Best Sculpted Furniture: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2021

Salvatori

Rarely can we say our furniture choices are set in stone but in this case, we can’t resist Piero Lissoni’s ‘Curl’ chaise longue for Salvatori, a block of natural stone carved back into a smooth lounger using cutting-edge technology. ‘To paraphrase Michelangelo,’ says Lissoni, ‘I took away the excess, the superfluous; the chaise longue was already in the piece of stone. We worked on its sections, as if it were the bodywork of a car or the engine of a plane, making them extreme, and pushing the stone to the limit.’

Baxter

With such a long marble sculpting tradition, it’s no surprise Italy is the source of award-winning stone designs. Our favourites include Studiopepe’s ‘Verre Particulier’ coffee table for Baxter, with a Bianco Gioia marble base and fused glass top.

Exteta

Another marble design we admire is Ludovica and Roberto Palomba’s round side table for Exteta. The sculptural design features a simple raised rim, and is available in five different marbles, including Arabescato Orobico Red, pictured above.

Potocco

An elegant exercise in sculptural furniture, Potocco’s ‘Anfora’ round table, by the young German designer Alexander Lorenz, is defined by a Greek amphora-inspired base in new grey resinated quartz. Its sinuous and light appearance is a delightful contrast to the heavy stone. 

Brut Collective

Charlotte Jonckheer of design collective Brut created the unusual ‘Opening Light, Gesture 1’ lamp. The Belgian designer’s piece is a composition featuring a cylinder of Belgian bluestone lined with aluminum, which lights up when an embedded titanium stick is withdrawn.

Federicia

The soft silhouette of Space Copenhagen’s ‘Fellow’ table lamp for Federicia comprises two organic-shaped elements, making it a sculpture in its own right.