Consort's Abstracta Shares Silver Award at GlobalShop 2015!

With the recent “Silver Award’ from the juried competition during the 2015 GlobalShop Show, our Abstracta Modular Display System is once again recognized as a world player! GlobalShop, the world's largest trade show for retail design and shopper marketing, is held in Las Vegas each March. The competition has become a much-anticipated event for showcasing outstanding recent retail-oriented projects around the world.

Our Abstracta system was the primary display medium for the Herman Miller “pop-up” store in New York City during May, 2014 where the large Michigan-based contract furniture company presented a striking, colorful and textural retrospective of Alexander Girard’s significant contribution to Herman Miller’s decades long success as an industry innovator.

In the words of a Metropolis Magazine editor, “The new Alexander Girard pop-up exhibit in New York’s Meatpacking District is a three-part celebration of all things Girard. The showcase highlights the architect and designer's fabric work, developed during his time as design director of the textiles department at Herman Miller from 1952 to 1973. Then there are the lounge pieces Girard produced for Braniff Airlines in the late 60s, a small number of the 17,000+ items he designed for the project. The third element is the striking exhibit installation, a Girard-esque living room, bursting with color and populated with period affects.”

The store layout was designed by Michael McGinn and his team at Standard Issue Design, of Brooklyn, New York and featured Girard’s most significant designs and patterns. For Consort, this was our second opportunity to work with Michael for a Herman Miller project with the first one

involving a 1,000 square foot portion of the company’s showroom at their massive showroom in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart in 2012.

Abstracta was chosen for its simple and classic features that inherently take a back seat to displayed objects, such as Girard’s work, to be elegantly featured.  It was the perfect choice for the incredibly eye-catching array of Girard’s brilliant work. 

Thank you Michael and Herman Miller for again choosing Abstracta!

Roger Lepley

Abstracta Featured in Herman Miller's Chicago Showroom to Exhibit Alexander Girard's Work

     Once again our unique and versatile Abstracta Modular Display System is an integral part of an impressive exhibit of design talents. Abstracta is now featured in Herman Miller’s Chicago showroom on the 3rd floor of the Merchandise Mart. The photos here show our 13mm (1/2") tubing in white powder coat recently installed as part of NEOCON 2012. NEOCON - “where the design world comes together” - is the annual design event for the contract furniture industry. And, most anyone who visits NEOCON, visits the Herman Miller Showroom.
   Abstracta was chosen as the display medium by Michael McGinn Design as the “natural setting” to display the history of one of Herman Miller’s earliest and most formidable designers, Alexander Girard.
     In the words of the Herman Miller blog:

“Trained as an architect, but proficient in all manner of activities, Alexander Girard was introduced to Herman Miller through Charles Eames and George Nelson. He established the Herman Miller Textile Division in 1952, and served as its Director of Design until 1973. From his outpost in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he designed over 300 textiles in multitudes of colorways, multiple collections of wallpaper, decorative prints and wall hangings, an expansive group of furniture, and both decorative and useful objects.”

     His textiles and objects, although wonderful and intriguing on their own, seemed even more dynamic and brilliant in the thoughtful, seemingly simple (although very complex!) setting of the slim, white Abstracta forms and “just right” spot lighting and traffic patterns throughout the exhibit.

     The Girard exhibit comprises about 1,000 square feet of the extensive Herman Miller Showroom. The exhibit will be up for almost one year and may travel a bit after that to other venues. The 1,400+ Abstracta tubes and 800+ connectors were all pre-cut and finished prior to being delivered to the site and the McGinn Design team had the entire structure up in about three days! An impressive and amazing feat.

     We at Consort are also pleased with Michael McGinn's thoughtful words when we saw him at the exhibit on opening day: "I would say that for this audience the second most popular thing about the exhibit, after Alexander Girard, is Abstracta. I overheard many remarks about its simple beauty."

Thank you  Michael  for choosing Abstracta!

Photos courtesty of Bright-Lyons, Brooklyn, New York.

Why Mya® Personal Tables Make a Great Gift

The Holiday Season is upon us, and you may be asking yourself: “Hmmm… what to buy for that special someone?”

Each year around this time, a number of people from Kalamazoo and surrounding areas return to Consort to order a new supply of Mya tables to give as gifts. Their commitment to Mya comes as no surprise; they make the perfect gift!

Mya Personal Tables are extremely customizable. You decide from the L, J, or I-Series table styles, choose the appropriate height for the recipient, and of course, select the perfect table top from our vast selection. With so many different options, you could create the ideal table for practically anyone on your shopping list.

Mya tables are appropriate for those who enjoy entertaining, especially when there are no tables near the seating. And, know that Mya tables can be used outdoors as well and we might suggest the teak or tile tops for exterior use. In fact, several of our customers enjoy taking their Mya tables camping. With the right top, these tables are extremely durable and able to withstand the elements; a fitting gift for those who enjoy the outdoors on your list.

People who live in small apartments will especially appreciate the added convenience. The I-Series footprint measures just 7.5” square, making it easy to place where other tables would simply be too large.

No matter how large the room, Mya tables are comfortable. With just a 5-3/4” square top they perfectly hold your drink with unparalleled flexibility in their placement. Mya’s have many additional uses including a place for keys, sculpture, speakers and plants, making Mya tables a handy, quality and personal gift year after year.

MYA: Small Tables That Make a Big Statement

Part of Consort Display Groups Abstracta line of furniture is the Mya. Mya is a collection of "personal" sized drink tables designed for arm's reach convenience. Mya tables are perfect for serving anywhere or for accenting smaller spaces. Mya models come in varying heights from 19" to 28" to perfectly suit your taste. Choose from indoor-outdoor finishes of black or silver powder coat.

All Mya tables offer 5.75" square interchangeable tops including familiar and exotic hardwoods, tile, acrylic and a unique cigar ash urn. Mya can be accessorized with a number of tops from traditional tile to exotic wood species. With additional tops you can coordinate with the decor of any room. Of course you don't have to simply accessorize for the home. Tile and acrylic tops are well suited for outdoor use as is the durable powder-coated finish available on any table. All table tops fit the I-Series, J-Series, and the L-Series Mya Tables. The Mya tops measure 5-3/4" square.

The Mya Cigar Table offers a new level of style for the discerning cigar enthusiast. Praised by "Cigar Aficionado", Mya is perfect for the den or patio and is designed for tapping within an arm's reach. The ash tray top can be replaced with any of our other interchangeable tops when the cigar is extinguished and a table is desired.

Abstracta Furniture Featured in New Fall 2010 Design Quest Catalogue

Design Quest, one of America's leading Scandinavian furniture stores, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is featuring Abstracta furniture in their current catalogue. The title of our page is “Danish-American Innovation” and features some of our favorite Abstracta pieces. 

  

Our unique  little “Mya®” personal-sized beverage tables are designed for arm’s reach convenience and are easily moved around as needed. The multifunctional design is also useful as pedestals for sculptures, vases or plants, speaker stands, bedside tables, or outdoor patio tables. The wood, tile and acrylic tops are interchangeable to fit the décor and location.

Abstracta's Nesting Tables are shown and described as a way to “add a striking expression to your home with this modern version of a classic Danish design”. The nested tables give you plenty of surface space and provide attractive storage when all not in use. 

The Design Quest catalogue also features Abstracta's Bunch Tables. “These beautifully functional cubes are expressions of the simplest of forms. The minimalistic, sturdy construction is appropriate in any setting. Bunch Cubes are elegant as stand-alone singles, or group several in your own configuration for a eye-catching 'bunch'.” 

Please check out Design Quest's fall catalogue to see Abstracta in print! Or, visit Consort's Abstracta Furniture Page to view the full line of Abstracta furniture. 

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Buy Something! - Why I Love Abstracta

Yes, sometimes we humans just want to go shopping! Even guys find the urge to hit a store for something other than a fuel filter or new saw blade once in a while. And, speaking of buying something, in1998 we began searching for a new product line to fit within the display biz and nourish our fondness for making things. Even though most of the product lines here at Consort are creations by us, where we look for a niche in the display biz that hasn't been addressed, we sometimes look for existing products that might make a synergistic fit to our capabilities and markets.
Through a several-months-long chain of events, we decided upon the Abstracta Modular Display System, originally a Danish system of tubes and connectors that was well known in the design industry. We saw our purchase of this proven product as an opportunity to add new blood to Abstracta and create line extensions and new concepts using the current elements and potentially new components. An exceptional company in California, Abex Display Systems*, owned it at the time and had imported the manufacturing machinery from Denmark about ten years earlier. We made the deal and by October of 1998 we had everything up and running. In the beginning, we were chasing ourselves around the building trying to get out Christmas-oriented retail fixture orders that Abex handed to us from folks like Macy's. It was quite the experience, adding a major product line all at once, and we had many hiccups but no major catastrophes.

So, why do I love Abstracta? Because you can (very quickly) make neat stuff with it!

I had known about Abstracta while in architecture school where it was known for the very reason I just stated - you can make neat stuff with it. We design students found its many possible forms intriguing. If you're familiar with it, you know that it can be shelving, tables, desks, space frames, room dividers and much, much more. I started with making furniture for my dorm room at the University of Colorado and now, many years later, have Abstracta cube tables, end tables and shelving at home.

Of course, if you visit our website you will probably find the stock retail store fixture designs and cube tables in the Abstracta Furniture section, which are all wonderful and can be easily customized, but please look at the "Mya Personal Tables” for something different. This will show you how easy** it is to create and make cool stuff. The Mya series was a result of my finding my home coffee table just about 18" too far away while I stretch out on the couch. I envisioned a sort of "personal, one cup table" that I could move around depending on where, exactly, I wanted to rest my coffee cup. So, I went to the plant and in about 30 minutes designed it, assembled it and plopped it into my car. The next morning my coffee cup was where I wanted it to be. Simple stuff.

A noteworthy thing happened immediately after I made that first little table. Visitors began requesting that I make them one or two of the little tables, at varying heights and bingo!- a product was born. We gave it a simple, sort of European name (Mya of English origin, actually) and dubbed it "The Personal Table". One of the features that make this product a bit more unusual is that the Mya table tops are interchangeable. That is, if you want a fine hardwood top for indoor use and a tile or teak top for outdoor use, you simply unfasten the top and make the change. A few options of cigar ash tray tops are available as well.

So, that's why I love Abstracta - it's simple in concept but can easily be configured into both simple and complex forms for many uses, anywhere you have in mind.

Roger

*For those of you who know about the former New York office, known as Abstracta Structures, we also moved that office to Kalamazoo. Today, the Kalamazoo office is the North American headquarters and we own the worldwide trademarks for Abstracta.

**Note that the "J" Series of Mya table is fabricated with a custom welded part and is not in the "easy to make category" !