Best of Design Miami: 7 Standouts from the 2024 Edition

December in the design world is off to a roaring start with this week’s sunny, yet surprisingly chilly, celebration of Design Miami’s 20th edition. The energy around the anniversary is palpable as a healthy mix of newcomers and gallery stalwarts present their wares under the mustard yellow tent in Miami’s Pride Park. Curated by Glenn Adamson, the Miami Beach fair has gathered 45 collectible design galleries and curios, alongside a number of special projects and collaborations, around the visionary theme of “Blue Sky.” A celebration of design for its fundamentally innovative, optimistic, and connective qualities, the theme charged exhibitors to color their offerings with blue-sky thinking. “Design is inherently a speculative venture, and also a collective one – a shared framework of reference at a time of global interconnection,” says Adamson. “The same sky is above us all.”

In all, the curation has achieved its ambition, delivering a presentation that feels altogether cohesive, supportive, and conceptually rigorous. Now until December 8th, Design Miami assembles a diverse and talented group of international creatives to present a vibrant snapshot of the expansiveness of design as it exists today. Here are a few of the moments that are not to be missed.

“Design is inherently a speculative venture, and also a collective one – a shared framework of reference at a time of global interconnection,” said Glenn Adamson.

Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert Brings Australian Design to the Magic City

As the first Australian gallery to present at Design Miami, Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert challenged its roster of intergenerational designers to create works informed by their unique Australian vernacular. The presentation comprises works from Rive Roshan, David Tate, Bonhula Yunupingu, Damien Wright, Marion Borgelt, Kyoko Hashimoto and Guy Keulemans, Olive Gill-Hille, and Charles Trevelyan that draw from Australia’s diverse landscapes, flora, and fauna, fostering a dialogue on climate change and cultural storytelling. Highlights include a plywood chest covered entirely in emu eggs and feathers from Perth-based designer, David Tate. Tate drew inspiration from his hometown of Eganu in the Pinjarrega Nature Reserve, a world-renowned emu breeding ground. In reference to Australia’s vast horizons, the mesmerizing sapphire Radiance Panel from Rive Roshan uses undulating transitions of deep blue to speak to the refraction of light as it passes from the sky through the water and fades towards the ocean floor.

The Future Perfect Presents its Largest Booth to Date

Within a sizable stretch of square footage at the heart of the tent, The Future Perfect presented nearly 100 new works from a mix of leading and emerging contemporary designers. Of this lot, six artists made their Design Miami debut, including Anina Major, Laurids Gallée, Olivia Cognet, Vikram Goyal, Sophie Lou Jacobsen, and Thompson Street Studio. Split into two parts, one end of the booth featured, in true Future Perfect fashion, a diverse yet cohesive curation of objects from the likes of Chris Wolston, Lindsey Adelman, and Laurids Gallée, to name a few. The remainder of the space is dedicated to the work of New Delhi-based artist Vikram Goyal. A composition of mixed-media tables, benches, a mirror, and sconces incorporates a range of ancient Indian craft traditions, which all exist together within a monumental bronze wall hanging titled the Garden of Life. A representation of the Silk Road, the one-of-one piece employs bronze and semiprecious stones to depict the various cultural traditions found along the ancient trading route. 

SCAD Spotlights a Chromatic Collection of Alumni Work

To celebrate its sixth year as the university partner of Design Miami, SCAD put on a bold and bright presentation to illuminate the work of four of the school’s talented alumni. Contained within a site-specific installation made up of hand-dyed fibers by artist Anya Molyviatis (Class of 2021), ceramic and glass tables from designer Eny Lee Parker (16’) are accompanied by a boldly printed, wingback chair- the product of a capsule collaboration between fashion designer Christopher John Rogers (16’) and the family-owned furniture design studio and manufacturer Orior, led by Ciaran McGuigan (13’). Upon a backdrop of thousands of carefully dyed threads, Molyviatis presents a new series of her hallmark three-dimensional weavings, which create a memorable dialogue between space, form, and color. 

Nuova Creates a Portal to 1971

Part curio part feat of interior architecture, Time Travel, 1971 offers visitors a portal to the past through the enduring allure of 1970s Americana. Divided into two spaces—a waiting room and a “time portal”—the immersive installation was designed by Los Angeles-based luxury design group NUOVA and demonstrates their holistic, multi-sensory approach to design. In order to promote the U.S. launch of their 1971 Collection, all of which is made in collaboration with Italian craftspeople and includes furniture, lighting, and a bespoke sound system, NUOVA developed custom garments, fragrance, music, and even food to tailor an atmosphere that feels far and away from the bustling contemporary fair just outside. 

Chamar Studio’s Rubber Chairs Make a Splash at æquo

Amidst æquo’s elegant curation of work that bridges international design talents with traditional Indian craftsmanship, a show stopping set of rubber chairs and corresponding wall lamp won our hearts. Shown in a palette of saturated hues, the pieces represent nearly a decade of material development by Chamar Studio, a practice founded by Sudheer Rajbhar to challenge both the stigma around and hazardous working conditions for India’s leatherworking Dalit community. Through Chamar, Sudheer has developed sustainable leather alternatives from recycled rubber; safe and clean material from which the Dalit community can demonstrate their artistry and craftsmanship. For Design Miami, æquo invited Sudheer to collaborate on sculptural furniture, resulting in a series of dramatic armchairs and a wall lamp reminiscent of clothing, incorporating oversized stitching, extravagant pockets, and belts. 

USM and Devon Turnbull Create a High Fidelity Listening Room

To create a space for contemplation and dialogue, Design Miami tapped USM and sound designer Devon Turnbull, founder of New York-based speaker purveyor OJAS. The fair’s Design Talks Theater, dubbed the Ojas Listening Room, the space integrates Turnbull’s audio systems with design products from a series of notable brands, including USM case goods, Kvadrat Acoustics’ Soft Cell panels and curtains, a rug by Swedish textile company, Kasthall, as well as seating from Vetsak and Willet. Taking inspiration from 1960s Italian injection-molded plastic chairs, Willet’s new Popo chair marks his first foray into interior dining chair design. Available in Ebony, Cream and Willett Red, the piece is constructed by stacking MDF into a rectilinear framework that is later tempered into soft edges and finished with a high-gloss lacquer. 

Blunk Space Takes a Stand on Salvaged Materials 

Taking home the award for Best Curio Presentation, Blunk Space presented a group show whose work intuitively aligns with the legacy left behind by Northern California sculptor and ceramicist, JB Blunk (1926– 2002). Hailing from disparate corners of the world, LA-based Adam Pogue, Mexico City-based Alana Burns, and London- based Rio Kobayashi, all three artists are connected through time spent creating at Blunk’s iconic handmade home, constructed completely from salvaged materials, in Inverness, California. For Design Miami, the three paid homage to the resourceful ethos behind Blunk’s practice: newly-commissioned salvaged redwood shelves by Kobayashi respond to the Blunk House materiality, Burns presents delicate shell-and-metal jewelry and serving spoons to match Blunk’s bowls and trays, and Pogue produced floor cushions in his signature patchwork from textiles salvaged from the Blunk House.