USIT TAKES MILAN BY STORM Dutch designer causes a stir at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile! USIT, the innovative design object by Maarten Olden, will be presented at the world’s most important design and furniture fair, held this year from 8 to 13 April in Milan.
USIT combines safety with comfort and aesthetics. The innovative folding stair-chair or chair-stair is manufactured from laminated wood and aluminium. It is available through Altrex in various versions (with two or three steps) and colour combinations: Wood Nature, Wood Nature Black and Wood Solid White. A completely black USIT will also be presented in Milan.
The idea was inspired by nostalgia for his grandmother's kitchen. During his childhood, a steel stool with a wooden seat and retractable steps formed the centre of Maarten Olden’s universe – he would stand on it watching his grandmother conjure culinary delights. Later, a ladder replaced the stool, but it was so unsightly that it was banished to the cellar after use. His question: How can the chair-come-stair be brought back into the living space as a part of everyday life? The solution: Give it a secondary function as a seat and an inviting appearance and you have a practical and comfortable chair: the USIT. This stair-chair combination is suited to limited spaces and will anyway appeal to lovers of design. A refined blend of nostalgia and innovation in design, the USIT is smart, simple, stylish and robust.
Maarten Olden introduced the USIT at the 2013 Salone del Mobile with great success. Reviews in newspapers, magazines and online blogs and magazines applauded the design. Some quotes: ‘The beautiful design is worthy of being put on display and can also function as a seat’ (Utilitarianthings.com), and ’The various categories of people who will embrace this design include design aficionados, those with limited space, and anyone who loves clever, simple and practical objects.’ (L’Officiel Hommes). The USIT was also presented at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in October 2013. It is now sold in the Netherlands, France and Italy, and online through Altrex (http://www.altrex-usit.com/en/).
Maarten Olden will present the USIT again at the upcoming Salone del Mobile (8 to 13 April 2014), this time as part of the Stichting Zetel group exhibition. This exhibition in the busy Zona Tortona is open daily from 10 am to 19 pm. Location: Via Gaspare Bugatti 18.
Maarten Olden’s design studio MO, O is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its products are on the cutting edge of architecture and product design. MO, O designs furniture and products for several manufacturers, as well as school and shop interiors, and exhibitions. Products and furniture are developed in-house and in collaboration with others.
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Note for the editors
For more information, interview requests and image material, please contact Maarten Olden at MO,O: Telephone: +31 (0)6 153 155 76 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.maartenolden.nl
