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.
$7,927
Toothpick Chair
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
The traditional and tapered mortice and tenon have been rebranded many times. We continue this evolution, converging to a sharp a point, becoming a piece of domestic hostile design. ...
Beech
Contemporary Zebrano Wood Chair by Soft Baroque
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Unique handmade solid Zebrano chair from the "Hard Round" series by the London based design duo soft Baroque. Custom designs and sizes are available on r...
Zebra Wood
"New Surface Strategies" Chair by Soft Baroque
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Blue textile covered wooden chair by London based design duo Soft Baroque, previously shown at Het Nieuwe Institut. Renderings are becoming more diabolic...
Pine
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
19th Century Original Surface Pueblo Child's Chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century original old surface child's chair from the Pueblo in New Mexico. The construction is mortised on all sides.
Wood
$5,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 34 in D 35 in
Contemporary Natural Oak Lounge Chair by Ellen Degeneres Parkdale Chair
Located in North York, ON
Contemporary natural oak lounge chair by Ellen Degeneres Parkdale Chair. Beautiful contemporary design with thick natural light show wood. Featuring pl...
Fabric, Oak
$7,400
H 21.66 in W 21.46 in D 29.93 in
Guhl Chair by Willy Guhl '1. Edition, Special Sealed, Safe Surface'
By Willy Guhl
Located in Zürich, CH
Here the silhouette is strong. It is presented through the outline and shape of the piece. The object exudes an aura. It’s not about the shape or about the material; its auratic qual...
Concrete
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
$1,850
H 32 in W 19 in D 20 in
Contemporary Wood Dining Chair by Costantini, Palermo Hollywood, In Stock
By Costantini
Located in New York, NY
Palermo Hollywood Chair in fabric. Measurements are 19" W x 20" D x 32" H x 19" SH Available as shown for immediate delivery or order in any solid wood or finish. Other mater...
Wood
$3,062 / 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
$26,800 / set
H 58 in W 71 in D 14 in
Antique Baroque Cassapanca Benches, Italian, Circa 1760, Piedmont
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique pair of high quality Cassapanca benches with the original finish, decorated with typical Italian Baroque motifs. The Cassapanche were used as storage in a castle in Piedmo...
Pine
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
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
$6,726
H 29.53 in W 29.53 in D 31.5 in
Modern Bolota Swivel Lounge Chair, Accent Chair, Alpaca, Handmade by Greenapple
By HOLLY HUNT, Greenapple, Rute Martins
Located in Lisboa, PT
Modern Bolota Swivel Lounge Chair, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Bolota swivel lounge chair is a tribute to nature’s organic forms, in...
Brass
$1,500
H 33.5 in W 16.5 in D 15.7 in
Modern Chair Yellow Green Cotton Spiked Biomorphic Surface Hand-Sewn by ESTO
By ESTO
Located in New York, NY
Chair 02 by ESTO Tubular Steel, Padded Cover, Foam Seat, Cotton Fabric H 33.5 x L 16.5 x W 15.7 A functional furniture piece with a steel structure, finished in a hand-sewn textil...
Steel
Soft Pad Chair by Eames for Herman Miller
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Pasadena, TX
Soft Pad Chair by Eames for Herman Miller Length- 22 3/4 Depth- 23 Height at it's lowest- 32 Height at it's tallest- 34 Seat Height at its lowest- 20 Arm Height at its lowest- 25 Fo...
Aluminum
Contemporary Zebrano Wood Armchair by Soft Baroque
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Unique handmade solid Zebrano wood armchair from the "Hard Round" series by the London based design duo soft Baroque. Custom designs and sizes are availab...
Zebra Wood
Surface Service, Bubinga print Daybed by Soft Baroque
By Soft Baroque
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Materials: Bubinga veneer, futon and digital print on silk and futon. Daybed from the Surface Service series by Soft Baroque, exhibited at Design Miami/Basel 2016 Project surface ...
Silk, Bubinga
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