You never know quite what to expect from the team at Snarkitecture, a Brooklyn-based studio whose mission is to ‘reimagine the familiar’. Its work spans both product design, art installations and interiors, while recent projects have included the likes of bubblegum pink screens with cut-out silhouettes for Cos, a ghostly table lamp for Kartell, and a pool-shaped ball pit for the National Building Museum in Washington DC.
Now the studio, led by artist Daniel Arsham and architects Alex Mustonen and Benjamin Porto, has looked to Scandinavia for inspiration for their latest furniture collection, ‘Lieksa’ (launched during New York Design Week 2024), and more specifically to Finland and its renowned tradition of bent plywood furniture, pioneered by Alvar Aalto in the 1930s.
Snarkitecture x Made by Choice:
Working with Finnish design brand and Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022 winner Made by Choice, they have created a series of chairs and tables with unusual undulating edges that give it ‘a distinct Snarkitecture look, reminiscent of a mountain range or landscape,’ says Snarkitecture designer Clarisse Empaynado.
‘We designed these pieces with creative collaboration and connection in mind, as they were originally commissioned by our friends at Jayaram Law for a shared workspace dedicated to supporting innovation,’ explains Mustonen. ‘At the same time, the natural warmth of the wood and the distinctive form will be a source of comfort and curiosity in any room.’
Produced at Made by Choice’s Halikko factory in southwestern Finland, the collection – which comprises a dining chair, lounge chair, small round table, and a dining or conference table – is made entirely of bent birch plywood. The chairs adapt a simple design that involves a single piece of plywood that splits to form the seat and legs.
‘After several material experiments and prototyping we ended up with a very Finnish way of making furniture; bending birch plywood which makes the chair new in its form language, and at the same time very familiar in the way its been manufactured,’ says Antti Olin of Made by Choice.
Featuring soft, comfortable, and warm elements to contrast the industrial feel familiar in many creative spaces, the series is also highly functional: the tables feature a concealed compartment to store small items such as phones, notebooks, pens, etc. Its lid can be reversed to reveal a hidden landscape that can be used as décor or a rest for small items.
As well as a distinctive and playful silhouette, the respect for Finnish craftsmanship and close collaboration are the cornerstones of the collection. ‘When different cultures and design languages meet, the results are often unique and unexpected,’ concludes Made by Choice’s Niclas Ahlström.
The Lieksa collection by Snarkitecture for Made by Choice is available from madebychoice.com
