THE MAKING OF
Designer Thomas Bentzen starts the process behind most of his designs by posing himself a challenge. Prior to the launch of his most recent design for Muuto, the Sketch Toolbox, we sat down to look back at the daunting task of figuring out how to cast it in one monolithic piece.
A frequent collaborator of Muuto, Thomas Bentzen starts every project by identifying a challenge to overcome. For the new Sketch Toolbox, he set out to find a way to cast the intricate design in one monolithic piece of recycled ABS plastic.
The result is a gentle and universal design that quickly feels indispensable in the home, office or workshop. Its silhouette is subtly modeled on that of a house, in its most elemental form.
"The design, with all of its angles, nooks and crannies, took months to solve, in close dialogue with the manufacturer right here in Denmark. I sent them sketches, they sent them back telling me what couldn’t be done, I adjusted. It was a bit of a ping pong between us, the last adjustments being microscopic but crucial to create its characteristic shape," — Thomas Bentzen
"Making physical models of ideas and sketches allows me to just create and experiment underway. To ask myself: when is it functional? When does it have character? It is interesting to play with that balance.
Yet the truly special moment is looking at them all afterward, with a different gaze and realizing that something interesting has occurred in the process or evolved. I ran with the idea of an architectural quality — quite literally a house with room for all of your stuff — while trying to keep some of the original references."
"Being cast in one piece and in one material without using glue or screws, it is a process as simple as can be, yet immensely complex to produce. There are no excessive, expensive processes involved. It’s a very straight-forward design of really high quality, he says, giving a little knock on the back of Sketch."Thomas Bentzen
A crucial element of the design is the handle, signaling that it is a piece to use to store a myriad of things in many places and ways. Having designed the Linear System Series for Muuto, a multipurpose system speaking to the ever evolving needs of the contemporary workplace, he knew the importance of being able to take your work and tools with you anywhere.
"The portable element is so important, because our way of working or creating has shifted. We don’t necessarily have a fixed workspace as we move around across multiple surfaces at home and at work."Thomas Bentzen
Like a house, the toolbox has various rooms to accommodate specific functions and needs. In his own studio, Sketch Toolbox holds his tools for 3D printing in the workshop and pencils for drawing at his table.
He’s seen it in the bedroom, bathroom, on the kitchen table or by the stove. The toolbox feels truly at home where we create. It is there to hold your tools, whatever they may be; crayons, cutlery or pearls.
"My youngest son draws in his bedroom, in the kitchen, on the floor. If it wouldn’t have that handle, he wouldn’t bring it with him. I’m happy to see he does," — Thomas Bentzen ends.
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