STORIESINDESIGN
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STORIESINDESIGN
Live from Milan: Tongue & Groove, Raw Edges and Established & Sons
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Podcast pop from Salone del Mobile: Live from the Established & Sons stand in Milan, Richard Karsay of Tongue & Groove is joined by Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay from Raw Edges for some rapid-fire insights into the collaboration and Milan Design Week as a whole.
STORIESINDESIGN
Welcome to a very unique Milan pop uh on the ground here at the installation at the fair in Milan Design Week. I'm gonna start by asking you to quickly introduce yourselves, please. I'm uh Richard Casey, the owner of Tanum Groove Flooring.
SPEAKER_01And we are Yael and Sh and Yael and Yael and Shay from Raw Edges, the designer, um furniture designer and product designer based in London.
SPEAKER_03Do you want to say the same thing differently?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I'm Yael Mayer, I'm a half of Raw Edges Design Studio. This is the other half, Shayel Kalaya.
SPEAKER_03Great. Well, we're uh as we speak, we're gathering a bit of a crowd who are curiously watching what we're doing. Let's start with big picture explanation of the collaboration. Now I understand you've collaborated in the past, is that right? So maybe you could explain a bit of that background and then also what's led you to this current collaboration today. Who would like to start?
SPEAKER_02Um, so probably a year ago, we uh got introduced to Establish and Sons and Royce Studio uh through a colleague and uh saw a collab uh collection they'd done called Wall to Wall, uh, which we thought was an incredible concept. Um, taking, I guess, a traditional herringbone block and really um introducing colour to allow you to create the most incredible patterns um which had never been done before. We hadn't seen it done before. Um, so we we got introduced to um Rawhead Studio and established, and we got on to looking at how we could be part of that journey. Um, because it was launched quite some time ago. Um, but when we and then when we got in touch with them and we looked at it, we realized we could probably make it a little bit better than what it was from a manufacturing point of view. Um, so we then took that in-house and we we we uh launched our first collaboration with them uh in the three of us, and uh we created a beautiful block that now I think elevates it even further than what it was. Uh, and then in November uh last year, so a few months ago, um we were given a concept of a really beautiful, plain, and simple concept that we thought had not been done before. Uh and I might actually let Shay to you more in depth about that, but uh yeah, I'll I'll pass the microphone on.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, from my perspective, uh Wall to Wall is a project that we started as a uh almost like an art installation. We've been awarded the designer of the future back in 2009 by uh design Miami Basel. And part of the installation, we did um a colorful flooring, which we literally took uh off the shelf herringbone blocks, we stained them in many colors and we created what we thought would represent the Swiss uh landscape uh uh color-wise. Uh, and then establish Ans and took it over. We did an installation in the gallery, and follow that we designed, I think, floors for about 40 of Stella McCartney stores. So this the start of the project, the concept was really high profile, and um, but it actually was never managed to tend to be a product, even though uh established try over the time, because what we we missed the third link, which would be someone from the flooring industry, because in the end of the day, furniture and flooring is two different markets, and this is where Tony Groove came to the picture. And this uh particular the uh gridwalks idea came uh actually quite quite some time ago because uh we love modernist architecture. We grew up in a barhouse environment in Tel Aviv before moving to London. Uh, we love uh brutalist architecture in London. We used to live in a barbecue as well and places like that, where you often see grid flooring, usually tiles. And when it comes to wooden flooring, it's never simple grid. It's either planks or herringbone or chevron or complex decorative other patterns that are more classic European style. And we just wanted to make something simple and couldn't find. And when we showed it to Richard, we couldn't be more glad to see that um he was keen to um to take it further.
SPEAKER_00So um back to 2009 when we started the project, when we started kind of like exploring flooring, so we were very fascinated with the relationship of uh herringbone in flooring and herringbone in textile. So this is how we introduced the colour. So like we created patterns that are maybe commons in uh textile, but not so much in flooring. And also, like we really like the idea of introducing colour, but still keep the qualities of wood. So when you look closely, like you really see how the grain appears and like how beautiful it is. Um, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So let's turn to the significance of being here at Milan Design Week. I know there's been a bit of talk maybe about the uh the global reach or the significance of this kind of collaboration for what it means globally, and that's speaking from us in a Australia perspective as well. What's the significance for all of you of being here at Milan Design Week at Salone right now?
SPEAKER_02I think the significance is quite a big one for us. We've not obviously been on an international um design uh show as yet. Uh, we've done many projects internationally, but not actually exhibited at a uh a design fair, especially one of this scale. Um so for us, it's it's a massive opportunity uh for this um partnership to really prosper and and and go beyond where we thought we could in front of so many amazing people and more importantly targeted to our direct reach, which is the the you know design community.
SPEAKER_03Significance of being here at Milan Design Week.
SPEAKER_00Um yes, so like it's very significant for us to be now in Milan because it's a very unique year for us. We have many new products, and also like being here part of like with Onen Group and Establishing Sans, because with Establishing Sans, we have a long history. So we launched uh one of the products many, many years ago, and now it's relaunched. So there is um it's actually really nice celebration to to reintroduce and uh to show old classics.
SPEAKER_01And uh and it's also uh it's significant in a way that you launch a new product and you never know, especially flooring, uh you never know what the reaction would be. Because here we're gonna, it's almost a potential. We introduced a new idea in several colors, and now we're gonna throw it to the hands of the architects and interior designers, and we want to see their reaction and what they're gonna do with that. And uh, I really hope for a positive uh feedback.
SPEAKER_03If I could just ask a pragmatic question quickly, I'd uh again on the point of the collaboration. Could you just walk us through exactly what the roles and responsibilities are? So I know there's a obviously a creative element, there is a there's marketing, there's distribution, there's manufacture, all of these different kinds of things. Can you just walk us through who exactly is doing what? And in in in the briefest uh possible form, I think would be a good idea. Who would like to have a crack at that?
SPEAKER_01Maybe Richard, have a better understanding.
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, I guess I mean I think the the key to any good partnership is having clear defined roles of who's doing what. Um, obviously, as as Shane mentioned earlier, we are a flooring specialist. Uh, we've been doing it for 15 years uh and manufacturing the best products that you can. So I think for us, we're the manufacturer. Um Raw Edges is really the the creative uh behind all of it. And I think they've done an incredible job so far. And for us, establish then becomes a distributor. And um obviously with a huge global reach or existing global reach, it's it's a great opportunity for us to plug into that as well as a great partnership.
SPEAKER_01Let's uh summarise it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, well, we might start to wrap up with a few quick fire thoughts about again about Milan and about the collaboration and about the particular uh stand or stall or installation, however you'd like to describe it. I know this is slightly unfair on you because uh you were telling me off uh just now that it not only is your first visit, but I think you've maybe been in the one space so far. So either give me highlights, something you're looking forward to, or something that you were excited about, potentially seeing that you haven't seen yet for Milan this year. We'll start at the other end.
SPEAKER_00I can start. It's a bit hard because I think this is the first tenant we've visited.
SPEAKER_01I'm just gonna take my approach for your question. So for me, Milan is about meeting people, because it's the one point in the year that everyone is coming from all over the world. Just to give you an example, uh, we had lunch yesterday in the street in Brera, and we sat on a table, and next to us there was a guy from Living Edge, Australia. The other side, uh Elder Corps Brazil journalist. So we found ourselves like eating pasta and chatting with like people from the industry, and then uh passing by uh another client from Switzerland, and it's just like you know, it is what it is. You you go there and you bump into people from literally all over the world. We just had a journalist from Japan coming to interview us, and you do that. I mean, you there is no other place you can do it but during Salone.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, anything you might be looking forward to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, look, I think for us, there's obviously a huge opportunity to explore, you know, what the market leaders are doing, not just in our industry, probably not in our industry at all, but probably more across the board, you know, any design, um, whether it's furniture, lighting, um, you know, it's it's definitely an aspirational place. And on top of that, I think meeting people like Shay mentioned was is a huge opportunity.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I'm gonna finish with one final very quickfire thing. Give me one impression, it's one thing that you like about the the stand the setting that we're in. It's quite distinctive. It's on a corner, it's got a uh quite a sculptural piece. Give me one thing that you can see around us that you're inspired by, uh surprised by, struck by.
SPEAKER_01I gonna surprise you. You know what really surprising? Do you know that these headphones are wireless?
SPEAKER_03Oh very chic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, very chic and the colour matches the uh and referring to the 80s, which is I don't know, you guys older you guys are uh we remember the 80s. Um no, sorry.
SPEAKER_00Uh what's surprising about the stand? Um I think like there is something about the journey about the stand. So like you go and you explore, and like there is just kind of like the path is just really, really nice. And there are some new pieces and there are some old pieces, and I think it's kind of like wherever you walk, there is some discovery. I have more to say.
SPEAKER_01Uh so you recently, like in the last few years, it's become a new trend that most of the stand, if you look around you, you will see that uh high walls and you can't see what's going inside. You cannot go in unless you queue for over an hour and you have to register or get an invitation, and it's become a situation when you don't feel very welcome, and I find it very disappointing. And uh it's a lot to do with data collecting and control with coming to see your uh the stand. And I appreciate establishing stand just doing it open, and you see how successful it is because people feel welcome, people feel comfortable, and it's just you know, buzzing and hectic and beautiful. And in the past, all the stands used to be like that, and um, I wish you would be like that again.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think, like Shay said, I think the openness is amazing, but I think one of the biggest things for me is the colour. The colour really draws you in. It's kind of everything is either black or white, or it's very subdued, whereas this gives you a sense of energy and and welcoming to come inside and uh experience the you know what's on display.
SPEAKER_03Thank you all. Uh enjoy the rest of your Milan Design Week.
SPEAKER_01Thank you very much. Cheers, thank you.