Top Designs of the Year: From Elegant Brass Teapots to Innovative Modular Kitchens

Design That Defines the Moment: The Best of the Best

Each year, amidst the wave of seasonal collections and major design fair debuts, thousands of new furniture and decor pieces vie for attention. But only a select few rise above the noise — not through flash, but through substance. This year's Best of the Best winners distinguish themselves through impeccable craftsmanship, inventive vision, and a dedication to material excellence. Whether it's Natalia Criado’s sculptural tea set or Patricia Urquiola’s provocatively textured cabinetry, these pieces are more than beautiful objects — they are declarations of creative identity.

Some works gently nod to design history — the Memphis movement echoes subtly through Axel Chay’s Calade collection — yet each creation feels deeply grounded in the present. With a shared emphasis on restraint, material integrity, and expressive form, these winners embody the contemporary canon at its finest.

Rug: Tai Ping – Biophilic Collection

Luxury carpet brand Tai Ping is shap ing the future of textiles through environmental mindfulness and design integrity. With the textile industry notorious for water pollution and microplastics, Tai Ping’s Biophilic Collection breaks the mold — literally and metaphorically.

Comprising 16 rugs woven from raw, undyed natural fibers — including jute, bamboo, wool, flax, silk, and cotton — the collection conserves water and avoids harmful dyes. The palette remains grounded: muted earth tones, soft whites, and warm neutrals inspired by essential-oil-yielding botanicals. Pieces like Ylang I and Alizea I feature multi-level hand-tufting that recalls the meditative beauty of Japanese shibori textiles. Sustainability, texture, and quiet luxury converge.
From $5,154

Tableware: Natalia Criado – Contemporary Tea Set

Natalia Criado reinvents theritual of tea with a collection that feels as much like jewelry as it does tableware. This silver-plated brass tea set blends functionality with sensual design, each item adorned with gemstone-like stones used as handles or lids.

Born in Colombia and educated in Milan, Criado seamlessly bridges Latin American heritage with Italian sophistication. Her work champions artisan collaboration, honoring pre-Columbian culture while asserting a contemporary, sculptural language. Each piece transforms the mundane into the meaningful — an object of daily use elevated to an objet d’art.
From $750

Kitchen: Patricia Urquiola for Signature Kitchen Suite – Mantle Collection

Patricia Urquiola’s Mantle series redefines what kitchen furniture can be — or even should be. Far more than cabinetry, this modular collection blurs the lines between domestic utility and sculptural presence.

Textured exteriors crafted from Cimento — a composite of mineral aggregates — give the units a weighty, architectural feel. Soft curves, rich surfaces, and unexpected proportions lend Mantle the character of a design object rather than a kitchen fixture. Designed for Signature Kitchen Suite, and built with functional features like integrated under-counter refrigeration, Mantle speaks to those who view the kitchen as an extension of their aesthetic identity.
Price upon request

Seating: Dmitriy & Co – Amarn Daybed

Sculptural minimalism meets plush functionality in the Amarn Daybed by Los Angeles–based Dmitriy & Co. Handcrafte d to order, this asymmetrical silhouette reads more like a brutalist art installation than furniture — and that’s the point.

Available in custom lengths, wood finishes, and upholstery options, the Amarn is tailor-made for those seeking distinction. Clean lines, luxurious comfort, and uncompromising attention to detail make it a powerful standalone piece in any interior.
From $13,500

Table: Konekt – Silo Console Table

Inspired by the cylindrical form of agricultural grain silos, the Silo Console Table by New York studio Konektmarries function with unexpected playfulness. Crafted in wood with accents in brass or stainless steel, this piece comes with optional magnetic domes that conceal circular recesses.

These hidden compartments can be used for storage — or left closed to preserve the table’s bold, sculptural profile. Architectural yet adaptable, the Silo Console is a study in controlled whimsy.
$15,100

Collection: Axel Chay for Pradier-Jeauneau – Calade Collection

French designer Axel Chay channels the creative spirit of southern France into the Calade Collection, created for Galerie Pradier-Jeauneau. Named after the Marseille neighborhood where he lives, Calade debuted at PAD Paris 2024 with six foundational pieces — including a sofa, stool, coffee table, and floor lamp — and continues to grow.

With bold silhouettes and a painterly approach to materiality, Chay reimagines Mediterranean modernism for a new generation. Notably, three pieces from Calade — including the stools and coffee table — will be inducted into France’s Mobilier National, a prestigious archive preserving the nation’s most important design heritage.
From approx. $1,024

Lighting: Chia-Ying Lee for Lodes – Random Stick

Taiwanese designer Chia-Ying Lee lends elegance to the ordinary with Random Stick — a linear suspension lamp composed of blown-glass spheres delicately resting on a slender metal rod.

Available in two lengths and four finishes, this lighting fixture offers mix-and-match diffuser options in seven glass colors. The effect? A floating constellation of subtle light — equally suited to minimalist spaces or expressive interiors.
From $1,375

Reissue: House of Finn Juhl – Wall Sofa Aubertin

A masterwork from 1951 makes its return. Danish design legend Finn Juhl original ly created the Wall Sofa Aubertin for timber magnate W.F. Aubertin’s private villa. Now reissued by the House of Finn Juhl, this extended version remains true to the original’s sculptural integrity.

Hand-upholstered in Denmark, it seats six and features a dynamic, asymmetrical backrest that adds drama without overwhelming. Its mid-century elegance remains utterly relevant — proof that great design transcends time.
$18,738

More Than Just Looks: What Interior Design Really Means

Interior design isn't just about pretty rooms or matching pillows. At its core, it's about how a space makes you feel. It’s the quiet comfort of walking into a room that somehow just gets you — where the light falls just right in the morning, where the textures invite touch, where nothing screams for attention, but everything feels intentional. That’s the magic of design that works on a human level.

We spend so much of our lives indoors — talking, resting, rushing, unwinding — and yet we don’t always think about what those spaces are doing to us. The truth is, design shapes our days in ways we rarely notice. A well-placed chair can become your favorite thinking spot. A soft rug can signal it’s time to slow down. A simple light fixture, chosen thoughtfully, can turn an ordinary evening into something tender and memorable.

What we surround ourselves with matters. Not because it's trendy, but because it changes how we experience time, energy, and even each other. The best spaces don’t try to impress — they make you feel at home, even when you're just passing through. They reflect your pace, your rhythm, your story.

The designers featured above get that. They’re not just making beautiful objects — they’re creating pieces that live with you. That shift with your mood. That age with you, quietly. This isn’t about filling rooms. It’s about creating atmosphere, memory, and emotion. And when design does that — when it speaks softly, but stays with you — that’s when it truly matters.

Because in the end, good design isn’t about following rules or chasing trends. It’s about asking: What does home feel like to you? And then, slowly, piece by piece, building that answer around you.

The funny thing about interior design is that, when it’s done well, you almost don’t notice it at first. There’s no fanfare, no spotlight. You just walk into a room and exhale — your shoulders drop, your breathing slows, something inside you quietly says, yes. That’s not about expensive finishes or curated showpieces; it’s about intuition. It’s about someone understanding how a space should feel, not just how it should look. It’s about the way the chair is angled toward the light, how the sofa doesn’t hug the wall but sits slightly off, making room for conversation. It’s in the quiet gaps between objects, the decision to leave something empty instead of overfilling it. Good design is humble like that. It listens. It lets you be. And in a world that often feels loud and cluttered — visually, mentally, emotionally — a well-designed space offers something rare: ease. Not everything needs to be explained or styled or posted. Sometimes it just needs to hold you. That’s the quiet power of design — to give you a place where you don’t have to perform, where your guard can drop, where life can unfold in all its mess and beauty. Whether it’s a hand-thrown vase on a windowsill or the texture of linen bedding that softens over time, these details speak to our senses in ways that feel almost private. They don’t shout, they stay with you. And maybe that’s the heart of it: design that doesn’t ask to be noticed, but remembered.

Where We Really Live: The Quiet Magic of Thoughtful Spaces

We don’t always realize how deeply our surroundings shape us — not just the big things, like layout and lighting, but the small, quiet choices: the worn edge of a table that’s seen years of dinners and conversations, the way afternoon sun filters through sheer curtains, the corner where a chair and lamp silently invite you to pause. These aren’t design statements in the traditional sense, but they are what give a space its soul. Interior design, when it’s honest, isn’t about creating a perfect room; it’s about creating a real one. A place that reflects not who you think you should be, but who you are when no one’s watching. There’s a certain bravery in that — in choosing comfort over perfection, patina over polish, meaning over minimalism. And there’s nothing more modern, really, than wanting a home that holds you the way the world doesn’t always know how to. A place that asks nothing of you, yet gives you so much in return — softness, ease, beauty without spectacle. The best homes aren't built all at once. They come together slowly, over time, through stories, objects, people, and quiet moments. A chipped mug you always reach for. A painting you bought on impulse but couldn’t stop thinking about. A rug that makes you feel grounded. These are the things that stay, that build the invisible thread between space and self. So when we talk about design, maybe what we’re really talking about is belonging — the comfort of being surrounded by things that know you, the relief of stepping into a room and remembering who you are. Because at the end of the day, the best-designed space isn’t one that looks perfect in photos. It’s the one you want to come home to — again and again, without needing a reason.