ICON Design Magazine

Isola Design Group returns to Dubai Design Week from 3–8 November 2026 with its most ambitious programme in the city to date Photography courtesy of Isola Design Group Spanning Marasi Bay, Dubai Design District and Downtown Design, the fifth edition brings together contemporary design exhibitions, site-specific installations and immersive experiences that challenge how design is encountered and experienced. Central to this year’s programme is the launch of Designwhere, a new p

Unveiling its second portable design, British lighting brand Original BTC proves a lamp built for practicality can still be a showcase for artisanal bone china Courtesy of Original BTC, The Blossom Linear Portable Lamp by Original BTC features a delicate bone china shade that radiates a warm glow when lit Words by Roddy Clarke When it comes to portable lighting, practicalities can often mean design decisions have to be kept conservative. However, for British lighting brand Orig

A curved glass-brick screen, double-height living spaces and generous outdoor areas bring light, intimacy and calmness to this urban home Photography by Raphaël Thibodeau In Montreal’s vibrant Villeray neighbourhood, MU Architecture has designed The Lens, a 5,910 sq ft family home that puts simplicity, privacy and connection to nature at its heart. Completed in July 2026, the home draws on Japanese minimalism and feng shui to create a remarkable home, characterised by filtered daylight

Visitor registration is open for Design at Work New York, March 10–11, 2027, featuring workplace interiors, leading brands and CEU-accredited learning . As New York’s only dedicated workplace interiors event, it will connect architects, interior designers, workplace strategists, corporate decision-makers and leading manufacturers for two days of product discovery, industry insights and meaningful conversations. . Discover What’s Next in Workplace Design. Across two days, v

Fletcher Priest Architects’ month-long exhibition, The Rhythm of Wellness, explores how Norwegian design, natural materials and craftsmanship can influence wellbeing, rest and recovery Photography courtesy of Eikund featuring the brand’s Fluffy Chair Wellbeing has become one of the most used words in architecture and design, and one of the least defined. Every brief seems to mention it, yet few explain what it means in practice. For an industry that decides where people live, wor

Exhibited at New Designers at London’s Business Design Centre in July, Merrie Elisabet Wells’ Ūru Loop impressed the judges with its commercial potential, modular versatility and commitment to sustainability, earning her the Shoreditch Design Week Award, presented onsite by the Shoreditch Design Week team. . Ūru Loop is an airport lounge chair designed to offer travellers a final sensory impression place before departure. Rooted in the concept of omotenashi – a form of selfle

The textile house formerly known as Kirkby Design has entered a new chapter, sharpening its visual identity and unveiling a refined creative direction. Photography courtesy of Kirkby, Alongside the launch of a new visual identity, Kirkby has released new collections including ORNATE which takes inspiration from iconic architectural venues Words by Roddy Clarke Renaming a brand is never without risk but, for Jordan Mould, the Brand Director of Kirkby, it was a risk worth taking.

In his first-ever solo exhibition, held at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, textile designer Christoph Hefti invites viewers into his creative process and the imaginative worlds woven into each of his creations Photography courtesy of Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, The Missing Cat and Other Textile Stories is the first solo exhibition for Swiss textile designer Christoph Hefti and it is currently on display at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich until 3rd January 2027 Words by Roddy Clark

Opened in Saint-Étienne in June 2026, the Galerie Nationale du Design offers a new perspective on design heritage and culture. Photography courtesy of Pierre Grasset Conceived as a reference institution on both a national and international scale, and developed in partnership with major cultural organisations, the Galerie is dedicated to exhibiting and circulating public design collections. More than a showcase for remarkable objects, the Galerie Nationale du Design aims to tell the

Intricate patterns, vivid colours and age-old techniques meet in Finarte’s latest collection of beautifully handcrafted rugs and cushions Photography courtesy of Finarte featuring Tobevi If there is one thing Finnish design does exceptionally well, it is making a virtue of the handmade. At this year’s Helsinki Design Week and Habitare, design company Finarte puts that idea front and centre with a new collection of handwoven rugs, created in collaboration with emerging Finnish des

The KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Fluted Glass Bowl brings together the familiar silhouette of the KitchenAid stand mixer with a new tactile finish and illuminated glass bowl.  Finished in Blue Peppercorn, a deep, inky blue with a velvet-like crinkle texture, the mixer offers a contemporary interpretation of a form that has remained remarkably consistent for almost 90 years. . At the heart of Luminaire is its fluted hardened glass bowl. Designed to catch

As the dust settles on the eighth edition of the Lake Como Design Festival, ICON shares our favourite installations, the latest furniture launches, exhibitions to see and more Photography by Silvia Rivoltella featuring Fine Comune Words by Jessica-Christin Hametner As the eighth edition of Como’s design festival draws to a close, the city is still alive with everyone from local families – dogs are very much welcome here – to designers who flock to Lombardy’s

With Antao Earth, Villeroy & Boch introduces a new dimension to its Antao collection, combining form and feel to develop striking new effects. Designed by Cologne-based studio KASCHKASCH, the surface-mounted washbasins are finished with a hand-applied Artisan Glaze that creates subtle variations in colour and texture, making each piece truly unique. The organic feel of the collection has been based on the existing Antao range and was inspired by the shape of a dewdrop. The silhoue

Tucked into Paris’s historic Left Bank, Atelier HA gives MELT a retro-futurist identity, pairing American diner nostalgia with bold, theatrical interiors Photography by Axel Aurejac featuring Atelier HA Among the historic streets surrounding the Panthéon, MELT’s latest Paris outpost might take on the familiar language of the American diner, but with a sexy, cinematic Parisian twist. Designed by local studio Atelier HA, the 2,700 sq ft multi-hyphenate venue stretches across t

Titled ‘Space Oddity’, Panter&Tourron’s window displays for Hermès Switzerland are a celestial interpretation of the French Maison’s annual theme, L’appel du large Photography by Alicia Dubuis, The windows of Hermès’ Zurich store, brought to life through the creative imagination of Panter&Tourron Words by Roddy Clarke At the start of the year Hermès announced its annual theme, ‘L’appel du large’. Translating to ‘venture beyond’ or from French as ‘

This September, Task’s Shoreditch showroom welcomes a new display from Italian design house Marelli, bringing a selection of its latest furniture to London as part of the Shoreditch Design Week. Fresh from Milan, the collection explores a softer, more tactile approach to contemporary interiors, spanning seating, tables and occasional pieces across the contract, hospitality and residential sectors. Images Courtesy of Task Systems Materiality is central to the display. Veined marble tabl

In the run-up to the Lake Como Design Festival (12-20 September), ICON meets chief coordinator Francesca Prandelli and Contemporary Design Selection curator Giovanna Massoni Photography by Alessandro Ruffini, featuring chief coordinator Francesca Prandelli (seated) and curator Giovanna Massoni  ICON: This year’s theme is Border. Without giving too much away, how has curating the Contemporary Design Selection expanded your own understanding of what a border can be, and what kinds o

Bas Smets’ Water Garden at the Vitra Campus  in Weil am Rhein features a pond, flower gardens, micro-forests – and three sharks designed by Hella Jongerius Photography by Julien Lanoo Words by Jessica-Christin Hametner Visitors to the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein may notice three striking shark-head sculptures jutting out of a shallow pond alongside the facade of Frank Gehry’s Design Museum. The ceramic fountains, titled The Three Graces and realised by Dutch de

Log in or register for free below to read the digital issue now This autumn, ICON looks at what’s happening in design and architecture around the world, from finding new uses for old buildings in Greece to exploring why materials matter and how industrial sites can become self-sustaining, biodiverse habitats. Running through many of these stories is a spirit of experimentation: testing new ideas, challenging familiar ways of working and taking ideas in unexpected directions. In Berlin,

Contemporary terazzo colours featuring certified recycled content Five HIMACS Terrazzo colours have been honoured with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2026 in the Product Design category, one of the world’s most respected design distinctions. The award recognises a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional terrazzo aesthetics, combining expressive design with responsible material innovation. Photography courtesy of HIMACS The award-winning colours, Terrazzo Ulivo (Q102), Ter