Established in 2015, STUDIO 0405 is a Copenhagen-based architecture and design firm working in spatial design. Commissions include store and restaurant environments, exhibition design, product design and set design. The studio collaborates with creatives such as artists, photographers and craftsmen.

We spoke to the brothers Nikolaj and Mathias Mentze about their inspiration for the Coat Stand and their view on contemporary design tendencies.

How was the idea to design a coat stand born?
The idea was to create a coat stand that was simple and easy to assemble and put together. What methods and/or traditions inspired you in the development of the coat stand? It was inspired by Japanese joinery and an interest in products that are easy to put away if you don’t need them and easy to use when you do.

What has been the most challenging in the construction of the coat stand?
The most challenging part was to get the dimensions right, so that it stands firmly and still seems elegant. You’ve also designed the throw.

Where did you find inspiration for the pattern and materiality of your throws?
We found the inspiration in classic pinstripe suits and American color field paintings from the 60’s. We really like the classic pattern and think the lines work well in a throw that in a way make a small landscape when draped over a couch or chair. Letting the lines meet in the middle of the throw also activates the entire surface and turns it into an object rather than a piece of fabric.

What do you aim to express with your product designs?
We want our product designs to contribute with tactility, with a feeling of something haptic that you can interact with. We want our products to create a leap between different scales in a spatial setting. In meeting your hands, you should get a sense of something refined and extraordinary, but as part of an interior decoration, our products are intended to appear downplayed and in dialogue with its surroundings. In that sense, we aim to create products that can conform to the hierarchy of a room and at the same time add identity and personality.

What has been the most challenging in the construction of the coat stand?
The most challenging part was to get the dimensions right, so that it stands firmly and still seems elegant. You’ve also designed the throw.

You are a young and fresh duo working in different fields of design. What new tendencies have you discovered lately? And do these apply across areas?
Materiality is really a big focus right now. What the internet lacks is tactility and materiality. That’s probably the reason why textiles, ceramics and other rich materials are in fashion.

How do you benefit professionally from your different backgrounds in architecture and product design?
The combination of our two backgrounds shows in the way we work with a variety of scales in our projects. We are quite equal in our way of thinking design and conceiving of space, but our approach and work process are differentiated in some aspects, which we clearly benefit from. For instance, Nikolaj is more concerned with details and materiality meanwhile Mathias’ approach is more conceptual and overall. We both believe that detail is important for the bigger whole of the project and our slightly different qualifications enable us to scrutinize details from more perspectives.