As of this week, direct-to-consumer furniture label Dims (which uses a period in its brand name, which we’ll forgo for readability’s sake), is alive. And, given its designers have credits at places like Ikea, Bolia, Muuto, Outdoor Voices and Mitab, it might be worth paying attention to.
The brand launches with a coffee table, a desk, a side table and a bar cart that are made with sturdy materials (powder-coated steel and heavy ash wood, predominantly) and a disposition hellbent on keeping everything accessibly-priced. It’s also specifically avoided becoming another riff or homage to the 1950s and ’60s. Founder Eugene Kim says this is by design.
“We’re inspired by the minimalist traditions of Japanese, Scandinavian and Shaker design, but try to inject every piece with a bit of fun and playfulness,” Kim said, “it’s always been a goal of ours to move the conversation forward from the sameness of ‘mid-century modern.’ We ask our designers to think forward, not backward, so that every Dims piece feels distinctly contemporary and original.”
Each of the four launch pieces was designed by a different designer from different backgrounds. According to Kim, this was also intentional.
“We didn’t want to launch with a roomful of things that all looked and felt the same, under the pretense that you would ‘buy the room,’” Kim said, “we invited our designers to design pieces that felt distinct from one another, while staying true to the idea of simple, good, accessible design. You’re probably not going to buy all of these pieces. You’re going to pick one or two that speak to you.”
The Rove Table ships next week, while the other pieces available at launch will ship in December and February.
Rove Table by Kenyon Yeh, $120
Caldera Table by John Astbury and Kyuhyung Cho, $350
Barbican Trolley by Visibility, $350
