Unform Studio Launches Two New Collections

Unform Studio debuts two new collections; Pop-Up Collection and Spherae Collection, at SaloneSatellite during Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Representing new explorations of material and form, the two new collections continue the Pennsylvania-based studio’s interest in the play between radical form and ergonomic comfort.

These new collections mark Unform Studio’s entry into the upholstered furniture segment, with the un9 Pop-Up Lounge and the un8 Spherae stool on view at SaloneSatellite. Both collections are centered on the idea of inviting use and interaction in a highly tactile way, with the ability to be adjusted, changed, and manipulated by users.

Always interested in pursuing new material explorations, Unform’s lead designer Ryan Twardzik takes up upholstery with these new collections, investigating novel visual and tactile methods of drawing users into the Unform world.

These new collections demonstrate the core values of Unform Studio, as they play with more radical forms that remain ergonomic, usable, and comfortable. Each piece is also made locally here in Pennsylvania, continuing my commitment to investing in high-end, local craft and showing how it can be utilized in new ways.
— Ryan Twardzik, Unform Studio

The use of upholstery in both the Pop-Up and Spherae collections not only gives the pieces a high level of comfort, but also enhances their physical appeal, inviting users to touch and engage. The un8 Spherae Stool remixes classical furniture materials in a new way, while the un9 Pop-Up Lounge combines gridded, systemized metal frames with marshmallow-like upholstery and comfort. Both pieces are conceptualized around the idea of form inviting not only everyday functional use, but also more playful engagement and interaction. Both pieces are meant to be adjusted and changed by the user, inviting a sense of play and imagination.

Spherae Collection

Spherae takes the idea of remixing – in use, form, and interaction – classical furniture materials including wood, brass, and upholstery. Utilizing passive joinery, the tapered wooden legs of the un8 Spherae Stool fit snugly into a machined brass disk, creating a cradle for the upholstered sphere which functions as a seating cushion.

Each piece consists of four spheres and a single frame, and while only one of the upholstered spheres may rest on the frame at a time, the other spheres cah can be switched out or distributed into the surrounding space, expanding the reach of the stool the stool beyond the footprint of the frame. In this way, Spherae can be in multiple places at once.

Both collections are about combining contrasting material and forms into something new and cohesive, while keeping true to the integrity of each component. With Spherae, all components are on full view, true to the material, yet the way they interact takes the visual experience to a different level. With the Pop-Up Collection, the industrial gridded metal frame contrasts to the pillowy comfort of the upholstery, but through this combination it supplies a super plush experience.
— Ryan Twardzik, Unform Studio

Pop-Up Collection

The Pop-Up Collection explores combining marshmallow-like comfort into a systemized and expandable metal frame system. The space of the furnishings, which include a lounge chair, sofa, and ottoman, is created through bold, repeated monolithic shapes.

With the un9 Pop-Up Lounge, rather than a traditional two-part form of seat and back, the chair has eleven shapes that form a “back” and nine shapes that form a “seat.” Created as a system, the Pop-Up Collection explores how furniture objects can be formed by the systemized repetition of monolithic shapes, while at the same time offering the soft, pillowy comfort one expects from a lounge.

Based on a gridded metal frame with detachable cylindrical cushions, the Pop-Up Collection is expandable from a lounge chair to a sofa, shrinkable to a side chair or ottoman, or can be custom sized to fit specific spaces. By combining radical form with a systemized grid, this collection blends avant garde design with a production-ready system offering both comfort and expandability.

Ryan Twardzik & Unform Studio
www.unformstudio.com | @unformstudio

Ryan Twardzik founded Unform Studio in 2022 after years of multidisciplinary design work with the intention to create furniture and products that, through their beauty of form and tactility, imbue a layer of joy and inspiration into our everyday lives.

Ryan’s work offers a new take on the age-old modernist sentiment that “form follows function,” showing that when the two coexist with equal importance, products can transcend their utilitarian underpinnings and truly become part of the fabric of our lives. Ryan’s designs, while somewhat radical or surprising in their composition, are comfortable and functional pieces of furniture. Through bold, playful design, Ryan’s work walks the line between being sculptural and sculpture, always remaining as fully usable products. Based in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania-the heart of the Anthracite Coal Region-Ryan looks to contribute to a regional design industry based on local manufacturing, heritage, and forward-looking design. Ryan’s designs, while somewhat radical or surprising in their composition, are comfortable and functional pieces of furniture. Through bold, playful design, Ryan’s work walks the line between being sculptural and sculpture, always remaining as fully useable products. Based in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania-the heart of the Anthracite Coal Region-Ryan looks to contribute to a regional design industry based on local manufacturing, heritage, and forward-looking design.

All images courtesy of Unform Studio.

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