Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents Living Now, an exhibition of works from the past 20 years representing some of the most recent perspectives and approaches in contemporary design.

In Carapace Cupboard, Maarten Baas forms a highly decorative exterior by dot-welding hundreds of patinated bronze plates together to create an intricate tortoiseshell pattern. Known for his rebellious and theatrical style, the designer uses this work to play with the duality of an impenetrable armour hiding interior secrets.

Vincenzo De Cotiis works at the cusp between art and architecture, creating a universe where form meets function, fuelled by parallelisms of space and time. The voluminous, organic shape of DC1417A Sofa Earth Suede Mirrored reflects the designer’s ability to create sculptural spaces that evoke physical and intellectual experiences.

The relationship between materials is a main feature of the work of Martin Laforêt, known for integrating the concrete moulds of his designs into the final work. Combining timber and concrete, Mould Chair moves simultaneously between cast and mould, lending a poetry to the contrasting materials and preserving the relationship between them.

Cinderella Table by the Verhoeven Twins fuses marble and wood in forms reminiscent of historic stone column carving techniques. Drawing inspiration from fairy-tale enchantment, the piece seems to defy gravity, with intricate craftsmanship that transforms the cold, unyielding nature of marble and wood into a fluid, dynamic composition.

The exhibition also features works by Andrea Branzi, Campana Brothers, Nacho Carbonell, Wendell Castle, Pietro Chiesa, Vincent Dubourg, Roger Herman, Studio Job, Atelier Van Lieshout, Gareth Mason, Carlo Mollino, Rick Owens, Simone Prouvé Giacomo Ravagli and Sylvain Rieu-Piquet.

By taking stock of the present moment in design and craftsmanship, the exhibition invites visitors to pause and reflect on our current reality, from materials and techniques to notions of space, form, aesthetic and functionality. Opening at the start of a new year, it also provokes the question of what is coming next in design.