Next in our review of 2022, we collect 10 of the most popular furniture and homeware designs published on Dezeen this year, from a high-powered office chair by Volkswagen to stools made of olive waste.
This year's list features products that use innovative materials to create cutlery, seating and more, as well as playing with well-known shapes and silhouettes.
Other projects are more gimmicky, as brands use unusual furniture designs as a way to market their core products.
Read on for the full list:
Steel furniture by Paul Coenen
Designer Paul Coenen exhibited a collection of furniture and homeware formed from single sheets of stainless steel at Dutch Design Week.
Free from coatings, adhesives and fastenings, the monobloc pieces include three seating designs, a table lamp and a mirror that Coenen crafted from metal before sanding the pieces down to create a smooth finish, rather than applying a chemical coating.
"Sheet metal comes in certain standard sizes and the machines that work with sheet metal all have their limitations," the designer told Dezeen. "Within these limitations, I like to create something new."
Find out more about this steel furniture ›
Chairs, tables and accessory pieces come together in Nudo – a collection by designer Kelly Wearstler that she recently showed at Miami art week as part of a fabric-draped installation.
Formed from marble supplied by stone company Arca, the furniture's design takes cues from woven textures and resembles tight knots of fabric dressed in hues ranging from reddy brown to a deep shade of green.
Hommemade is a design brand created by American musician A$AP Rocky, which recently launched its first piece at Design Miami – a sculpture for the home that the rapper designed in collaboration with Italian studio Gufram.
Called Shroom Cactus, the object is a take on Gufram's iconic 1972 Cactus – updated by A$AP Rocky to include hand-painted fungi on its lower portion.
"Since I've always advocated for mushrooms it was only right that we made a cactus with [the studio]," said the musician.
Find out more about Shroom Cactus ›
Basel-born designer Sarah Hossli created Lotte, a wooden armchair made for people with age-related impairments, in order to help the elderly stand up and sit down unassisted.
Hossli designed the chair with extended armrests that wrap around the backrest to provide a handrail that intends to help users lift themselves out of their seat.
Shortlisted for a 2022 Dezeen Award, Lotte was developed in close collaboration with residents in Swiss retirement homes.
Occasional Object by Virgil Abloh
The late designer Virgil Abloh was honoured at this year's Milan design week, where numerous products Abloh had been working on before his death in 2021 were launched.
Exhibited pieces included an alternative tableware collection created by Abloh for Italian brand Alessi, which features stainless steel cutlery crafted to mimic the appearance of everyday hardware tools.
"I remember the first reference he showed me was a wrench – very far from what we habitually think of as good design," reflected studio president Alberto Alessi. "It was almost brutalist. I found this very interesting, as for us it was a new approach."
Find out more about Occasional Object ›
Office chair prototype by Volkswagen
Automotive manufacturer Volkswagen unveiled a prototype for a mobile office chair fitted with the same technology as its electric vehicles, promising a top speed of 20 kilometres per hour – similar to most electric scooters.
With a design resembling a gaming chair, the prototype features a seatbelt, horn and hi-fi music system "to give those who work in an office a feeling of what it's like to have a car from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles as your workplace," said the brand.
Find out more about this office chair prototype ›
Nontalo stool by Eneris Collective
Design duo Eneris Collective worked with biomaterials company NaifactoryLAB to create a curvy, modular stool for children made from Reolivar – a waste olive pit-based material with a smooth, cork-like texture.
Three P-shaped pieces held together by three straight rods can be configured in various formations to form playful seating such as a three-legged stool or a bench seat.
"The idea was to generate a structure that doesn't have the obvious shape of a stool with a seat and legs, but maintains the same function," explained designer Irene MartÃnez.
Find out more about Nontalo ›
Datecrete console table by Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalka
Another piece of furniture created with food waste, this console table is made from "datecrete" – a concrete-style material formed from crushed dates that was developed by designers Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalka and makes use of surplus UAE-sourced dates.
Its creators claim that the table, which was on display as part of Dubai Design Week, is the world's first date-seed-based cementitious material featuring no traces of resin or concrete.
Find out more about this console table ›
Home Accessories Collection by SKKN
Home Accessories Collection is a five-piece homeware set launched by Kim Kardashian's skincare brand SKKN. Made entirely from powdery grey concrete, the products feature a minimalist design and are intended for use in the bathroom.
"Each decorative piece is crafted from hand-poured concrete and infused with a minimalist design that mimics the calming aesthetic and neutral colour palette of Kardashian's home," said the brand.
Design studio Perron-Roettinger recently created a pop-up store for the pieces in a Los Angeles shopping mall, where they are being showcased in a physical space for the first time until the end of the year.
Find out more about Home Accessories Collection ›
McCrispy Ultimate Gaming Chair by McDonald's
Fast-food chain McDonald's combined video gaming with its iconic menu staples in a limited-edition chair that users are invited to both play and snack in. The design was the most-read furniture launch on Dezeen in 2022.
Named after the chain's McCrispy burger, the chair is fitted with elements such as grease-proof leather, an integrated burger warmer and a fries holder, all designed in black and distinctive McDonald's yellow.
Find out more about the McCrispy Ultimate Gaming Chair ›