Studio MVW

Based in Shanghai and led by Chinese designer Ming Xu and French architect Virginie Moriette, Studio MVW stands out for its sculptural, architectural language, where Western and Eastern aesthetics intertwine with striking harmony. Each creation becomes a site of dialogue between memory and innovation, cultural roots and universal openness.

For more than twenty years, the studio has explored the memory of forms and materials, while transcending them through an East–West approach that is resolutely contemporary. This exacting vision has been recognized with numerous awards in Asia and Europe, including the AD 100 Design Talents Award (six consecutive editions: 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013) and the Wallpaper* Design Award (2018, 2014).

At the crossroads of sophistication and the organic, ‘JinYe’ envisions each piece as a mineral landscape, a work of nature transposed into furniture. In Chinese, “JinYe” means Leaf (Ye) of Gold (Jin). This name expresses the spirit of this collection, born from the encounter between a fine brass-colored leaf and the rare quartzite known as “Patagonia”, from a volcanic region of Brazil, renowned for its shimmering patterns. At the heart of the series, the Golden Leaf unfolds as an oblong motif shaping tabletops, bases, and sides in a balance both spontaneous and masterfully controlled. Deep blacks, pale gold, and moiré browns, punctuated by sparkling inclusions of quartz, feldspar, and mica, confer a hypnotic intensity.

In ‘JinShi’, the sensuality of rose jade merges with the purity of form, resulting in an expression that is both precious and bold. Literally “Stone of Gold,” ‘JinShi’ evokes a universe close to fine jewelry, where furniture and lighting are composed around an exceptional gemstone. With its powdery transparency and sumptuous hues, natural rose jade lends each piece a rare and delicate aura. The softness of jade, backlit by LEDs, interacts with the refined brilliance of metal in warm shades of rose gold. The coffee table stands out with a broad jade surface that seems to float weightlessly on three golden spheres. Each design is also available in a darker gunmetal finish underscoring its contemporary elegance.

‘XiangSheng’ explores the harmony of fullness and emptiness, of matter and space. This ensemble embodies Studio MVW’s philosophy and its unique ability to connect Western and Eastern aesthetics. In the West, objects are defined by their materials and forms; in the East, emptiness prevails, rooted in Taoist thought, where inner stillness is understood as a source of plenitude. ‘XiangSheng’ lies at the junction of these two visions, as an exploration of the power of emptiness when it unites with fullness to create perfect balance.

With ‘Blooming’, an ancestral icon is transformed. The Ming vase, an emblematic silhouette of Chinese “blue and white,” blossoms into new forms and functions. Studio MVW reinvents this millenary heritage by giving it a bold modernity, at the crossroads of memory and innovation. Dressed in a deep blue lacquer, the form opens to become a cabinet, console, or pendant light, revealing secret compartments. The elegance of straight lines converses with the softness of curves, the memory of forms with the uses of today.