5 Joyful Product Designs From Around the World

(Above: Hana-arashi collection by Paola Lenti and Nendo. Photographed by Maurizio Natta)

Design has the power to evoke joy through form, function, and of course, color. Whether inspired by designers’ personal or cultural histories, or fresh collaborations, the products below feature unexpected materials and shapes, reflecting the imaginative, joy-inducing practice of design from concept to completion. For these designers behind these products, joy isn’t just found in the final product, but in the process itself.

Silla Sol (Sun Chair) by Chuch Estudio

Chuch, which means “cute” in Mayan, is a design studio helmed by friends Lorena Madahuar and Natalia Rameriz and based out of Mérida, Mexico. Featuring bright and playful designs, the studio’s furniture, textiles, lighting, and other pieces are made by local artisans and inspired by Mexican culture; their work celebrates traditional crafts, from weaving to ceramics, woodwork and more. Chuch Estudio uses locally sourced materials to elevate works inspired by everyday icons of Mexican life. Think: a hand-carved stone and glass table based on the cinder block tables commonly used by street vendors (Mesa de Blocks), or the Silla Sol chair, whose design is inspired by galletas soles, or sun cookies.

Silla Sol Chuch Estudio — The galletas soles-inspired Silla Sol chair designed by Chuch Estudio. Image courtesy of Chuch Estudio

Parallel Forest by Mingyu Xu Studio

London-based Mingyu Xu Studio incorporates traditional techniques into Art Deco-inspired design. Anchored in traditional Chinese bamboo-weaving, the studio’s furniture and lighting showcase the material’s potential, and take advantage of bamboo’s natural durability and sustainability. The colorful designs in each collection feature dynamic silhouettes that reimagine bamboo in a way that feels simultaneously futuristic and like something that exists in a warm memory of the past.

Disguise Series 00 by Esto Estudio

Located in Madrid’s Carabanchel district, Este Estudio, translating to “this studio,” fabricates and designs sets, sculpture, furniture, and other creative objects for immersive — and sometimes strange — results. The creative studio has a background in fine arts and looks at design as an opportunity to experiment and explore new methods and ideas. The Disguise Series is a family of steel-constructed furniture forms that are “dressed in a sheath,” giving the pieces a surprising and otherworldly look, like “a colony of newly discovered beings.”

Esto estudio disguise series 00 — Esto Estudio's otherworldly disguise series evoke flames or biophillic inspirations. Image courtesy of Esto Estudio

Brush Bench by Sayar & Garibeh Design Studio

Stephanie Sayar and Charbel Garibeh are Lebanese designers that blend their personal histories with a whimsical touch for Sayar & Garibeh Design Studio. Their experimental approach and predilection for humor in their collectible designs result in work that practically oozes joy. With designs inspired by the pyrosome, a bioluminescent marine creature, the Loch Ness monster, and even the alley ways that stretch through their native Beirut, much of their work is inspired by traditional Lebanese life, tools, and traditions — and of course a smile.

Sayargaribeh bench courtesy of — Sayar & Garibeh Design Studio's Brush Bench. Image courtesy of Sayar & Garibeh Design Studio

Hana-arashi Collection by Paola Lenti and Nendo

For the second iteration of Paola Lenti’s collaborative project, Mottainai, the Italian designer teamed up with the iconic Japanese designer Oki Sato, better known as Nendo. The series manages to create beautiful pieces that you would never know are rooted in trying to reuse discarded materials. The recyclable Maris mesh fabric off-cuts offer a colorful launching point for the Hana-arashi collection. The work is “welded” together by heating the material, and formed by folding the textile much like samurai armour. The final result is colorful forms that evoke the same sense of wonder and joy as their namesake cherry blossoms dancing in the wind.