For furniture designers, the art of design encompasses much more than just form, function and materiality.

Their task is a tough one: to consistently reinvent the wheel (if the wheel were a couch or table), to predict and create trends, and to inspire those who choose their pieces to make a home. Designing for residential spaces, then, goes hand in hand with the philosophy of exceeding the needs and desires of consumers, and indeed predicting these needs and desires before we know them ourselves.

Across the world, designers have been taking inspiration from culture, history and place to create pieces that truly reimagine the everyday. From the ways we lounge to the ways we travel through our spaces, and from deeply considered activities like putting food on the table to the simplest flick of a light switch, great design finds ways to inspire and surprise us. Here, we’ve collected a number of our favourite designs that will inspire your everyday.

Hug Lamp by Mark Mitchell Design

Inspired by the warmth of human contact and the value of social interaction, Mark Mitchell Design has introduced the hug lamp. A unique and playful take on lighting, two furry forms resembling open-armed friends embrace to illuminate the globe atop each piece. The Hug Lamp is a creative take on the way that we have all realised the importance of connection over the last year, and it will certainly be remembered for its reflection of these times.

Zola Ottoman & Coffee Table by Anaca Studio

Soft, sculptural and synergistic, the  Zola Ottoman and Coffee Table by Anaca Studio elevate the living room. This collection offers more than meets the eye: while the subtle curves of the Zola Ottoman blend seamless into any interior and can quickly be transformed into a coffee table by adding a stable plywood layer. Available in a variety of colours and finishes, and with options to customise the level of cushioning, this collection by Anaca Studio is here to complement any living space.

Pam Side Table by Savage Design featuring Dekton

Say hello to Pam – the new architectural side table featuring Dekton. The team at Savage Design expands its furniture collection with a structural side table, which showcases meticulous attention to detail and ingenious craftsmanship all in an unexpectedly thin frame. In collaboration with Dekton, the minimal profile features a 4mm thick Dekton top, creating a scratch and heat resistant top surface for daily use. This surface is also cleverly raised and recessed within the frame, allowing another Pam to be locked in and secured when stacked. With expert engineering, Pam is designed with extreme adaptability to everyday living; where its a table, bookshelf or room divider, Pam brings a little excitement to any space.

“It was one day looking at the material rack in our factory that the idea for Pam came together,” Joel Savage, designer and director of Savage Design, adds. “The rack is essentially the pigeon holes that take a cut length of metal. It’s simple, almost brutalist form, sparked the idea of a cube side table that could be assembled to make a shelving unit.”

Opus Allegro by Artedomus

Artedomus is renowned for elevating the everyday and adding splashes of unexpected beauty. The Opus Allegro tile embodies this aspiration: geometric coloured marble shapes  are surrounded by traditional white Italian marble segments, combining eclectic styling with the sophisticated tradition. A must-see for tile styling, Artedomus offers exceptional quality and design.

‘Dawn’ Light Series by Sabine Marcelis

The ‘Dawn’ Light Series by Sabine Marcelis explores the complex relationship between light, colour and the time in the day where the sun, clouds and sky join to create an ephemeral display of hues. The Rotterdam-based designer pushes the boundaries of everyday object design to deliver pockets of unexpected moments within mundane routines.

Her ability to create special, magical moments within materiality is showcased within ‘Dawn,’ a unique series of light sculptures, which utilizes a single white neon tube embedded in cast resin that create a subtle manipulation of colour and intersection with light. Artful and beyond enchanting, each piece redefines the relationship between transparency and saturation in a series of colour-backed illuminations.

Pinion Project by HATTERN and LAB.CRETE

Hattern and Lab.crete collaborated to find harmony in contrasting materials. The Seoul-based studios sought to explore how the deeply different acrylic and concrete textures could complement each other, and come together to create innovative design products. The studios describe their process as adding ‘colour, pattern and shape to the concrete to be penetrated by acrylic fragments’, then filling the spaces cut from the acrylic in with concrete. The result is a new material, where the strengths and unique look of each component are preserved while a new aesthetic is created. Comprising stools and tables, this project truly reflects modern ingenuity and unique materiality.

Kubus Sofa by Wittmann for DOMO

DOMO’s Kubus Sofa is a playful take on the sofa form. Geometric lines and a strong frame is softened by cubic upholstery and a variety of soft finishes. This piece is the perfect embodiment of refined simplicity making a bold statement – reminiscent of the luxury of the art deco age, with modernist influences and truly modern finishes, the Kubus Sofa by DOMO is a standout design.

Paris Apartment by Daniel Boddam

Australian designer, Daniel Boddam, designed an entirely imagined project – one that is driven by nostalgia, wanderlust and the inimitable Parisian spirit. As we closed our doors to the rest of the world with international border closure in every corner of the globe, Boddam embraced this opportunity with open arms and created the Paris Apartment. Influenced by Matisse’s proclamation, “I’ll make my own pool,” the Paris Apartment guides the individual through an exquisite portrayal of connection, history and our desires to travel through creativity.

Paris holds a special place in Boddam’s heart – a destination deeply rooted in his childhood and growth. In this virtual experience, Boddam shows a restraint in materiality and palette, presenting an apartment bathed in natural light with a selection of sculptural furniture pieces from his past collections.

The peaceful environment showcases the collections in their purest form as we move from one space to the next. Re-interpreted in his own modern way, the Paris Apartment is designed to be taken in slowly and steadily – embodying a sense of calm simplicity and repose.

Table With Four Blocks by Wonmin Park

Wonmin Park’s limited edition ‘table with four blocks’ is a sculptural and unique piece. The contrasts inherent in it reflect Park’s unique style, with a combination of South Korean and Dutch influences.

Crafted from resin, the grand table exudes luxury, but is approachable and adaptable to the interior it inhabits. The textures and materiality are reminiscent of a pastel cloudscape, which contrast spectacularly with the rigid geometry of the table’s form. This table would be the focal point of any dining space, with soft colours and an unconventional leg design that encourages connection in unexpected ways.

Frieze by Marcante-Testa for EX.t

Designed by Marcante-Testa for EX.t, FRIEZE is the new bathroom collection created to bring a touch of excitement into the everyday routine. This colourful collection draws inspiration from Roy LIchtenstein’s ‘Entablatures’ series and the early 20th century styles of art nouveau and art deco. Displayed in a series of geometrical structures, designers Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa instilled muted colourways and strong forms in a unique range of basins.

Mercante Testa designed Frieze as the central element in the bathroom. By considering the entire spatial dimension of the bathroom and its accessories, the position of the sink is thoughtfully defined by a central wall strip. The upper and lower parts of the wall can be designed in contrasting materials, creating space for the mirror, shelves, furniture and other essential items.

Outdoor Collection by Paola Lenti for Dedece

This year, Paola Lenti introduces her latest outdoor furniture range, encapsulating the real expression of a contemporary and conscious design philosophy. Focused on bringing vibrant colours into the home, Lenti was driven by the growing need for greater comfort, elegant design and a deep connection to the outdoors. Featuring rugs, outdoor seating and poolside essentials such as sun lounges and hammocks, every product has been meticulously crafted with a captivating textural appearance that has become a hallmark of Lenti’s past work.

Designed from exclusive and forward-thinking recyclable mono-materials such as Twiggy and Diade, each piece has been thoughtfully curated and woven to ensure the utmost comfort with distinct style. Each piece is entirely recyclable, waterproof, washable and extremely durable to withstand even the most extreme outdoor conditions.

Tim Engelen, founder of dedece, expressess, “With beautiful materials and colours, the collection is an expression of art and elegant design capability, encapsulating both comfort and statement.”

 

Explore some of these brands and more on The Habitus Collection.