Mortar is your new source for minimalist tech

M-618 Vinyl Storage unit by Mortar

(Image credit: Mortar)

The spirit of high-tech 1980s minimalism, when architects and designers started sourcing components and materials from industrial suppliers and repurposed them for use in the home, is reborn in start-up Mortar. ‘Mortar is a contemporary furniture and home accessories brand. Think of brutalism and minimalism. Aluminium, stainless steel and white painted wood,’ says Andrew Laskin, who runs the new Scottish brand as a one-man band.

Laskin, a graphic designer and musician, began his industrial design journey when he created some pieces to kit out his own apartment. Finding nothing that fitted his aesthetic and requirement, Laskin started to draw up his own ideas, out of what he calls the ‘necessity of making spaces around you … resonate with your inner self.’

‘It is an idea that one should not be afraid of a blank page. It is a need to smile while drinking a morning coffee, reading a book lying on a coffee table or enjoying a glass of wine surrounded by burning candles,’ Laskin continues. ‘Mortar [came from] a dream of one’s perfect flat brought to life by a pencil and a drill.’

Current products cover a diverse cross-section of products, from a coffee table and candle holders, through to speakers and vinyl storage. Inspiration comes from ‘masters of simple forms’, with Tadao Ando, Le Corbusier, and Dieter Rams all cited.

Materials are sourced locally wherever possible. and other masters of simple forms. All materials are sourced locally in Scotland, if possible. ‘The idea is to support local businesses, collaborate with local artists, and make UK homes better,’ says Laskin.

We’re especially taken with the minimalist charms of the M-159 CD Player, M-2000 TV Bench, M-470 Speakers and M-618 Vinyl Storage. Wallpaper* spoke to Laskin about his vision for the brand.

Wallpaper*: Do you have plans for scaling the business (eg, sourcing more suppliers) or are you happy for it to stay small and bespoke?

Andrew Laskin: I really appreciate this ‘intimacy’ thing where I can afford a unique approach to every customer. Scaling is surely an aim, but not scaling to fight with Ikea; [instead] scaling the catalogue to meet the needs of a (probably) relatively small number of people, who are happy with what I design to be in their homes.

W*: How do you choose where you source components from?

AL: Mortar is mostly a one-man army, so there is no dedicated team to manage and ‘optimise’ the supply chain. Therefore I can support local suppliers who share my philosophy on an individual approach and (hopefully) are located not too far from the studio.

W*: What's your design/tech background?

AL: My diploma says ‘Management’, but in my free time, I was helping my friends with organising different parties and exhibitions – primarily by creating a visual identity. So I’m proud to consider myself a graphic designer for seven-plus years now. But that’s graphic design and some video-making mostly.

Apart from this, university accommodations motivated me to make certain wood pieces that could help me store my equipment and make my workspace more accessible. So for each room I’ve lived in, I designed and assembled something unique.

‘I believe that a coffee table and speakers are not that different. ‘I made it for myself’ is the motto of Mortar projects’
Andrew Laskin

W*: It's quite unusual to have a company provide everything from furniture to electronics – why did you decide to take this approach?

AL: At the end of the day, it’s all just something that surrounds us when we wake up and when we go to sleep. So I believe that a coffee table and speakers are not that different. ‘I made it for myself’ is the motto of Mortar projects.

One day, I needed a vinyl storage to keep my ever-growing vinyl collection, another day I thought that wall-mounted speakers would be helpful while watching films. All the pieces are sharing the same creative spark and technical approach, so they naturally sit well together.

W*: Are there any sectors you want to move into in the future?

AL: A sofa would probably be my next thing in the catalogue. Also, there is a huge glass and metal wall-mounted ambient lamp. My sketchbooks will soon require their own storage, but I can’t offer people something that I’m not using myself, and that did not pass a thorough testing. But I never stop dreaming and experimenting, so hopefully big things are ahead!

Mortar, more information at MforMortar.com, @MforMortar

TOPICS

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.