Sam Hecht and Kim Colin

Kim Colin and Sam Hecht formed London-based Industrial Facility in 2002 to "explore the junction between industrial design and the world around us." Everything from kitchen appliances to electronics to interior furnishings has benefited from the ideas of Industrial Facility.

In recent years, both Herman Miller and Mattiazzi have engaged Industrial Facility. The result of the Herman Miller collaboration came in 2008 with the introduction of Enchord desk and mobile cabinet.
    
"People work in a variety of ways," says Hecht, "and Enchord is open to interpretation. It's about open context and I think people will discover delight in its flexibility." The desk, with no defined front or back, has dual horizontal surfaces—the top one is fixed while the lower can be configured left, right, or center to fit the ever-evolving needs of home workspace. The accompanying mobile cabinet is a multi-functional marvel, with integrated features for filing, storage, and cord management.

In its work for Mattiazzi, Industrial Facility turned to nature. "In the natural world, complexity thrives with reason," says Hecht. "In particular, the branches of a tree were to provide the critical analogy for the project."

Like tree branches, the Branca chair Hecht and Colin designed has elements that turn, twist, meet, and branch off. Its back legs support the critical joints of the armrest, the seat, and the back. They are made from a single piece of wood produced robotically.

The joints are seen as part of the seamless nature of the chair, whose simple outline belies the complexity of production. The result is comfort to the eye, to the body, and to the hand.