softwall by molo translates nature-inspired blues into a flexible, light-responsive paper partition system

introducing sloped softwall in deep blue and glacier blue

molo’s founders Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen have explored paper as a sculptural medium for over two decades, finding strength and purity in this material. The Vancouver-based studio is renowned for its soft collection — a modular line of flexible space partitions, building blocks, furniture, and lighting made almost entirely from paper or textile. Expanding this system, molo introduces sloped softwall in two nuanced shades of blue, debuting alongside a sustainable manufacturing partnership with historic Bavarian mill Gmund Paper.

‘Rather than designing furniture with rigid definitions of use, we envision layers of possibilities — abstract objects to accommodate gatherings, performances, pauses, and transitions. In doing so, users are offered the freedom to shape and engage with their spaces intuitively,’ state Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen, the founders and designers of molo.

a partnership with gmund paper

Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen met in 1994 while studying architecture at Dalhousie University, where they began foundational investigations into materials, flexibility, and sustainable spatial design. Between 1994 and 2003, the duo submitted winning proposals in a series of international design competitions and completed several award-winning architectural projects, leading them to found molo in Vancouver in 2003. Over the past three decades, the studio has gained international recognition, accumulating over 35 patents, prestigious awards like the Danish INDEX Award, and permanent acquisitions in museum collections including MoMA in New York and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

Dedicated to iterative development and seeking ways of offering new colours, molo has partnered with

Gmund Paper, a German mill that has manufactured high-quality papers for nearly two centuries. Working in close collaboration with Forsythe and MacAllen, Gmund Paper has developed bespoke, fire-retardant, and recyclable papers with no harmful components, balancing stringent technical requirements with the poetic sensibilities of the soft collection. Located on the Mangfall River in Germany, Gmund’s production is entirely hydropowered, 75% generated by its own turbines driven by the neighbouring waterway. For Gmund, this partnership extends its centuries-old practice into a new creative field, expanding to create and shape interior space with molo. 

sculptural form shapes space through colour, light, and shadow

Utilizing a pliable honeycomb structure, softwall expands in length one hundred times its compressed form and links magnetically in sequence, offering a sustainable building system that transcends waste-intensive traditional methods through acoustic control, texture, and light. The translucent glacier blue paper partition conjures the pale blue sky of a clear, sunny day. At a microscale, delicate puffs of paper fiber recall wispy clouds when in direct sunlight. As light passes through the wall, it glows with the ephemeral luminosity of a glacier crevasse. The opaque deep blue, saturated and rich, evolves from molo’s former blue paper with higher lightfastness. When structured with the pleated, cellular geometries of the sloped softwall, it evokes wind raking the ocean’s surface into facets that alternately reflect and absorb light, capturing reflections of sky blue and windows into shadowy depths. 

The pigments used for molo are eco-friendly, and the paper is FSC® Certified (FSC® C158591). The two shades of blue paper are made on a machine that has operated for over 140 years and adapted with modern technical innovations. These include lasers, robotics, and an ozone-based water purification plant, ensuring quality and environmental protection with zero solid waste sent to landfill from the production of molo’s paper. 

project info:

brand: molo | @studio_molo

designers: Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen

products: sloped softwall™, softwall + softblock™, softseating™, cantilever table™, benchwall™ (soft collection™)

paper manufacturer: Gmund Paper | @gmundpaper