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thescoutmag.com writes about our NYC shop

5 February 2010

“The stretch of Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery is no stranger to design. It’s cobblestone road can lay claim to a surfeit of attractive shops and home to the first Herzog & de Meuron building in New York. The street’s intermingling of contemporary with classic is harmonious and natural, an extension of the city’s collective swagger. Set atop the venerable Dashwood Books, one gets the feeling that there is no locale more apt for Vitsœ’s first US showroom.

To step into Vitsœ is to step into a space free of ostentation. You are buzzed in like a friend coming by for a visit and are immediately greeted by a space resembling more of an apartment than a showroom. Living better with less – the company’s ethos is manifest in detail through the work of Dieter Rams, one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th century. Vitsœ’s 606 Universal Shelving System line the walls of the space, neatly displaying books and Rams’s seminal designs for Braun – the electronics manufacturer he joined in 1955 and was later appointed director of design. Amid notable pieces like the TP 1 record player and 620 Chair Programme are some surprises – a wool cycling jersey hangs from a coat rack while posters designed for Rams’ Post-war plastics exhibit are displayed. A skillful pencil sketch on the wall and a simple sink counter add to the space’s personal, genuine setting. While ensuring nothing feels overtly retail, the ardent team at Vitsœ provide assistance, answer questions, and help with the occasional assembly and installation of units. There’s a true feeling of closeness for everyone working at the space – friends working with friends. On our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting Michael Vince who described to us the level of care and painstaking precision involved in the production of their components: the exact alignment of pins, the secure shut of a cabinet, and the strength and simplicity of its aluminum tracks – features that have been perfected and remain for over 50 years. At this moment, it is easy to see why Vitsœ endures. It is simply, good.

Vitsœ reminds us all that in a world of conspicuous consumption, less is better. That by eschewing the staid, formal environs of a retail space you can create passion. And in the end, good design triumphs.”

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