Form & Refine: In Praise of Balance & Refinement

Form & Refine: In Praise of Balance & Refinement

Form & Refine was founded in 2018 by Helle Herman Mortensen, Jonas Herman Pedersen and Lasse Lund Lauridsen – based on a common vision to create a value-driven brand that explores materials and preserves our earth and craft cultures through an exceptional design philosophy.

The trio’s core values of sustainability, timeless design and pure materials are finely balanced in their process of creating long lasting products of very high quality. This is apparent in their modest expression of clean lines and elegant silhouettes – which dominates their aesthetic language – accompanied by simple but clever construction solutions, resulting in ample function. Their refined design let the chosen natural materials speak of their tactility and pureness, in direct communication with your eye. 

Form & Refine trio likes to tell stories through their design about great materials, local craft-traditions and their inherited Nordic aesthetics. There is also a social responsibility taken through fair partnerships with producers and makers.                                                                                                                                                               

The forest Damsbo in Denmark is their source of unique and beautiful Danish wood allowing a local production (the Damsbo Master Table & Position Bench, for instance), with the help of skilled craftsmen. In the region of Alcobaça in Portugal they source the high quality white clay to manufacture their Alcoa ceramics by highly skilled potters using ancient techniques passed on from previous generations. In Bolivia the finest alpaca fibre is produced and knitted to high quality textiles by a cooperative of 400 farmers and skilled knitters, using knowledge passed on from generation to generation from ancient times, too.                                                                                                                             

‘All these stories of great materials we want to pass on through an exceptional design philosophy that stand the test of time.’

Form & Refine’s furniture designs come from a deep love of wood – their most favoured material. It is organic, it sprouts from the soil and it supplies us with clean air during its growth. When harvested and manufactured responsibly, wooden furniture is low in CO2 emission. It is a material that takes skills to master and is ever-changing. It is warm to the touch and has life and temperament. It expands or shrinks depending on its surroundings. And it only grows more beautiful as time passes..                                                                                                                             

Form & Refine aim to find ways of how we can minimize our impact on the environment with the industries they are involved with. Upcycling is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, and leftovers into new materials or products of high quality and environmental value.                                                                      With their OffCuts line they have looked at by-products in their main joineries, where the production of larger size furniture ends up with a certain amount of offcuts. These offcuts would normally be used to heat the workshop or be sold on as residential firewood. But the quality is still second to none. The elegant Leaf Shelf is a true proof of this. The flat packed shelving unit is designed by Finnish Jonas Lutz, in his studio in Rotterdam.

‘So, in the end we FORM AND REFINE wholesome materials with a sustainable path – creating items with care and craftsmanship using elements that stand the test of time.’ / The Founders