New York 2016: new Australian brand VUUE has produced a collection of furniture designed to be used flexibly for both indoor and outdoor spaces (+ slideshow).
The design studio of Ceci and Aydin Keyvanloo aims to "defy categorisation" with its range of seating and tables made from aluminium.
"Much of the furniture that is on the market still feels like it is intended for a specific category and feels foreign in the others," Ceci told Dezeen. "Mornington holds up outdoors but its form does not say 'poolside'."
Described as suitable for residential, hospitality and office environments, the Mornington collection boasts nine key items customisable in a variety of materials. Sixty of the 96 possible combinations can be used indoors and out.
"Making something that works for indoor as well as outdoor isn't easy," Ceci continued. "The requirements for outdoor are much more challenging and the material selection is restricted."
"We designed with form first in our minds and didn't bind ourselves to a particular environment. People want to 'bring the outdoors in' and Mornington helps make that visual transition more seamless."
Aluminium was chosen for its recyclable and non-corrosive properties, and was bent to create the curve of the chairs' backrests.
The frames can be finished with tabletops and seats in a variety of materials, including teak, oak, ash, fabric and aluminium.
VUUE combines the skills of both designers. Prior to launching the brand, engineer and product designer Aydin was running his own business, Cubic, manufacturing modular aluminium store fixtures.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons School of Design graduate Ceci worked as a furniture and product designer.
Their home base in Melbourne was a chief source of inspiration for the collection, with its coastal location, cafe culture and outdoor lifestyle.
The Mornington collection takes its name from a seaside town near Melbourne.
"Ten years ago, there wasn't as much happening in Australia in terms of design," Aydin said.
"Over the last 10 years there has been a lot more buzz. It has always been a city known for food and fashion, but now you can see creativity across the board in product, architecture."
VUUE launched the Mornington collection at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, part of NYCxDesign, which ran from 3 to 17 May 2016.
Dezeen's highlights of the festival include a showcase of Norwegian homeware, a pop-up shop by Lee Broom and a lighting exhibition at The Future Perfect showroom.
Others that have experimented with the distinction between indoor and outdoor furniture include Swedish brand Vitra, who in 2014 made a powder-coated version of the Eames Wire Chair, and the Bouroullec brothers who created a furniture collection "without a specific context in mind" for Hay.