Boring in the Press
A quiet collection receives unexpected attention
Since its launch in 2016, Boring Collection has made every effort to remain invisible. Unfortunately, not everyone has respected that.
Below is a modest overview of coverage that has somehow managed to find us, despite our best efforts to blend in.
Milan, 2016 – Too Much Too Soon
The debut of the Boring Collection during Salone del Mobile 2016 was meant to be low-profile. It wasn't. Azure Magazine noted the collection’s modest grey tone and archetypal shapes with a suspicious level of enthusiasm. "Designed to disappear," they wrote, which was accurate — except for the part where people kept noticing.
Design Milk praised our ability to make office furniture “boring on purpose,” and TL Magazine described the project as “the antidote to the hype of Salone.” Compliments, unfortunately.
Then came the awards. The Milano Design Award for Best Concept was given to our anti-concept. We graciously accepted it by doing absolutely nothing different.
Cologne, 2016 – Orgatec Art Piece
At Orgatec 2016, we returned to our roots: grey office furniture, stacked into a vertical column. Stylepark called it a “furniture totem.” We called it practical storage.
The concept — if it can be called that — was to meet all European standards, avoid visual interest, and reduce presence to near-zero. According to WOW! Webmagazine this resulted in “a poetic grey ghost of office life.” We appreciated the attempt to romanticize grey filing cabinets.
The Boring Film
We asked Lernert & Sander to create a serious film about the Boring Collection. They delivered "16:59", "For this project, they worked with the most iconic gesture of boredom: the attempt to throw a ball of crumpled paper into the trashcan until the clock turns five. In the film office people steal the scene even though they are surrounded by the designs of Boring Collection. Just like the architects intended."
Design Indaba and Frame Magazine picked up the story. The press noted the irony. We noted the compliance.
Centraal Museum, 2021 – Proper Use
In a more appropriate setting, the Boring Collection was used (not exhibited) during Centraal Museum Utrecht’s exhibition on the relocation of a 17th-century dollhouse. Our furniture was chosen to blend in. It succeeded. According to their team, it “supported without distracting.” Finally.
China, South Africa, and the Rest of the World
Somehow, news traveled. Sina Fashion in China identified the collection as avant-garde. Design Indaba in South Africa recognized our resistance to eye-catching design. Even Domus in Italy aligned Boring with a broader critique of playful workplaces.
Others joined in. It’s Nice That, Gucki Blog, Jane Richards Interiors, de Architect — all contributing to a growing pile of commentary on something meant to go unnoticed.
Reflections from the Desk
We never intended to be newsworthy. The idea was to make furniture that got out of the way. That met every rule and broke no ones. That allowed other things — people, plants, art, views — to shine.
But apparently, being extremely boring is still unexpected.
And in design, unexpected things tend to attract attention.
Which, frankly, defeats the point.
