M2L's striking new Madison Avenue showroom hosts top design event during ICFF 2010

For the past 20 years, M2L has built a thriving business bringing genuine modern furniture design to the American market. Carrying only licensed and authorized pieces from venerable designers such as Eileen Gray, Josef Hoffmann and Pierre Paulin, and being part of such prestigious projects as the United Nations, Goldman Sachs, and Ogilvy & Mather, the design and architectural communities have come to rely on M2L for finding and sourcing truly iconic design solutions for any project. Now the caliber of the company’s reputation is matched with an equally impressive flagship showroom on Madison Avenue in New York City.

After 10 years perched on the second floor of 215 E. 58th Street in Manhattan, Michael Manes, founder of M2L, wanted a space to mirror the success of his multi-million dollar company. Hoping to complement its beautiful showrooms in DC and Boston, it took nearly two years to find the perfect match. M2L’s new home resides in an immaculate prewar building at 135 Madison Avenue (between 31st and 32nd Streets). According to Manes, “I instantly fell in love with its very Milano feel.”

Naturally, Manes phoned New York-based architects Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel (GKV) to design the new space. With a relationship dating back 15 years, the long-time collaborators were also responsible for the layout of M2L’s two previous showrooms on 58th Street and the D&D Building. When explaining the concept behind the new showroom, Richard Kronick, the principal of GKV, noted, “We opted to keep the space raw but refurbish everything with a strong industrial vernacular.” The open loft space features the original dark hardwood floors, exposed ductwork, and white walls. Having floor to ceiling windows, the space is flooded with natural light, resulting in beautiful modern furniture vignettes that illuminate in the space.

M2L will be hosting two events on Monday, May 17th during the ICFF. The main event 'M2L Presents: Genuine German Design' will take place in the new showroom from 6 to 8pm and will honor the premiere brands in German furniture design. Guests will get a chance to see a retrospective on Walter Knoll, iconic products from e15, and the KFF mock-up that was awarded the UN General Assembly Project. For those in the SoHo area, M2L will also be hosting an event in collaboration with Montis at the Trespa Design Centre (62 Greene Street, NYC) from 6 to 9pm. New Montis products on display will include: 'Ella', a compact seat with a buckled dish shape designed by Marie-Christine Dorner; 'Lotus', a sculptural and colorful armchair designed by Simon Pengelly; 'Domino', a modular upholstered sofa designed by Dick Spierenburg; and the 'Jim', 'Annex', and 'Wang' designed by Gijs Papavoine.