Design That Dares: M3LD
Taking their cues from the masters of modern design who made great style accessible to the masses, M3LD’s three founding partners, Andrea Beecher, Brian Garrett and Jason Frederick, aim to create unique and “high-end” home accessories—like the Robert Planter, shown above in gloss black with a burnished-brass-finished solid steel base—that all of their “fashion-forward, design-savvy” customers can afford to own.
MOUNTAIN LIVING: What’s in a name?
M3LD: M3LD represents the merging of the hearts and brains of the three founding partners, Andrea Beecher, Brian Garrett and Jason Frederick.
[Photo: Kirsten Hepburn]
M3LD’s bold shapes are wrought in brass, “an up-and-coming finish that can be used more easily than people think”; burl wood, “because we love its beauty”; concrete, “which stems from our love of Brutalism, but also is an important new medium in design”; and recyclable PVC, “because being eco-friendly is important to us,” say founders (from left) Andrea Beecher, Brian Garrett and Jason Frederick.
ML: How would you describe the M3LD aesthetic?
M3LD: We strive to fuse 20th-century modern aesthetics with timeless sophistication. No matter what modern era is inspiring us at the moment, you can distill our signature style down to edgy, masculine and sexy.
[Photo: Reed Rowe]
Dee Pendant Light in solid steel with burnished-brass finish
ML: What ideas have you borrowed from the masters of modern design?
M3LD: Clean lines, new forms and uses of materials, innovative manufacturing techniques, daring, forward thinking and accessibility to the masses.
[Photo: Dan Beecher]
Bruin Wall Tile in matte black
ML: How has Brutalism inspired your first collection?
M3LD: We feel that Brutalism, at its peak, had the most unique and innovative point of view since the classical era. The cool Brutalist shapes and forms that appeared in architecture, which resulted from so many technological advances in engineering, have a sense of masculinity and strength that appeals to us as designers.
[Photo: Kirsten Hepburn]
Large O Ring in brass-finished steel
ML: Do these shapes play well with others?
M3LD: Why yes, that’s the beauty of Modernism. Mixing different styles, eras and metals is fashionable, it works really well, and we want to encourage that. Design shouldn’t be so textbook; our spaces should reflect us, and none of us are that black and white.
[Photo: Kirsten Hepburn]
“Our designs would be less impactful without the attention we pay to scale, shape, exposed weld marks and the right brass finish,” M3LD’s designers say. “It’s important to take the time to create pieces that you can tell have been thought through.” Pictured above are paintable 20-inch-square Brute Wall Tiles, the brass-finished-steel Judith Light, and Conan Drum Table with brass finish and polished Michelangelo marble top.
ML: Who names each piece? (“Judith Light” gave us a good laugh.)
M3LD: Brian is our clever pun genius. If our customers don’t get the joke, no worries. But if they do, awesome!
[Photo: Reed Rowe]
Large Thick Accent Lamp
ML: Does this mean you think design should be fun?
M3LD: Totally! Life is short, design is art, and we all have silly, playful personalities and we love what we do. We want that to show. We believe good design should not take itself too seriously. We aren’t saving lives, we’re saving eyes.
