Seven student furniture designs that convey unusual concepts
Dezeen School Shows: we’ve selected seven student furniture designs that have been featured on Dezeen School Shows that represent conceptual narratives.
These undergraduate and postgraduate furniture projects include chairs, wardrobes and tables, all of which are designed with conceptual themes in mind, presenting as both functional objects and creative commentaries.
Featured in this roundup is a project exploring Poland’s design history, a dining table which encourages eating as play and a room divider which utilises textiles to illustrate themes of mythology.
The selection of projects comes from students on furniture design courses, from institutions including Vilnius Academy of Arts and Savannah College of Art and Design.
Edible Playscapes: A Hands-On Dining Experience by Alejandra Alarcón
Alejandra Alarcón, recipient of the Designers in Residence grant at EMMA Creative Centre, explores the intersection of food and art within social and political and cultural contexts.
Her table design Edible Playscapes proposes eating as play and encourages western diners to consume without cutlery.
“By reimagining the dining table as a playscape, it empowers individuals to explore with their hands and reflect on our dining rituals,” said Alarcón.
Student: Alejandra Alarcón
School: EMMA Creative Centre
Course: Designers in Residence
Product and furniture student Maria Gil reimagines Poland’s design heritage with her piece Post War Drobe.
Crafted from rebar and fabric, the piece references classical wardrobe designs from before world war two, envisaging a Polish design history in which postmodernism exists.
“In the west in the late 20th century, a movement of playful experimentation in design was flourishing, while Polish design faced challenges due to economic and political crises,” said Gil.
“It mourns the lost cultural heritage, destroyed and looted from Poland during the war.”
Student: Maria Gil
School: University of the Arts London
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design
Familie Hempel – A Furniture Collection that Provides Space to be Chaotic by Marie Radke
Marie Radke designed their furniture collection Familie Hempel in response to the idea of the designated ‘clothes chair’ – the chair in a home constantly covered in a pile of worn clothes.
Consisting of a stool, a pouf, a bench and a high seat, the collection presents this playful concept with designs that subtly accommodate clothes storage.
“The title is inspired by an old German saying where one will shout, ‘your room looks like family Hempel’s place!’ when witnessing a messy room,” shared Radke.
Student: Marie Radke
School: University of the Arts Berlin
Course: Product and Process Design
Furniture Design student Milan Bhullar created Hooked Table as part of their practice that centres around self-discovery, introspection and healing.
These concepts are explored through the manipulation of materials to create refined forms, with the Hook Table a clear example.
“Bhullar has worked extensively with bent wood laminations exploring curves and bent forms, which has become central to her design language.”
“Her work is dynamic, playful and intends to make connections with her audience.”
Student: Milan Bhullar
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Course: MFA Furniture Design
Harvey Mckeller’s bench, 25-degree, takes a conceptual format for its unconventional design, responding to issues of loneliness in public spaces.
The curved form of the bench ensures that when people are sat on it, they see one another in their peripheral vision and are encouraged to interact.
“This design creates an environment where the further apart you sit, the more likely you are to interact,” explained Mckellar.
“Hopefully, my design can give someone suffering from loneliness the push to make a first interaction.”
Student: Harvey Mckellar
School: BA (Hons) Product Design
Course: Sheffield Hallam University
Integration of myth and ritual in creating three-dimensional textile objects by Lidija Ziepaltaitė
Taking form as a screen room divider, design student Lidija Ziepaltaitė presents an exploration into concepts of mythology.
Creating a three-dimensional textile woven with copper wire within a copper frame, the screen is symbolic of myth as a phenomenon within rituals of textile creation.
“The textile has the property of retaining the shape impressed upon it, thereby narrowing the boundary between two worlds: the mythical and the real,” Ziepaltaitė said.
“The narrative emphasises the symbiotic relationship between myth, ritual and materiality, uncovering their impact on human psychology and the development of societal structures.”
Student: Lidija Ziepaltaitė
School: Vilnius Academy of Arts
Course: Design BA Vilnius Faculty
Sincerely Vaggeryd by Tora Kirchmeier and Simon Mattisson in collaboration with Swedese
Sincerely Vaggeryd is a modular furniture system with a conceptual theme that allows it to appear reminiscent of cursive handwriting.
Informed by Swedese’s designs, Kirchmeier and Mattisson created a system that can be “elongated to eternity” or “abruptly cut off”.
“Sincerely is the result of experimentation with repetition, rotation, and combination of already existing press moulds, creating shapes completely detached from the purpose for which they were originally created,” they said.
Students: Tora Kirchmeier and Simon Mattisson
School: Beckmans College of Design
Course: BA Product Design
Partnership content
These projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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