Designs that STIRred 2023 with inventive modular visions for contemporary living

Contemporary living is seeing homes and workspaces getting smaller, thus calling for multiplicity of functions to be carried out in the heart of a place. Often the living room becomes this spatial pocket where different functions flow into one another. What makes a space breathe, much akin to our own lives, is the proclivity to adapt to change, and in the context of contemporary living, modular design does the work. 2023 saw many contemporary brands step forward in pushing the narrative of designing flexible spaces through products that locate agility at heart. A particular focus on the expressive capacity of designs beyond their functional diverseness is also a tenet validating a closer look. Here’s a roundup of some of the designs and their manufacturers that stood out in the year that was.

1. Aritco Homelift

Designed by Stockholm-based designer Alexander Lervik, the homelift is produced by Aritco – a Swedish manufacturer of lifts for homes, schools, offices and retail stores that mix efficiency with aesthetics. The design comes with more than 200 different colours, two different glass types, eight different floors, and a backlit wall (called DesignWall) illustrated by selected art by select Scandinavian designers. The wall also features diffused ambient lighting that can be controlled via the Smartlift app.

2. Intarsio by Cesar

Italian furniture brand Cesar’s Intarsio system is a line of kitchens created by designer Garcìa Cumini. The design is inspired by taking apart the two-dimensional surface of traditional doors to break away from the customary geometry. A veneered door (0.6mm thick) with two grain direction offers an enhanced optical illusion whereas the use of wood creates an overarching warmth. A 2.2 cm thick door is installed for the handles, grip recesses, push-to-open, and shaped grip edgings.

3. Discovery by Artemide

A 2018 Compasso D’Oro winner, Discovery is a family of lighting appliances conceived by Italian designer Ernesto Gismondi for Italian manufacturer Artemide. Designed to be ‘totally absent’ and dematerialised, the pieces acquire volume when these are turned on. Circular, square, and rectangular aluminium profiles with embedded LED strips inject light into the central diffuser surface. The designs offer a host of spatial configurations: from elegant mirror-shaped floor lamps (Discovery Floor) to minimal suspensions for evolving workspaces (Discovery Suspension), the collection offer a host of different styles and configurations to adapt to contemporary environments.

4. Free by Cerasa SRL

A compositional freedom surrounds the Free bathroom produced by Italian company Cerasa which is known for interpreting bathrooms, living spaces, lifestyles and contemporaneity through inventive visions. A smart solid wood and copper basin sits at the centre of the furniture and is accented by black-coloured metal tips for the feet and multi-purpose ash bars.

5. ABK’s custom surfaces for Caffè e Gelato, Berlin

The interior design of Caffè e Gelato ice cream parlour in Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, is dominated by a custom version of the special ABK Wide&Style decoration, a circle inscribed within a square that recalls the golden section, installed on the floor in 60x60 cm square modules produced by Milanese practice AzzoliniTinuper’s vision. The decorative motif is used to divide the space conceptually into areas inspired by major Italian cities, each of which forms a part of the visual narrative.

Other works that stood out this year include the eclectic outdoor furniture and furnishings by Armani/Casa showcased during Milan Design Week 2023, and a technological service called Design Your Slabs by Fiandre Architectural Surfaces that allows for the reproduction of any image or illustration on the brand’s ceramic surfaces.