It is not every day that someone steps away from their childhood dream with supercars, but that is exactly what two McLaren designers have done. A combination of Irish Gaelic and Portuguese, Ennua aims to be the new benchmark for statement furniture – and more
Design could be described as the intersection between art and function. Adding an element of mystique, intrigue or plain objective beauty to everyday objects. It is why car designers are often found dabbling in fashion, architecture, jewellery or bespoke furniture, but the news that two senior McLaren recruits have stepped away from the automotive world entirely does feel quite unexpected.
Joao Dias and Patrick Carton, who worked most recently on the McLaren W1, have formed Ennua, a luxury goods brand that draws heavily on supercar exteriors and high-tech materials for inspiration. Both left after about eight years with the company, Dias most recently serving as head of exterior design and Carton as acting principle designer.
Ennua’s first product, a chair, combines beautifully finished carbon fibre with dark tobacco leather and gold accents. At first glance it is not immediately clear what this thing is, exactly, but that was intentional. “We’ve worked at McLaren for so long and wanted to bring that same kind of approach to something that, in general, is just quite logical and mundane everywhere else. A chair is just a chair – there is never really any magic to it,” explains Dias. “With a supercar, you have that combination of theatre but also functionality, and we wanted to implement that way of thinking. We want products that compel you to approach them and engage with them, not just sit there.”
It is certainly easy on…
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