If the word "sideboard" conjures up your great-aunt's fusty home on a dull Sunday afternoon, think again. Toronto-based hollis+morris have dusted off the sideboard and reinvented it for mid-century modern tastes.
hollis+morris (these Canadian designers insist on lower case for their name, and who are we to disagree?) are dedicated to minimalist design and what they call a "refined aesthetic". Their oh-so-simple chairs and stools speak of a quietly fastidious approach incorporating innovative techniques.
For their sideboard, hollis+morris have created what looks at first sight like a solid black block, edged with wood, on an black-finished metal base. Think a horizontal version of the plinth that appears in Kubrick's '2001, A Space Odyssey' and you have the general idea.
Your great-aunt might think this is a little beyond what's acceptable. There's no denying that hollis+morris's sideboard does appear to be an avant-garde piece of cinema-referential sculpture rather than a handy storage space.
Indeed, that's part of the point. A piece of furniture can be a piece of art, just so long as its central function isn't denied. hollis+morris don't disappoint.
That black metal frontage - other finishes are available - slides to reveal solid wood shelving, useful for everything from your dinner service to those essential cocktail glasses.
By now, even your great-aunt would be nodding her approval. As for us, we celebrate this reinvention of the sideboard as a highly desirable addition to any home.
