Eyes on Industrial Design

NEW YORK, United States — Similar to architecture, industrial design is somewhat marked by its ubiquity and its functionality. It is both literally everywhere and yet its function is just as critical as its form. We are often struck by a beautifully designed object that serves a purpose in our lives. Auction houses have contributed to entire economies around editions of time-favored designs alongside originals for increasingly unattainable prices.

Who can forget the late Virgil Abloh’s impact on transforming the everyday object into something desirable for his legions of acolytes? The enamor for a ‘designed’ object, however quotidian, seems to have staying power as evidenced by the craze over collectibles and the drop model of accessing these objects. With little signs of stopping, here are a few industrial designers of note.

nmbelloStudio

LM Stool courtesy @nmbello_studio

Founded by Nifemi Marcus-Bello, nmbelloStudio designed The LM Stool (pictured right), which has since been added to the permanent collections of design at the Denver Art Museum and the Design Museum in London. Since 2018, the stool has been released in small drops in different color ways. Beyond product design, nmbelloStudio is conducting research into anonymously designed objects on the continent in order to highlight the ingenuity in indigenous design. www.nmbello.com

Mabeo Furniture courtesy @mabeofurniture

MABEO STUDIO

Based in Botswana, Mabeo Studio is a must-know name in contemporary furniture design. A broad ranging practice, Mabeo Studio was founded by Peter Mabeo in 2006 leveraging craft economies across core materials including wood and metal. Beyond furniture, a prior partnership with Fendi reimagined the classic peekaboo design in metal and a book Furniture for Everyday Life 2006-2017 captured the ethos of this beloved practice. www.mabeofurniture.com

Samuel Ross & Associates (SR_A)

Samuel Ross with Beats Studio Pro courtesy @design.by.samuelross

Samuel Ross is a multi-hyphenate semi-trained up in the school of thought certain figures like Virgil Abloh embraced (in fact, Abloh employed Ross as an intern and design assistant over a decade ago). That said, the through line between his disparate projects is rooted in this pursuit of legacy and contributing what he deems as missing from the canon. He’s tackled vodka, headphones, cologne, and we hear a faucet and tap is in the works with Kohler to launch this December. www.sr-a.com

Lead Image courtesy Mabeo Studio