5 Origami-Inspired Furnishings to Give Your Home Some Edge
Balancing sharp minimalism with technical expertise, the Japanese art of paper folding shares many of the same principles with modern design. From an emphasis on materiality and simple forms to components that create symmetry, contrast, and clean, uncluttered lines, the stylistic overlap between the two has led select designers and brands to tap into the ancient practice of origami. Most employ crisp, geometric shapes, such as the Euklid rug from Erik Lindström (in collaboration with Karim Rashid), Luca Stefano’s ultra-angled LS20 console table, and the bent-glass Harold and Maude table duo by Carlo Tamborini for Glas Italia. Perhaps a half-step away from the extreme crispness of the traditional paper bird or flower, the Studio S II Téssara Aktís table lamp and the Tonucci Mao ottoman are no less origami-inspired: Both are reminiscent of paper boxes; the light’s aluminum body gives it an industrial toughness, while the soft leather of the Mao exudes a more relaxed aesthetic. As versatile as a blank page, this look stacks up against many other styles—implementing pieces in a neutral palette keeps the focus on form and adds an enduring, craft-forward element to any tableau.
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Téssara Aktís | Studio S II
With its rectangular base and cubic folding shade, this desk lamp is an eye-catching illuminant with a sharp touch. Designed by Brooklyn-based Studio S II, the Téssara Aktís (its name refers to the origins of the word “tesseract”) looks like a tiny box when closed. Open the mirror-polished-aluminum flaps and the shade blooms into panels reminiscent of individual sheets of origami paper. $5,200
Mao | Tonucci Design
A timeless piece from Italian designer Viola Tonucci, the Mao leather seat possesses
an unassuming silhouette that belies the work that goes into its form. Made from a single piece of folded leather in two sizes, these versatile poufs have a dynamic sculptural effect that imparts polish—and extra seating—to a room. Originally introduced in 2011, the piece was updated in 2024 with a handwoven leather finish. $3,235
Euklid | Erik Lindström
After meeting industrial designer Karim Rashid a few years ago, Erik Lindström—founder of
the eponymous bicoastal rug company with showrooms in New York and L.A.—proposed a collaboration. “Having already amassed an assorted collection of abstract, nature-inspired
rug designs of my own, I approached Karim to fill a void in our Geometric Collection with carte blanche to be bold yet practical,” Lindström says. The result is Euklid, a hand-tufted-wool rug scattered with a jagged triangle pattern. Offered standard in two colorways, one neutral and the other in jewel tones (with options to customize), this underfoot textile captures the artful side of geometry. $113 per square foot
LS20 | Luca Stefano
Bringing an architectural sensibility to his work, Luca Stefano designs furniture to stand up to the rhythms of everyday life. Take his ebonized-wood and stainless-steel LS20 console: Its razor-sharp profile and two-material palette are a testament to craft and, seemingly, a nod to the orizuru, or classic Japanese paper crane. The LS20 is available exclusively through Studiotwentyseven gallery. $27,468
Harold and Maude | Glas Italia
This playful duo, designed by Carlo Tamborini for Glas Italia, features a high and a low side table, both made from a single piece of bent glass. Finished with a special treatment to strengthen each pane, the Harold and Maude set appears delicate but is rugged enough to hold its own against a hefty stack of books or a passed plate of canapés. Transparent glass gives the tables a subtle appearance, but a closer look reveals steep angles positioned with an artistic swoop. $1,810
