Tribù Illum aluminum dining chairs and table on an open terrace

Tribù collection · Merckx & Maes

Tribù Illum collection

Merckx & Maes took the plain, useful shapes of classic Scandinavian furniture and cut them in aluminum instead of wood. Nothing about the collection is decorative, and none of it gives up comfort to prove the point.

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The collection

Illum in one paragraph

The aluminum is worked the way a carpenter works timber. Profiles taper, arms round off, edges get eased, and the metal ends up reading as sculpted wood at a distance. Up close it behaves like metal: no swelling in Houston humidity, no splitting after a dry Phoenix summer, no annual oiling.

Six pieces, and two of them are tables. One dining table carries a solid teak top, the other stays aluminum all the way through. The choice is whether you want wood grain at the center of a setting or a single material across the whole terrace.

The armchair and the bench pull up to either table. For the pool side there is a lounger and a lounge chair, both light enough that one person can move the furniture before a party instead of scheduling it.

Frames come in quiet shades — linen and clay among them. Lighter finishes hide dust and pollen between rinses, which matters if the terrace sits under trees or near a construction season.

Designer: Merckx & Maes
Pieces: 6
Materials: Aluminum, Solid teak, Quick-dry foam cushions, Solution-dyed acrylic covers
Best for: Open terraces, poolside decks and coastal patios that see salt air
Pricing: On request

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Specification

What the Illum pieces are made of

Finishes and fabrics are chosen per order. Samples ship before anything is built.
Piece	Frame	Seat	Care
Dining table teak	Sculpted aluminum base	Solid teak top	Oil twice a year, or let it weather to silver-grey
Dining table	Aluminum throughout	Aluminum top	Soap and water; nothing to seal or wax
Bench	Aluminum	Open aluminum seat, no upholstery to dry out	Hose off pollen and dust
Armchair	Aluminum with a back cushion	Shaped aluminum seat under a loose cushion	Machine wash covers cold, dry flat
Lounger and lounge chair	Aluminum	Cushion over an aluminum deck	Store cushions inside over winter

Build

How a Illum piece is layered

Solution-dyed acrylic cover

Color runs through the fiber rather than sitting on it, so full sun takes it down slowly and evenly.
Quick-dry foam

Open-cell core that pushes water out instead of holding it after a storm.
Sculpted aluminum shell

The seat surface itself, shaped the way a wooden seat would be carved.
Frame finish

Muted coats such as linen and clay stand between the metal and salt air.