haworth designlab: five emerging artists redefine design norms

haworth launches designlab

To honor its 75 years in the market, Haworth challenges expectations by launching DesignLab. Guided by the expertise of Patricia Urquiola and her studio, the company chose five emerging artists and designers to join forces and trigger conventional norms of work environments in an exhibition that showcases a range of thought-provoking pieces. The collective was first debuted at NeoCon 2023 in Chicago, offering fresh perspectives on aesthetics while fusing art and reality and leaving a lasting impression.

a curated collection of works from DesignLab debuts in the NeoCon 2023 Haworth showroom

all images courtesy of Haworth

patricia urquiola leads & curates the five emerging artists

In 2023, Haworth is celebrating 75 years and takes a leap onto an experimental journey. The family-owned business is excited to reflect on its journey to become a visionary, design-forward, and global multicultural leader in the industry by honoring those being part of their past and future. Fueled by a diversity of perspectives, the company’s commitment to looking ahead is found in the group of brands and artists they partner with.

In collaboration with renowned Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola, the two entities partner for the launch of DesignLab with the aim of reflecting on the company’s journey and becoming a visionary, design-forward, and global multicultural leader in the industry. Five emerging artists and designers have been selected to bring their digital, graphic, art, sculpture, interior, and product designs and infuse unexpected, emotive, and immersive experiences. Bradley L Bowers, Brian Wooden, Eny Lee Parker, Maximiliano Rosiles, and Chrissy Fehan from Pophouse give Haworth, and office spaces, a fresh perspective.

led by Patricia Urquiola, Haworth DesignLab includes shelving, an outdoor collection, a daybed, a lounge and a rug installation from 5 designers and artists

Based in Mexico City, Maximiliano Rosiles creates Fragmented Shelving. The product is a result of an original aesthetic knit solution that deconstructs the form of a traditional shelf into something more unconventional and expressive. The form was reconstructed with materials and shapes that contradict each other, like metal and textiles, to create a mix of curved and sharp forms.

Maximiliano Rosiles, Mexico City, Mexico – Split – 1 fragmented shelving

The Inter-Dimension rug installation by Nashville-born Brian Wooden translates and simplifies cartoon language by playing with the two-dimensional canvas and pulling illustrative elements into the three-dimensional space as if spilling in from another world. Similarity in lines and shapes on the rug tapestry and ottoman lead you to wonder where the two-dimensional plane ends and the three-dimensional planes begin, creating a sort of ‘2.5 dimensional space.’

Brian Wooden, Nashville, Tennessee – Inter-Dimension rug installation

Over-scaled in shape, Phil Lounge by Chrissy Fehan offers a hug-like embrace that invites people to sit, curl up and pet the chair. Inspiration comes from the hours the artist worked from her home in Detroit, snuggled up with her pup, Phil. This piece was designed to playfully release stress by mimicking the soothing sensation of petting an animal, known to lower the stress hormone cortisol.

Chrissy Fehan from Pophouse, Detroit, Michigan – Phil Lounge

Everyday culture and technology are advancing the possibilities of what things can be, and the artist aims to transform those advancements into accessible and useful objects. With his Polaris Outdoor Collection, Bradley Bowers from New Orleans explores how complex geometry can be adapted into viable everyday objects through the curvature of magnetic field-lines as its guiding aesthetic and structural principle.

Bradley Bowers, New Orleans, Louisiana – Polaris outdoor collection

Eny Lee Parker from New York captures the essence and shape of a cloud. Cloud Daybed is a playful piece symbolizing the need for moments of relaxation and escape. Its carefully sculpted properties provide the ideal prone position, a slight head support and raised feet for maximum comfort with the intention of creating an environment of serenity to indulge in dreams.

Eny Lee Parker, New York, New York – Cloud Daybed