The making of “The Owl”: Behind the scenes of our beautifully purposeful TV ad

With the relaunch of our brand under a brand-new ethos – Better. By design – in September last year, we decided to follow this up with a TV advert that perfectly conveys the way we design our kitchens. What makes us special.  

A Magnet kitchen is not just about being beautiful. What makes us different is the attention to detail and the purpose and utility behind the design.

It’s about the thoughtful touches that are perfect for purpose – and the inspiration behind the design. In this case, the reflection of nature.

How did we come up with the story?

To start with, we wanted to achieve three key things:

• To celebrate Magnet’s passion for purposeful design
• To showcase our natural inspiration
• And to create an emotional connection, as kitchens are such a vital part of family and life

The challenge was how we were going to acheive these three things in a simple, elegant and impactful way in just 30 seconds...

The barn owl presented the perfect analogy: beautiful, yet perfectly adapted to its environment.

Elegant, graceful and silent, even in flight. It’s head perfectly attuned for listening. It’s kind face shaped like a heart that helped us convey the lovely human connection we have to this beautiful animal, which is something we demonstrate through the relationship between the owl and our child.

In addition, filming the owl in nature also gave us the opportunity to showcase the inspiration of bark, trees and water. All elements that were part of the design inspiration for the award-winning kitchen used in the ad, Nordic Nature.

How does the kitchen come into it?

At Magnet we are all about the details that create a beautiful atmosphere with purposeful design.

In our TV advert we chose to showcase Nordic Nature because it’s more than just a kitchen. It is an idea and a design language inspired by nature.

We have taken inspiration from nature’s parings, employing biophilic design. Mixing rough with smooth and plain with detailed. Celebrating nature’s diversity.

The ribbed texture seen in the glass units and Nordic Wave frontals echo rippling streams or waves on a riverbed. The curved pilasters soften the edges and resonate with weathered stone or river smoothed pebbles.

Our bark-inspired veneer frontal with elegant frames create a furniture feel. Nature is timeless and provides us with the prefect references to create a simple, elegant design perfect for family life.

The palette is refined. Simple and understated.

When styling this look, we added luxury through texture, materials and warming colour. Introducing colour through subtle details like the beautiful marble vein and comforting textiles really help bring a sense of calm to a family home. Just like the highlights found in nature.

Our vision is that the kitchen should give you the same peace and quiet that you get from stepping into nature. As we spend more time at home, it has evolved into a place for rebalance and reassurance.

Casting

When it came to casting, it was important for us to show the connection between the human world and the natural. Something we consider in all of our kitchen designs.

A relationship between a nature-loving child and our barn owl felt like the perfect fit.

When it came to choosing Eva, we wanted a child that was engaging and had a twinkle in her eye. Someone who you could imagine building dens and enjoying nature.

We held a casting with numerous girls and boys and were massively impressed by what Eva brought to the role.  

Propping and styling

Propping and styling is incredibly important.

In the advert we decided to showcase our nature-inspired Nordic Nature kitchen. We wanted the kitchen to feel lived-in, purposefully designed for the family. High quality yet warm and inviting. A kitchen that everyone would want in their home.

We used plant cuttings to mirror the forest surrounding the kitchen – and kitchen utensils made with refined natural materials to continue the natural theme.