Blame it on the uncertain political climate or summer’s coast-to-coast heat waves, but heading into fall, everyone seems a little unmoored. Perhaps that’s why designers are doubling down on anchoring in and filling their projects with heavy-duty pieces. Literally. One material that keeps cropping up is metal. Whether galvanized steel or aluminum, the former factory staples are now underscored by crafted refinement in textures, angles, and thoughtful forms. In Milan, as part of Alcova’s ambitious takeover of the historic Villa Borsani, Supaform played with juxtapositions, installing its Mid-Century Journey collection in the office of the home’s namesake architect and designer, Osvaldo Borsani. Crafted in chunky metal, the retro-futuristic pieces—a desk, armchair, cabinet, and floor lamp—appeared equally vintage-inspired and forward-thinking, reflecting a CEO-level authority perfect for the home or corner office.
The heavy-metal trend appeared elsewhere, inspiring looks both rustic and refined, many with a timelessly modernist bent that makes them easy to weave into roomscapes without feeling dated. Take the Furtiv LP table lamp, designed by Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost and Dominique Perrault for Ozone Light. Its simple, pure lines make this piece stately yet elegant, similar to the origami-esque silhouette of Studio Haos’s aluminum Lounge Chair. Another solid seating option is Anthony Guerrée’s Figures chair, designed for Pradier-Jeauneau and handmade in France with a monumental profile and uniquely sculpted back. On the lighter side is Muller Van Severn’s L wall cabinet, which embraces the metal-forward movement with a softer profile. For Belgian designer Ben Storms, things took a more elemental turn with his Liquid Solids solo show at this year’s Design Miami/ Basel, where his Alu Cast Marble Composition Wallpiece and Crushed Console combined polished stainless steel and marble or stone for a material friction that ups the ante on this bold new trend.
Furtiv LP, Ozone Light
Designed by Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost and Dominique Perrault for Ozone Light, the Furtiv LP lamp is a modernist ode to functional art. Inspired by the lamps in the reading rooms of the award-winning François-Mitterrand site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (both of which Perrault’s firm designed), the two architects created a collection that, in addition to the table lamp, includes a floor lamp, a wall lamp, and a pendant light, each available in a mirrored-nickel or brushed-aluminum finish. The table-topper’s slim profile makes it unobtrusive, while the substantial base can hold an objet or your current favorite read. From RM29,000.
Alu, Ben Storms
Using an approach that combines centuries-old craft techniques (including woodworking, sanding, and marble-polishing) with technologically driven processes such as 3-D scanning and CNC milling, Belgian designer Ben Storms produces striking pieces that make you look twice. A guaranteed conversation starter is his recent Alu Cast Marble Composition Wallpiece. Composed of a hollow form produced from welded stainless-steel sheets, the work appears as though crushed by a block (made from the cast shape of a stone in aluminum), its rough edges reflecting light to create varying shades of silver and gray. About RM141,260.
Lounge Chair, Studio Haos
The angles on the furniture may be sharp, but Studio Haos’s work suggests its principals are doing anything but staying within the lines. Founded in 2017 by Sophie Gelinet and Cedric Gepner, the emerging young firm is finding balance between mass manufacturing and meticulous, time-consuming craftsmanship, as seen in its seven-piece 2023 collection that was made from just two materials: aluminum tubes and zinc sheets. The angular Lounge Chair boasts the outlines of its components, with an eye-catching profile that straddles the line between form and function. Price upon request.
Eternel Sans Temps XLong, Verena Brausch
Handmade by master artisans at the Ateliers Saint-Jacques, Verena Brausch’s Eternel Sans Temps XLong table is a study in balance. With its thick stainless-steel base and elegantly thin onyx top, the limited-edition piece (the designer made a run of 12) taps into a 1980s materiality with an updated softness that makes it feel fresh. From RM305,600.
Figures, Anthony Guerrée
Launched at PAD Paris 2024, Anthony Guerrée’s Figures chair resonates with modernist design sensibilities while displaying his interest for the avant-garde. Made in a limited-edition run of eight (plus two artist’s proofs) for Parisian gallery Pradier-Jeauneau, the weighty piece, with its distinguished curving base, is available in two finishes, including a mirror-polished metal. RM104,000.
Previously published on Robb Report USA
Lead image: Courtesy of Studio Haos
