MOEBE is a design studio creating consciously made furniture and lifestyle objects, with great details that last a lifetime. It's that simple.
Designing intelligently constructed and high-quality pieces that promote simplicity. Encourage a life without distractions, joining a growing movement of people who crave honesty, simplification and the need for ‘less’.
Founders Martin de Neergard Christensen, Nicholas Oldroyd, both architects, and cabinet maker Anders Thams, took a pause in their day to answer the THE CONSIDERED EDIT 10 Questions from their studio workshop on the island of Amager in Copenhagen.
Their words conjure up a combination of great connection and authenticity, all which make the MOEBE philosophy make so much sense.
What has brought you to where you currently are in your life?
Hard work, experimentation, and friendship. When the three of us started MOEBE back in 2014, we didn’t have a ten-year plan for what we wanted to achieve. We just knew that we shared a certain perspective on design and a commitment to pushing each other to be better and to make better things. And here we are all these years later, still working shoulder to shoulder. And we couldn’t be happier.
Who or what influences you, and why?
With a background as architects and cabinet makers, a lot of our inspiration lies outside of the traditional world of design, even though we all work as designers today. The Bauhaus movement has been hugely inspirational for anyone interested in functional design, but we also look at everything from mid-century Danish architecture to traditional Japanese crafts. There’s something interesting to us in this middle ground between traditional craftsmanship and modern out-of-the-box thinking.
When you are not working where will we find you?
We take our work very seriously, but we all know the importance of turning that part of your brain off for a little while to rest and recharge. As three fathers, you’ll mostly find us hanging out with our families. In that way, Copenhagen is a fantastic city to live in. You’re never too far from a park, a forest, or the ocean.
What is your all-time favourite trend?
The idea of a trend is actually something that doesn’t sit too well with us. As designers, we’re very conscious of making things that can last a lifetime, so trends can be a tempting but ultimately unfruitful diversion. However, we’re very happy to see a general trend towards sustainability, with more companies making products that can easily be repaired, instead of replaced. All of our designs are component-based, and making spare parts available has always been at the centre of what we do. So that’s one trend we would like to see continue!
What inspires you about where you live?
Copenhagen, and Denmark in general has a long and proud history of design, and a lot of Danes grow up surrounded by well-designed things, particularly furniture. But what also makes Copenhagen so interesting is that it’s also a modern, international city, and very welcoming of new ideas. The Danes are always interested in what they can learn from others, and I think that’s something worth celebrating.
Describe your dream home.
Simple, uncluttered, but full of life. In many ways, it’s at the heart of the MOEBE philosophy, but it’s also how we ourselves want to live. To us, a perfect home is one that is filled with furniture and personal items that you love, and that you want to be around for a very long time. Things that you connect with on an emotional level, but that don’t take over from what’s really important. It could be an old house in the country or a modest apartment in a city, it doesn’t really matter. It’s all about how you choose to live in it.
When working on a new project, how do you overcome fears or challenges?
Being true to yourself, and being around people that you trust. It’s as simple as that. Our design process at MOEBE is collaborative, and we work closely with each other and our colleagues throughout the whole process. If you want to break the mould and make genuinely interesting and forward-thinking designs, you have to be comfortable knowing that your first idea won’t always be the best. You have to be comfortable with putting yourself out there, and for that to happen you need to be surrounded by supportive people.
What is your greatest accomplishment to date and what do you still want to accomplish?
There’s so much that we still want to do. We’ve shown the world the MOEBE take on a shelving system, on hanging pendants, and on dining tables, but there’s still so much more to experiment with. We’re always working on ideas, and even in the next few months, we have lots of new things to share. It’s an exciting time for us! It’s so difficult to highlight just one thing we’ve done, as we’re proud of each and every design. Perhaps that’s up to you to decide.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Up until now, we have designed all of our products in-house, but it might not always be that way. As MOEBE grows and changes, we’re excited at the prospect of inviting other designers into our world. Over the last decade, we have worked hard to define what makes a MOEBE design, but perhaps now we’re at a place where it’s clear to others what exactly that is. And hey, the three of us came from architecture and cabinet making, so perhaps the outsider perspective is part of what keeps things interesting,
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Keep going! Trying to do things differently as a designer can be a real challenge, particularly when you’re at the start of your career. Purposely designing products to be modular so that we could make sure that we could always offer spare parts was seen as a bit unusual when we started out. But I’m glad that we did, and I’m proud of us for committing to it from an early stage. If you think something is worth doing, keep going!
Thank you Martin, Nicholas, and Anders for letting us get to know you all a little better.
SHOP THE MOEBE COLLECTION
