I’m back with more from my 3 Days of Design trip to Copenhagen – the biggest design festival in Denmark. While last week the spotlight was on the furniture of Erik Jørgensen, today I want to talk to you about another family-owned Danish design company, Montana, whose showroom sits just above theirs in the heart of the city.
You might remember that Montana’s new free shelving system designed by Jakob Wagner was one of my top picks from Milan’s Salone del Mobile this year. But in this post I wanted to look back at Montana’s history and delve a little into their philosophy.
Montana was founded in 1982 by Peter. J Lassen, who had built up a career in the furniture industry working with the likes of Arne Jacobsen, Jørn Utzon, Piet Hein and Verner Panton. With a passion for simple, functional design, he developed the Montana System – a modular flexible furniture system made up of 36 basic modules that can be combined and arranged in endless possibilities.
‘When Peter J. Lassen developed the Montana System, there was a detailed mathematic and philosophical principle behind it. The mathematic calculations are complex and based on 5.7 cm, but the philosophy is quite simple: Every Montana element should be able to be infinitely combined and be practical, goodlooking, durable and independent of changes in fashion. That is the way it has been since 1982, and that is the way it will stay.’
The Montana System is all about personal expression and making it your own. It’s a modern design classic that, thanks to its versatility, can fit into almost any style home, whether you want to make a bold statement with colour or prefer something that blends into the background.
‘Our philosophy is freedom, freedom in the sense that you as a human being want to express yourself in the things you have in your home. The Montana System is not a fixed thing, it can be big, it can be long, it can be 42 different colours, it can be whatever you feel like. It’s creativity. And it’s also very much what you put in it, what is your story?’ said Joakin Lassen, Peter’s son and CEO of the company.
Made from sustainably lacquered MDF, the basic modules come in four depths with a range of components and accessories that you can add on – legs, rails, plinths, castors and so on. They have ready-made solutions or you can customise your own.
You can create sideboards and shelves, wardrobes and shoe cabinets, bedside tables and chest of drawers, and all sorts. Adaptable to each room in the house, you can have one single unit or combine them to create a whole wall display. Scroll down for some ideas from Montana.
Montana’s furniture is developed and carefully crafted in Denmark. Mindful of their environmental impact, they have been used water-based lacquer colours, which neither smell or content solvents, since 2007. The appearance of the surface is so smooth and spotless you would hardly know it’s MDF at all. In fact when I first came across the company I thought their furniture was made of metal!
But the question is what colour would you go for? Unsurprisingly, white, grey and black are their most popular shades, but bright China Red seems to be the company’s favourite choice at the moment – as evidenced in their refreshingly vibrant, award-winning stand at Milan’s Salone and then in their latest set-up at the Copenhagen showroom for 3 Days of Design. I know what I would pick… do you?
All images courtesy Montana
