Historic Architectural Designs Enter Production Using Modern Materials and Fabrication
Collection Launch
Canadian design outfit Ikonstudio has launched its inaugural collections of historic furniture, which were designed by SOM and Louis Kahn. For interior designers and specifiers, the release brings site-specific architectural furniture into broader circulation for residential, hospitality, and workplace projects. Launched to align with NYCxDesign and Chicago Design Week, Ikonstudio’s SOM Collection and Louis Kahn Collection comprise designs that were originally designed for the architecture studios’ projects and now reimagined for the public. Ikonstudio was founded by David Feldberg, owner of Canadian design studio Teknion, who said that the aim of the collections is to bring underutilised concepts from historic projects into the present.
Design Philosophy
He distinguishes this from an act of simple nostalgia. “Ikonstudio is not about revisiting the past, but extending it,” said Feldberg. “We’re drawn to architects globally who see furniture and objects as integral to a total spatial language โ works that are often experimental, site-specific, and not originally designed for broad circulation, but present new and exciting ideas,” he continued. “Our role is to bring these concepts forward: in these first collections, collaborating with archives and estates to produce them through today’s materials and technologies, and exploring opportunities to continue to expand this lineage around the world.” For FF&E consultants, the approach enables access to archival geometries with updated ergonomics, upholstery, and finishes that meet current code and durability standards.
Louis Kahn Collection
The Louis Kahn Collection was created with the late architect’s foundation as well as Form Portfolio, which manages some of Kahn’s intellectual property. It comprises furniture and textiles seen in designs of Kahn’s 1953 Radbill Oil Company building and the ML Weiss House, from the architect’s mid-career. According to Ikonstudio, this represents “the first time design pieces from the titan of modern architecture have ever been made available through contemporary production”, as the designs were never realised during Kahn’s lifetime. For interiors, the Kahn pieces offer monolithic forms and material honesty that pair with concrete, wood, and natural stone palettes. Updated joinery and textile specs allow integration into contract and residential settings without compromising the original proportioning.
SOM Collection
The SOM Collection builds on the archival work carried out by Philadelphia design group Rarify, which put on an exhibition of SOM archival furniture earlier this year. Called the SOM Collection, it is fronted by what Ikonstudio is calling the SOM79 Chair, a streamlined modern piece first designed for the atelier of New York fashion designer Halston, while the SOM79 Lounge was designed for IBM’s World Headquarters. According to Ikonstudio, this “tightly edited group of seating and tables” is rooted in SOM’s concept of “total design” โ wherein it design every aspect of buildings, down to the ashtrays. “The furniture in this collection was conceived within that ethos: purely bespoke, designed for specific buildings and clients, never intended for mass production until now,” said Ikonstudio. For workplace and hospitality interiors, the SOM79 line delivers clean silhouettes, refined metalwork, and upholstery suited to high-traffic zones.
Production and Events
Parts of each collection will be presented in the major American May and June design events, NYCxDesign and Chicago Design Week. For NYCxDesign, Ikonstudio has collaborated with Rarify to install an installation at design fair Afternoon Light. Taking leads from the design of Halston’s studio, the team will outfit the entrance at WSA, contextualising the new collection with original chairs designed by SOM’s Charles Pfister. The Kahn Collection will debut in Teknion’s Chicago showroom in June. For specifiers, live installations allow review of scale, comfort, and finish options before documentation. Using historic IP to create contemporary furniture has become more popular in recent years, with Steelcase releasing a collection of reimagined Frank Lloyd Wright designs in 2024.
Material Translation
Ikonstudioโs process involves research with estates and archives to adapt drawings for current manufacturing. For product designers and millwork vendors, this means re-engineering timber sections, metal castings, and upholstery substrates to meet fire, toxicity, and wear standards while preserving the original detail language. The Louis Kahn pieces translate mid-century massing into CNC-cut joinery and modern textile blends. The SOM collection updates welded steel frames and molded components with improved tolerances and finish durability for contract use. This material translation bridges archival intent with performance needs in hotels, offices, and private residences.
Specification Outlook
For the interiors and home solutions sector, the reissues expand access to architect-designed furniture beyond bespoke commissions. The SOM and Kahn collections suit projects referencing modernist heritage or seeking furniture as part of a total design narrative. Consistent proportions and updated materials simplify coordination with flooring, lighting, and acoustic treatments. With Ikonstudio positioning the launch as an extension of lineage rather than reproduction, designers can specify pieces that carry provenance while meeting contemporary briefs for sustainability, maintenance, and lifecycle. The collections signal a wider trend of activating architectural archives for current production ecosystems.
Image Courtesy: Dezeen
