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Belgian design studio Muller Van Severen’s “About” page is 25 percent biography, 75 percent ode to its love of materials, so it’s no surprise that the company’s new collaboration with Hay introduced us to one we’ve never heard of before. 

For the line of  Two-Colour tables, the companies decided to forgo typical surfaces like stone or aluminum in favor of a wood compound that’s 30 percent stronger than traditional MDF (due to the resin bonding each fiber together, instead of simply being a coating)—and immeasurably more beautiful. Valchromat is made up of individually dyed fibers, which means the color goes all the way through—no more accidentally scratching off the finish!—not to mention it’s waterproof. A cobalt top is paired with a rust red frame, while mint green is coupled up with butter yellow, and gray with mustard, but all the hues were chosen to work together (all the more reason to purchase a few and mix and match). 

Any piece Muller Van Severen designs must be able to function in multiple ways (think: a chair that doubles as a bookcase); flexibility is everything. This is where the Arc Shades come in. Depending on the cord kit you choose, the single piece of bent steel can be a table lamp or a pendant light—every indecisive’s dream. The scalloped shape is also available as candlesticks and a vase, so your entire tablescape can coordinate. 

Muller Van Severen stuck to what it does best, experimenting with daring hues and imaginative silhouettes, managing to up the cool factor of Hay’s much-adored Scandinavian sensibility even more, if that’s possible. Functional furniture, it turns out, doesn’t have to be boring.