5 Products with Wondrously Unexpected Designs

Aug 13, 2024 By Laura Botham

5 designs that seem to contradict the nature of their materials—and suggest that nothing is ever quite as it seems

By Laura Botham Aug 13, 2024

Published in Perspective

(Above: In Hale coffee table by Ben Storms. Photography by Alexander Popelier)

In a world where AI is creating impossible-seeming creations, these five designers are bringing paradoxical design to life with tactile products whose forms do not follow function. Materials seem to contradict purpose—while marble masquerades as a soft cushion, epoxy mimics an inflated balloon, and acoustic finishes resemble slabs of stone. These five designs are inspiring us to think differently about materiality. We’ve come to expect being wowed by the novelties of AI, but here, human designers are bringing awe-inspiring artistry to life.

1. Balloon animal-inspired furniture

Like Nena and Jeff Koons before him, Seungjin Yang was inspired by the playful and transformative nature of balloons—and decided to harness them in the form of furniture. The stools and chairs appear to be nearly ready to float away as you walk past, but these colorful, toy-like creations are instead sturdy pieces made of resin.

Blowing stool by Seungjin Yang

Image courtesy of Seungjin Yang

Seungjin Yang on a clear armchair, part of the designer's Blowing series.

Image courtesy of Seungjin Yang

2. Trash or treasure?

Crumpled drawings—something every designer or artist is deeply familiar with. Long known for designing furniture that is meant to be a bit unexpected, Chicago’s Zac Bitner of Zachary A. Design takes his vision in surprising directions for his Paper collection, creating single-use molds from crumpled paper drawings for one-of-a-kind seating. With the weighty look of concrete, his lightweight fiberglass pieces are anything but. The graphite transfer of Bitner’s molds reflect every mark, crinkle, and wrinkle of the original paper. One may be excused for being a little worried about the durability of these seemingly large-scale discarded papers, but these pieces are meant to be sat on, stood upon, or otherwise enjoyed with your full weight.

The Paper collection by Zachary A. features one-of-a-kind seating that appears to be delicately constructed by crumpled paper.

Image courtesy of Zachary A.

The Paper collection, although looking as if it were constructed of paper, is weather proof and durable.

Image courtesy of Zachary A.

3. Stately silence

While the natural beauty of stone-clad walls is grounding and stately, it’s definitely not quiet. Far from the echoing hallways that one would expect, one clad in Autex Acoustics’ stone finishes collection panels looks polished and natural while absorbing sound and reducing reverb. From travertine to Carrara marble, these stone-emulating surface finishes provide the aesthetic of a sleek and hard surface, while offering a quieter interior than you would expect.

The Autex Acoustics' Carrara gives the elegance of the Italian Carrara marble, with the sound absorbing quality of their acoustic panels.

Image courtesy of Autex Acoustics

Autex Acoustics' stone finish collection in Rojo Alicante, mimicking the warm Spanish marble.

Image courtesy of Autex Acoustics

4. A mini fish goes maxi

If you’ve ever indulged in takeaway or delivery sushi, you may be familiar with shoyu-tai, a tiny, fish-shaped plastic container created in Japan and now widely popular. These single-use bottles that often only contain a few drops of soy sauce have a less-cute destiny, contributing to the plastic waste problem in our global oceans. Australians Angus Ware and Jeffrey Simpson of Sydney-based Heliograf were inspired both by the iconic, cute fish, and the desire to lessen their environmental impact. The duo designed a portable lamp made from 75% recycled ocean-bound plastic, and funds 2 kilograms of plastic cleanup for every lamp sold.

Heliograf's LightSoy alongside the inspiration—the shoyu-tai single-use plastic soy sauce containers.

Image courtesy of Heliograf

The portable LightSoy lamp made from 75% ocean-bound plastic waste.

Image courtesy of Heliograf.

5. Paradoxical form

Belgian designer Ben Storms asks, “Does marble always have to look heavy? Can steel look soft?” His philosophy, as quoted on his website: “By creating shapes that verge on the impossible, I confuse the viewers, make them lose their balance briefly, and stimulate them to look at familiar materials with a fresh eye.” The sculptor and furniture designer uses state-of-the-art methods to form his metal, marble, and cast glass works that double as furnishing and sculptural art. At first glance, his Ex Hale coffee table appears to be a soft, light cushion, but upon closer inspection one is met with a heavy, carved marble table. Taking it one step further, the In Hale table features a heavy marble slab that seems to sit impossibly on a cushion—but this time the cushion is made from inflated sheet metal. His works leave one to wonder, is the form imitating the material, or the material the form?