The Muuto Design Contest is now accepting submissions for its third edition, inviting designers to reimagine outdoor accessories and small furniture. This year’s theme focuses on rethinking the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living, encouraging proposals that merge physical, emotional, and sensory experiences. The contest highlights designs that respond to natural elements like light, materials, and tactility, aiming to raise everyday spaces such as terraces, balconies, and courtyards. Submissions are expected to challenge conventional notions of outdoor living by proposing solutions that integrate seamlessly into semi-covered environments, such as gardens and courtyards, while emphasizing the importance of natural surroundings in shaping the user’s experience of space.
Focus on Nature and Human Connection
Muuto emphasizes Scandinavian design principles, which prioritize functionality, craftsmanship, and a balance between form and materiality. The brand seeks innovations that create tactile, intuitive interactions between objects and users. “Good design should spark curiosity and bring calm,” a statement from Muuto notes. “It should consider how materials, shapes, and space affect emotions and well-being.” The brand further defines Scandinavian design as “functional, well-crafted pieces with an enduring aesthetic and honest expression – a harmonious blend of form and function.”
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The winner of this year’s Muuto Design Contest 002 is Seoul-based designer Kihyun Kim’s project, A Piece of Seating (APS). The stool’s design, which is executed in bent plywood and available in many colors, can be a standalone piece or can be combined to create a shared experience of sitting. As more units are introduced, the object’s physical and social functions shift. Kim, who is working across disciplines and teaching the next generation of designers, highlights the project’s focus on supporting connection through design.
The winner of this year’s Muuto Design Contest 002 is Seoul-based designer Kihyun Kim’s project, A Piece of Seating (APS). The stool’s design, which is executed in bent plywood and available in many colors, can be a standalone piece or can be combined to create a shared experience of sitting. As more units are introduced, the object’s physical and social functions shift. Kim, who is working across disciplines and teaching the next generation of designers, highlights the project’s focus on supporting connection through design.
