Published on April 21, 2024
Courtesy of Venicem
Over the past few years, consumers have sought softness in fashion and furnishings, perhaps as an antidote to the hardened edges of today’s social and political landscapes. While organic curves have long been beloved by those with contemporary tastes and the rhythm of a scalloped border associated with Palm Beach prep, the two motifs have struck a crescendo in the newly popular wave motif. In more formal terms, these silhouettes pull from the energy of the Memphis movement and the romantic glamour of Art Deco design.
These furnishings, rendered in wood, metal, and stone, meld sophisticated silhouettes with whimsical details, underscoring each design with attention to materiality and craftsmanship: Classic approach meets contemporary vision. Chris Miano’s Squiggle mirror—an updated and more refined version of Ettore Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror—is a puckish piece with graceful lines that keep it well on this side of the absurd. Maxime Boutillier’s sumptuous Badinage sofas play a similar game, their uniform undulations nudging an otherwise formal elegance toward levity with smile-inducing shapes. To brighten things up, Venicem’s Bissa suspension light flies smoothly through the mid-space, balancing tech-savvy sleekness with exquisite artistry.
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Badinage, Maxime Boutillier
Pulling inspiration from more than a decade in the industry, French interior designer Maxime Boutillier presents his sculptural Murmure collection, created exclusively for New York–based art and design gallery Studio Twenty Seven. Combining Parisian flair with unwaveringly precise craftsmanship, the Badinage (which comes in sofa and chair models) balances sharp lines with appealing curves, wrapping the whole thing in a luxurious velvet upholstery from family-run Milanese textile house Dedar. Available in multiple sizes, Badinage’s arched back is a contemporary nod to a classic aesthetic, while the bolsters on each end reflect an old-world formality. From $10,800
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Squiggle, CAM Design Co.
Image Credit: Courtesy of CAM Design Co. With CAM Design Co.’s Squiggle mirror, the monotony of the standing looking glass—let’s
be honest, an often snooze-inducing piece—is broken up by the tension between the three linear sides and the inchworm-like line of the fourth. Designer Chris Miano constructs each piece in his New Jersey studio from sustainably sourced solid wood; choose from bleached maple, American black walnut, red oak, and charred oak. $14,660 -
Bissa, Venicem
Image Credit: Courtesy of Venicem This suspension illuminant by Venicem offers high-impact design with a low profile: The silhouette will no doubt appeal to the minimalist romantic seeking a subtle flourish. With an LED light strip embedded into the darkened brass body, the Bissa—which hangs from the ceiling by unobtrusive (and adjustable) steel cables—lends the effect of skywriting, whether above a kitchen island, a rectangular dining table, or a long hallway. $9,790
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Eternity, Arda Yeniay
Image Credit: Courtesy of Arda Yeniay Istanbul-based interior architect and designer Arda Yeniay, who earned a master’s degree in product design in Milan, masterfully combines fluidity and rigor in his Eternity collection. Crafted by artisans in Turkey from single blocks of travertine, black marble, or stainless steel—each available in limited, signed editions of 12—the dining tables offer a new take on the pedestal base. With the Eternity, Yeniay employs the hardest of materials to create a form that somehow appears airy despite its solidity, a point at which the design just might tip over into art. From $40,000
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Ondulating, Luna Paiva
The spindly profile of Luna Paiva’s Ondulating chair belies its material makeup: The limited-edition piece is handcrafted from solid bronze. Known for gilding natural objects such as oversize succulents and stacked rocks for public spaces, the Parisian-born, Barcelona-based artist—who studied at the Sorbonne and New York University—modeled this seat in clay before casting it, then finished it with a light-catching black patina. The organic presentation appears as if a chair sprouted from the earth. $21,800