Producing something special is getting tougher for the furniture industry, but there are several furniture designers that take exception to this, and their designs continue to show the innovation and style that make the furniture design world buzz.
These top designers have shown that they have what it takes to ride out the economic downturn and continue to thrive in the industry by:
- championing sustainability;
- inventing new ways to use technology; and
- producing objects that strike an emotional chord with the people who will use them.
Some of hottest furniture designers in the field today…
Michael Dreeben
With a Master of Fine Arts in sculpting, Michael Dreeben has taken his artwork to a functional level with his collections of custom and semi-custom furniture. His designs begin with the characteristics of the material of the furniture which are integrated into his finished furniture products of wood, metal and stone.
Darrell Peart
A Washington State native, Darrell Peart started small by selling his small homemade wood pieces at local fairs then worked his way through custom furniture shops for experience. After being captivated by the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th Century, his furniture works began making a style name for themselves. His furniture collections are strongly influenced by the works of Greene and Greene – Charles and Henry Greene that is, furniture designers during the Arts and Crafts period.
Nolen Nui
Nolen Niu is making a huge splash in the world of industrial design furniture. He brings a unique blend of artistic sensitivity, mechanical aptitude, and technical know-how to produce an impressive range of unique pieces and looks. A graduate of the world-renowned Art Center of Design, Niu’s design talents have earned him well-deserved accolades from a varied list of private and celebrity clientele as well as multi-national corporations.
Pinch
Hailing from London, the married team of Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon make up the heart and soul of Pinch Designs. Their style creates graceful furnishings that can slip right into spaces from elegant residences to stylish offices. Their ‘timeless quality’ approach to their designs help make their furniture suitable everywhere from ‘concrete to country’.
Garvan de Bruir
Garvan de Bruir hails from Ireland and specializes in wood furniture design. His ‘strength through shape’ vision has won him international acclaim in the industry. Despite working across other disciplines, such as architecture, de Bruir manages to maintain a very definite visual style. His design for a breakfast bar and stools in cast aluminum and walnut received an Institute of Designers in Ireland award in 2008, and his designs are red hot in the furniture design world.
Liliana Ovalle
Based in both London and her native Mexico, Liliana Ovalle is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London. Her furniture designs are featured prominently at major international furniture expositions and her designs are beginning to get the attention of some major manufacturers. She’s a definite up and comer in furniture design, and her design awards are beginning to pile up. And speaking of piling up, some of her most notable designs have been inspired by discarded clothing!
Nacho Carbonell
While Nacho Carbonell may be a recent design graduate, his collections are already winning him some major furniture design awards. In 2010 he was named Designer of the Future by Design Miami, and many of his works are inspired by organic forms and rough textures. One secret to his design success, he views his objects as living organisms, imagining them coming alive and being able to surprise you with their behavior.
Jamie Hayón
This Spanish born artist-designer has a strong design education background rich with learned technique and finely crafted skill. But Jamie is most recognizable for his whimsical structures and his creations that “blur the lines between art, decoration and design and a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture.” There, ’nuff said!