Best Design of 2024. Center Center by Form Us With Love – Photo by Jonas Lindström, courtesy of String furniture.
Architecture. We selected ten out-of-the-box furniture design projects that stood out for their powerful messages and virtuous functionality. Our round-up includes 3D-printed stools that change colour in response to UV radiations, an exploration of non-binary creativity, designer furniture made from the first industrial-scale aluminium product crafted entirely from post-consumer scrap, and more.
- RELATED STORIES: Check all our 2024 rounds-ups.
Catifa Carta chair by Arper
Catifa Carta chair by Arper – Photo by Salva Lopez.
Italian furniture brand Arper released Catifa Carta, a 100% fossil-free chair made from Papershell, an innovative composite wood by-product and timber waste that sequesters CO2 like trees. At the end of its life cycle, the new seat can be reduced to biochar and mixed with soil; it then becomes a home for mycelium and microbes to create new life. The seat debuted at Salone del Mobile in Milan and joined the Material Matters showcase in London. Read more…
Rewear Chair by Uncommon Creative Studio
Rewear Chair by Uncommon Creative Studio – Photo by Uncommon Creative Studio.
At Dutch Design Week, we particularly liked the Rewear Chair project by Uncommon Creative Studio. The eco-conscious seat featured collapsible arms that allow clothes to air out. Its innovative design promotes the idea of re-wearing garments instead of washing them unnecessarily. Rewear Chair was created in collaboration with Ecover for a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the environmental effects of daily activities such as doing laundry. Read more…
Paris Olympic Torch by Mathieu Lehanneur
Paris Olympic Torch design by Mathieu Lehanneur – Photo by Felipe Ribon.
The Paris Olympic Torch by Mathieu Lehanneur “plays on perfect symmetry, speaking to us more clearly about equality,” the French designer explained. “I wanted it to be extremely pure, iconic, almost elemental. As simple as a hyphen and as fluid as a flame.” Gentle curves and a rounded silhouette evoke peacefulness. The champagne-hued torch features a matte finish on the top half and a shiny, reflective finish on the bottom. At its centre, a rippled texture is a tribute to the River Seine. Read more…
Nook by Mara Bragagnolo
Hideaway Box, NOOK collection by Mara Bragagnolo – Courtesy of the Superdesign Show
During Milan Design Week, Italian designer Mara Bragagnolo presented Nook, a furniture collection for all children, including those on the autism spectrum. The series features a library, sofa, wheelchair, divider, desk, and quiet box. Cosy niches create a ‘hugging’ effect for more personal moments, while openings encourage interaction. Nook was designed to integrate seamlessly into any classroom or playground setting. Read more…
Hydro CIRCAL1 00R
Hydro Circal 100R exhibition @ Spazio Maiocchi – Photo by Einar Aslaksen.
Hydro, a leading Norwegian company in aluminium and renewable energy, has collaborated with seven international designers to celebrate Hydro CIRCAL1 00R— the first industrial-scale aluminium product crafted entirely from post-consumer scrap, allowing for mass production. Designers, including Max Lamb, Inga Sempé, and Philippe Malouin, have developed furniture collections to encourage more designers and brands to explore this sustainable material. Hydro debuted in Milan and joined the London Design Festival as well. Read more…
Design Dysphoria
Design Dysphoria – Photo by Joe Kramn.
During NYCxDESIGN, the Design Dysphoria exhibition featured works by 17 women, nonbinary, and trans designers exploring the impact of queer creative spaces on art and design. Dysphoria is a sense of discomfort, distress and incompleteness that could also be linked to gender identity issues. “Fashion is the only design area that champions the work of non-binary and trans designers. There are big holes in the design world that need to be filled, and this project represents a step towards that.” Says textile artist Liz Collins. Read more…
Multisensorial 3D-printed stools
Feel the Matter installation by Crafting Plastics! at Alcova Miami 2024 – Photo by Piergiorgio Sorgetti, courtesy of Alcova.
Slovenian studio Crafting Plastics caught our attention several times this year for their sustainable and multisensorial design explorations. During Miami Art & Design Week, they presented an installation featuring towers of stackable bioplastic stools, which released subtle, earthy scents as visitors approached. In London, they introduced 3D-printed stools that switched colour in response to UV radiation, highlighting changes in real-time to raise awareness about invisible environmental threats. Read more…
Seat System by Swedish Girls
Modular Seats System by Swedish Girls – Photo by Swedish Girls.
At Stockholm Design Week, brands, companies, and designers experimented with aluminium and metals, keeping more than one eye on sustainability [Read more]. Swedish Girls Collective presented an eclectic metal fountain, aluminium sculptures and their modular Seat System. “The carefully calculated radiuses, profiles and degrees translate into a precise system produced by machines, assembled and welded by hand. With durable material choices and social focus, the Seats System can be adapted to any space – indoors and outdoors, public and private.”
SUPEREASY by Marco de Luca x Mediterranea Design
SUPEREASY by Marco de Luca x Mediterranea Design at Edit Napoli 2024 – Photo by Eller Studio, courtesy of Edit Napoli.
At Edit Napoli, we fell in love with Marco de Luca‘s SUPEREASY 3D-printed collection of vases, bowls, and cake stands for Mediterranea Design. The series comes in sun-bathed vibrant colours, ranging from yellow to orange, deep blue and red, referencing Marco de Luca’s historical Hotel Minervetta in Sorrento. Read more about Edit Napoli 2024…
Center Center by Form Us With Love
Center Center by Form Us With Love – Photo by Jonas Lindström, courtesy of String furniture.
“Static storage is a concept of the past,” Jonas Pettersson and John Löfgren of Stockholm-based design studio Form Us With Love said. The Swedish studio developed the Center Center furniture collection, rethinking storage design for String Furniture. Powder-coated metal perforated sheet boxes become the base of a modular collection, offering plenty of possibilities for organising an office or home. Center Center was unveiled during 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen. Check out what we liked the most in the Danish capital.
