Faye Toogood’s name is practically synonymous with her Roly Poly chair. With its chubby legs and bowl-like seat, the now-iconic piece epitomized the trend toward chunky forms that defined avant-garde furniture design in the 2010s. But the visionary British artist’s contributions go far beyond the chair and its similarly robust companion pieces, in disciplines ranging from textiles and ceramics to fashion and home interiors.
“I design holistically, with an overall vision across fashion, furniture and interiors,” she tells 1stDibs. “Furniture is something I return to over and over again and is a very strong part of this vision. I am interested in humans and the way they live — the spaces they inhabit, the clothes they wear, the objects they surround themselves with.”
After a childhood spent running free in the English countryside with nature as her playground, Toogood studied art history at Bristol University rather than attend art school. Her design approach is underpinned by contrast and understandably informed by art history, particularly the mid-20th-century modernism of such British artists as Barbara Hepworth and Alfred Wallis. “For me, it is about playing around with references and our associations, be that with materials or the precious and the raw, the masculine and the feminine,” she explains. “I’m able to use those contrasts to create friction.”
Toogood has exhibited at Phillips and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Triennale in Milan and D Museum in Seoul. In addition, her works are in the permanent collections of institutions worldwide, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; High Museum of Art, in Atlanta; Corning Museum of Glass, in New York; the National Gallery of Victoria, in Melbourne; and the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg.
Shop furniture designs from Faye Toogood today on 1stDibs.
Tacchini Set of Three Lunar Pendant Lamps by Faye Toogood
By Faye Toogood, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Suspension lamp in three sizes made of natural and paper fibers. Lunar form a constellation of scrunchable, glowing lights designed by Faye Toogood. This range of lighting epitomises...
Natural Fiber
NEW Tacchini Equinox 90cm Pendant Lamp by Studiopepe IN STOCK
By Tacchini, Studiopepe
Located in New York, NY
Equinox 90 cm - one in stock Ø 65 H 90 cm A dense, almost mysterious light is filtered through soft and enveloping materials. Luminosity and transparencies fluctuate, creating repeti...
Glass
Tacchini Alma Lamp by Studiopepe
By Tacchini, Studiopepe
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Hand-woven natural rattan, cement and bush-hammered limestone meet in this item, in a playful mix. Unusual superimpositions of sources give life to a lamp in which different material...
Stone, Cement
$900Sale Price / set|64% Off
H 20.87 in Dm 12.6 in
Set of Three ClassiCon Bell Pendant Lamps Copper Top by Sebastian Herkner STOCK
By Sebastian Herkner
Located in New York, NY
ClassiCon bell lamps with shade copper top White share 32CM D x 53CM H Sebastian Herkner BRAND NEW SHADES
Copper
$10,766 / set
H 14.97 in Dm 7.88 in
Set of Three Diabolo Pendant Lamps by Svend Middelboe for Nordisk Solar 1958
By Nordisk Solar Co., Svend Middelboe, Lyfa, Svend Aage Holm Sørensen
Located in Munich, DE
Set of three extremely rare, lovely and highly decorative Mid-Century Modern diabolo pendant lamps or hanging lights. Designed by Svend Middelboe for Nordisk Solar Company, Denmark, ...
Aluminum
Set of three large original 1960s decagonal brass pendant lamps
Located in München, BY
Set of three rare, heavy pendant lamps made of brass and metal In a round, 10-sided decagonal design. The shade is made of brass on the outside and black lacquered metal on the insi...
Metal, Brass
Angelo Mangiarotti Conduttore Pendants, Set of Three
Located in New York, NY
Angelo Mangiarotti was an important Italian architect and industrial designer born in 1921 in Milan. Trained as an architect, he became known for his ability to combine structural lo...
Brass, Nickel
Set of Three Copper Brutalist Pendant Lamps
Located in Berlin, BE
Very nice Set of three pure copper lamps with black cable. E27 Fitting. To be on the the safe side, the lamp should be checked locally by a specialist concerning local requirements.
Copper
$4,306 / set
H 15.56 in Dm 5.71 in
Set of Three Mid Century Modern Pendant Lamps by Rupert Nikoll Austria 1970s
By Rupert Nikoll
Located in Munich, DE
Set of three rare, lovely and elegant Mid-Century Modern pendant lamps or hanging lights. Manufactured probably by Rupert Nikoll, Austria, 1970s. Executed in textured plexiglass and...
Metal
Set of Three Iron Rust Glaze Pendant Lamps, Germany Midcentury
Located in Vienna, AT
Three rare enameled iron shades in a shiny ceramic glaze style look, circa 1950, priced as a set. Nice set of 3 pierced iron shades that look like glazed ceramics but are in fact ...
Iron
$2,093 / set
H 13 in W 5.91 in D 5.91 in
Set of Three Pendants Lamp 'EL Lamps CS3' by Noom, Stainless Steel
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, IDF
Brand: NOOM Designer: Kateryna Sokolova Materials: Brass Dimensions: S lamp - H 15 cm x W 15 cm x D 15 cm M lamp - H 24 cm x W 15 cm x D 15 cm L lamp - H 33 cm x W 15 cm x D 15 cm ...
Brass
$3,230 / set
H 18.12 in W 7.09 in D 5.91 in
Set of Three Contemporary Pendant Lamps 'Suprematic CS5' by NOOM
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, IDF
Suprematic lighting collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist movement in the art of the early 20th century, fo...
Brass, Steel
Puffball Pendant Large by Faye Toogood
Located in Pireaus-Athens, Greece
Puffball, a collection of minimal lamps, draws inspiration from the rounded caps and columned stalks of wild mushrooms and toadstools. The chunky silhouet...
Aluminum
Sold
H 70.75 in W 67 in D 27.5 in
Custom Order for Wei of Masking Tape Light & Masking Tape Light Tapestry
By Faye Toogood
Located in New York, NY
Faye Toogood [British, b. 1977] Maquette 072 / Masking Tape Light, 2020 Stainless steel, resin-coated canvas, LEDs 70.75 x 67 x 27.5 inches 180 x 170 x 70 cm Edition of 8 Faye Toogo...
Stainless Steel