Hasta La Ideas

Furniture continues to be a popular topic with Core77 readers, and here are ten of the standout pieces and stories we saw this year.

First off, some nuts-and-bolts stuff, that doesn’t actually require any nuts and bolts. We covered how Ikea’s new joinery system is advancing the design of the furniture itself.

Emko’s unusual, circular line of hideaway desks/storage cabinets are “an all round success.”

Another round piece of furniture, this one made for boozehounds (or oenophiles, depending upon how classy you are” was the Don Vino Wine Table.

Speaking of display furniture, this year we saw there’s a robust market for furniture for geeks. Specifically, folks who want to store and display their Star Wars figures within a functional piece of furniture.

We stumbled across this desk by Carroll Street Woodworkers that had a very unique feature.

A more commonplace furniture feature that’s now trending is the ability to make those around you disappear. At a time when people have little online privacy, furniture that offers physical privacy in public spaces is becoming popular.

At Stockholm Design Week we spotted another piece of privacy furniture, this one inspired by both Samurai armor and insects, by FÄRG BLANCHE.

Interestingly, the minimalist Wakufuru system of tables and benches is designed to offer not visual privacy, but “sonic relief” with its integration of sound-dampening materials.

In terms of a designer/builder doing something wildly different from his peers, we found Kent Walsh, whose Griffin Modern Furniture & Design combines three disparate aesthetics: Steampunk, Communist military and Mid Century Modern.

And finally, in another unusual but pleasing mash-up, Ikea and HAY finally released their much-anticipated collaboration, the Ypperlig collection.

Stay tuned for the best Transforming Furniture stories of the year!