London-based design studio Soft Baroque melds conventional household furniture and objects with conceptual art. Its experimental approach to design is evocative, fantastical and functional.
Soft Baroque was founded in 2013 by design duo Saša Štucin and Nicholas Gardner. Štucin studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in visual communications in 2011. Gardner earned a bachelor’s degree in furniture design in 2010 from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. Štucin and Gardner later met while attending London’s Royal College of Art. They both graduated in 2013, Štucin with a master’s degree in visual communications and Gardner with a master’s degree in design products.
In 2011, Štucin took part in a workshop under Milton Glaser at the School of Visual Arts in New York and, in 2013, he participated in a research project at the Sandberg Instituut’s Think Tank for Visual Strategies in Amsterdam. Gardner worked as an assistant in designer Jerszy Seymour’s studio in Berlin in 2012 and as an assistant in Max Lamb’s design studio in 2013.
Since partnering as Soft Baroque, Štucin and Gardner have garnered critical attention for their unconventional modern furniture and objets d’art. The studio’s first piece — designed in 2014 — was the Lenticularis mirror, an innovative cross between a mirror and a scent diffuser. Another notable early work was the cartoon-like Pearl Screw Shelf bookcase in 2017, which features broken walnut timber planks, engineered plastic shelves and freshwater pearl screws.
Other pieces, such as chairs, benches, the Puffy Brick Column stools, vases, tables and lighting, are designed to blur the lines between functionalism and art. As Gardner explained in an interview with PIN-UP Magazine, “With a lot of our objects, we try to form a strange equation.”
Soft Baroque’s unique designs have included commissions from the luxury fashion brand Balenciaga and Swedish design company HEM. The duo has exhibited their pieces at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Swiss Institute in New York City, galleries in Copenhagen and New York and in major international design fairs.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of Soft Baroque seating, case pieces and storage cabinets, decorative objects and more.
Contemporary Steel Bench by Soft Baroque, in Lavender
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
The steel bench is a monolithic steel form created from a combination of a few simple actions. Working with a bespoke metal fabrication company, a flat sheet...
Steel
"New Surface Strategies" Bench by Soft Baroque
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Blue textile covered wooden armchair by London based design duo Soft Baroque, previously shown at Het Nieuwe Institut. Renderings are becoming more diabo...
Pine
$3,074 / item
H 22.05 in W 49.22 in D 15.75 in
Kimi bench - Contemporary Fully Upholstered Bench with Soft Curves
Located in Baguim Do Monte, PT
Kimi bench - Contemporary Upholstered Bench with Curved Silhouette Both functional and visually striking, the "Kimi" bench is a refined accent piece that seamlessly blends comfort ...
Fabric
Vintage Spanish Baroque Carved Mahogany Bench
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: New Upholstery Recommended, Wood In Very Good Condition Designer: The Zangerle & Peterson Co. Manufacturer: The Zangerle & Peterson Co. Materials: Mahogany, Original Ne...
Iron
Flemish Baroque Walnut Bench
Located in Essex, MA
With needlepoint seat and brown gimp and brass tacks. Turned legs with turned H stretcher.
Walnut
19th century Spanish baroque hall bench
Located in Malton, GB
This is a very impressive 19th century Spanish baroque hall bench. Gorgeous deep red colour to the timber and the design is striking. Totally original with the only faults being sign...
Cherry
Antique Venetian Baroque Carved and Painted Bench
Located in Bridgeport, CT
With a tall scrolled back and scrolled lower frame. In the Classic Venetian sage green paint with white scrolls and a large polychrome painted crest on the back. The bench platform l...
Wood
Soft Bench 72" by Gregory Beson
By Gregory Beson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The soft bench fits seamlessly into any home. Place it at the foot of the bed, in an entryway, at the kitchen table or in an open living room. The generous cushion provides a support...
Fabric, Upholstery, Cherry, Oak, Walnut
Contemporary Goddard Bench in Gray Leather with Steel Legs
By Michael Felix
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Smaller than a sofa, but bigger than a bench, the Goddard daybed functions as both when needed. It takes its form from 1950s French Industrial design, maintaining a sense of lightnes...
Metal
Soft Bench 55" by Gregory Beson
By Gregory Beson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The soft bench fits seamlessly into any home. Place it at the foot of the bed, in an entryway, at the kitchen table or in an open living room. The generous cushion provides a support...
Fabric, Walnut, Oak, Cherry, Upholstery
18th Century Italian Baroque Walnut Bench
Located in Houston, TX
18th Century Italian Baroque Walnut Bench. Offered is a handsome 18th century Italian Baroque walnut bench from the Tuscany region of Italy that has graceful arms which is profession...
Velvet, Walnut
Bruksbo Bench, New Edition
By Torbjørn Afdal, Fjord Fiesta
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Scandinavian Bruksbo bench, new edition. Designed in 1960 by Torbjøn Afdal and originally produced by the Norwegian cabinetmaker Bruksbo, the bench is no...
Oak, Walnut
$20,790 / item
H 18 in W 56 in D 20 in
Contemporary Hand Carved Blackened Steel Bench with Handwoven Horsehair in White
By J.M. Szymanski
Located in Bronx, NY
HORSE HAIR BENCH NO. 1 JM. Szymanski d. 2019 Contemporary furniture at its finest. Horsehair textile and blackened iron are combined to create an exciting juxtaposition of elements...
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
$14,058 / item
H 16.93 in W 61.03 in D 12.41 in
Contemporary Steel Gold Arch Low Bench by Pietro Franceschini
Located in Geneve, CH
Steel gold arch bench by Pietro Franceschini. Sold exclusively by Galerie Philia. Materials: Steel. Finishes available: Br...
Steel
Surface Service, Granite Sling Bench
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Project surface service sees the sensory manipulation of interior design objects like benches and shelves, and the automated value inscription embedded in everyday objects. The surfa...
Granite