Herzog & de Meuron designed a ping pong desk for UniFor

It is maybe pure {that a} product line designed by an architect would find yourself being, properly, architectural – and that is precisely the case with UniFor‘s latest furnishings mission created with the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron. To be revealed at Milan Design Week 2026, ‘MTM – Made to Measure’ was designed by the Pritzker-winning architects for the Italian workplace inside specialist to tectonic outcomes.

The launch additionally represents an concept that has been a very long time in growth. The core of ‘MTM – Made to Measure’ was initially conceived in 2022 for a standing desk prototype for Herzog & de Meuron’s Basel studio. This, in flip, helped encourage the modular benches for its Memphis Artwork Museum mission in late 2024 (the constructing opens later in 2026). This newly introduced furnishings mission and the idea’s growth in direction of its current iteration allowed the present design concepts to mature and increase, evolving by way of materials analysis and architectural pondering into a brand new life that’s larger in ambition, smoother in perform, in addition to customisable and scalable.

‘MTM – Made to Measure’ encompasses a spread of product sizes and typologies, from benches and sofas to espresso tables and even a desk tennis desk. What all of them have in widespread is their structural system, a matrix composed of strong, angled frames. Their wooden parts slot collectively in three dimensions in a model of the normal citadel joint. This creates a sturdy but slender framework system, ensuing within the piece’s strikingly light-weight proportions. It additionally signifies that ‘MTM’ may be extremely versatile, as it may be tailored for size and scale. In the meantime, as this development methodology is utilized all through the gathering, it ends in a unified look no matter product perform, whereas affording a streamlined consistency by way of manufacturing.

Complementing the body’s swish look, the upholstered parts within the assortment are clad in cork leather-based, which brings an sudden, pleasingly tactile and sturdy look. The architects have been launched to cork whereas searching for renewable materials options throughout their furnishings growth work for the Pérez Artwork Museum in Miami (which opened in 2013). Drawn to the fabric’s texture, really feel and potential for customisation, they began utilizing it in a number of of their initiatives, together with the upcoming Memphis Artwork Museum. Right here, the fabric palette additionally contains structural parts in strong wooden and desk tops in travertine, colored glass and polished metal.

‘The energy of the sequence lies in its versatility,’ says Ascan Mergenthaler, the senior companion in cost. ‘It’s designed – as its identify suggests – to be made to measure in its precise use, bodily dimensions, function, and materials high quality. This sequence of furnishings items is meant to carry individuals collectively. Whether or not as a big work or eating desk, a bunch of sofas and benches, or a playful gathering round a desk tennis desk, the items encourage change and shared time. Their beneficiant dimensions additionally make it straightforward for bigger teams to return collectively.’