Layer

Layer Collection by Mathieu Gustafsson presents a subtle play with geometries, all in a single piece of furniture. Not entirely open, not completely closed. Is it a little gnome peeping out, or is it a valuable piece of ceramics?

The exact form and the exposed grain of the oak veneer set in horizontal and vertical patterns shape a distinct elegance with a minimalist take. And sure enough, there will always be a need to hide away kitchenware, treasured books, and valuables. Layer transforms otherwise simple storage into a valuable cabinet endowed with a distinct character. The graphic expression will grant a precious addition to a home, an office, a hotel lobby, and a restaurant. Layer has been meticulously crafted with a penchant for voluminosity, dynamics, and rhythm. No handles cluttering the surface, just use the small openings to slide it open or shut.

"It is quite a minimalistic design," admits Mathieu Gustafsson, "but if the form is reduced, the sliced veneer and its placement does accentuate surfaces and directions. The half-closed slots give a hint on what is inside."

Revealing and hiding, Layer excels in exact proportions with the whole structure built out of massive oak. In a time of incessant digital browsing, this is a truly analog design calling out for the real world. With clean lines, lightness, and solidity, Layer is both an homage to the past and a leap into the future. By reinterpreting a known typology, Mathieu Gustafsson manages to create a contemporary yet timeless sensibility.

"What is in my cabinet at home? I try to reduce the clutter, but I have lots of models and prototypes that I want to keep but are better stowed away. And every time I go back to France I shop for antique French ceramics and rare advertising objects like a clock in the shape of a Bayonne ham that would sit on top of a butcher’s shelf. The openings will trigger your curiosity to explore what is inside."
Layer is a distant cousin to Mathieu Gustafsson’s earlier cabinet Air and amplify Design House Stockholm’s offer of storage with a distinctive design character.

"You need beautiful cabinets to store your porcelain, linen, books," says Anders Färdig, founder of Design House Stockholm. "It is a furniture piece that will give a distinct uniqueness to any room. Layer can stand all by itself with its back exposed at home, in an office, as well a in any public place."