Family:

TM

,

Miguel Milá
Rises Like a Sail Up its Mast
TMM_CokeBartrina_2011-1.jpg

TM stands for Tramo Móvil—or “moving section”—a reference to the series of shades that rise and fall like sails on a mast. But it also nods to TRAMO, the company Miguel Milá founded to self-produce his work in postwar Spain, and which itself is a shortened version of Trabajos Molestos (“Annoying Tasks”): the name he gave as a child to an imaginary service agency in charge of the chores he had to take on as the youngest sibling in the family.

The letter following the shared root reveals the material or defining feature of each design: M for Madera (wood), A for Aluminio (aluminum), C for Cromada (chrome), and D for Diana, the latter because it shares the same circular base and economy of means as its namesake product.

Miguel’s names are like his objects: their depth lies in their simplicity. Modest yet highly ingenious, because the greatest challenge lies in achieving perfect harmony between form and function. Miguel was a maker of useful things.

In addition to the characteristic movement of its shade, another defining gesture in the TM family is its signature switch: a gentle pull on the cable. While many have tried to hide the power cord—its essential source of energy—here it becomes a visible, functional part of the design. And as it happens, the best way to hide something is often to place it right under one’s nose.

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