Fogia and Monica Förster Unveil New Table System Made in Groundbreaking New Marble Waste Material.
During 3 Days of Design, Fogia and one of Scandinavias leading designers, the multi awarded Monica Förster are launching Kern – an expressive collection consisting of a coffee table and side table, both crafted entirely from OUTT, a groundbreaking and sustainable new material made from waste sourced from marble quarries in Northern Italy.
Kern is a system of tables offering various options, asymmetrical forms and different combinations, multiple heights, and both long or square configurations, allowing for versatile use of the design.
Award-winning Swedish furniture maker Fogia is known for making products that blend thought-provoking design with timeless materials and expert craftsmanship. The brand is unafraid to pave the way for new design thinking and to push the development of new materials and production methods.
Monica Förster approached Fogia with her table designs after discovering the potential of OUTT, a groundbreaking material offering numerous creative possibilities. Fogia is proud to now be the first design brand to incorporate this innovative material into its collection.
(Photography by Maja Johansson, courtesy of Fogia.)
The material is the outcome of an innovative manufacturing process that enables the reuse of not only marble chips (which have long been used to make terrazzo, for example) but also marble dust, which here functions as a binder. Through a refined, patented process, these remnants are transformed into architectural materials. The result is a material with a unique character, with a marble content as high as 85%, the rest being cement.
Kern is as much a sculpture as it is a table. Your eyes, as well as your hands, are drawn to it. It isn’t enough to look at Kern – you must run your fingertips across its slightly uneven surface: brushed, rather than polished, to emphasize the material’s natural characteristics.
“At Fogia, we are always eager to find new exciting collaborations, especially those involving bold and innovative design and materials. When Monica approached us with this idea, we were instantly intrigued. We are very proud to be involved in producing Monica’s tables and to be the first manufacturer to use this material”, says Marcus Huber, CEO of Fogia.
“This is a completely new material with a fascinating appearance,” explains Förster. “We worked with the material as the project’s starting point, which is what led us to create a brutalist furniture piece. But we ended up softening that by breaking off the corners. The breaks are done by hand, so no two tables are identical.”
Monica Förster Design Studio draws inspiration from a wide range of disciplines to create products and spaces that push boundaries and challenge conventions. Under Monica’s visionary leadership and deep passion for creativity and innovation, the studio continually strives for excellence, delivering designs that aim to make a meaningful, positive impact on the world.
Förster describes the process behind Kern as open and exploratory. For example, the idea of breaking off the corners arose fortuitously when a material sample arrived in the same state. The fact that a process is open doesn’t mean it’s aimless or haphazard. For Förster, there’s always a fundamental problem to solve, which in this case was how to interpret the material. And, after all, serendipity isn’t just about stumbling on something valuable; it’s equally about recognizing and harnessing its value.
The Kern tables have a bold physical presence and are equally suitable for outdoor and indoor environments. The material’s weight and history contrast with the lightness and elegance of the furniture. In this way, Kern manages to be massive, yet graceful, and primitive, yet sophisticated.
“To me, it’s like unlocking a world within. Finding the inherent poetry of each object, so people can connect with it emotionally and keep it for a long time. I believe that using your hands in creation plays a big role in that poetry. It lets the object speak to the heart,” says Förster.
Kern Coffee Table & Kern Side Table
Product Information:
- Design
- Monica Förster
- Material
- OUTT
- Color
- White, Grey and Brown terracotta
- Size
- Kern Coffee Table – H: 330 mm W: 800 mm D: 370 mm
- Kern Side table – H: 400 or 450 mm W: 330 mm D: 250 mm
Fogia
www.fogia.com | @fogiacollection
Fogia is an award-winning Swedish design company and furniture producer, collaborating with some of today’s most progressive contemporary designers. Rooted in the traditions of Scandinavian design-with a hint of Italian elegance – Fogia creates furniture that speaks to both heart and mind.
Fogia believes design should stir emotions and spark imagination, and doesn’t see furniture as just functional objects, but as pieces with personality and presence. That’s why Fogia collaborate with designers who challenge conventions and, like Fogia, aim to create honest, expressive furniture that stands the test of time-always inspiring, never ordinary.
Fogia have a deep respect for ideas, and with that, a deep respect for craftsmanship. Most of the pieces are made in Fogia’s own factory by skilled craftspeople who understand what it takes to build something lasting: carefully selected materials like leather, wood, steel, and high-quality fabrics, and combining them with the knowledge and care to shape them properly. The result is furniture that feels both timeless and personal, made to inspire, and made to last.
Monica Förster
www.monicaforster.se | @monicaforsterdesignstudio
Monica Förster is amongst Scandinavia’s most influential designers. Despite a wide range of styles and a highly adaptive tonality, her own voice as a designer is always discernible – whether it be a carpet, a glass object, cutlery, hand-carved wooden bowls, or furniture pieces for Europe’s most renowned manufacturers.
Since 2015, she also works as creative advisor for a number of companies in the design industry. She has been involved in launching the recognized Bosnian design brand Zanat, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Her work has been exhibited all over the world in museums and institutions such as MoMA NY and VA Museum, London. Monica Förster Design Studio is also represented in the permanent collection at the National Museum in Sweden and Nasjonalmuseet in Norway with multiple pieces of furniture and objects.
Monica is one of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed and awarded designers, having received the ‘Designer of the Year’ title five times over her 30-year career – most recently by AW Architektur & Wohnen in 2023.
Monica Förster Design Studio work on an international level with global brands such as Alessi, Artifort, Bernhardt, De Padova, Georg Jensen, Fredericia, Offecct, Orrefors, Poltrona Frau, Svenskt Tenn, Rörstrand, Tacchini, Tecno, Zanotta and Zanat.
OUTT
@outt.design
OUTT is a design-led materials brand exploring how architecture, craft, and circularity can meet on common ground.
Founded in Denmark, with production deeply rooted in Northern Italy’s stone-working legacy, OUTT reimagines what’s been left behind-working with reclaimed matter to create surfaces that feel both quiet and enduring. It is a project rooted in matter, resolved through making, built on the belief that materials should belong-anchored to their surroundings, attuned to their role, and responsive to the passing of time.
OUTT offers a slower, more considered approach to material design-one that invites touch, weathers with grace, and settles naturally into its surroundings.
All images courtesy of Fogia.
Tags: 3 Days of Design, architectural, architectural materials, architecture, asymmetrical forms, coffee table, design, designer spotlight, Fogia, furniture, handmade, home decor, interior, interior design, Italy, Kern, Maja Johansson, marble, marble quarry, Marcus Huber, material, Monica Förster, outdoor, OUTT, product design, sculptural design, side table, Stefano Bellamoli, stone, table design, tables, Top
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