Simply Hardworking Modern
This is certainly the case when it comes to Skylar Morgan Furniture + Design’s newly launched furnishings collection, a grouping defined by clean lines but elevated by the highest-end handmade materials and delightful, unexpected details. “Modern furniture can be comfortable, warm and elevate everyday living,” says Skylar Morgan Furniture + Design’s own Skylar Morgan. “But what I think turns a good piece into one that gets a second look is combining simple with surprising details— handmade and unexpected, like solid brass hinges or leather tucked inside a drawer.”
Introduced at ICFF New York this spring, SMFD’s inaugural line blooms with such detail, a collection full of warm, modern pieces in rich walnut, matte oak and fresh ash highlighted simply with black and white powder-coated metal and handmade brass hardware. “What makes a home modern is so much more than what it looks like,” remarks Morgan. “It’s how the space is lived in. To us, that means hardworking, highest-quality pieces, ones meant for life to happen over and around that make sense in the modern life. Pieces with clean lines made with simple but really special materials – beautiful…but not just meant to be admired.”
The line features a dozen pieces from tables to credenzas, chairs to stools to statement benches. Here’s a closer look into the line:
Bide Stool
Bide’s design belies Morgan’s nature as a problem-solver. Created to meet the seating needs of the studio’s hospitality clients (where function and durability sit alongside style), the stool’s elegant lines and industrial-grade engineering make it a workhorse in any setting. Bide comes standard in walnut and matte black metal, but can be ordered in a neutral rainbow of finishes ready to slide seamlessly into any modern space.
Heron Stool
“We constantly had designers come in, on the hunt for attractive bar stools so we decided to create one for them – a beautiful stool that utilized our most loved materials,” says Morgan of the Heron Stool. The materials he mentions are, by the way, solid oak; handmade, house-made brass hardware; and unbelievably soft leather sewn into a deceptively simple, streamlined cushion.
Arciform
“Old record consoles always had this interesting latticework detail across the front hiding their speakers; I created a pattern with wood slats to reflect that idea,” Skylar explains of the walnut woodwork that wraps Arciform’s curves and continues all the way across its back – a clever detail that allows the piece to shine from all sides. “I wanted it to be able to sit in the center of the room if needed.” To his point, we think this buffet with its leather-wrapped doors and vintage-meets-modern edge could handily command any vantage in a room, whether topped with a record player or with a friendly assortment of nibbles.
Stow
“We love paying homage to the materials themselves, mixing them. The impression is modest and hardworking, but designed to elevate the everyday,” says Morgan of the studio’s Stow standalone pantry. Lots of rich walnut adorns all sides of this multi-function piece, custom brass hardware makes opening it up a joy, and an internal marble countertop creates a clean vibe inside.
Y Glass Coffee Table
An iteration on a favorite piece first conceived with a solid wood top, the Y Glass Coffee Table’s smoked glass “allows you to see through the piece, and brings attention to the shape of the wood and to the 90-degree angles on the outside that meet with the interior curves, lending a more refined visual appearance,” Morgan remarks. The piece’s custom-made brass hardware help too, adding a surprising pop of both functionality (they hold the glass in place) and gorgeous, warm-modern appeal.
Check out the rest of the line (and Skylar Morgan’s other projects, featuring partnerships with a selection of top-notch architecture firms, of-the-moment chefs, and trend-forward boutique owners) on their website: skylarmorganfurniture.com