Top 9 Objects of 2020
A mug reinvented 100 ways and a Bauhaus beehive are among the nominees in this year’s Dwell Design Awards.
A mug reinvented 100 ways and a Bauhaus beehive are among the nominees in this year’s Dwell Design Awards.
The contenders for Best Object demonstrate how a thoughtfully designed product can elevate the everyday experience. Learn more about each item below, and then vote for your favorite in the 2020 Dwell Design Awards before December 16.
Loll Designs Bee Hive
In collaboration with Lake Superior Honey Co., Minnesota-based outdoor furniture maker Loll Designs recently released a designer beehive that’s almost entirely constructed from recycled milk jugs. The company brings a little bit of Bauhaus to beekeeping by making a functional apiary in its signature, stripped-down style.
Lolly Lolly Ceramics 100 Day Project
Last December, Columbus-based ceramicist Lalese Stamps of Lolly Lolly put the final glaze on her 100 Day Project, wherein she designed and fired a mug a day for 100 straight days, each with a wildly different handle (think chains and untouchable spikes). With a matte-charcoal exterior paired with a glossy interior, each of Lalese’s pieces is a stunning riff on the daily object we all know a bit too well. You can check out all 100 at her Instagram, @lollylollyceramics.
Ex.T Nouveau Freestanding Bathtub
Ex.t’s freestanding bathtub Nouveau brings a sculptural element to the bathroom with equal parts form and function. Pulling inspiration from the early 20th century, the tub comes in dusty pink or white, making a beautiful addition to the Tuscan designers’ line of pared-back fixtures.
In Common With Puck Table Lamp
Nicholas Ozemba and Felicia Hung call their studio In Common With, but their playful lighting is in a class of its own. Named after its hockey-puck shape, their Puck Table Lamp features a glass top and steel base, and comes in five friendly shades that add a touch of whimsy to any WFH situation.
Campagna Sit, Set Chair
Portland-based designer Cody Campanie makes the case that perhaps the wheel does need reinvention. Guided by a belief that design should respond to the fundamental human behaviors—to sit, sleep, keep—Campanie created his Sit, Set Chair as a streamlined synthesis of seat and table.
Thing Thing Clock
After picking and sorting bits of recycled plastic by hand, Detroit-based designers Studio Thing Thing uses industrial machinery to produce one-of-a-kind pieces in a range of bright colors. Thing Thing’s most recent focus reinvents the humble clock with a confetti-like effect that renders its formative process visible.
Noori V01
Brazilian design team Noori—a designer, an environmental engineer, and an architect—devised this Swiss Army–style combination grill, pizza oven, rocket stove, and fire pit, elevating what we know about outdoor living. At the V01’s core is the modular-pipe Rocket System proportioned to create more heat from less fuel. The space-age exterior only hints at the intelligence within.
Sin Weylyn Candelabra
The wavy, hand-formed stoneware Weylyn Candelabra, new this fall from Brooklyn ceramicist Virginia Sin, is a conversation-starting centerpiece available in white or pale green that brings a sense of playfulness to your tablescape.
UMÉ Studio Zabuton Sofa
Deeply rooted in Japanese design and developed in collaboration with Kyoto-based Takaokaya, UMÉ Studio’s Zabuton Sofa is named for the cushion traditionally used on tatami mats. A modular system of wood partitions—handcrafted in Oakland, California—and futon, zabuton, and bolster, the flexible sofa creates an ever-changing stage for the modern living room.
