It is right to say that materials are finally getting the spotlight they deserve. Their transformative power through shape, texture, pattern, function, and even origin has always been at the core of design. Today, designers across the globe are exploring unconventional materials and reimagining the use of familiar ones. One particular example to highlight is rattan which continues to make a strong comeback in contemporary design.
This trend was quite visible at recent design exhibitions, including the Salone del Mobile 2025. For example, Studio TOOJ exhibited the Duk Furniture Collection, made from Reishi, a biomaterial grown from mycelium while ADAL’s Haori lounge chair employed a rattan backrest to stand out. Previously, we have also featured Christopher Cornwell’s Hembury Chair, crafted from a fiberglass-like composite of wool and bio-resin and Spenser Atlas’s pool noodles furniture that proves how playful experimentation with material can lead to innovation.
From volcanic rocks to recycled plastic and mycelium, there are plenty of examples where designers and researchers have not only revived forgotten materials but also invented new ones to replace the conventional choices. It is all about understanding a material’s unique visual and tactile qualities, as well as cultural and emotional associations.
Exploring innovative uses and unexpected combinations of materials is essential for progress in design but it is equally important that the final result resonates with the contemporary context or carries a meaningful story.
At NYCxDesign 2025, many designers explored new materials or used familiar ones in creative ways. If you are curious about the most intriguing material-forward projects from this year’s event, check out our top picks below.
Ceramic Furniture
Challenging the standard norms of furniture design, New York ceramicist Devin Wilde has created a collection of side and cocktail tables from ceramic. Named Series No. II, the sculptural furniture collection is distinguished by geometric shapes along with striking metallic and stone glazes. His design style draws inspiration from Art Deco, Classicism and Post Modernism.
Jura Furniture Collection
California-based Zack Nestel-Patt of Ah Um Design Studio has also chosen handmade tiles to make unique furniture pieces that evoke a handmade feel instead of aiming for machined perfection. His debut Jura Collection brings a bold and sculptural essence to heritage furniture with a tiled finish, repeated geometric shapes and refined textures. The edgy and soft design catches the eye outright.
Long-Haired Sconces
Los Angeles-based designers Utharaa Zacharias & Palaash Chaudhary of Soft Geometry added a unique touch to wall-mounted lamps by integrating a braid into the design. Each sconce features a hand-blown glass orb, crowned with cascading braids in varying lengths and formations. The braids are cast in a hemp-lime composite and can be arranged in various ways on the wall to show feelings like joy, celebration, playfulness, or calmness.
Himalaya Lunar Lamp
The Himalaya Lunar lamp by Hea Jin Ko of New York-based HEAKO studio is made from natural white stone and a light globe that symbolizes the full moon rising above the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas. The brass pipe and steel elements add a bold touch by going different from the gray tones. Showcasing a blend of nature and human craftsmanship, the lamp displays alabaster stones in their natural form while the brass and blue steel add modern, structured elements. Furthermore, simple L-shaped lines in the background enhance the architectural feel.
Rễ Cây Paper Lamps
Steffany Trần brings the traditional Vietnamese material heritage to the forefront with its Rễ Cây (“root” in Vietnamese) collection of lamps at NYCxDesign 2025. Ceramic bases are combined lampshades in an elliptical shape made from Dó paper – a historic specialty paper handmade in Bắc Ninh, Việt Nam. These lamps find balance in opposites like shape, material, or origin to create a grounded feel.
Knotty Rope Lamps
The Knotty lamps, featuring asymmetrically shaped molten glass lampshades wrapped with natural cotton ropes, showcase innovative materiality. Made by California-based women-run and women-operated Cuff Studio, they emit a soft, textural, and dimmable glow adjusted using a natural brass housing and rotary switch. The use of simple ropes in lamp design is commendable.
Tilt + Shift Lamps
Canada-based Stackabl has been making lamps from recycled felt, and for their latest creation for NYCxDesign adds a new material in the form of post-industrial cork. It is a sustainable material that should get its place in the design world. Each Tilt and Shift lamp features a solid cork base in different sizes, topped with stacked Merino wool felt discs in different colors.
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