It is no coincidence that the concept of change is at the forefront of Muuto’s design philosophy. Muutos in Finnish means ‘new perspectives’ and the Copenhagen-based design company tries to translate the dynamic history of Scandinavian design into a modern idiom. A monumental task and difficult to perform elegantly. Their achievement is that they do so in a way that responds to the current global expectations of quality and care for the environment – at a good price.
There is of course a fair amount of competition among the newer brands that focus on producing Scandinavian designs at more affordable prices than their iconic counterparts, but without compromising on quality. Despite a lot of (friendly) competition, Muuto distinguishes itself: through collaborating exclusively with Scandinavian designers – Søren Rose Studio, Andreas Engesvik, Cecilie Manz, Tina Ratzer, and Louise Campbell are among the high-profile names on the roster – they remain an authentic voice for contemporary Nordic designers in a global market. Co-founder Kristian Byrge was involved in the founding of Noma before the 2007 launch of Muuto with Peter Bonnen, so notable associations are not exactly new for the brand, but now that they are sold in over 50 countries, Muuto plays a critical role in terms of exposing the global market to New Nordic design.
Muuto is also a symbol of something more elusive in creative careers – the achievement of finding work-life balance. Replete with a live-in chef, social spaces, silent rooms for the hard thinking days, and a rooftop terrace in the heart of the city, their covetable Copenhagen headquarters blur the line between work and play in that uniquely Nordic way.