2025 Design Updates

Every so often, we like to take a look at what our past Design Excellence Award winners are up to this current year, whether it’s discovering new work or celebrating posthumous milestones. Here’s our stand-out round-up for the end of 2025.

Michael Graves

Architect and product designer Michael Graves, who passed away in 2015, designed his now iconic tea kettle for Alessi in 1985. In honor of its fortieth anniversary, Alessi has introduced a new edition of the 9093 Whistling Bird tea kettle in black. This new all-black version with orange bird whistle is a contemporary departure from the classic stainless steel body, blue handle, and burgundy whistle — which has been Alessi’s all-time best seller. *Note, Alberto Alessi was a Collab DEA winner as well in 2010.

Additionally, the studio of Michael Graves is continuing its mission of accessibility and “design for all”. Launched this Fall, the Streamline Cane is available with new ergonomic features and is easily available to the public. Beyond mobility support, this cane reflects Graves’ legacy of creating designs that restore dignity and independence for a wide range of users. Last year in 2024, the studio launched a Michael Graves x Pottery Barn partnership, which introduced wheelchair-friendly bedframes, nightstands with grab handles, and armchairs designed for easy use,

Patricia Urquiola

In the prime of her career, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola is everywhere. She is actively designing spaces, furniture, bathroom fixtures, refrigerators, carpets and rugs, materials, while leading an architecture studio as well as a product design studio, both in MIlan. She received Spain’s National Design Award (Trayectoria), celebrating her career-long influence in design and architecture.

*Dudet lounge seating collection designed by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina*

*CC Tapis exhibition at Heimtextil 2025, designed by Patricia Urquiola*

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Last year, the French design studio of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (known affectionately as The Bouroullec Brothers) announced that the brothers were going their separate ways. Their practice was expansive, with industrial design as the focus. However, Ronan has been making art in addition to continuing to design products - drawings, paintings, giclée prints - which feature gestural color work that also have a dialogue with his design work in glass and lighting. These forms have appeared on the Issey Miyake Homme Plissé AW24/25 collection. His current roster of projects continue his exploration of materiality, and clarity of light and color.

*Issey Miyake Homme Plissé AW24/25 collection*

Wonderglass installation by Ronan Bouroullec at Milan Design Week 2025

Meanwhile, Erwan Bouroullec has been focused on larger scale furniture projects, working with Vitra on the Mynt chair, and also the Traverse collection for HAY. We are interested to see what both Ronan and Erwan do in the coming years.

*“Mynt” chair designed by Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra*

*“Traverse” outdoor furniture collection designed by Erwan Bouroullec for HAY*

Phillipe Starck

The man who put the star in starchitect - Phillipe Starck - designed a new hotel in Metz, France. Maison Heler opened under the Hilton Curio brand in March 2025 and is a 9-story tower topped by a 19th-century-style house. The theme for the project was based on a fictional muse whose story is embedded into both the architecture and the whimsical interior design.

*Maison Heler designed by Philippe Starck*

Faye Toogood

British designer Faye Toogood was recently named the 2025 Designer of the Year at Maison&Objet. Her multi-disciplinary work in designing furniture, objects, and fashion is heavily influenced by forms from her own sculptural artwork. She is well-known for challenging contemporary design language with both radical and surreal notions, pushing boundaries. Her manifesto at 2025’s Maison&Objet design fair was about “Sur/Reality”, a play on the Surrealist manifesto, which is 100 years old.

Stephen Burks

American designer Stephen Burks, with his partner Malika Leiper, participated in the U.S. Pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2025, The exhibit, called “Porch: An Architecture of Generosity”, included their “Objects of Belonging”, a set of handmade objects honoring craft, community, and memory. They collaborated with Gee’s Bend quilters, exhibited a rocking chair prototype, and showed Broom Thing - a collaboration with students at Berea College made from traditional broom crafts.

Student Design Competition 2025 Winners