Iconic Revivals and Futuristic Creations

MILAN — From in and around the galleries of Dubai Design Week and Salon Art + Design in New York City, to the salons of Design Miami Paris and the medieval halls of Edit Napoli, exciting designs emerged worldwide over the past design season. Some debuts included revivals of heritage pieces that remain futuristic no matter how much time has passed, while others incorporate new manufacturing techniques that propel design into a new era. They all speak a distinct design language that resonates globally and through new frontiers for furniture and home decor. Here, WWD has compiled a list of this season’s standouts.

Gubi Reintroduces Pierre Paulin’s F300

In the late 1960s, French furniture designer Pierre Paulin unveiled the F300, a model that was both sculptural and futuristic in form. Emblematic of the new creative heights achieved by the global design set during the recovery that followed World War II, Paulin developed something completely new. This new typology of lounge seating was a reflection of the laid-back style that emerged from the ’60s and represented an evidenced break from traditional entertaining and customs. Despite the lack of documentation of its manufacturing and materials, Denmark-based Gubi presented an updated model this season, optimizing aspects of the old model to meet today’s standards of durability and in a variety of materials like smooth leather, suede and alpaca.

Artemide’s Dalù by Vico Magistretti

Design firm Artemide introduced a re-edit of one of Italian designer Vico Magistretti’s revolutionary Dalù lamps that expressed the revolutionary spirit of Italian midcentury-modern design. Still made with molded thermoplastic material like the original, the Dalù also tested the boundaries of manufacturing techniques of the time. This fall, the lamp was presented in an array of new colors like blue klein, green, light blue, lilac and yellow.

Francesco Rota’s Unlimited

Convivial modular seating that has the potential to expand over time and piece by piece is on the rise. Italian designer Francesco Rota designed a seating system for Desalto that is both emblematic of this trend and distinguished for its modular possibilities.‎ First presented in 2024, it was showcased at Downtown Dubai Nov. 5 to Nov. 9 — this time with new elements like 45- and 90-degree-angle corner modules that allow for unexpected combinations with sofas, poufs, armchairs, chaise longues and daybeds. With its base mounted on metal runners with an oval shape, it is a visually surreal piece characterized by its light, almost floating-off-the-floor aesthetic. Adaptable to various living spaces, it’s the sort of design that grows with the owner.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s Liquid Glass console

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, known for design-forward creations like the torch for the Paris Olympic Games, continues his exploration of ceramics, glass and hand-sculpted solid wood. At Salon Art + Design in New York City, between Nov. 6 and 10, he unfurled a series of designs that embraced the nuances of nature. Among them were two new versions of Liquid Glass, a glacier-blue low table and an amber console. Made from cast-glass tops, they crystallize the sea’s shifting tides, echoing a theme close to the designer’s heart, projecting shimmering reflections of liquid light onto the floor.

Jojo Corvaia with Bureau of Innovation

At Dubai Design Week, which ran Nov. 4 to Nov. 9, Bureau of Innovation (BOI), a curatorial platform shaping fresh and bold design concepts, unveiled Nocturne, an exhibition that included a well-known roster of designers and brands like Paris-based architect Sophie Dries and Venice’s Micheluzzi Glass. It displayed creations that explore atmosphere, reflection and material depth. Among these experimental pieces were the ceramic and bronze objects by sculptor Jojo Corvaia, who started his practice eight years ago making ceramic work. Today, he uses rare materials like volcanic clay and hammered copper, to highlight nature’s vulnerability and enduring strength.

Vide Poche by Palatino, created with designer Alessandro Moriconi and Studio Akademo

Vide Poche (French for catchall tray), a new collection by Palatino, an Italy-based firm that creates bespoke solutions for luxury hotels, was also introduced during Dubai Design Week. A symbol of the ever-evolving relationship between hospitality and design, this new collection was meticulously handcrafted with luxury materials. Each piece was conceived as a work of art with a personal function, combining elegant forms, tactile contrasts, and meticulous finishes. This collection includes a walnut and leather valet tray, a sculptural vase in ceramic and antiqued metal, a mirrored tray finished in leather, and a box with an antiqued metal lid topped with a stone detail. These particular objects were envisaged to fit into the architectural language of Dubai resort Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, where the collection will be permanently exhibited in its Pearl Suite. The second chapter of the capsule collection was presented at the recently renovated Waldorf Astoria in New York with Studio Akademos, the Parisian duo founded by Aurélien Raymond and Costanza Rossi.

Haydn von Werp’s Tresse Collection

Edit Napoli, which took place in Naples in October, was conceived as a platform to propel independent designers on an international stage and connect them with key artisans and manufacturers. This season, and in its seventh edition, the event highlighted the work of Milan-based American designer Haydn von Werp. With the Tresse collection of tables, von Werp tested the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship with unexpected forms like precision stone cut-outs that integrate harmoniously with braided metal arts inspired by the twisting of garden vines. With its raw purity, each piece is an emblem of both futurism and brutalism. Envisaged for both indoor and outdoor settings, they are also outfitted functional accents like handles that allow it to move easily between spaces, from the terrace and to the dining area of the home.