July 29, 2022 / Nikki Requiero

Playful and Refined: An Interview with Made of Tomorrow

There’s always room for a playful touch or two in homewares and furniture for the home. Made of Tomorrow achieves this and more with their stylish and playful take on signature pieces, bringing a distinct aesthetic to all types of spaces.

We chatted with the duo behind Made of Tomorrow, Matt and Dan, on designing from their native New Zealand to their future plans.

What was the inspiration behind starting Made of Tomorrow?

Matt: MOT was born from a place where Dan and I were operating another business and realised, hey we love homewares, we should design a range and see where it takes us. So we released our first collection back in 2015 and the rest is history!

The original vibe of MOT is quite different now from what it originally was and it took us a few years to come into our own and find exactly what we were and what set us apart from the rest. Once we discovered all of that about ourselves, it became much easier to design, add new products and grow the business. We both love simple design styles, so that came organically. We saw a gap in the market and started something for ourselves.

How did you decide on making all products in New Zealand?

Manufacturing locally was an early decision we faced because we wanted to support the NZ economy and employ other Kiwi’s. It’s a challenge as we grow and try to introduce new products that require more work, but it challenges us to create products that are simple to make and are still stylish.

We want to keep our pieces as low as possible because we want our designs to be accessible to everyone, so making sure our items are straightforward to fabricate is crucial. However, in the same breath, in recent years it’s allowed us to grow as other businesses who import products have come across huge delays with importing and freight.

How do your roles in MOT differ from each other?

Matt: Owning a design business is much less glamorous than one would think! On a day-to-day basis, we mainly work on admin for the business. Looking at reports, marketing schedules and purchase orders. In terms of roles, we’ve always naturally slipped into where we work best. Dan manages productions and is the main account manager. Then I spend most of my time on the marketing side of the business, running the digital marketing, planning future promotions and designing and creative.

We usually come together for new product development which can be a long or fast process. Then if either of us comes up with something we like, we lay down the idea, collaborate on any suggestions or changes, work on prototypes, and samples and then photograph the new items and launch them online.

How do you decide on which colours and finishes to make your pieces in?

We tend to do everything in black or white so that part is easy! We have other custom colours in the range and offer all of our customers the ability to get whatever they want, in any colour they want. We predominantly work with steel, and a powder coating is the best finish for that. We have lots of new products in the making that will incorporate more finished colours, so stay tuned!

What’s your favourite Made of Tomorrow product?

Matt: My favourite is the Arch Monitor Stand. It was one of the first products that we made that wasn’t folded steel, it’s all welded together and has some fantastic angles, and curves to it that just work super well. AND I spend so much time at my computer so I get to use it every day.

Dan: I love our Blob Mirror. Everything we had done prior was quite square and structured, so the blob mirror with all its curves is an awesome contrast to the range and it’s so versatile too.

Any new exciting products that are on the way?

We are about to have a huge launch here in NZ. We have five new MOT products coming to the MOT range featuring some bigger furniture items, including a dining table, new shelving and an entirely new range of goods completely different from anything we’ve ever done. This new range will get new additions every 8 weeks too. So keep an eye out for that release!

To shop Made Of Tomorrow's full range, click here.

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