Melbourne-based Didier Design Studio has launched a new café-inspired furniture collection called ‘Etiquette’, imbuing classic soul with a contemporary spirit.

Didier has long crafted beautiful and functional furniture inspired by narrative, marrying art’s pursuit of meaning with design’s discipline.

The studio’s latest collection – Etiquette – evokes designer Ross Didier’s affinity for genuine café culture and the natural charm of good manners. “Good manners are ageless, priceless and always in fashion,” Didier says.

Hospitality heritage in the home

Developed over Didier’s years spent visiting back-alley bistros and coffee houses around the world, Etiquette channels the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, the Parisian cafes in Montparnasse, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne. The ensuing range delivers refined seating not just for contemporary hospitality interiors, but also residential spaces seeking a slice of this legacy.

“I started thinking about creating a particular dining chair and bar stool several years ago, impelled by the emotions evoked with every coffee, every glass of wine and every life-changing conversation I’d ever shared with a friend in a café,” says Didier. 

“I wanted to embody a contemporary spirit with romantic elegance in the final forms.”

The forms of Etiquette 

With its sculptural curvatures and beautifully proportioned volumes, Etiquette radiates comfort, intimacy and fine personality.

The collection features the Etiquette tables, chair, bar stool and bar tables.

Both the chair and bar stool have been crafted in solid Ash timber to offer extraordinary comfort and natural strength, generous enough to accommodate a wide range of diners. Meanwhile, a subtle, twisting taper to the back legs gives this collection a sophisticated and sensual character. 

Maintaining the same aesthetic philosophy, the tables and bar tables are uniquely designed with steel-legged pedestals that gently splay and taper to the floor on adjustable feet. It’s an understated yet eclectic design, articulating the legacy of art nouveau dining with pared-back form.

The table bases can be powder-coated in a selection of finishes, and designers can also choose from a selection of optional tabletops including timber, laminate and marble in a range of sizes and shapes, on one or twin pedestals, respectively.

A well-mannered collection

The name ‘Etiquette’ was inspired by the “social artform” of manners, says Didier – the desire to ensure a person in our company, whether dining out or at home, enjoys feeling at ease.

“I often think furniture pieces orchestrate emotions or feelings,” he says.

“I hope the Etiquette pieces can add [the] character of atmosphere to help create mood.”

Combining the legacy of art nouveau dining with subtlety, skilled craftsmanship and romantic elegance of form, Etiquette emerges as a compelling interpretation of classic bistro seating that is bound to bring a sense of inspired ambience to any modern residential or hospitality interior.

For any enquiries, contact Didier here.

Photography by Alex Reinders, Rodrigo Rabaco and Allan Mitchell supplied by Didier.