m.a.d. furniture Takes the Best of East and West

m.a.d. furniture was created in 2010 by a group of guys who wanted to shake up the furniture scene in Asia. The guys had cut their teeth designing product in that region, gathering experience and forming ideas for a furniture brand that would bring simple, modern forms to people at an affordable price.

After spending 15 years building furniture product for big box brands in Asia, U.K. native Matt Coleand New Zealander Dan Givenlinked up to form m.a.d.

“We thought we could do something better in China than what was happening,” said Mr. Cole. “Something more creative, with innovation and attention to detail, and a higher level of quality.”

Mark Daniel, creative director at m.a.d., came aboard two years after the company was founded. Based in Chicago, he and his firm had been designing largely for retail clients like Crate & Barrel and CB2.

“Matt and Dan have given me the opportunity to design for me – for myself, and the things I find fun,” said Mr. Daniel. “We’re aware of the market, but nothing we do is too trendy. We want to create something that’s lasting – modern classics; you look at our pieces, and you understand immediately what it is, how it’s made. It’s not Deco, it’s not industrial chic, it’s not a style.”

m.a.d.’s cofounders focus their design aesthetic on simplicity and usability, and the chairs, stools and tables in the brand’s product line follow suit.

“Our furniture looks really simple and clean and modern, but it’s different because it’s comfortable,” said Mr. Daniel. “We work really hard to cut the pitch angles right. When you flip it over, everything’s really tight and neat. The attention to detail is there.

Since its inception in 2010, m.a.d. furniture has matured from a brand aiming to “design and develop useful, affordable and desirable furniture for the modern urban dweller” to a progressive company with a sophisticated design ethos and an efficiency in manufacturing.

“Eight years ago, we were aiming for the retail market,” said Mr. Cole. “Over the last six years, our customers have been steering us to hospitality, and in the past two years, toward the office.”

m.a.d. furniture pieces fit well into the breakout spaces and casual lounge areas currently dominating the contract market. The company’s expansion into new markets reflect the flexible quality of its furniture.

The company’s most recent partnerships include a deal with WeWork, supplying the startup company leading the charge in coworking spaces with product on a global level.

“A lot of our furniture works really well in the middle of a space inspired by startup culture,” noted Mr. Cole.

And just last month, a brand new partnership with Steelcase went live in Asia. m.a.d. will now supply furniture under the Steelcase umbrella in China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore.

“We fill a spot in their range, supplying pieces that fit into more casual, café, canteen spaces,” said Mr. Cole. “They came out here and kicked the tires and made sure we were everything we said we were. Steelcase obviously has higher standards in place, and we’ve worked really hard to level up and meet those standards. We like to beat up our furniture.”

m.a.d. opened a new testing facility in 2018 that is enabling them to dive deeper into their passion for exploring new materials.

“Working with multi-use materials – because of the process and the fact that they’re not injection-molded, we don’t have to spend a lot of money on tooling,” says Mr. Daniel. “It’s fairly primitive, but very robust and flexibly. We can do things like offer more color options. Matt [Cole] lives in the most amazing area for materials, and the palette of materials we’re able to work with because of that is really great.”

The ROTO collection of barstools and side tables, introduced last year, is one example of m.a.d.’s penchant for exploring new materials. Its playful design takes shape through a roto-molded plastic casting process, and can be used anywhere from a collaborative breakout space in the office to an outdoor patio or a residential playroom. The side tables can be turned upside down and used as seating for added versatility.

“In our new testing facility, we can take these materials and really dig down and beat them up and see if we can use them for something,” said Mr. Cole. “It’s really important to us to be able to bring in and develop these materials, to cut off samples and put them on our testing rigs.”

m.a.d. furniture will introduce new designs in Shanghai at the upcoming China International Furniture Expo (CIFE), September 11-14. If you’re at the show, check them out!

“We’re truly an international brand, with our backgrounds in New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S.” said Mr. Cole. “Being in China allows us to keep our design accessible. It’s all made here, so it’s affordable. The term ‘democratization of design’ is probably overused, but that’s what we want. We really love seeing our furniture being used. It brings that emotion and passion to us, to see people enjoying our designs.”