Your home is that special place where dreams are made and precious moments are shared with your loved ones. To make it more special, you need some creativity and a lot of brainstorming to do when furnishing your home. Especially because artists have today blurred the lines between ordinary and sculptural furniture.
Traditional furniture is making way for functional art pieces in most modern homes. To pay tribute to such skilled hands, we have handpicked awesome functional sculptural furniture designs that has the potential to turn your home into a beautiful art gallery.
What is sculptural furniture?
Sculptural furniture is often considered a type of furniture that blurs the line between art and function. In this concept, artists and designers with a background in sculpture or other visual arts create furniture that is not only functional but also a piece of art.
Creating sculptural furniture involves combining traditional furniture-making techniques with artistic elements such as unique forms, unconventional materials, and intricate finishes. For example a chair made from materials like marble and wood can be a sculpture or a coffee table featuring a unique, sculptural base may fall in the similar category.
Sculptural Furniture Design Ideas
L-Chair Atus
Designed by Bea Pernia for Arca, the L-Chair Atus is made of solid wood resting on a carved marble block found in the Portugal quarries. This beautiful combination of materials is what adds sculptural qualities to the chair.
Abyss Coffee Table
Combining glass and wood, the designer Christopher Duffy has created the Abyss Coffee Table featuring visually arresting layers of the ocean. Deep blue color of the water is achieved by layering different sheets of glass.
Sculptural Cabinet by Egli Design
This handmade cabinet by Egli Design will be more than a storage unit thanks to its unique design that mimics medusa. The details of the human face design on the front looks really incredible.
Bird’s Nest Hanging Chair
These hanging chairs by Porky Hefer are made of natural fibers woven around a steel framework, creating life-size nests for humans. Add spongy cushions to enhance the fun.
Sculptural Wall Desk
The Flow Wall Desk by Robert van Embricq is not an item of ordinary furniture as it serves dual purposes. It is a mountable wooden wall art that can unfurl into a desk.
Brass Animal-Shaped Furniture
Thai designer and artist Apiwat Chitapanya has conceptualized this furniture piece inspired by the bond between human and their pets. It lets the user sit near a brass dog sculpture mounted on the back of the chair.
Lapiaz Sideboard
The Lapiaz sideboard by Boca do Lobo is inspired by karst formations. The cracks on the sideboard are achieved through the manual fitting of polished brass. These hammered details and mirrored finish makes it a functional artwork.
Sculptural Bench
German artist Igor Loskutow has sculpted this drool-worthy wooden bench sculpture in the shape of a dragon. See the high precision in carved details below in the pictures.
Sculptural Glass Furniture
Romanian designer and artist Eduard Locota created this sculptural furniture using acrylic glass, marble, Jesmonite stone, and wood. Light also plays a vital role in the visual aesthetic of the furniture pieces.
Hippopotamus-Shaped Couch
Spanish artist Maximo Riera has created this couch shaped like a hippopotamus. He has also created many other chairs in the shape of animals including elephants, whales, walruses, and octopuses.
Ping Pong Bicycle Table
Have you ever thought of a ping pong table poised on a bicycle? French artist Benedetto Bufalino has done well. He has been creating such bizarre projects for last many years.
Topographic Coffee Table
British industrial designer Charles Birk has created this coffee table featuring the topography of Mount Everest using recycled plastic. A glass top completes the table design. It is more like an art sculpture than a piece of furniture.
Fallen Tree Table
Organic fallen tree table designed by Benjamin Graindorge. The fallen tree table is a minimalist bench made from a slab of glass and a carefully carved oak tree. Beholding its natural beauty, the tree intact as support on one end of the bench reminds us of the existence of mother nature around us.
Sculptural Watch Cabinet
Joseph Walsh Studio has made a custom watch cabinet. ‘A piece of time’ is the name, and is crafted from fumed oak. Drawers are crafted from pear wood and finished in suede. The cabinet is six feet tall and has separate compartments spanned over eleven levels to store up to 108 watches stylishly. Amazing, isn’t it?
Tree Branch Shelf
Sebastian Errazuriz found this tree branch lying on the side of the road, and made it into shelves. After twisting, turning, and readapting branches, the final result was an unconventional shelf that tends to bring the outdoors inside. The shelf is organic and looks modern – a striking statement piece for any living room!
Enignum Canopy Bed
Joseph Walsh Studio has designed this Enignum VI canopy bed. This piece of art creates a sense of enclosure, and its organic curves traverse you to a dreamy landscape.
ICONIC Stool
Harow is a design studio in France, famous for its unconventional approach toward home furnishings. They have made a brilliant stool that resembles the face of the famous movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is fiercely gazing at onlookers. According to the studio, this piece of furniture is perfect for those who believe in natural forces of glory and success.
Lounge V1
Luxurious lounge chair by Kyle Buckner Designs is made of 152 layers of pine wood, fiberglass, and leather that are comfortable and stylish. It is available in your choice of stain and sheen level.
Nautilus II Table
Nautilus II Table by Marc Fish made using innovative construction methods and computer-aided technology is a clear inspiration for organic material furniture made from 4,000 pieces of walnut and sycamore veneer. To achieve a swirling line effect, the designer used the golden ratio rule.
Sculptural Home Bar
The House Bar is designed by Zaha Hadid for the Home House private members club. Boasting a unique and futuristic design, this compact bar features Zaha’s signature sweeping lines and metallic finishes in pyrites bronze.
Drawer Kitchen
Gitta Gschwendtner designed this kitchen island for Schiffini. The avant-garde and constructivist kitchen island is filled with multiple large drawers that create a relief pattern reminiscent of the cubist era.
Beyond Furniture: Functional Sculptures for Your Home
Gemstone Sculptural Bathtub
Gemstone sculpture by Jan Carel Koster is a bathtub that you wish you could have in your bathroom. Seeing it for the first time, you will confuse it with a big gemstone.
Kara BBQ Grill
The sculptural BBQ grill is designed by French design house Cesarré. Made of zinc-coated steel, Kara is a charcoal BBQ grill that not only cooks your food but also serves as a decorative art piece in your backyard.
CORPUS Fireplace
Eisen Frank has designed this awesome fireplace that is intriguing in appearance and a worthy home décor item. The fireplace is made of hot rolled steel and the surface-producing rust patina lends it a timeless look.
Inception Tap
The Inception tap from QS Supplies is a high-quality designer tap. The stylish concept bathroom fixture is guaranteed to leave an edgy and modern appeal while adding a clean cut-touch to your restroom.
Bull Head Radiator
The U.K based QS Supplies has designed these awesome ornamental bull-head radiators that are functional art pieces for your washroom. Besides decorating the bathroom space, it warms up the area with its efficient heating ability.
Hammock Stand
If you’re looking to create a luxury hospitality experience in your backyard, this luxury beach hammock stand by Trinity Hammocks is surely a perfect fit. It has multiple hammocks ensuring that nobody has to fight over the napping spot again.
Visio Vases
These astonishing vases are designed by Zaha Hadid for lalique. The first woman to have won the gold medal in architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects, queen of the curves, designed these vases in black and white crystal lines showing her signature pattern!
Split Grain Wooden Lamp
This sculptural Split Grain lamp reveals nature through the minimal form. The illuminating sculpture is striking and is made of reclaimed wood. It’s one-of-a-kind handwork that will beautify your place with an appealing style.
Reflex Pool Slide
SplinterWorks is a UK-based company famous for creating sculptural objects. Their Reflex pool slide features a mirror-polished stainless steel finish and handrail incorporated into the slide structure.
Tuuci Sunshade
The Stingray-shaped Tuuci sunshade is designed for beaches, patios, and backyards. It can be rotated 360 degrees to allow you to follow the sun and provide shade throughout the day.
