Design What

Design What featuring great design, architecture, fashion, graphics and innovation from across the globe.

 
The Union Church Church

Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd Church Lighting Monday, 23 February 2026

The Union Church

The Union is a lighting design for a church in Shanghai that was founded in 1886 and stands near the Bund. The church was unused for many years and was transformed into a music performance space in 2021. The lighting creates a small and calm spiritual space that also supports performance needs. Functional lights provide a uniform environment and serve as stage lighting. A large pendant light combines lighting and acoustic functions and holds recessed lights and candle-shaped lights. In-ground wall washers with narrow beams reveal the wall texture and the Gothic arch.

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The Realm Series Customizable Home Cloakroom

Piano Customizable Home Cloakroom Furniture Sunday, 22 February 2026

The Realm Series

The Realm Series is a modular home cloakroom designed for residential storage. The structure is based on cylindrical aluminum profiles, which are light and stable. Circular design elements reduce the sharp and cold appearance of traditional aluminum furniture. Shelves, drawers and handles follow the same rounded form. The materials are aluminum, leather, solid wood veneer and paint. Drawer modules, sections for long and short clothing and racks can be combined freely to suit different room sizes. Four material and color schemes are available.

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Guardians Furniture Set

kamran Afshar Naderi Furniture Set Furniture Saturday, 21 February 2026

Guardians

Guardians is a limited-edition furniture set that includes a chair and a table. The design is inspired by zoomorphic iconography, which appears in prehistoric art and in traditional crafts such as carpet weaving and pottery. The chair measures 70 by 75 by 90 cm and is shaped for ergonomic comfort. The table measures 75 by 170 by 80 cm. Each piece is produced with an advanced three-dimensional printing system combined with fiberglass technology, and is refined by hand. Guardians aims to build a positive emotional connection between people and animals.

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Season Stool

Wenhan Zhang Stool Furniture Friday, 20 February 2026

Season

Season is a multifunctional seat designed for small rented homes. Removing the top cushion turns Season into a side table that can hold a laptop or small items. The table surface can also be lifted to reveal hidden storage for a phone charger, pens and notes. A wooden support under the base helps the piece move easily between rooms and protects the lower materials from abrasion. The inner structure is solid wood from certified sustainable forestry, with a perforated top of low formaldehyde microparticles. Several colours and finishes are offered.

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Stanley 2701 Pendant Light

Tatiana & Nicolas Boon Pendant Light Lighting Thursday, 19 February 2026

Stanley 2701

Stanley 2701 has simple, clean lines, a monolithic architecture inspired by the mysterious black monolith in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It has been designed with particular attention to its unique geometry, which allows for direct downlighting and indirect side lighting. Environmentally friendly, the suspension is made from recyclable aluminum. When switched on, soft, gradated lines of light appear on the side surfaces. Off it offers a beautiful play of light and shadow throughout the day. The Stanley lamps can be used alone or in groups.

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Less is More Chair

Roberta Rampazzo Chair Furniture Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Less is More

The inspiration for this chair was a summary of the pandemic experienced in recent years and the lessons learned. The design has always represented social aspects, and nowadays a product needs to represent these key elements like comfort, no excess, and sustainability more than ever. Simplicity is often the most difficult to achieve. To be simple it is necessary to eliminate the excesses and the unnecessary and this could be achieved in life and also on the design. The result is a minimalist, elegant, and sustainable chair.

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