Viga in the words of the designer - Yonoh Studio

The Viga collection is the latest creation of Yonoh Studio, made in collaboration with .mdd. Stepping aside from trends, the idea behind this furniture family has always been providing both private users and companies, the perfect environment for a redefined workspace.

What was the inspiration behind the Viga family?

Working with .mdd, we wanted to do something really different to what we have done before. We wanted to create an entirely new office furniture system. All the time, we kept versatility and adaptiveness in mind. We have noticed that nowadays, static and monolithic environments feel a bit old. Modern companies – and therefore users – are swiftly shifting to more hybrid territories: at the office they want to feel as comfortable as at home, and at home they need the functionality of an office. They invite more warm light, soft fabrics and natural materials into the office, and arrange more professional working stations at homes. With Viga, we wanted to create furniture that is at the same time user-friendly and functional, and that can be arranged in offices and at homes. To achieve that, we wanted to bring the best of both worlds to the collection. As a result, Viga seamlessly combines the warmth of wood with the industrial lines of extruded aluminum. The beam compliments wooden finishes, and from here, the whole family grows and develops.

What drives you while designing furniture?

Our inspiration has many sources. The most important one is our constant work. We both believe in the meticulous study of every small feature. We usually take small ideas or concepts of various themes, such as nature or architecture, and intermingle them together. Our main influences are the Spanish culture and Mediterranean way of living: close to the sea, in the warmth of the sun. We want to incorporate this feeling into our designs, but we are also inspired by other design styles, such as the functionality of the Scandinavian furniture. Our design philosophy is simplicity, innovation and originality. We try to stray from extravagance to create functional designs. We approach each project with attention to details and hard work. That is how our new designs are born – pieces balanced in terms of aesthetics and functionality.

What were the features you wanted Viga to have?

The aim of the project were modularity and refined details. The whole collection revolves around one strong, core element made of extruded aluminum. A central piece that we attached other elements to. From there we tried to find shapes we really liked, and felt they are “Yonoh” shapes – true to our design style. That means approaching the design with human scale and shapes, mixing the human perspective with the industrial feel. To emphasize the modularity, every piece in the collection comes in various sizes, as the central beam allows for widening of the construction. As a whole, Viga displays great customizability and unlimited options for a professional workspace, be it at home or in the office. It is further enhanced by the combination of the friendly wood and raw aluminum. Desks and tables in the collection can be equipped with various storage options and practical accessories that maximise the user experience. Highly functional, Viga furniture features as few elements as possible – avoiding cluttered and overwhelming working environments. It is impressive, how that simple structure of the beam supports a whole table. For us, it is the most distinctive feature of Viga.

What is your design process?

In fact, as we are a duo, we have two different ways of working, but we managed to develop a methodology that combines them both. We do not really flirt with trends, and popular aesthetics. Each new design starts with a briefing from a company we want to collaborate with. We read the briefing carefully to establish what is needed. Then we do a bit of research – we check what is already on the market, what the company has in the offer and what are its possibilities. We can find much inspiration in that. We try to stay relaxed and wait for the right idea we are confident in. Then we start the creative process of developing it into design and refining it. What we also do, is to design for ourselves, “for the drawer”. We find ideas and inspiration in almost everything we come across in our everyday lives. Driven by that, we make little designs, conceptual drawings – just quick sketches of the idea that appeared. Later, when we are working on a briefing, we come back to those concepts, checking if there maybe already is something that will match the needs and parameters of the project and work on it, to develop a refined design.

How was working with .mdd for you?

We have known .mdd for a while, and followed your products and development with interest. When we approached one another, both parties immediately saw the perfect way to start working together. This cooperation allowed us to design something new, something we were not able to do before. And although it was quite a challenge for us, we’ve had a lot of help from the .mdd team. Thanks to that, we felt confident we can do a challenging product, much bigger than our previous works. The production process was perfectly adjusted to our ideas and designs. It was challenging to design a big collection without any compromise on its functionality. It was also our first time using the extruded aluminum, so we had to learn about the material as well. But we were really happy to be able to do it differently, to find new ways of working. We were also very impressed by how fast the .mdd team works, how quickly the design was developed in the factory.

How did your initial decisions influence the design of Viga?

We had this initial idea we really loved, to create modular furniture applying the extrusion process. From the very beginning, we wanted to use extruded aluminium – and that helped us make Viga a sustainable collection. It is completely recyclable, so the beam can be repurposed or reclaimed in the future. By creating big aluminum pieces and bigger furniture, we were also able to decrease the quantity of parts needed to create each. Thus, the whole collection becomes truly modular. That allowed to design fewer but more versatile furniture. We imagined those big arrangements, that as a whole could be placed in bigger or more open spaces, such as offices. But then, thanks to additional elements and accessories, each piece of furniture can be customised to meet the needs of the space and the user. Apart from that, the furniture can be used individually in smaller spaces, even at homes. The user really can do everything they want with their desk or table – mix it, add storage, or even close the space around them. As a result, our small idea became bigger, as new possibilities started to appear in our minds, we saw many places and arrangements to put Viga in.