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Antique or modern? These designs will make you look twice

27/5/2025

Translation: Megan Cornish

Jewellery meets furniture – why Completed Works’ first furniture collection’s attracting so much attention and what the fascination is behind the extraordinary designs.

At first glance, Completed Works’ furniture looks antique – bronze chairs, shiny silver tables that could tell stories. Almost like sculptures, randomly placed in the room. But as you get closer, you realise what appears heavy and solid is surprisingly light and almost fragile. It’s precisely this play on perception that fascinates people – and seems to be the key to the hype the London label’s generating with its first furniture collection.

It’s no wonder these pieces are popping up everywhere, from Instagram to magazines and design platforms. They’re like functional works of art that challenge your perception. But what’s really behind them? Is it the look, the concept or clever marketing? I delved a bit deeper.

From jewellery to furniture – how did it come about?

Completed Works is actually known for its sculptural, almost poetic jewellery. But anyone familiar with the brand knows it loves to push boundaries. In addition to jewellery, it’s long offered ceramics, glass objects and bags, so furniture seemed like the next logical step. Anna Jewsbury, the brand’s founder and artistic director, sees her work as an opportunity to create a visual language.

What’s special about the collection

The pieces look like art, yet they’re functional and impress with their attention to detail – tiny flowers engraved into the bronze or fabric textures that stand out on the surfaces. Many of the pieces are also made from recycled or sustainable materials, which not only looks good but makes a statement.

Anna Jewsbury describes the special effect of her furniture in an interview with Sight Unseen magazine: «I love that it’s kind of almost trying to deceive you, in the sense that you don’t know what you’re looking at and how it might feel when you touch it.»

The silver-coloured pieces are a highlight. Jewsbury explains: «They are completely hand-built and made from clay and old bits of polystyrene that we’d accumulated, so very much kind of upcycled. The silvery coloured ones have a silver nitrate coating, and we’ve also done some with a rubber coating which is quite nice because you can do lots of different colours — endless possibilities with the rubber ones. Which is how it’s intended really, because the polystyrene pieces will be made one at a time, made to order.»

This combination of design and sustainability comes at a price, though. A coffee table or chair can easily cost several thousand francs. This keeps Completed Works true to its positioning in the luxury segment – art for everyday life, but not for every budget.

What’s behind the hype?

Maybe it’s the blend of art and function. Maybe it’s also the fact that Completed Works manages to strike a balance between timeless and trendy. And – of course – social media plays a role. The furniture’s perfect for Instagram – eye-catching, elegant and somehow different. It could have also come from the era when mirrors with insulating foam frames were all over our feeds. Around 2020, when it was all about DIY projects that achieved maximum effect with minimal effort – playful, creative and perfect for Insta.

What’s more, the pieces were shown at Milan Design Week – the place to be for the industry. Anyone who gets noticed there automatically becomes the talk of the town. But ultimately, it’s playing with perception that makes Completed Works so special. Furniture that appears heavy, yet is actually light. Designs that tell stories and surprise in the process. That’s exactly what sticks in your mind – and creates hype.

Header image: Pia Seidel

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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