Hardly any cutlery has become as much the epitome of its product category as the Mono A, designed by Peter Raacke in 1959, which secured its place in New York’s MoMa as well as on dining tables worldwide. The timeless cutlery, which became one of the best-selling cutlery sets in Germany in the post-war period, stands for the quality label “Design made in Germany” like no other.
With references to this modern classic, the Berlin designer Mark Braun has now ventured to create a new cutlery design. With his design Mono V, which owes the accompanying letter to its lines, he has also screwed on the levers of sustainable design with careful innovation on the form: Even less material is used, even less energy is expended in production – 1.5 mm stainless steel that, unlike the usual, does not have to be rolled in energy-intensive steps from 2.5 to 1.5 mm. Thanks to the distinctive bend in the material, it achieves the necessary stability and at the same time its striking new identity in terms of design. He took his cue from the disposable fork, which – although the antithesis of sustainable cutlery – has one advantage: as much function as possible with as little use of resources as possible. Mark Braun makes use of this efficiency and follows his own principles for contemporary design: timeless products that are cleverly produced to the highest standards and have the longest possible lifespan with the smallest possible logistical CO2 footprint.
“I always saw Peter Raacke’s Mono A Form as a milestone from which to differentiate with appreciation.” Mark Braun
This is not the first time Mark Braun has tackled Peter Raacke’s work. In 2018, he already launched a new interpretation of the Mono Ring cutlery series, which was discontinued in the 1990s, with Mettmanner Manufaktur Mono. The new edition in five colours gave the design classic from 1962 a new lease of life. To repeat Peter Raacke’s stroke of genius, who knew how to tread the fine line between avant-garde and tradition, requires as much courage as it does moderation. The family business Mono, run by Wilhelm Seibel and two of his sons in the fifth generation, has undoubtedly succeeded in this with Mark Braun.
More information at www.mono.de.
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