Twelve A.M. Bench

Brand: Molteni&C
Designer: Neri&Hu
Year: 2019
 
Shanghai-based Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, partners in both work and life, have designed their bed, or more precisely an integrated furniture system for the bedroom, to ensure a good night’s sleep.
 
Typically oriental, the bed is simple and essential, featuring wood as the main material, teamed with metal and soft textiles or leather. The headboard is tall and inviting, almost embracing the bed itself. The inside of the headboard is lined with soft textiles or monochrome leather and in the centre it supports a comfortable cushion, which acts as a headrest.
 
The cushion is hooked to the headboard by means of different colours hide leather two straps, underlining the designers’ signature attention to detail. At the side of the headboard there are two small circular wooden trays that act as bedside shelves. At the back, if the bed is positioned in the centre of the room, Twelve A.M. can be fitted with a small projecting shelf.
 
The bed’s wooden frame rests on four slim metal legs, which, in turn, support a concave leather or textile container that can accommodate all types of mattresses. A comfortable bench, echoing the design of the bed, the cushion of which is held by leather straps like the bed, can be placed at the foot of the bed.
 
Thanks to Neri&Hu’s inventiveness, the bench can also be turned into a new accessory for a dream bedroom. By adding a unit similar to the bedhead, the bench can become a small alcove in which the residents can change their clothes or fashion items, hanging or placing them temporarily. This accessory too is fitted with comfy cushions, of which the one on the backrest is movable, thanks to the leather strap that holds it in place, inserted into a horizontal slit that enriches the whole design.
 
For this series, Neri&Hu contemplates on the notion of midnight as the transition time period from one day to the next. In Roman timekeeping, midnight was the exact halfway point between sunset and sunrise, marking the moment between the dichotomies of day and night. Playing on this duality and the rituals we perform that become markers of time, the Twelve AM bench is conceived as a foyer bench for putting on and taking off shoes, a daily act that marks the beginning and end of each day. The Twelve AM bed features a high headboard which folds and envelops for a deep sleep in the night, but on the opposing side, there is a small desk from which to work during the day.
 
Pillows, mattress & bed linen is for illustration purpose only.