Form & Refine relies on the power of authenticity, origin and alpacas
Nordic design traditions play an essential role in Form & Refine's collections that include furniture, textiles and accessories.
THE STORY OF THE DANISH design brand Form & Refine started in the Bolivian highlands. The founding members Helle Herman Mortensen, Jonas Herman Pedersen and Lasse Lund Lauridsen traveled for six months in South America, particularly in Bolivia, where they stayed with alpaca breeders and eventually became friends with them.
The unique and exquisite quality of the alpaca wool, known as the Fiber of the Gods, and its importance to the local cooperative, stayed in the mind even after the trio had returned to Denmark.
“It was then when we created our brand: using the finest materials in the world, with nearby local production to ensure a low impact on the environment but also to ensure the local community and its social aspects”, founding member Lasse Lund Lauridsen explains the origins of the brand.
The founders of Form & Refine, Jonas Herman Pedersen (left), Lasse Lund Lauridsen and Helle Herman Mortensen, believe that the best manufacturing skills for each material are found from the country of its origin.
The company, founded in 2018, was named Form & Refine. Its design philosophy is based not only on Scandinavian aesthetics and premium quality materials, but also on ecological and ethical values: when materials are produced and refined in their place of origin, the carbon footprint of production remains small. At the same time, this strengthens the position and livelihood of the original handicraft cultures.
The design philosophy of Form & Refine is based not only on Scandinavian aesthetics and premium quality materials, but also on ecological and ethical values.
Motif armchair features a slender design perfected with linen webbing and small armrests. The Damsbo dining table can be extended with two plates on both ends.
The lively surface of the seat and backrest is created by twining together linen webbings in two different widths: 35 mm horizontally and 50 mm vertically.
A Line is a solid oak stowaway bench perfected by a beautiful leather handle on the cover.
Form & Refine’s textiles, such as the Aymara blankets and cushions of alpaca wool, are made in Bolivia. The light grey ceramic collection Alcoa comes from Portugal.
At present, there are two partners in Denmark: the Damsbo forest on the island of Funen is the source of wood for locally made furniture, including the sturdy Damsbo dining table, and the third generation of the Danish Werner family makes the Shoemaker Chair, originally released in 1936.
Form & Refine’s textiles, such as the Aymara blankets and cushions of alpaca wool, are made in Bolivia.
The name of the Alcoa collection refers to the region of Alcobaça in Portugal, where the items have been manufactured. The fine, white clay of Alcobaça has created a strong pottery culture into the region.
The wool for the luxuriously soft Aymara blanket comes from Bolivian alpacas and it is produced by skilful, local artisans.
The unique, adjustable construction makes the Stilk table an excellent pair for an armchair or bed, and it also works as a freestanding table in any room.
Lauridsen says that finding the right partners is often a slow and challenging process.
“Meeting the alpaca farmers in Bolivia only happen because we travel and got deeper and deeper into the country and culture. In Portugal we had to try so many artisans before we got the right one. However in Denmark we already had some good contact to specific workshops we always wanted to work with - we just had to present our idea and brands”, Lauridsen says.
The highly positive welcome received by the products has exceeded all expectations of the founding trio – for example, the first batch of alpaca blankets was sold out in a couple of weeks. Future plans for products include ones that utilize surplus material from factories, including a bag collection in cooperation with textile manufacturer Kvadrat and leather manufacturer Sørensen.
See also:
• All products by Form & Refine >
Photos: Form & Refine
Published on 26 Nov, 2019
