Our Russian: the new St. Petersburg brand of accessories and furniture “10,16”

The story of how an independent brand of simple and concise interior items grew out of the production of custom-made furniture, which are now exhibited in the New Tretyakov Gallery.

Ekaterina Goncharenko

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

At first glance, the brand name consists of a set of random numbers. However, it is much easier to remember it if you know what the “ten” and “sixteen” refer to: this is the thickness of MDF sheets that the company of designer Timofey Zhuravlev uses for production. “In addition, this is the ratio of the proportions of the sides in all subjects,“ they note in “10,16”. — Fibonacci numbers, golden ratio — there are many names, but the essence is the same — a harmonious aspect ratio and the absence of even numbers, often obtained artificially (for example, 50/100/150/75 cm). It also allows you to combine objects with each other when connecting and combining into a common composition.”

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

The brand itself also appeared for a reason: Timofey Zhuravlev studied at the Department of Communicative Design and at NABA (Nuova Academia il Belle Arti) in Milan in the direction of Product Design, graduated from a master’s degree in environmental design and in 2012 opened his studio Tim Factory, where he began to implement interiors and objects that he designed himself on the basis of his production. “These were cafes, exhibition projects, individual items. In the future, as the production grew, it began to cooperate with designers and architects,” says Timofey. ”At the same time, in custom projects, we placed a separate emphasis on product design and high—quality study of ergonomics, nuances and nodes.” In order to create high-quality serial furniture, the most simple and concise items without “decor” and out of time, the designer and his team have been looking for suitable solutions for a long time.

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

The search and selection of materials turned out to be very difficult, although in the end the answer was found by itself. “Unpainted MDF,” Timofey admits, “is a specific and undervalued material for our market. MDF consists of wood dust, which gives it a unique texture and a natural sandy color that is pleasing to the human eye.” Based on the already established production of Tim Factory, the designer planned to use scraps from the used MDF sheets for cutting small shapes. “Now it doesn’t always work out, but we are working to connect the two production lines and minimize waste,” the designer admits. — This is one of the tasks of “10,16” for the near future.”

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

In addition to minimizing waste in “10,16”, they also took care of the packaging of products: they abandoned the traditional film, the brand wraps its items in a special way, so that, if desired, the packaging can be easily disposed of, reused or even as a decor. But such a serious approach to ecology, coupled with strict forms of objects, does not take away the main thing. “10,16” offers customers a game: in the process of using a person “collects a constructor” and finds the most unexpected, necessary and useful combinations for objects.

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

The very first and simplest item was a block in the form of a cube, from which a series of items for organizing storage under the general name “Blocks” grew. “There are very small copies in which you can put, for example, handles, and already quite large ones that have grown into a piece of furniture, which can also be used for storage, as a bedside / sofa table or even as a stool. The “Blocks” have lids that can be used as trays or stands.”

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

The “Function” section is highlighted separately. Here, objects have already been created for a specific function, but, as a rule, they are not limited to it. Many items were created for the organization of the workspace — there are also stands for computers and organizers for office and papers. And the “Shape” ruler, on the contrary, does not have a specific function, these are decorative items that the owner can use as he wants.: so the ladder can be an excellent stopper for books.

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

A set of chess and checkers stands out separately. “The chess form was created in the concept of the general style of the collection: strict constructivism, modularity of elements, minimal decor,“ 10,16 admits. ”From sketch to prototype is a long way, even longer — to well—established mass production. And we are glad that we were able to make an item that is aesthetically close in spirit to many, and release it as a serial story, and not as a collector’s item.” But the scale of mass production of chess did not affect their aesthetic value, moreover, chess is now presented at the exhibition “History of Russian Design. Favorites” in the New Tretyakov Gallery.

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

“In the near future we plan to launch large items: tables, racks, trolleys, mirrors and other furniture,” says Timofey Zhuravlev. — The goal is to cover the basic needs and tasks for organizing the space of the house in one calm style. We create these objects to calm the eye and mind. There is no need to choose a color, since there is only one in our palette. You can choose a set of elements, but their function may also change over time — the alarm of incorrect choice or irreversible decisions goes away.”

Photo: Anton Ivanov; stylist: Anna Koroleva

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