We launched the annual Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards in 2021, partly as a response to our locked-down brains desiring more expansive, innovative and life-enhancing technology, but also as a way to highlight how a focus on longevity, quality and repairability needn’t distract the sheer diversity of design approaches.
That list of 2021's winners set a high standard, and we were delighted that the award grew in stature and scope – you can see the 2022 winners and 2023 winners on the site.
Wallpaper* Smart Space Award 2024 winners
Judged by Wallpaper* editor-in-chief Bill Prince, alongside tech & transport editor Jonathan Bell and business director Kelly Gray, the winners of the Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards 2024 offer an impressive selection of innovation, sustainability, simplicity and style. Read on to find out who is top of their game.
Best Sustainable Step Forward for the Home
LG Electronics WashCombo All-in-One
Out of the many outstanding entries we received, this clever combination product impressed the judges and emerged as a clear winner thanks to its mix of clean lines and emphasis on both energy-saving and space efficiency. With the ability to wash and dry a load of clothes in under two hours, and a clever inverter system for minimising energy use, the WashCombo also has an impressive 5 cubic feet capacity and a sleek, unobtrusive look.
LG Electronics WashCombo All-in-One, LG.com, @LGUSA
Best Sustainable Step Forward for the Office
Framery Four booth
Framery Acoustics specialises in shrinking big spaces without compromising comfort or flexibility. The company’s Framery Four meeting pod really stood out for the way it transforms an office interior with minimum energy and materials, creating a meeting space for up to four people with fresh air and an eerily quiet ambience.
Framery Four, FrameryAcoustics.com, @FrameryAcoustics
Best Sustainable Step Forward for Mobility
Polestar 2
Polestar 2’s victory in the best Sustainable Step Forward category is all the more impressive given the model is now in its fifth year of production. That hasn’t stopped the company from continuously refining and improving the car, however, and not just in terms of range and software. Part of Polestar’s ethos is to chip away at the embedded cost of manufacturing, highlighting ways for manufacturers of all stripes to be more transparent about the complexities of decarbonising supply chains and manufacturing.
Polestar 2, Polestar.com, @PolestarCars
Collaboration of the Year
Kohler Formation 02 Smart Toilet
The Kohler Formation 02 Smart Toilet was an unexpected but welcome collaboration between Dr Samuel Ross' SR_A design studio and the established American bathroom brand Kohler. The result impressed us for its boldness of colour and form, transforming a familiar object into something really special.
Kohler Formation 02 Smart Toilet, SRA.Kohler.com, SR-A.com
Fittest Fitness Kit
Unica by Technogym
Technogym’s ongoing commitment to design excellence is embodied in the classic Unica system, which demonstrates the solid principles underpinning the Italian company. Unica might be nearly four decades old, but it is an enduring classic, a home multi gym system trusted by professional trainers and athletes.
Unica by Technogym, Technogym.com, @Technogym
Food, Drink and Design
Ninja Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer
Ninja has created a countertop classic that impressed the judges with its sensible use of space and high quality look and feel. The simple act of stacking the drawers on top of each other makes the Double Stack XL an ideal candidate for a compact kitchen, offering the energy saving abilities of an air fryer without compromising capacity.
Ninja Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer, NinjaKitchen.co.uk, @NinjaKitchenuk
Greatest Outdoor Design
The Peep Show Video Birdhouse
We loved this elegant mix of technology and nature, creating something that benefits everyone. Not only is the egg-shaped wood and bio-plastic structure acclaimed for its longevity and suitability for all kinds of species, the camera slot allows you to check in on your new feathered friends all year round.
The Peep Show, ThePeepShow.com, @ThePeepShowBirdhouse
Best Life Enhancing Object on the Move
BOOX Palma
An e-reader device of impressive execution and ability, the Palma is a great way of getting information away from a conventional screen. Pairing phone-sized portability with an e-ink screen, the Palma is a robust, simple and distraction-free way of imbibing information in an age of polychromatic diversions.
BOOX Palma, Shop.BOOX.com
Best Life Enhancing Object in the Home
eufy Robot Vacuum Omni S1 Pro
Home automation done well always ticks our boxes and the Omni S1 is a smart addition to a modern home. Powerful and smart, with a self-cleaning system incorporated into its charging dock, the Omni S1 is a mechanised mopper that’ll keep floor surfaces pristine.
eufy Robot Vacuum Omni S1 Pro, eufy.com
Most Illuminating Lighting
Fleur by Foscarini
In the words of the judges, ‘We love this concept for bringing two elements together in such style.’ Fleur is a table lamp that doubles up as a vase, with a transparent glass support that’ll take water and flowers while also providing a soft illumination. The light is filtered through the water-filled glass, adding another dimension to your arrangements.
Fleur, Foscarini, Foscarini.com
Most Intelligent Domestic Device
Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum cleaner
We were especially impressed by the Vis Nav’s sensor system and agility, but its key selling point is power. The company claims it offers up to six times the suction of other robot vacuums, and the deep blue device can scuttle up to the edge of walls and under low furniture to ensure as much space as possible remains dust free.
Dyson 360 Vis Nav, Dyson.co.uk, @Dyson
Most Masterful Music Device in the Home
Ruark R810 High Fidelity Radiogram
A beautifully made piece of technology that looks great even when it’s not in use, the R810 is a worthy winner of our Home Audio category. Pairing high quality cabinetmaking with a world’s worth of streaming services makes the R810 the ultimate piece of audio furniture.
Ruark R810 High Fidelity Radiogram, RuarkAudio.com, @RuarkAudio
Most Masterful Music Device on the Move
Nothing Ear (a) wireless earbuds
The latest in a rapidly expanding line of dynamic and distinctive audio products, Nothing’s latest pair of wireless earbuds, the Ear (a) offer excellent quality for a very reasonable price. The judges praised their playful use of colour, straightforward usability and great sound.
Nothing Ear (a), Nothing.tech, @Nothing
Most Revolutionary Transport
Volvo EX30
Volvo’s EX30 is a fantastic piece of automotive design, with clear and welcome influences from product design and contemporary furniture and great use of sustainably sourced materials. Despite some teething troubles with the company’s software, the EX30 drives beautifully and has an excellent range, making it one of the best compact EVs on the market.
Volvo EX30, VolvoCars.com, @VolvoCars
Most Watchable TV
Samsung S95D television
Samsung continues to demonstrate why it's one of the world’s leading electronics brands with the excellent S95D, a 4K OLED TV with a 55in screen. The judges described this as ‘an impeccable piece of product design from Samsung, with an impossibly thin screen and seamless connectivity.’
Samsung S95D, Samsung.com
Most Wonderful Wearable
OnePlus Watch 2 Nordic Blue Edition
This Nordic Blue Edition of the Watch 2 is a classically elegant alternative to the smartwatch status quo. Offering excellent durability as well as timeless style, the Watch 2 has up to 100 hours of battery life, a large 1.43in AMOLED display and an ultra-rugged design to give it a long lifespan.
OnePlus Watch 2 Nordic Blue Edition, OnePlus.com, @OnePlus
Smartest Luggage
Horizn M5 Smart Cabin Luggage
We’re great admirers of Horizn’s blend of technology and quality, and the M5 is thankfully more of the same. With a 37-litre capacity and the company’s trademark integral (and removable) charger, the M5 Smart cabin luggage is light, safe, spacious and makes extensive use of recycled materials. It’ll help you go places, without doubt.
Horizn M5 Smart, Horizn-Studios.co.uk, @HoriznStudios
Best Gadget on the Move
Nextbase iQ dash cam
The iQ is a next generation dash cam that shakes up a staid sector, with impressive specifications and ease of use. The smartness comes from the cam’s ability to stream to your mobile when you’re parked up, transforming your car into a sensor-laded security camera regardless of where you are. There’s also a special ‘witness mode’ and up to 4K recording.
Nextbase iQ dashcam, Nextbase.co.uk
Mightiest Mobile Phone
Nothing Phone (2a)
When the Phone (2a) debuted earlier this year, it offered up a genuinely different approach to a relatively staid sector. Nothing makes no compromise on form, function or capability, but still imbue the (2a) with characterful hardware and software design that makes it tempting diversion from the status quo.
Nothing Phone (2a), Nothing.tech, @Nothing
Highly Commended
There was an exceptionally high standard of entries this year, and not every submitted design could be heralded a winner. However, as before, the judging team felt that certain entries deserved to be honoured as ‘highly commended’. These are the runners-up for 2024, representing high quality design and execution and certainly not to be overlooked.
Highly Commended: Best Sustainable Step Forward for the Home: Alder Collection by Mater
The Alder Collection demonstrated an impressive approach to materiality and expression of form. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the stools, tables and side tables of the Alder Collection use ‘Matek’, a material formed from coffee or wood waste and biodegradable plastic.
Alder Collection, MaterDesign.com, PatriciaUrquiola
Highly Commended: Best Sustainable Step Forward for the Office: 100% Recycled Textures Collection by 3form
Under the banner ‘no new plastic’, we admired 3form’s commitment to creating a high quality, fully recycled material would have major benefits for workspace product design.
Textures Collection, 3-form.com
Highly Commended: Food, Drink and Design category: Space cookware range from Joseph Joseph
What makes the Space range great is Joseph Joseph’s clever folding handle mechanism. As a result, the stacking set takes up less space in your cupboard.
Space range, JosephJoseph.com
Highly Commended: Greatest Outdoor Design: Sonos Move 2
It’s a delight to find Sonos’ excellent audio skills packaged into a device that can be taken out and about in confidence. Naturally, the Move 2 syncs with your existing system as well.
Sonos Move 2, Sonos.com
Highly Commended: Best Life Enhancing Object in the Home: Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max
Simple and straightforward, with interchangeable filters and quiet operation, we reckon the Blue Pure 211i Max would look great in any contemporary home.
Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max, Blueair.com
Highly Commended: Best Life Enhancing Object or Space: 3D SNAP Store by Reiichi Ikeda Design
Tokyo’s 3D SNAP store is a playful retail experiment – create a 3D figurine of your dog using a special scanner and printer – that Ikeda shaped in an exquisite way.
Reiichi Ikeda Design, ReiichiIkeda.com, @ReiichiIkedaDesign
Highly Commended: Most Illuminating Lighting: Minima by Patkau Architects
A clever physical manifestation of the interaction of 2D and 3D forms, Patkau’s approach results in a sculptural light with real character.
Minima Lamp, Patkau.ca
Highly Commended: Most Intelligent Domestic Device: Anthem Digital Shower by Kohler
A truly sybaritic shower installation, the Anthem was both inspirational and aspirational with almost limitless installation options.
Anthem Collection by Kohler, StudioKohler.com
Highly Commended: Most Masterful Music Device in the Home: Loutd musegg
The judges described this impressive streaming speaker (a standout among sculptural speakers) as being ‘eccentric without losing its elegant edge, with pioneering use of materials and packaging.’
Musegg by Loutd, Loutd.com, @Loutd.speaker
Highly Commended: Most Masterful Music Device in the Home: Nocs Monolith X Aluminum speaker
An impressive piece of industrial design, the Monolith X Aluminum brings high levels of build quality and recycled metal together in a great-sounding and -looking speaker.
Monolith X Aluminum, Nocs.design, @Nocsdesign
Highly Commended: Most Watchable TV: Loewe Stellar television
The Stellar’s unexpected materiality, high repairability and all-round attention to detail hugely impressed us. Combing wafer thin concrete with aluminium, the Stellar is an OLED TV that should last for generations.
Loewe Stellar, Loewe.tv
Highly Commended: Most Wonderful Wearable: read on light reading glasses
Beautifully packaged and presented, the glasses make a hitherto overlooked object into something that's highly desirable.
Glasses by read on, readon-mobile.ch
