d+a | Issue 116 • Jun/July 2020

/ BEST PRACTICE / 94 A MATERIAL MOOD BOARD RANKS HIGH IN IMPORTANCE FOR A FURNITURE DESIGNER WHILE FOR AN ARCHITECT, IT IS THE PROCESS OF DREAMING THAT MATTERS. THE PHYSICAL AND METAPHYSICAL jackets, which I later incorporated into a TV unit and sideboard, and a chair with a chevron pattern, respectively. Another example is the Alt.o Collection, Commune’s new high-end range. A visit to a fashion market in Dongguan in Guangdong, China had me picking out the leather used for shoes and bags to incorporate into the leather ropes and belts found in the pieces. I later also sourced them from vendors there. The material mood board influences the setup of the showroom experience where the collection is presented as well. With Volta, we had elements like a musky, woody scent and whiskey-based cocktails at the launch. With Alt.o, we used a scent evocative of the coast, and when customers are checking it out, we serve Moroccan mint tea.” Julian Koh, Brand & Design Director, Commune B efore creating and designing a brand or collection for Commune, I like to curate a selection of materials that could be used to make what I have in mind. This is important because only by touching and feeling the physical item, can I start to envision the forms that they might take. It is also a way for me to assess if it can be commercially viable to produce; otherwise I’d just be making art. These materials could be gathered from anywhere, but an important source for me are markets all over the world. What guides me is the persona or thematic environment that I want to portray through the collection. For instance, when we created Volta for Commune, we knew it was styled for a rock star. My material mood board therefore had elements like music amplifiers and biker WORDS LOW SHI PING “