Faye Toogood’s name is practically synonymous with her Roly Poly chair. With its chubby legs and bowl-like seat, the now-iconic piece epitomized the trend toward chunky forms that defined avant-garde furniture design in the 2010s. But the visionary British artist’s contributions go far beyond the chair and its similarly robust companion pieces, in disciplines ranging from textiles and ceramics to fashion and home interiors.
“I design holistically, with an overall vision across fashion, furniture and interiors,” she tells 1stDibs. “Furniture is something I return to over and over again and is a very strong part of this vision. I am interested in humans and the way they live — the spaces they inhabit, the clothes they wear, the objects they surround themselves with.”
After a childhood spent running free in the English countryside with nature as her playground, Toogood studied art history at Bristol University rather than attend art school. Her design approach is underpinned by contrast and understandably informed by art history, particularly the mid-20th-century modernism of such British artists as Barbara Hepworth and Alfred Wallis. “For me, it is about playing around with references and our associations, be that with materials or the precious and the raw, the masculine and the feminine,” she explains. “I’m able to use those contrasts to create friction.”
Toogood has exhibited at Phillips and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Triennale in Milan and D Museum in Seoul. In addition, her works are in the permanent collections of institutions worldwide, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; High Museum of Art, in Atlanta; Corning Museum of Glass, in New York; the National Gallery of Victoria, in Melbourne; and the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg.
Shop furniture designs from Faye Toogood today on 1stDibs.
Set of Two Tacchini Bread Walnut and Maple Wood Side Tables by Faye Toogood
By Tacchini, Faye Toogood
Located in New York, NY
Bread side tables were designed by baking, slicing and stacking a loaf of Sourdough bread. From this rustic beginning, two sculptural side tables have emerged. Bread side table’s sof...
Walnut
Set of Two Wewood RE-FORM Walnut Console by ALAIN GILLES
By Wewood
Located in New York, NY
ONE SMALL AND ONE LARGE The Re-Form console is an exciting extension of the Re-Form coffee side tables, encapsulating the very essence of formation and transformation. It skillfully...
Wood
Customizable Tacchini Orbit Table by Faye Toogood
By Tacchini, Faye Toogood
Located in New York, NY
Materials: Glossy lacquered wooden top with hide insert; Wooden legs covered in hide. Orbit coffee table and desk are part of Cosmic: Toogood’s collaborative collection with Tacchini...
Wood, Lacquer
Tacchini Kanji Marble & Wood Table by Monica Förster
By Monica Förster, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Heavy elements are linked to lighter ones, like ink marks drawn on a sheet of paper to form a character, a letter, an ideogram. Clear contrasts of thickness translate into incisive graphic expressions: to give life to these unmistakable figures in marble and ash wood, Monica Forster...
Marble
Tacchini Mill Marble & Wood Table by Monica Förster
By Tacchini, Monica Förster
Located in New York, NY
The story of two elements, which rub against each other until they fit together perfectly. Monica Förster revisits the classic coffee tables with central support by creating a breaki...
Marble
Customizable Tacchini Orbit Table by Faye Toogood
By Faye Toogood, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Materials: Glossy lacquered wooden top with hide insert; Wooden legs covered in hide. Orbit coffee table and desk are part of Cosmic: Toogood’s collaborative collection with Tacchini...
Wood, Lacquer
Sculptural Solid Walnut Console Table - Aperta by Mokko
By Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Inspired by light breaking through narrow voids in architectural structures, Aperta features a precise slit, creating a sense of lightness to its solid form. The Aperta Console has...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Console in Solid Walnut Wood - Aperta by Mokko
By Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Inspired by light breaking through narrow voids in architectural structures, Aperta features a precise slit, creating a sense of lightness to its solid form. The Aperta Console has...
Oak, Walnut
Oval Walnut Wood Console with Inserted White Marble Top by Ultramobili
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique, Walnut Creta Wood Console Table by Ultramobili Dimensions: W 150 x D 42 x H 80 cm Materials: Walnut, Marble. Oval console Creta in Walnut Canaletto (Noce Canaletto) with m...
Marble
Solid Walnut Wooden Console, Sculptural, Fenestra by Mokko
By Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A rhythmic interplay of volumes and void. The Fenestra console is inspired by Brick Expressionism, the architectural movement visible in Amsterdam’s ‘South Plan’ area - the city deve...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Solid American Walnut Console - Aperta by Mokko
By Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Inspired by light breaking through narrow voids in architectural structures, Aperta features a precise slit, creating a sense of lightness to its solid form. The Aperta Console has...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Solid American Walnut Console - Aperta by Mokko
By Mokko Amsterdam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Inspired by light breaking through narrow voids in architectural structures, Aperta features a precise slit, creating a sense of lightness to its solid form. The Aperta Console has...
Oak, Walnut
The British creative talent has turned a series of maquettes into covetable, life-size pieces that retain the delightfully handcrafted quality of the originals.
Get a sneak peak at some of the singular pieces that will be on display at this year's show, which range from vintage masterpieces by legendary makers to innovative creations from emerging talents.
