Mirroring traditional architecture, furnishings were often given fixed qualities because they were bound to specific rooms for specific purposes. As interiors became less compartmentalized, furniture began to have the potential to do more for us. In fluid environments, furniture and objects must be multi-use to assume new roles.
We’ve been developing the soft collection for almost 30 years as a way to meet a growing desire for flexibility in space. We’ve worked with clients who initially purchased pieces to mitigate the challenges of open spaces, but over time, we hear how pieces are used in different ways, at different stages. A business may use softwall to create privacy, but it can also work for an exhibit, a retail space, and an event.
softwall, cantilever table, softseating, float shallow bowl, float tea lantern and tea cups are designed by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen for molo
From the beginning stages of molo, we set out to create spatial objects that could transform how spaces are made, adapted and used. At some point, we became aware of a recurring theme in our work: co-creation. We design walls, furniture, and lighting that give people the opportunity to participate in the design of their own interior environments.
softwall, cantilever table, softseating, float shallow bowl, float tea lantern and tea cups are designed by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen for molo
While designing the float tea lantern, Forsythe + MacAllen studied the methods and tools used by scientific glassblowers to make one-off labware. As they learned about the glass cylinders used as a starting point, they specified standard tube and wall-thickness dimensions and paid special attention to maintaining the purity of this original form.
Uplifting and joyful, glacier blue paper softwall balances sky and water. In direct sunlight, at a microscale, delicate puffs of paper fibre recall wispy clouds. As light passes through the wall, it glows with the ephemeral luminosity of a glacier crevasse, absorbing and transmitting sunlight.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes.
Gmund Paper has manufactured paper, our preferred material for nearly two hundred years, treating its production with a level of care that equals craftwork. The business operates with a dedication to sustainability, quality, and rigour that we admire. Working in close collaboration with @gmundpaper , we have produced a paper that is made from a mix of recycled paper and new fibres, offering new opportunities to explore colours with superior lightfastness. It is also robust, fire-retardant, sustainably sourced and FSC-certified, balancing these stringent material requirements with the poetic sensibilities of the soft collection.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes. In this case, glacier blue softwall will be shown for the first time at @icff_official in May.
As part of a new partnership with @gmundpaper , molo is pleased to introduce the soft collection in deep blue and glacier blue paper at ICFF this May.
Uplifting and joyful, glacier blue balances sky and water. Under direct sunlight, delicate puffs of texture in the material recall wispy clouds. As light passes through the material, it glows with the ephemeral quality of a glacier cave, absorbing and transmitting sunlight.
Informed by Forsythe and MacAllen’s recent experiences exploring the Pacific Northwest Coast by water, the installation at ICFF abstracts the lively coastline into a range of hues. A gradient, both visual and geologic, where the ocean rises into a series of islands, or meets the base of the mountain and ascends to glacier-topped peaks.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes.
As part of a new partnership with Gmund Paper, molo is pleased to introduce the soft collection in deep blue and glacier blue paper at @icff_official this May.
Located beside a river in the picturesque countryside of Germany, Gmund has been making paper products for 200 years. Germany is well known for its machinery and manufacturing, offering precise, reliable products time and time again. Gmund checked off all our boxes.
Powered by hydro, all wastewater leaves as drinking-quality, cleaned and processed by both the mill and government filtration. All pigments are non-toxic, the paper is FSC-certified®, and we are close to becoming Cradle to Cradle certified.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes. In this case, the partition becomes seating - a concept that was realized by Forsythe + MacAllen through competition work in 2001.
As part of a new partnership with Gmund Paper, molo is pleased to introduce the soft collection in deep blue and glacier blue paper at ICFF this May. Gmund Paper has manufactured paper, our preferred material for nearly two hundred years, treating its production with a level of care that equals craftwork. Gmund operates with a dedication to sustainability, quality, and rigour that we admire. This drew our attention as we sought a new partner to replace our previous indigo blue. Working in close collaboration with Gmund, we have developed Cradle-to-Cradle certified material solutions made from a mix of recycled paper and new fibres, offering new opportunities to explore colours with superior lightfastness. Together, we have produced a paper that is robust, fire-retardant, sustainably sourced and FSC-certified, balancing these stringent material requirements with the poetic sensibilities of the soft collection.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes.
Spending time piloting the waters of the Pacific Northwest Coast, we have felt especially drawn to explore new shades of blue that could play together through contrasting tones. We call one of the shades deep blue. Opaque and intense, it is an evolution of our previous blue paper. Now bleed-proof and more nautical in tone, deep blue reflects light like the ocean’s surface, ever-changing and intensely saturated.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, and manufacturing processes.
As we move through rooms, buildings, and seasons, we are constantly in relationship with shifting light – its warmth, rhythm and texture quietly shaping how we feel and function. When we use light intentionally, we synchronize with these natural transitions, creating spaces that support our changing needs.
We work with light in ways that honour its effects on both space and the people who inhabit it. To support well-being and visual clarity, all of our non-woven textile pendants and lamps are made with high-quality, energy-efficient LEDs with +90 CRI. These light sources replicate the vividness of natural daylight, allowing colours and textures to be seen with more accuracy.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to its form, materials, integrated lighting, and manufacturing processes.
Light and shadow are unifying forces that shape not just what we see, but how we live and feel in any given moment. There is an inexplicable magic in observing how a space gradually fills and empties, in relationship with sunlight or the placement of other lighting sources, that fuels our process.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has since been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to form, materials, integrated lighting, and manufacturing.
We see light as a material, like wood or paper. Though you can’t touch it, it is equally present and a living part of a design experience. When light and design are in dialogue, these elements have an unparalleled capacity to sculpt space in ways that move our emotions.
Conceived in the late 1990s by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen, softwall was first commercially released by molo in 2004 and has been continuously and iteratively developed by the design couple, with adjustments, changes, and additions to form, materials, integrated lighting, and manufacturing.
