Nearly 70 years ago, Michigan furniture designer Hugh Acton became an icon of the midcentury modern furniture movement with the launch of his wood-and-metal slat bench. And now direct-to-consumer furnishings brand Floyd brings that classic piece back into production with the Acton bench.
Floyd—which is based in Cranbrook, Mich., where Acton studied at the Cranrbook Academy of Art—partnered with the late designer’s estate to reissue the bench. Acton designed the bench in Cranbrook, as a response to the new post-war period modernist principles of design.
“As Detroit designers, we’ve long been fans of Hugh’s work and share in his mission to create simple, quality designs,” said Kyle Hoff, co-founder and CEO, Floyd. “We’re so excited to reissue this timeless, iconic piece and make it accessible to our customers.”
The Acton Bench, which retails for $1,395, is available in walnut or oak with black or chrome legs. The bench comes with a 100 percent wool cushion in the Sisu pattern by Kvadrat Textiles. Floyd recently partnered with Kvadrat to create exclusive fabrics for their furnishings.
The Acton Bench is the latest in Floyd’s ongoing rollout of new products as it slowly scales its offerings. The company also launched a modular dresser this month.
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Featuring a similar design as the Floyd bed frame, the modular dresser system is made to grow and change, with two- and three-unit options, as well as the ability to mix and match drawers, doors and open shelves.
“The product was developed with an innovative engineering system and an infinitely adaptable one-sized base, so users can expand to different units over time, allowing for easy moving, whether between rooms or homes,” Hoff said.
The dresser comes in a variety of colors and finishes, including maple, walnut, blue, yellow and beige. The two-unit option measures 48 inches and retails for $3,000, while the three-unit is 71 inches long and priced at $4,500.
“We see it as a seamless way to continue expanding on modular furniture systems,” Hoff said. “It was one of the most asked-for products since we started Floyd and has been in development for two years.”