nature and scales to any given format using a fixed margin.  "I have the feeling that the colour red have been avoided lately. The saying "If you can’t make it good, make it big. If you can’t make it big, make it red" couldn’t be more wrong." - Magnus Elebäck, CEO and CO-Founder Figur and Massproductions wanted to explore a color spectrum that is often found in industries. Massproductions new primary colour palette includes the signifying M Red, which is seen as an integral part of the brand identity.  ” I have the feeling that the colour red have been avoided lately. The saying "If you can’t make it good, make it big. If you can’t make it big, make it red" couldn’t be more wrong. The red is obviously an interesting signal colour used for functions in industry and machinery. What excites me is also that we’re entering some sacred ground treaded by designers such as Vignelli and Müller-Brockmann. ” Says Magnus Elebäck, CEO and CO-Founder of Massproductions In connection with the launch of the new identity and Stockholm Design Week, Massproductions pop-up Works will open on Östgötagatan 29, on Södermalm in Stockholm. At Works, the new identity is embodied in an exhibition created by the architectural studio Specifik Generic. ”Massproductions came to us with a need to organize their visual toolbox. The outcome became the M-system; a play with the art of repetition. We created a visual identity that repeats itself to manifest the beauty of efficient industrial production, with the paradox that each application we make is anything but repetitious since the M-system adapts to any given format. Thus, we can structure information, play with hierarchy, create motion patterns, and make room for magic in-between” says Lukas Nässil and Dennis Friberg, founders of Figur. Massproductions’ typography is Basel Grotesk, created by the Swiss type foundry Optimo. Rooted in modernist typography, Basel Grotesque reinterprets key elements of this aesthetic with a new dynamism. It features characteristics that bring steadiness to both the new logotype and written content. FIGUR ON INSTAGRAM

THE CROWN JEWELS By Flora Mottini November 18 - 2021 Written by Sanna Fehrman Massproductions launches Face Lift, a new concept that aims to simplify the care and restoration of customers’ existing furniture. Face Lift is a global network of skilled upholsterers, but also a source of care guides on how to best preserve your furniture. Face Lift is also embodied in the new series “The Crown Jewels”, where Massproductions has invited four artists to recondition used Crown Armchairs. The first of these collaborations is with the Geneva-based artist Flora Mottini and is presented today. Massproductions launches Face Lift, a new concept that aims to simplify the care and restoration of customers’ existing furniture. Face Lift is a global network of skilled upholsterers, but also a source of care guides on how to best preserve your furniture. Face Lift is also embodied in the new series “The Crown Jewels”, where Massproductions has invited four artists to recondition used Crown Armchairs. The first of these collaborations is with the Geneva-based artist Flora Mottini and is presented today. When Massproductions received eight worn and dirty Crown Armchairs from a project earlier this year, they took the opportunity to give them new life. The purpose was to inspire customers to express their personality and show the possibilities of restoration. They contacted four artists who were commissioned to interpret the used chairs and make it their own. Today, artist Flora Mottini’s interpretation is presented. How did you artistic journey start? Since I was 20 years old, I have worked in different artistic fields, from interior design to theatre, and assisting students at the ECAL ( Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne). I have taken courses in graphic design, multimedia design, interior design and visual arts. I imagine that it’s through this somewhat eclectic path and all encounters along the way,  I found a way I like working as an artist. "I decided to try a more sculptural working method, as it is in a way about renewing an already used piece of furniture. It also felt more appropriate to reuse materials for the project, rather than buying new. I therefore chose to use a material that I am used to working with and that I had left in my studio." How did you go about this project? What has the process been like?  I first considered working on the Crown in paint. It seemed quit obvious to me because of its shape which presented a nice flat surface ideal for a pictorial application. However, I wasn’t satisfied with this direction, it felt too crafty, so I decided to try a more sculptural application.  I collaborated with the photographer Estelle Spirig, so that we could put the objects in the most appropriate environment according to the transformation I had applied to them. "When I work, I always start from a symbol, a recognizable figure, which I then distort and rework. In the end, we no longer know how it originally looked, but we can guess." - Flora Mottini, Artist How would you describe your artistic style? I don't know in terms of style, but my artistic practice is shaped around small imaginary stories in the form of islands. They themselves gather in the lagoon of the same archipelago, and in this pictorial space, the words bounce and are of the same substance as the images. Flora wanted to change the look of Crown’s surface and at the same time let it retain its basic shape. Crown was therefore clad in a soft foam material, a residual product from previous art projects, which was applied in a beautiful pleated form. "I am attracted to the aesthetics of the cartoons of the 30-50s, where spatial distortions, time travel and super dimensions often affect me. The notions of landscape, navigation, thresholds and horizon are present in my artistic practice. I take in impressions by observing things in my everyday life and environments I especially like, such as deserts, mountains and islands." What inspired you? The desire to totally change the appearance of the surface of Crown, while keeping its basic and functional form. This is the way I work when I draw, and more specifically when I create the figures I call Cooltoons. I always start from a symbol, a recognizable figure, then I distort it and rework it so that we don't really know what the original was like, but we can guess. Everyone projects what they want. Whats next? I am currently working on two future exhibitions that will take place in Switzerland in November 2021 and June 2022. I also work on a small monographic catalog and an edition with Miami books, to be published in spring 2022.  THE Crown Jewels In the coming year, more collaborations in the series The Crown Jewels will be presented. The Crown Armchair was designed by Chris Martin in 2015. Flora Mottini’s interpretation of the Crown Armchair can be seen in an exhibition in Massproductions new store on Östgötagatan 29 from 13 December - 20 January. Flora Mottini on instagram floramottini.com

Massproductions insiders' picks! November 10 - 2021 Words by Massproductions What’s on Massproductions insiders’ wishlists? Here three of Massproductions members tell us about their favourite pieces at the moment! What’s on Massproductions insiders’ wishlists? Here three of Massproductions members tell us about their favourite pieces at the moment! PUDDLE TABLE "I enjoy designs that breaks the traditional forms of what you expect to see, since sofa tables usually have quite a stiff feeling I enjoy the wavy shape and form of the puddle table. The shape makes the space more interesting without taking over the room." - Nils Pettersson Customer Relations  Shop Puddle Table ROSE CHAIR "It's hard to pick a favorite, but I love the Rose chair, not only due to its elegance but also the strong and durable design - you can trust it is a chair that will last for a very long time. Its harmonic and romantic appearance is the reason it was one of the first pieces i fell in with." - Helena Hansson Financial Assistant  Shop Rose Chair CROWN ARMCHAIR "Crown is absolutely one of my favorite piece. Not just because my son loves it but also the fact that I didn’t liked it at all when it was released. The design is sustainable over time it will win over your taste and become a timeless classic!" - Peter Aderstedt Sales Representative Shop Crown Armchair

VISITING The North of the Netherlands The stylist Anouk Yve lives in the north of Nederlands and is known for her timeless and elegant style with an eye for interior and design. We asked Anouk some questions about her best local spots, style and creativeness. December 20 - 2021Words by Hannah Eklund Your best local tips? I live in a small village 7 kilometers from Groningen, the biggest city in the north of the Netherlands. We have lakes, space and fresh air and there is a large creative scene which I love. Bite Side Table "Wandering around is where I get my inspiration, because I'm more aware of my surrounding and then I can open up for different things." How do you start your day?I always wake up at 7.00 no matter the day. I'm the one in the household responsible for bringing kids to school (and everything that comes with it). We always go by bike, only if it rains really hard I take the car. I enjoy the fresh morning air and school run. After I come home, make myself breakfast and open my laptop to do a round of emails. Friday cushion The sylist Anouk Yve lives in the north of Nederland’s and is known for her timeless and elegant style with an eye for interior and design. We asked Anouk some questions about her best local spots, style and creativeness. "you can display all sorts of pieces, from nice coffee books to my ceramics on the higher and lower board and I love the organic form of the two legs." When are you most inspired?When I'm by myself with no disctractions. Like for instance if I walk around in the forrest or in the city, by myself wandering around is where I get my inspiration from because I'm more aware of my surrounding and then I can open up for different things. I also get my inspirations from movies, the set design and styling of it. Bit Table Why Bit?I fell in love with the design: you can display all sorts of pieces, from nice coffee books to my ceramics of the higher and lower board and I love the organic form or the two legs. The warmth of the natural oak adds warmth to our tactile livingroom. What does creativity mean to you?It means everything to me: it's a way of living, from the choices you make to actual being creative with your hands. I practice ceramics and it really can take my mind of things. Anouk Yve on instagram