menu – DesignApplause

carrie led light by norm architects for menu.

Nov 29, 2016

in denmark, where winters are cold and long, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere is a way of life. there is even a danish word for it – hygge – which explains our national obsession with candles. the idea behind the carrie led lamp is to honor hygge in the context of modern living. lightweight and portable with a usb charger, the possibilities of the lamp are endless. use it as a bedside lamp, on an office desk or as an alternative to candles on the dining table. carrie is also perfectly sized for picnicking in the park, festival-going or moonlit walks on the beach.

designer> norm architects (dk)
material> opal glass shade, powder-coated steel base & handle, usb cable & adapter
dimensions: 5.81″w x 5.3″d x 9.6″h

internal led light source (no bulbs needed)
max luminance> 384 lumens
dimmable, 4-step (0%, 10%, 50%, 100%)
3.7v 4900mah internal rechargeable lithium battery (5-hour capacity)
detachable handle
charging cable included (usb to micro-usb)
power outlet adapter included (usb to two-blade us plug)

price> $150 usd

[ menu ]

modernism reimagined by menu. milan design week preview.

Apr 2, 2016

CO6 > CO8 hall 10
[ menu ] with a spring 2016 modernism reimagined theme debuts an entirely versatile new aesthetic to milan in 2016. the offering include a sofa, chairs, a table, several lights, a candle holder, bookshelf system, a tea kettle and a storage system.

above> godot is a comfortable and generous sofa series comprising 2- and 3-seater sofas as well as an armchair. the geometrical interior belongs to the occupant and the exterior belongs to the room. the geometry permits side by side as well as back to back. kvadrat textiles are used for the upholstery. iskos — berlin design is a partnership between boris berlin and aleksej iskos.

below> stone provides more than enlightenment to your home. the intention of norm architects was to create a soft cosy light providing the same effect as candles which could be placed in every corner of the home in order to create a cosy atmosphere. the smoky glass is mouth blown

above & below stick system: sticks that stick together, by czech designers jan plech áč & henry wielgus.

“we wanted to create a clever and aesthetically beautiful design solution for a modern generation that can be extended and adapted to fit different spaces, comments jan plecháč. wooden sticks and joints of steel is presented in various color combinations and wooden hues.

above &below> introduced in 2013, a modern take on the traditional dining chair, developed into a more refined expression and, finally, resulting in the synnes dining chair. in 2016, it has been further developed and updated with upholstery by kvadrat.

oslo-based designer, falke svatun, in 2014 set up shop with a focus on furniture, interior
pieces and low volume production objects and accessories. he has previously worked for the renowned design studios norm architects and søren rose studio.

above> the afternoon counter, cafe and bar table is yet a supplement to the afternoon chair (below) introduced in 2014. the same concept – a tribute to bauhaus and functionalism; reducing the amount of material to a minimum and enhancing the aesthetic appearance to a maximum. simple construction, with tremendous durability, the tables are very light. all tables have afteroom chairs matching its height. designed by hung-ming chen and chen-yen wei

below> the afternoon chair, drew inspiration from two modernist designs – michael thonet’s classic bentwood armchair and børge mogensen’s spanish chair. interpretation of these icons is afternoon lounge chair, with leather upholstery and steel arms that curve around to form a continuous backrest.

above> an inspiration for the lamp on the edge came after observing different private homes. a common denominator for the spaces observed reflect a more multifunctional usage of the rooms. the “on the edge” lamp is an interpretation of this tendency. suitable for indirect lighting, the versatile lamp also works as a pendant as well as a floor lamp. made of ceramic.

designed by n o i d o i, a norwegian design studio founded by kathrine lønstad and cosmin cioroiu. e-bound to a more uplifting expression.

below> eastern zen philosophy meets scandinavian design in kettle teapot. guaranteeing a perfectly brewed cup every time, this teapot will instantly become part of your daily tea drinking ritual. the tea egg is placed in the centre of the pot while the tea is steeping. when the brewing has finished, raise the egg by pulling its silicone string. designed by norm architects.

designer gifts 2015. menu.

Nov 13, 2015

[ menu’s ] philosophy is simple. We want to make the world better, less complicated, a little bit nicer to wake up to. Collaborating with super-talented designers, we make objects to be treasured now… and forever. shipping> menu will only ships to north america at this time.

[ champayne sabre by karim rashid ] “if a sabre’s too much, you’re too young”

one piece of polished, stainless steel flamboyance, for opening up a bottle of bubbly the flashy way. made by an equally flamboyant designer, the champagne sabre by karim rashid is sure to impress at dinner parties. here’s hoping for delightfully extravagant champagne experiences!

the champagne sabre is designed for opening champagne bottles swiftly and extravagantly. aim towards where the vertical seam of the bottle meets the top lip of the bottle, and strike away from the base. the normal pressure inside the bottle automatically ensures that no glass shards contaminate the champagne.

the champagne will rush out just like when a cork is removed, so be ready to pour!

click on image for lightbox

[ jwda concrete lamp ] the stockholm-based designer jonas wagell successfully mixes the delicate and the raw into a beautiful little lamp with a concrete base and a metal dimmer knob. ready to decorate your sofa table, your shelf, or the bedside table.

designer: jonas wagell
dimensions: 6.7″w x 11.4″h
concrete, brass/steel, glass
light source: 1 x 40w 120v bi-pin g9 halogen (1 included)
cord length: 6.5 feet
metal knob functions as switch and dimmer

click on image for lightbox

[ teddy ] the mascot for the entire nepal project. this soft wool teddy can be a decoration as well as a beloved toy.

“nepal projects grew from our desire to use menu as a platform for making a positive difference. many young nepali women from poor families risk being lured into prostitution. through education of children and employment of young women we offer a sound and viable alternative. the nepal projects is our way to celebrate great craftsmanship, while helping vulnerable workers secure a better future for themselves and their families.”
– bjarne hansen, owner & founder, menu a/s

menu has launched a new trade initiative, nepal projects. developed in collaboration with aid organization danida, nepal projects provides much-needed fair employment and future opportunities in one of the world’s poorest countries by combining traditional fabric working skills with a contemporary scandinavian design aesthetic. the result makes up part of our new collection of home accessories: exquisite hand-weaved scarves and blankets, puffy pillows, practical desktop containers, roomy laundry bags, and cool teddy bears for kids and grown-ups alike. himalayan cashmere, merino wool, leather and cotton of the finest quality are the main ingredients in the collection. bridging traditions of east and west, the carefully crafted items are finished in muted grey, blue, green and red tones to suit a minimalistic scandinavian home decoration style.

while production of the collection takes place in the kathmandu area, where it employs hundreds of weavers, tailors and other local craftspeople, the design process happens in collaboration with kasper rønn and jonas bjerre-poulsen of norm architects; kristine engelbrecht’s a hint of neon, both in copenhagen; as well as the stockholm-based taiwanese design duo hung-ming chen and chen-yen wei at afteroom – and the seven-strong team at note design studio.

designer: afteroom (se)
material: 100% wool
dimensions: 2.5″l x 4.5″w x 10″h
movable arms and legs
care instructions: hand-wash with wool detergent

Menu. Ambiente 2013.

Mar 27, 2013

click > enlarge

[DesignApplause ] We are in the Menu booth at Ambiente talking to CEO Peter Midgaard.
[Peter Midtgaard] I’ve been involved with menu for almost seven years. I’ve been in this business typolgy before and I’ve always liked design, and seven-plus years ago I was looking for a new business opportunity and found Menu to be interesting and bought a part of the shares and ever since have been working as CEO for the company. Menu is basically a family business created and established by Bjarne Hansen’s father Simon Hansen and was called Danish Steel House and produced most of its products in stainless steel. His son Bjarne changed it into a design company with it’s own designers and other designers and has become Menu’s brand image. Menu’s success has soared with this strategy.

[DA] How old is Menu? When did it become design-driven?
[PM] About 33 years old and about 1988 or so. It was quite a coincidence. I don’t know if you remember PETER MENTIONS A VERY FAMOUS MENU PRODUCT AND SAID THAT WAS THE START OF THE MENU DESIGN ERA.

[DA] Are you in the commercial sector in this typology?
[PM] We are moving into it. Not so deep as of yet but we will go deep in contract.

[DA] Why do you wish to go there?
[PM] We are seeing things develop in different ways. If you look at the design business and you look at the mainstream business it’s about price competition and we don’t want to participate in that business model. If we can get into the contract business we can actually go into projects that are expanding us further. We wish to move away from the mainstream part of the business. One of the things that’s helped us is contract.

[DA] Where are your big customers?
[PM] The US is our fourth biggest country and it’s growing very fast. Of the big countries the US is growing the fastest. The biggest country is Denmark but it’s only 30% of our market. We have Germany and Norway and the US.

[DA] Your not a designer but you appreciate and understand design. Do you study trends and are your products timeless?
[PM] Oh, we’re a design company for sure but what we really try to achieve is the common trends. Sometimes we are part of the trend but when we try and do something we don’t look at the trends. We actually try and anticipate what things are going to be like one-and-a-half to two years from now. We would really like to start a trend.

[DA] How many products do you have and what categories do they fall in?
[PM] We have around 400 products which include new products and classic products that have been very successful the past 10-15 years. We have our own categories. One of which we call ‘cozy’ AND AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE… Another category is called ‘ideas’ and that could a candelabra, a stand-alone kind of product that’s difficult to put into families. The ‘ideas’ category is our edgiest you might say. Let me show you an example. Here are candlestick holders that are concrete. It’s seven kilos (15.5 lbs) for the big one. Bjarke Ingels designed the pieces. It’s a very good example of ‘ideas’. Let’s go down here. Here is a series called ‘Pots’ by Benjamin Hubert. The series is for the kitchen and it’s new for Ambiente. And it’s not for the mainstream market.

[DA] Is there anything you wish to say that we haven’t covered?
[PM] In this interview? A thousand things.

weight here | bjarke ingels | 2012

pots | benjamin hubert | 2013

Norm wine breather.

Feb 11, 2011

If you are among those who prefer a more rounded glass of wine, it’s necessary to pour the wine into a carafe to aerate so acidity and bitterness will evaporate, allowing the taste and aroma to develop. This method takes at least 1-2 hours.

In less than 2 minutes, Menu’s New Norm Wine Breather aerates a bottle of wine so that it is ready to serve – in the original bottle. Just place the bottle on the table and attach the carafe to the bottleneck. Then, carefully turn the bottle over and allow the wine to flow into the carafe. Then turn the carafe over again and the wine flows back into the bottle. Salute.

designer: norm
producer: menu
materials: glass
period: 2011