Rafael de Cárdenas Designs a New Collection for MG + BW

Founded in 1989 as an upholstery supplier but today encompassing all manner of furnishings for the home, MG + BW has earned its reputation as a provider of heirloom-quality American crafts­man­-ship. Now, New York designer and creative director Rafael de Cárdenas—whose clients in­clude Nike, Glossier, and Cartier—brings his eye-catching de­ployment of both tailored minimalism and confident extravagance to a 19-piece col­lec­tion made in the company’s North Carolina factory. Among the standouts is the French art deco–style Sunbeam chair, the lushly padded Beam bench, and the color-block Lily ottoman that can be up­hol­stered in any two hues or prints. “By changing the color and fabric, you create a different mood,” de Cárdenas notes—and with MG + BW’s library of over 500 textiles, there’s plenty to choose from. Also in the two-way mode are the Honeymoon nesting tables in walnut and Ara­bes­cato marble, while the Darling console is solely and solidly bleached walnut. “The forms are ready for you to go wild…or not at all,” de Cárdenas adds, “but always with a whisper of elegance.”