Fibonacci sequences, Nasa prototypes, Japanese Metabolism, Blade Runner: these are all references you can spot on Swedish-Mexican designer Alexander Díaz Andersson’s mood board at any given moment. ‘I’m a mega geek,’ he says with a grin.
The nerdiness, coupled with an omnivorous appetite for experimenting with form and function, has allowed his Mexico City-based studio, Atra, since its founding 12 years ago, to encompass architectural design, furniture, collectible design and even wellness tech. If that sounds like a lot to wrap your head around, and you find yourself in Manhattan, you’re in luck: Díaz Andersson has just opened a temporary New York gallery to showcase the studio’s work, open now through June 2026.
A view into the temporary gallery, where Atra Form's furniture is placed among original cast iron columns.
Located in a ground-floor space just north of the Hudson Square neighbourhood, the Atra Form gallery (so named for the furniture branch of Díaz Andersson's business) features the greatest hits in the atelier’s portfolio. Notably, there’s a handful of pieces from Atra Form’s ‘Beluga’ seating range, a collection that, as the name suggests, evokes the pleasingly round bodies of the Arctic whales.
A combined sculpture and chair designed in collaboration with Mexican artist Pedro Reyes; the pyramid's tip flips down to transform the piece into a chair.
A new creature in the collection is the ‘Behemoth’ sofa, which comes covered in black Mongolian fur. ‘In the studio, we call it “the yeti”,’ Díaz Andersson says. If you’re not in a Sasquatch mood, simply remove the shaggy layer to expose a neutral, alpaca wool textile beneath. There’s also a granite cocktail table, whose gravelly texture is the result of being blasted with a welder; lighting whose diffusers are carved from semi-precious stone; and a sculptural seat inspired by ancient Scandinavian stump chairs.
A view of a pair of ‘Beluga’ chairs alongside a ‘Chronos’ wall sculpture
While the furniture and objects have futuristic, and sometimes kinky, overtones (you can order your ‘Beluga’ with a translucent silicone cover, for instance), Díaz Andersson wants to instill longevity into the furnishings. Seating, for instance, is available with traditional spring construction – ‘Just like they were made 100 years ago,’ he says – as well as memory foam. Silhouettes, by and large, feel timeless. ‘How do these pieces act 100 years from now? Will they be appreciated?’ Díaz Andersson muses. ‘How do we create a classic?’
A view of a dining vignette within the gallery
Longevity might be, quite literally, a side effect of Atra's other ventures too: In the showroom, you can take ‘Morphus’, a high-tech lounge chair that Díaz Andersson helped develop, for a spin. The $10,000 system – which, in addition to an inviting Atra-designed chair, comes with specialised goggles and an app – uses vibration, sound and light to lull the mind into varying states of consciousness and relaxation. ‘You're in different states,’ Díaz Andersson explains. '[Through the system] we can put you in Delta sleep, we can begin relaxation and create, like, a Kundalini wavelength in your brain.’
If you prefer to catch some Zs the old-fashioned way, there’s always the fuzzy ‘Behemoth’ to curl up on.
The accordion-like ‘Aro’ light fixture hangs above a gleaming dining table.
Atra Form Gallery is located at 43 Clarkson Street, New York, NY