Introducing PLINTH - furniture for urban communities and meetings

In 2020 Vestre won the award for “Best Stand” at the Stockholm Furniture Fair due to our sustainable stand design made by Note Design Studio. Now, we have expanded our collaboration in the form of PLINTH – a furniture collection designed to encourage meetings in public outdoor spaces.

Creating meeting places in today’s public urban spaces might sound simple enough, but the reality is a complex process requiring careful consideration and finesse. When the need for a new picnic system arose, we both wanted to redefine the mission into something more comprehensive for the cities of the future. And so, Plinth became defined by the result of surveys on how people actually spend time outdoors around the world.

“From a proud Norwegian point of view, Vestre aims to highlight the importance of meeting in nature. Norway’s challenging climate, beautiful nature and right to roam is something we want to share and communicate to the rest of the world. We want design to be used as a tool for positive change; a vision we share with Note Design Studio and one characterising the development of Plinth”, says Jan Christian Vestre, CEO of Vestre.

The focus was on creating a flexible multi-level design that differs from a standard bench set-up, thereby opening up new areas of use. Plinth’s design is timeless, not only with a distinct nod to classic architecture, but also a bold expression and simple form that blends into any setting.

“The principal challenge for us was defining how the future will look, how it will shape our society and what society will need. Is the future something high-tech like what we’ve all seen in the movies? Or will we return to a more analogue society, where we seek out each other’s company and value the time we spend together face-to-face,” says Charlotte Ackemar, product designer at Note Design Studio.

Today, outdoor environments are more important than anyone could ever have imagined. City parks see people from different cultures and backgrounds meeting to socialise and get together in ways previously done indoors. Note Design Studio and Vestre share the same vision of encouraging and enabling design as a tool for positive change. More people outdoors bring life to a city and Plinth encourages people to go out and meet. To get together and share life experiences with each other, get to know each other and help decrease polarisation.

About Note Design Studio
Note is a Stockholm-based design studio working within the fields of architecture, interiors, products, graphic design and design strategy. The studio was founded in 2008 and has won many awards, including Wallpaper Design Awards and Elle Decoration Swedish Design Awards, etc. Read more at notedesignstudio.se