Friedman Benda opens its doors to Formation, the debut U.S. gallery exhibition by Italian design studio Formafantasma. On view from June 6 through August 1, 2025, the show introduces a new body of work that rethinks the relationship between furniture, the home, and the archetypes that shape our understanding of both. Formafantasma focuses on the functional core of domestic design, drawing attention to what they describe as the “elementary unit” of cabinetmaking: the plank.
From Planks to Purpose
Each piece in the collection begins with cherry wood, a material long associated with American craftsmanship. The designers treat it not as decoration, but as a structural base. The use of brushed aluminum introduces a contrast, cool, modern, and more often linked to digital devices. Together, the two materials generate a tension between warmth and precision, function and reference.
The lighting pieces reinforce this dialogue. LED panels shaped like mobile or laptop screens offer familiar dimensions, evoking tools of daily life while shifting their context from device to object.
Influences Rooted in Purpose
Formafantasma acknowledges figures who shaped their own distinct approaches to design, Shaker makers, Frank Lloyd Wright, and George Nakashima. Each brought clarity to their process: the Shakers through utility, Wright through the intersection of craft and modern technique, and Nakashima through a deep respect for wood as material.
Formation draws on these legacies not through imitation, but through structure and attention. The choice of materials and measured design reflect a focus on presence and intention.
The Quiet Force of Textiles
Alongside wood and metal, textiles play a supporting but essential role. A cloth draped across a table, a linen shade softening a lamp, or a chandelier stitched with fabric suggest domestic rituals often overlooked. These interventions refer to crafts historically carried out by women, acts of labor that have shaped the visual language of the home.
Rather than treating fabric as secondary, the collection treats it as a carrier of memory. These additions lend softness without sentiment, asking viewers to consider how function and care often overlap in unnoticed ways.
Objects Built for Reflection
Formation does not pursue spectacle. Instead, it offers a space for reflection, where objects do not claim attention but support it. Each design invites pause, a chance to consider the form, the material, and the histories that led to its presence.
Discover More Impressive Furniture Projects
Through this exhibition, Formafantasma focuses not on reinvention, but on refining design until it becomes quietly assertive. By centering on familiar forms and reworking them with care and purpose, the studio invites visitors to rethink how the domestic sphere evolves alongside shifts in culture and technology.
