Design

Simon Kinneir’s jug is part of a range of kitchen products designed to give sensory feedback for people with impaired vision. ‘You can see the jug filling up but also feel it – the weight gives the jug movement, tipping it forwards onto the black frame.’ www.simonkinneir.co.uk (opens in new tab)

The new guard of design superstars serve up a plethora of sophisticated, production-ready pieces, destined for a showroom near you

Writers: Paul McCann, Henrietta Thompson and Mariel Reed

Brazilian ceramics graduate Carolina Zamboni Peraca fashioned a series of standout vases in muted shades and modern marble effects. The latter she achieved mixing body stain with porcelain, slip moulded into a unique result. Inspired by her travels around the world, her shapes are organic yet angular and her work focuses on the beauty and simplicity of form and functionality. www.carolinaperaca.com (opens in new tab)

Ejing Zhang produced this resin bento box as part of an accessory collection called Moonrise, which focuses on using quality materials combined with inspiration from Chinese and Japanese bamboo craftsmanship, as well as her own childhood memories. ejingzhang.com (opens in new tab)

Yong Jeong’s ‘Queen’ chair, made from tropical sepetir hardwood, is designed to reinterpret traditional Korean furniture, where beauty is deemed to come from the gracefulness of the curve and the simplicity of the structure. www.jeongyong.com (opens in new tab)

’A Mirror Darkly’ (pictured top) plays with misconceptions and the way we see the past. Influenced by a theory that bowls of water might have been used as mirrors in the Stone Age, Nick Ross asks, ‘Is this a new object, or an old one reinvented?’

Designed to bring warmth to a chilly Finnish balcony or porch, the ‘Ripsiraita’ rug, inspired by rag rug patterns, is both an insulator on a cold floor and a practical, colourful alternative to plastic weatherproof mats. hanna.anonen@gmail.com

Abe Kenji graduated from Tokyo’s Tama University with a mini furniture set. Using metalwork techniques from the Japanese manufacturer Mogi Seisakusho, he fashioned the stainless steel Limber bench and stool with bends and waves that lend it extra strength and an unusually light expression. The outdoor pieces comprise sandblasted tops with mirrored sides that reflect surrounding light to enhance bends in the steel. abknjabknj@gmail.com (opens in new tab)

Swiss-born Gil Muller trained at Camberwell College of Art and now bases himself between Berlin and London, where his ’Antennae’ side table is already available through the Do Shop. Inspired by ’how objects adapt and respond to their environment in playful and unexpected ways’, the characterful piece can function as a kitchen stool, bathroom shelf or bedside table. www.do-shop.com (opens in new tab)

This three-piece work space-cum-workout space was designed around the busy schedule of the modern professional. ’No Sweat!’ takes a charming set of office furniture in the 1980s Memphis style and transforms it with a few quick motions into a miniature gym that pinpoints the aches and pains of the typical desk-worker and accommodates the necessary equipment to help erase them. www.darrylagawin.com (opens in new tab)

Sarajevo-born Emina Sulejmani honed her talent for theatre and film sets, costumes and furniture design at The Academy of Fine Arts. Her ’Nukku’ is a folding desktop divider providing serious aesthetics along with privacy from copycat workmates. Based on a simple origami folding technique, it can be adjusted to make a work ’cave’, hide clutter or organise books, files and stationery. emina1618@yahoo.com

We’re not entirely sure why we love Kevin Callaghan’s slightly alien sculptures, but we do. The Royal College of Art graduate is inspired by his interest in science fiction and geometry, as well as artists such as Liam Gillick and Donald Judd and the Utopian writings of Gillick. ’Off The Planet’, a slip-cast ceramic piece, is from a series of objects constructed and assembled during Callaghan’s MA in ceramics and glass. www.kevincallaghan.ie (opens in new tab)

The ’Ceramic Stereo’ by Victor Johansson made a lot of people sit up and listen at his degree show. It attempts to make the mysteries of smartphones and wireless connectivity less baffling, translating functions into tangible, real-world interfaces. This ’stereo’ aspect is simply a bowl that amplifies playback and performs complex link-ups without the need for extra controls. www.objectsandinteractions.com (opens in new tab)

The bases of Rachel Vosila’s ‘Signs of Wear’ stools are hand-carved from Australian sandstone and designed to erode as the user rocks, thus creating a semi-permanent relationship between user and stool. www.rachelvosila.com (opens in new tab)

Sevak Zargarian found his passion for material exploration while on his foundation course, experimenting with copper rods and porcelain paper clay. The transformative powers of the kiln and the tactile qualities of clay have been a focus of his work ever since. This blue bowl from his Grogged collection of porcelain vessels combines craft elements with industrial techniques. www.sevakzargarian.com (opens in new tab)

Amanda Karsberg’s ‘Lenticular Cabinet’ features a holographic surface that shifts between pine and marble. Her piece explores the meaning and value of materials in furniture design. www.amandakarsberg.com (opens in new tab)

Andrew Prioli’s ‘Modern-Day Valet’ can be used as a chair, but its main purpose is to hold clothes that are not dirty enough to throw into the basket, but not clean enough to be folded and put away. www.andrewprioli.com (opens in new tab)

Joséphine Choquet’s low-angled ‘Tense’ light was inspired by the sight of a sunrise on the ocean. It will be available to buy soon through Ambra Medda’s online design store L’ArcoBaleno. www.josephinechoquet.ch (opens in new tab)

Japanese-born, Helsinki-based Aoi Yoshizawa’s ‘Tokyo’ curtain, for textile brand Svensson Markspelle, is strongly graphic, yet has organic, natural textures. ‘I used hand-drawn lines and overlaid them with different colours to create unexpected patterns.’ www.aoiyoshizawa.com (opens in new tab)

Each piece in Shelley James’ Moire Matrix series is built up using layers of glass that are cooled before the next element of the pattern is applied, then reheated and ‘gathered’ on a blowpipe again. www.shelleyjames.co.uk (opens in new tab)

Practical, simple and beautiful, we love Boris Kovács’ ‘Revolve’ lamps, handmade from spun brass, blown glass and turned wood, created in rotational forms. www.borikov.com (opens in new tab)

Charlotte Ackemar’s ‘Circle’ (right) is a thin mattress that can be used in many ways, either as a whole for groups to gather on, or partly rolled up to create a cushion to lean on or rest a head against. Inspired by concrete traffic obstacles, ‘Obstacle’ works both as a bench and as a guide, ‘creating paths through spaces for us to follow’. Ackemar’s two pieces shown here form part of her master’s thesis. www.charlotteackemar.com (opens in new tab)

This duo’s ‘Standard Sheet’ bench is created by rolling, pressing and bending a fat sheet of steel. It’s a simple process with fabulous results. www.surfacesin3dspace.com (opens in new tab)

Gregory Syrvet’s ‘S-Table’, created at ÉCAL in collaboration with Christofle, is made from an industrial aluminium base and a delicate silver tray, providing a harmonious contrast between two metals. www.gregorysyrvet.ch (opens in new tab)

‘Broken: Seatings’ is a product of Jalmari Laihinen’s love affair with wood and its possibilities. His Broken series includes a bench made from ash and a stool (pictured) made from elm and birch. byJalmari.com (opens in new tab)