HELIOT EMIL x NM3 craft a series of interior objects that embody austere geometry

When it comes to home interiors, we more often than not, pursue an aesthetic that pacifies and makes a statement, but subtly. This burgeoning propensity towards a muted and earthy visage in interior design is evident in the surging popularity of minimalism, Japanese design and Scandinavian styles. Often encapsulating elements of comfort, warmth and tranquillity, living spaces rarely ever allude to a sharp flair, a reckless nerve, and a resounding statement. In this collection of interior objects, soft curves segue into sharp silhouettes, homely warmth transitions into metallic frigidity, and ‘blending in’ is replaced by ‘standing out.’ Is it time to adulterate the humble domestic palette with a little edge?

HELIOT EMIL, a luxury fashion brand based in Copenhagen, Denmark, collaborates with NM3, a Milan-based interior design and architecture office run by Nicolò Ornaghi, Delfino Sisto Legnani and Francesco Zorzi, on a series of striking interior objects. Project 001 marks the beginning of an ongoing exploration into the expansion of the HELIOT EMIL universe. The NM3 and Heliot Emil alliance focuses on specificity through industrial elements that are assembled using various techniques, focusing on form, composition, raw material and strict geometric conditions. The six product designs that constitute the ensemble include a vase, a tray, stool designs, a dripper stand and a fruit holder.

Since their debut collection which was showcased in Milan during spring / summer 17 season, HELIOT EMIL’s expedition has been one that courses through the creative milieu while riding the waves of exploration. Their distinctive aesthetic is diligently developed with custom fabrics, hardware and materials—each hardware detail etched with form and function in mind. Experimentation and a high attention to detail are protagonists in every collection they conceive. HELIOT EMIL aspires to further fortify the brand and expand their semantic dialogue with the creative community without jeopardising their tenets. With an aim to traverse both physical spaces and experiences, the brand joined forces with NM3, a collective with fairly concurrent foci.

NM3’s oeuvre stretches across interior design, products design, and custom furniture design with a strong emphasis on raw material and geometric austerity—a characteristic conspicuous in their recent endeavour. The Milan design collective extricates precision through the strict ordinary. ‘Average’ and seemingly bleak industrial elements come together through common techniques, focusing on form and composition which is underpinned by their ordinary abstractness and incessant possibilities in tandem. Both the collaborators are on the same wavelength in terms of their design philosophy of industrial elegance—an expertise that finds home in the different objects they concoct for home interiors. The products of the collection will be sold in collaboration with online retailer SSENSE.

The intriguing designs collectively demand a second look and invite, almost coerce, engagement. The angular vase, for instance, sits stably despite a silhouette that speaks of irregularity. The nuts and bolts along with joinery details often concealed, embellish the sleek composition—the bolts emulating tiny nodes on the body of a puzzling alien being. The fruit holder, nothing more than two intersecting planes, embodies minimalism in its structure. The assemblage is stripped down to essentials, achieving an elementary form that infallibly caters to function. The dripper stand in an amalgam of three components: a linear frame that functions as a base and also ascends to take form of a parallel plane above, a cylindrical vessel perched on the base, and the brewing cone, a levitating inverted pyramid that penetrates through the metal plane. The tray and stool reiterate a similar linearity and simplicity, symbolising newer configurations that culminate from the encounter of perpendicular stainless steel sheets.

In Project 001, the creative languages of the partners interweave to birth an ensemble that exudes a futuristic presence, bringing to light objects that one would envision in innovative spaces ahead of their time. The troupe nudges the viewer, first visually, by presenting an enticing image, then mentally, implanting inquisitive thoughts in the mind, and finally tangibly, as one explores its cold and sleek materiality and precise details. With their series of interior objects, HELIOT EMIL and NM3 breathe life into meticulously crafted geometry, introducing elements that, as opposed to being humble means of relaxation, will be definite head-turners.