Few materials beat the beauty of wood and this collection of side tables by Team 7 uses it in its most honest form. Solid oak, from sustainable forests, simply finished with herbal oil.

Welcome to the best in design for modern living. Our latest essential edit includes nature-loving architecture, a swing classic and 500 chairs

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STUDIO KO

IMAGES TOP SHOWS LIVING ROOM OF VILLA K, TAGADERT, MOROCCO. ABOVE IS LIVING ROOM IN VILLA G, BONNIEUX, FRANCE. BELOW SHOW THE POOL TERRACE OF VILLA G, BONNIEUX, FRANCE AND SHOWER IN VILLA E, OURIKA, MOROCCO. ALL COURTESY OF DAN GLASSER / RIZZOLI

Much lauded for their recently opened Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech, Studio KO are also famed for their residential commissions. Founded by French architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty in 2000, their houses are usually set in spectacular landscapes, both expertly framing the stunning surrounds and echoing them materially. Their architecture is a fine balance between precise finish and raw minimalism, long and brutal in line yet warm in texture and atmosphere. Publishers Rizzoli have collected together images and plans of these inspirational spaces for the first monograph on the French duo, with a foreword by Yves Saint Laurent’s Pierre Bergé, text by Tom Delavan and stylish photographs by Dan Glasser.

The 265 from Flos, created by Paolo Rizzatto in 1973, is a classic of modern lighting design. Its graphic form adds a technical, linear scribble to a living space and is utilitarian and practical in a working environment. Wall-mounted, its long arm is balanced by a cast-iron counterweight, allowing its directional light to swing and remain where it’s most needed (or looks the most dramatic).

SWING

IMAGE WOOD CHAIR, 1988, MARC NEWSON. COURTESY OF CAPPELLINI

IMAGE 43 LOUNGE CHAIR, 1937, ALVAR AALTO. COURTESY OF ARTEK

IMAGE ELEPHANT SEATING, 2003, BEN RYUKI MIYAGI. COURTESY OF BEN RYUKI MIYAGI DESIGN

IMAGE WASSILY CHAIR, 1926, MARCEL BREUER. COURTESY OF KNOLL, INC

IMAGE MIES CHAIR, 1969, ARCHIZOOM ASSOCIATI. COURTESY OF POLTRONOVA HISTORICAL ARCHIVE

IMAGES COURTESY OF PHAIDON

It’s rare for a book on interior design to span a millennium but Chair: 500 Designs that Matter from Phaidon is an exception. From the Chinese Yoke-Back dated around 1000AD to today’s optical-illusion Slip Chair by Snarkitecture, it’s an expansive study of the chair in all its forms. Presented in smart visual pairings, highlighting links across the centuries in design or construction, it also includes a detailed timeline explaining each piece’s history and influence.

THE 500

SKATE

IMAGES COURTESY OF IKEA

IKEA has collaborated with LA-based fashion designer Chris Stamp to create a limited-edition collection inspired by his urban, Californian lifestyle. Masculine, minimal and monochrome, the SPÄNST collection features everything from simple, open storage, to tables for DJ decks and even an indoor basketball hoop. Unusually, the collection also mixes in fashion, with pared-back skatewear, stylish luggage and the first ever skateboard designed especially for the iconic Swedish brand.

'No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape. Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless it’s made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man.'

The Fountainhead

TheModernist.House by Mark King at MDKtm

EDIT ARCHIVE

MADE IN LONDON BY MARK KING