Providence, Rhode Island, michellejxhuang.com Having graduated from RISD with her furniture design degree just last year, Chinese-Canadian designer Michelle Jiaxin Huang — now working independently in Providence — caught our eye for her very sophisticated, very un-student-y work in steel. It runs the gamut from beautiful Brutalist tables and chairs with an almost mid-century feel to more futuristic, sculptural, and at times inscrutable works. We’re curious to see her next steps as she leans into the more theoretical side of her work, while continuing to innovate in metal. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? I may not be able to definitively articulate what American design is or isn’t, but among its many dimensions, one thread that resonates with me is its ability to transform both narratives and space. It’s this interweaving of mediums, cultures, and philosophies coming together to generate dialogues that transcend the boundaries of design. While American design has never fully turned away from the Modernist emphasis of form, I have noticed an increasing shift towards reimagining the relationship between form and prescribed function — where form is no longer confined to a utilitarian role, but rather embraced as a vessel for narrative and engagement. I think this dynamic is quite fascinating, and reflects a broader cultural attitude of expression and individualism that defines American identity. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  I’m currently taking a short break from making and to focus on exploring texts and images. The past year has been pivotal to my design practice, and I’m taking some time to synthesize and research before I start making again. Towards the second half of this year, I found myself moving away from a traditional object-based practice, toward investigating a more theoretical framework around the ontology of design. In this time I hope to find a better understanding of what it means to create, inhabit, and experience the modern landscape. I’m super excited about this journey and can’t wait to see how it will transform my practice. What inspires or informs your work in general? Informed by the disappearance of relatable elements in the modern built environment, my practice examines the ways in which world-building and speculative narratives can counteract the alienation of space. Mimicking a process akin to set building, the synthesis of my research takes form in the reconstruction of quotidian objects — chairs, … Continue reading Michelle Jiaxin Huang

Los Angeles, marquelwilliams.com We first spotted the work of Marquel Williams at the Collectible Fair in New York this fall, which turned out to be a (partial) debut of his first furniture line: a lamp, desk, and two chairs made from i-beams and aluminum sheets. The pieces are highly utilitarian but with thoughtful, unexpected details like cutouts, cantilevers, and — on the lamp — adjustable-height shades and an interior channel that perfectly frames the spiral power cord inside. Also a model and co-founder of an archival fashion and design store — for which he created his first products, a hanger, tray, and ashtray — Williams is ready to push his new furniture practice further, and we’re keen to see the results. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? There’s an interview with Yohji Yamamoto where he says, “In America, success means fame and money.” I think this sentiment has a certain correlation to design in the US as well. In many ways, the design market in America seems to outpace the country’s collective understanding or appreciation of design itself. America is one of the largest, if not the largest, consumer markets in the world, yet few design movements can be distinctly traced back to the States. Mid-century modernism, for example, became hugely popular here, but its origins lie in Europe. Minimalism, however, is one movement that did originate in America, though it was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus and began primarily as an art movement before spreading into design. When I think about living American designers who are shaping the design landscape today, not many names come to mind. European and Asian designers often come to mind as global innovators. For international designers, breaking into the American market is often seen as a sign of “making it,” but that seems to speak more to the market’s power than to its creative leadership. I find myself more inspired by American artists and architects than by its designers. Donald Judd, for instance, started as an artist before venturing into design. American design still feels relatively young compared to other parts of the world. Of course, there are icons like Charles and Ray Eames, and the legacy of Herman Miller, but the landscape doesn’t feel as historically deep or defined. That said, perhaps this newness is what excites me about American design. There’s a lot of potential and … Continue reading Marquel Williams

New York City, isabelrower.com We’ve almost never experienced the immediacy of wanting as much as we did after encountering Isabel  Rower’s Box Works at Marta Gallery’s NADA New York presentation this spring. Made from stoneware in a format and a hue that suggests cardboard boxes — the repurposed material that in fact forms each piece’s interior structure — the chairs, lamps, and still life–esque vessels boast oddball proportions and a kind of glammed-up functionalism that’s impossible to resist. Her other work — marbled tableware and a series of chairs upholstered in a glitchy, fuzzed-out pixel pattern — suggests that Rower isn’t remotely interested in presenting work in a straightforward fashion. Judging from what’s to come, we’ll be all the better for it.  What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? The Shakers and the subway. The Shakers, because of their collectivism and individuality and their vision of objects as a manifestation of a lifestyle and belief system. And, more personally, growing up in New York City, the subway system was the first thing that represented American design to me. The design of the maps, the interiors of the trains, the tiled stations — they are all totally functional but still adorned. That’s what I miss sometimes from the Shakers, the idea that things can be beautiful and functional but still ornamented. That feels like an essential part of American design. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  I am very excited to start working on my solo exhibition with Marta Gallery in Los Angeles for September 2025. I’m looking forward to developing my practice with ceramic material as well as more predictable and pliable materials. I have a few collaborations I am developing as well that are very exciting and hopefully will be complete soon. What inspires or informs your work in general?  The design school part of me wants to say that I’m driven by an exploration of material properties and expanding how a material is used, or seen, or pushing a material to its limits, or learning about its history. But, if I’m honest, my real interest is in the beauty of craft; the material is less important for me. I’m very inspired by the elements of craft that are present in film, painting, and architecture. I just saw a screening of Tales of Hoffman, the Powell and Pressburger film at … Continue reading Isabel Rower

New York City & Palm Beach, Florida, davidlucido.com David Lucido wonders if he may have been a sailor in a past life, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a descendant of Josef Albers — his color pairings are so pleasing there’s a sense of inevitability about them, and yet they require the kind of quiet confidence you rarely see in the interiors world. He’s also got an almost gothic sense of humor — in one kitchen he designed, a sculpture of two bare toes sits in the middle of the table while in another, a spooky doll hangs over the proceedings. Somehow, none of it feels kitsch and all of it feels extremely livable.  What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? American design is about having no boundaries. We can experiment, be bold or minimal, wild or restrained, reference our diverse backgrounds, and innovate. America and American design is about continuing to write our own story. The best designs are the ones that move the needle.  What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? In addition to a series of commercial projects, including a handful of new stores for Carolina Herrera, we are working on our first ground-up home on the Venetians Islands of Miami in conjunction with architect Marmol Radziner. Next year, I’m continuing to split my time between New York and Palm Beach, specifically West Palm which is quickly becoming a city on the rise. South Florida is seeing a wave of new developments, restaurants, galleries, and an influx of creative entrepreneurs. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the community, taking on new projects, and playing a small part in the city’s evolution. Finally, I have a three-week trip to Japan, which will be heavily design (and food) focused. What inspires or informs your work in general?  I’ve noticed that I am subconsciously inspired by all things maritime: portholes and circles, curved lines, rich woods, bulky hardware, and utilitarian elements reminiscent of sailboats, ocean liners, and seaside living. I may have been a sailor in a past life. Secondly, my clients play a huge role in my design process and are critical in creating thoughtful, authentic designs. I love how different design briefs can take projects in a direction I would not have gone without client input. Listening is key.  

New York, dannykaplanstudio.com Danny Kaplan started out as a prop stylist, and even as he’s made his name as a ceramicist, he’s retained the sensibility of someone whose job it is to constantly be playing with scale or texture, and bringing in different ingredients to make something elemental appear majestic. Not content to merely build with clay, Kaplan collaborates with a string of masters in other materials to add dimension to his work —Vince Patti of Lesser Miracle brought in woodworking chops, while a collaborative mirror with Joseph Algieri at the new DKS showroom allowed the designer to play around with resin. A metal furniture collection, forthcoming this spring, promises to take Kaplan’s work in an entirely new direction. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? There’s an energy in American design today that feels both authentic and forward-thinking, and it’s inspiring to be part of a community that values different perspectives and cultural influences. American design thrives on a rich tradition of handcraft within a dynamic and evolving cultural context, and I think the rising demand for bespoke, one-of-a-kind items has reinvigorated interest in American design, particularly craft. In addition, “American Design” is defined by its openness to collaboration and the way it brings together diverse approaches. There’s a freedom here to explore cross-disciplinary partnerships that merge techniques, materials, and ideas that really excites me. The studio has been fortunate to partner with some amazing manufacturers, brands and artists, including In Common With, Kassandra Thatcher Studio, Stillmade, and Lesser Miracle. I love working with like-minded and talented designers because I love learning from them. Clay offers endless possibilities, and incorporating new materials like wood into our designs has been an exciting expansion into new object categories. Being part of a design community where collaboration is central allows for the kind of creative exchange that pushes boundaries and leads to unique work. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? This next year is shaping up to be an exciting one for the studio. In late 2024, we opened our new showroom in NoHo, which serves as a dedicated space to showcase our work in a curated setting and connect directly with clients and collaborators. In early 2025, we will launch a new metal furniture collection — a complementary extension of our new Facet sconces that explore sculptural and geometric forms that draw … Continue reading Danny Kaplan

Melbourne and Los Angeles, bmdo.net BMDO made a splash this year with their debut collection, launched at the Melbourne gallery Oigall — a suite of pieces both very familiar and very odd, from chairs wrapped in carpets or baggy parachute-ish upholstery to an actual floral-lined trash can. We were intrigued, and then excited to learn that the studio is in fact (half) American: Fletcher Barns is based in Melbourne, while his co-founder James L. Marshall is based in L.A. BMDO combines the pair’s industrial design and fine art backgrounds in furniture and objects that embody unexpected combinations and aesthetics. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? American design embodies an interesting duality: It’s both rigid/structured and iconoclastic, combining a history for tradition with a willingness to challenge rules. The market’s expansiveness allows micro-conversations (niches) to hold a platform, giving designers opportunities to experiment and innovate. What excites us the most is the openness to risk-taking among clients, which fosters creative freedom and pushes the boundaries of what we can make. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  2025 is about building our gallery and showroom representation to reach more people with our work. In March, we have a super interesting and somewhat left-of-center collaboration with an artist for Art Basel Hong Kong. Even though we have some history in contemporary art (it’s what James studied), it’s outside of what we’d thought a project outcome would be for BMDO, which is exciting for us! After that we’ll focus on developing new furniture pieces for a solo show at Oigall Projects, where we exhibited High Hopes in 2024. Outside of those two projects, we have a series of unrealized and updated furniture pieces that we’ll release throughout the year, starting with a new Chair 9 carpet. What inspires or informs your work in general? Our work is inspired by the unexpected, whether in collaborations, presentations, or the materials we use. We’re particularly drawn to the forgotten, the off-limits, or the passé. This dynamic creates a dialogue in our work, resulting in objects that we hope are thoughtful and playful. Our last solo show, High Hopes, reflected this ethos with a passing nod to Arte Povera, a movement that continues to influence our approach. By using found images and objects, and repurposed materials, we get excited by the possibility of reimagining the discarded to create … Continue reading BMDO

Cincinnati, Ohio, claybrown.online Ohio designer and recent grad Clay Brown cut his teeth working for Sam Stewart, and it shows — though his work certainly has its own, more formally enigmatic and linear language, it strikes the same charismatic balance between playful approachability and high sophistication, where something can be inspired by (in Brown’s case) Spongebob or Spider-Man but still feel at home in a gallery setting. Lately Brown has been working more with textiles, and we’re curious to see where that will lead. You can shop two of Brown’s current pieces through our Sight Unseen Collection. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? The term ‘American Design’ instantly makes me think of Apple products and McDonalds. On a more personal level, my exposure to American design has meant working intimately with designers, craftsmen, and skilled fabricators. It’s awesome to be in this little renaissance of handcraft and small-scale design practices. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  Since finishing my undergrad in May I’ve been taking on commission jobs as they come, always a bit unsure of what might be next, which has been very fun. The new year is super open for me so I’m excited to make time to develop plenty of new work. I’ve been looking into making custom audio equipment and would love to start making small-scale objects. I’m teaching a couple of woodworking classes at a local nonprofit this spring, which I’m excited about. Very open to whatever might come next! What inspires or informs your work in general? My work usually comes from a combination of historic imagery and things I grew up seeing in the 2000s. I love reading fiction and watching movies for inspiration. I rewatched Ridley Scott’s Alien recently and am always in awe of H.R. Giger’s visual world-building.

New York City, bowenliustudio.com Born in China, schooled in Copenhagen and Rochester, NY, and heavily inspired by Scandinavian design, Bowen Liu has both a diverse background and a diverse practice — after spending her first few years in New York making spare, understated furniture and lighting out of wood, Liu pivoted to release a celebrated collection in cast glass, before expanding her wood series once again earlier this year. And yet it’s the consistency of her design language, and her attention to craftsmanship, that we think makes her one to watch. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? It’s the freedom and diversity. Good old sayings, but it’s true. American design can be anything. It focuses on individuality more than nationality. I’m a Chinese person who considers New York City home. I’m excited to see how American design evolves and grows its influence on the world. I would be curious what a movement originated in America looks like. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  During a decade of independent practice, I’ve met many excellent people. Some became good friends. I plan to collaborate more and contribute more to the industry and community. You may see more commercially available designs by me, too. What inspires or informs your work in general? Two ideologies inform me the most. One is the simplicity and functionality of Scandinavian design. I spent a summer in Copenhagen, which was a special personal experience. I enjoy the intellectual process of distilling an idea to its essence. I prefer to communicate my design with people without many explanations. Simple. The other is the exceptional craftsmanship from both traditional, time-consuming techniques and highly calibrated manufacturing processes. I come from a background in furniture design and fine woodworking. I can make beautiful and long-lasting things with my hands. Knowing how helps me identify good things and connect with them on a deeper level. I also get excited about details and nuances from all things.

New York, wentrcekzebulon.com Back in 2016, when they last appeared on our Hot List, they were called Wintercheck Factory, and had twice shown at our Offsite shows their sophisticated, at times Judd-like furniture made from utilitarian industrial materials. These days Kristin Wentrecek and Andrew Zebulon simply go by Wentrcek Zebulon, but their interest in elevating the unglamorous hasn’t flagged a bit, as evidenced by their solo show this year at Marta gallery in L.A., where they transformed cardboard-colored coated foam into furniture that was as intriguing to see as it was to touch. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? American design means being intuitive, and being too stubborn or dumb to know that something won’t work, or that it isn’t supposed to. That feels distinctly American — not listening when someone says it can’t be done. As a result, the road from the idea to the end result is generally pretty rocky, but we (usually) arrive at a place that’s probably better or more interesting than where we thought we were going to end up anyway. It’s unpredictable, and that’s exciting. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? For 2024, we’re focusing on: • Working in fiberglass. We’d like to produce a small set of fabricated fiberglass pieces, using this chair we showed in the spring as a jumping-off point. • Producing a new collection of sculptural lighting works. The light experiments we included in our recent show at Marta, No Life, got us really interested in the possibilities of work focused on lighting. • Trying out new ways of making and distributing our work. That means working faster, experimenting more, and creating more unique, one-of-one pieces. • Going big. We’d love to find the right partner(s) that we can work with on larger scale, more immersive environmental installations. What inspires or informs your work in general? Our work is inspired by: industrial rubble, concrete, trash, space travel, both Cronenbergs, bathhouses, old men commenting in dead forums online, radiation, locker rooms, Francis Bacon, old cars, new cars, sanitoriums, Larry Bell, Mark Bell, surveillance, chrome, monochrome, stainless steel, caves, bunkers, thick drapes, crime scenes, linoleum.

New York, sunfish.nyc Julia Eshaghpour and Kevin Hollidge had worked together for more than a decade in a fine art practice called Tenet before they founded their furniture studio Sunfish in 2021 — and before we discovered that studio through an exhibition design they created for Sophie Lou Jacobsen this past spring. Whereas Tenet explores the fake materials often used in architecture and interiors, like marble-pattern laminates, Sunfish is all about craftsmanship and material integrity, from painted-wood folding screens to cast-bronze chairs. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? Someone once described to us that the greatest culture shock of coming to America from abroad was going to an American grocery store. With an abundance of products to choose from, one product in twenty different permutations, and all of them distinguished through packaging, advertising, boasts of health benefits, historic record, or technological innovation, brands in America are tasked with re-inventing a familiar good again and again. To a consumer, these choices can be overwhelming, but to a creator they’re exhilarating. American design falls into this tradition of insistence that something from the past can always be invented anew, with the right flourish, technique, and perhaps most importantly, narrative context. What we’ve gained from a culture of heavy consumerism is a firm belief in the power of narrative. As a young country, not tied so strongly to ancient craft traditions or a singular, unifying aesthetic, American design has become very skilled at inventing context. Some of the best American designers are remembered not for one famous chair or material employed, but for the world they invited people into. This world-building is something American designers are pre-disposed to do — it’s ingrained in our culture, from all the brands you see at the supermarket to all the movies that come out of Hollywood. Creating a life with and through your work is very motivating and exciting to us. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? Our foundations are in fine arts, and we’ve been making sculptural works as a somewhat separate practice from Sunfish. However, in our home, our furniture and artworks live together. Following in the footsteps of many architecturally minded sculptors, we have plans to bridge these practices more fully, presenting artworks and furniture pieces together that are researched from the same place. What inspires or informs your work in general? Our … Continue reading Sunfish

New York, shainatabak.com Woodworkers in Brooklyn — especially those who graduated from RISD — are a dime a dozen these days, but almost no one is approaching the craft with the kind of obsessive, experimental bent of Shaina Tabak. Mixing old-school artistry (marquetry, inlay) with digital milling techniques, Tabak’s works are immediately appealing in their look and feel but also dizzying, as you stare at them a bit longer, wondering how exactly they came to be and why she makes it look so easy. In one, a CNC-milled strip of wood takes on the appearance of a flattened plaid carpet runner; in another, a coffee table resembles a terracotta sponge but is in fact made from gouged Sapele wood (and draped with a carved wood fish carcass for good measure). Tabak recently wrapped up a solo exhibition at Superhouse gallery that catapulted her onto everyone’s watch list — and landed her firmly on this list.  What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? I’m drawn to makers who digest the world around them through craft and form, more like a sculptor than anything. The main reason I chose to study furniture design in undergrad was the realization that people were using the furniture form to rebel against established ideals of craft, interior hierarchies, and conceptual approaches to function. The American design or object making that I’m interested in embodies this type of spirit and approach. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? I will be building on my sculpture practice and exploring my attachment to utility. After a year of laser focus on the body of work from my solo show in September, I’m beginning to intentionally explore and research again, externally and internally, while building on the ideas and questions that my last body of work sparked. I will be teaching CNC workshops at Pratt for the first time. I’m looking forward to everything I will learn in the process of teaching. I’ve gone to The Met every weekend since my show closed, so a lot more of that in the new year too. What inspires or informs your work in general?  I’m interested in flattening, readjusting perspectives, material associations. Even though my work is heavily informed by technology, I look for inspiration from ancient and historical techniques. Lately I’ve been going back to the intarsia inlaid walls of the Ducal Palace … Continue reading Shaina Tabak

New York, zoemowat.com If you’re wondering what took us so long to name Zoë Mowat to this list, it’s because technically, she only moved to America in 2020, having been born and raised in Canada and based in Montreal. But Mowat has already made her mark on the New York scene, not least with her Isle Collection for Lambert & Fils, which was our pick for the best launch of this year’s NYCxDesign. A lighted tube that rests gently atop solid bricks of aluminum or stone, it represents everything that’s great about Mowat’s approach to design: It’s an inevitable-seeming form — that somehow no one has attempted before — made even more lovely by its juxtaposition of materials and the interplay of color. If that wasn’t enough, Mowat recently launched a new hi-fi brand called Waves and Frequencies, whose first launch has already become designer-made speaker du jour in a year teeming with similar debuts.  What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? I suppose as a Canadian I’ve long been an observer from the North, where much of our art and culture is so often defined in reference to the US — as a kind of mirror for what we are and what we’re not. I see the landscape as innovative, idiosyncratic, self-sufficient, and ever-changing, both in the design realm and more broadly. I feel happy to contribute to it. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? This year, I’ll be shifting my design lens to the audio world with the launch of Waves and Frequencies, a new hi-fi brand I’m starting with a dear old friend. It’s been many years in the making and our first output is a customizable speaker that sounds incredible. We’ve got a PA in development and plans for music-related furniture, accessories, and event programming. I will also be releasing a new furniture series for the Japanese brand, Ariake. I recently returned from a productive workshop at their factory in Saga prefecture, Japan, where I worked directly with the craftspeople alongside a handful of international designers. What inspires or informs your work in general?  I spent ten days traveling through Japan solo after the workshop so I’m sure what I saw will inform what comes next. That’s often how it works: I absorb (and archive) the odd or mundane things I see on the street, or the forms I … Continue reading Zoë Mowat