Here is a selection of my favourite furniture designs released in 2018.
Guise ll Odd Matter
Amsterdam based studio created a collection of two benches and a console called "Guise" for FAR, a brand new offshoot of Nilufar Gallery. The pieces made from carved foam have been coated in either iridescent car lacquer, or a faux-marble painting technique (trompe l'oeil). The designers say "...embracing an almost scary instinct to subvert the meaning of something and fake its real nature" in reference to the technique they used to imitate marble.
Chisel ll Studio Anansi
The studio identifies itself by their focus on surface and form, using a combination of raw and natural materials combined with high level craftsmanship in order to create everyday objects. Chisel aimed to be a statement piece, as a beautiful addition to any place. The mirror has a dynamic presence thanks to the contrast between the hand carved and stained texture of the wood, and mirror's smooth reflective surface.
PnKrck ll Kelly Behun & Narciso Rodriguez
The PnKrck chair is an outcome of a consideration of the nature of a chair and the many possibilities it presents. The influence of Rodriguez, elegant minimalism and restraint, met with Kelly's impulse to subvert the expected, resulted in a chair that forces you to sit in a way that feels slightly unfamiliar. It represents a collision of ideas and materials, from linen and suede to lacquer and oak.
Oggetti ll Dimore Studio
The display cabinet filled with flowers is a part of the showcase "Perfettamente Imperfetto" by Dimore Studio where signature pieces from the studio's "Progetto Non Finite" and "Oggetti" collections are on display. It accentuates the precious materials, luxurious quality and well-defined character of the studio, through their simplicity and purity.
ABCD ll Faye Toogood
The British design studio created a new range of modular seating for Okayama-based textile producer Takeyari, who is known for the thickness and durability of their canvas. The collection is called "ABCD", consisting of four outsized cushions shaped like the first four letters of the latin alphabet. The cloud-like cushions can be easily assembled using a simple robe, due to the simple mechanism that the studio developed.
Asmara ll Federico Pepe
The hand-knotted rug made from cotton weave and Himalayan wool pile is a tribute to the capital of Eritrea, now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its modernist architecture, designed by visionary architects in the fascist colonial era. When the designer says "I applied lines which are inspired by the iconography and the formal essence of modernist architecture", he emphasises the two souls of the rug.
BOW ll Zaha Hadid Architects
As a part of the first collection of new Spanish brand Nagami, Zaha Hadid Architects designed the Bow chair, a result of an exploration of the natural growth processes that occur in marine biology, specifically underwater ecosystems and coral formations. The chair is 3D printed with a biodegradable, non-toxic material made from renewable resources like corn-starch, making it lightweight and sturdy. The colour gradients and patterns are intended to redefine the traditional spatial relationship between furniture and its setting, according to the brand.
Trident ll Floris Wubben
This Amsterdam-based studio is known for their innovative and exceptional pieces that push the boundaries of form and function. Trident table is a part of a collection which represents the harmony in which machines and humans work co-dependently in order to create an object. The objects are produced with a self-built extrusion machine that Wubben has developed. This distinctive craftsmanship allows extruding a diversity of forms and assembling them into larger ensembles, which offers infinite possibilities as well as uniqueness for each work.
Cartesio Outline ll Elena Salmistraro
Cartesio Outline is a duplicated version of Cartesio of Flatlandia, the hand-knotted rug collection made from Himalayan wool. The rugs are transformed into two-dimensional universes inhabited by geometric shapes, like the novel Flatland by Reverend Edwin A. Abbott, which gave its name to the collection. Triangles, lines, circles and squares overlap, meet and collide.
DC1809 ll Vincenzo De Cotiis
DC1809 table is a piece from his "Progetto Domestico" series, referring to both the movement and the freedom of nature outdoors. These attributes are blended in a subtle and sophisticated way to create each work, which shows a special care for detail and opulence. "It is a manifesto of pure naturalistic inspiration - a quintessence of everything that the movements of the early 20th century had established" says Vincenzo De Cotiis.