Future Firm

Ann Lui and Craig Reschke, founders, Future Firm

“Last summer, one of our interns jokingly said, ‘Future Firm never met a metal mesh they didn’t like.’ On one hand, this was an excellent example of his dry humor. On the other hand, like all good jokes, it captured a fundamental truth about our design aesthetic. ‘What is it about perforated metals that is irresistible?’ we wondered. Mildly reflective, obscuring and revealing, structurally stiff but still fabric-like. We realized we always seek out materials that don’t create fixed boundaries. Ones that blur, distort, and layer, rather than separate. To this end, we use McNichols’s wide variety of perforated metals on almost all our projects as furniture, partitions, and exterior wallcoverings. At Nike School Chicago, no. 18 carbon steel expanded metal mesh with quarter-inch openings contributes to a reimagining of a collegiate Gothic–style reading room in bold, minimal materials for an unconventional learning space.” below and right The Nike School Chicago employs no. 18 carbon steel expanded metal mesh with quarter-inch openings as a means of transparent space delineation. below and right Satin bronze chains from Kriskadecor complement the deep palette of beiges, browns, purples, and blacks used throughout the interior of Tatiana by chef Kwame Onwuachi, Lincoln Center's latest culinary destination.