Metal gets cozy: The trend that takes the coldness out of chrome
Metal has been a permanent fixture at design fairs for years: raw, shiny, sometimes colorful. Now a new level is emerging. It is being combined with fabric, rubber, resin, or alabaster. Five pieces show what this mix brings: from increased comfort to visual warmth.
Metal can be hard, cold, and industrial. Every interior shelf knows that by now. In 2024, it was cool and silvery, and in 2025, it suddenly became colorful.
Now, the trend is taking a step further. Metal is no longer thought of in isolation, but in dialogue with materials that bring exactly what it lacks: warmth, soft textures, and haptics. This was on display at, among other places, EDIT Napoli and 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen: steel meets alabaster, aluminum meets resin, and metal meets rubber padding or bio-textiles.
1. Pila by Lotto Studio: Alabaster meets perforated steel
With "Pila," Lotto Studio brings together alabaster craftsmanship with industrial, modular construction. The stainless steel column system, featuring many small holes and alabaster elements, can be expanded into tables, sideboards, and shelves—similar in modularity to a USM system, only with stone instead of lacquer. The Volterran alabaster comes from Artieri 1895, the oldest artisanal manufacturer in Italy, founded in 1895 in Volterra.
The difference is in the detail: while the steel frame is manufactured in a strictly serial manner, no two alabaster spheres are alike. Each displays its own unique pattern. Thus, an industrial construction becomes a one-of-a-kind piece.
2. Ipek Demircioglu Studio: raw aluminum meets colored synthetic resin
Ipek Demircioglu Studio from Istanbul is not even a year old, but its mission is clear. Together with local artisans, the studio explores the interplay between raw aluminum and colored synthetic resin. The solid metal frame remains visible, while the resin in selected shades allows light to pass through.
It doesn't look heavy: despite the metal core, the object appears light, almost floating. The color and transparency of the resin break up the heaviness of the raw material.
3. D200 DNLP Stool by MLK: rubber padding on a metal frame
French designer Arthur Moulucou, originally a landscape architect, now produces in his own workshop. Back in France, he founded MLK Furniture, a lab for accessible design with a modular approach. At its center is his "sandwich principle": components are enclosed between two metal plates. This makes the furniture easy to assemble and repair. The result is raw, almost futuristic forms. His "D200 DNLP" stool combines this metal construction with a rubber seat.
The trick lies in the shape: the arched seat holds the rubber in place on its own; you don't need any additional screws or clips. Moulucou's principle of contrast and contradiction thus also becomes a pragmatic advantage—fewer parts, more comfort.
4. LW-B010 by Natural Material Studio
Natural Material Studio has been researching sustainable, biodegradable materials for years. In the "LW-B010" lamp series, a slim, open aluminum frame with built-in LED light meets the studio's own bio-textile. The textile is folded directly around the frame. Since it is created through natural processes, each piece differs minimally in color and structure.
The real highlight: while the aluminum frame is built for eternity, the bio-textile is biodegradable. One lasts, the other fades. A contrast that can not only be seen but also felt intellectually.
5. O Series by A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake × Atelier Oï
The Swiss studio Atelier Oï and Issey Miyake's A-POC ABLE bring metal and fabric together. For the O Series, they combine a delicate wire frame with a lampshade made of recycled polyester. This is produced using a special steam-stretching process—the same textile technique otherwise used for clothing. The colors of the new edition are inspired by wood and stone textures.
A-POC stands for "A Piece Of Cloth": a process that Issey Miyake introduced in Paris in 1998. Instead of being individually cut and sewn, an entire garment is created from a single, pre-woven piece of fabric. Since 2021, A-POC ABLE, under designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae, has continued this principle with the goal of making it usable for as many areas as possible. Hence the name "Able."
The folded fabric shade can be detached from the wire frame and replaced, depending on the room or occasion. The metal frame remains, while the character of the lamp becomes interchangeable.
Why now?
What all five examples have in common: metal remains the supporting frame, but leaves the sensory work to a second material—warmth, soft textures, the ephemeral, comfort. In fashion as in interiors, trends are notoriously unpredictable. Just two years ago, pure and cool metal was the big thing; today, the boundaries between material and its counterpart are blurring. Whether this mix will prevail or remain just a snapshot is hard to predict. The only thing that is certain is that the most interesting objects currently being created are in the friction between hard and soft, industry and craft.
Like a cheerleader, I celebrate good design and bring you closer to everything furniture- and interior design-related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior finds, track down trends and interview creative minds about their work.
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