Form & Forest: Masters of Contemporary Woodwork

At this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), Rarify unveiled its newest design exhibition, Form & Forest: Masters of Contemporary Woodwork. Developed in collaboration with the experimental design research studio Office Office and Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, the exhibition celebrates an “anti-greenwashing” ethos by highlighting the quiet power of craft, joinery, and localized supply chains.

A Rare Collection of Craft and Innovation

Form & Forest traces the evolution of modern wood craftsmanship, beginning with mid-20th century icons Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, and Sori Yanagi. Their pieces, renowned for their balance of material honesty and sculptural refinement, set the foundation for contemporary explorations in wood design.

The exhibition continues with works by today’s leading voices in design—Kengo Kuma, Kenya Hara, and Motomi Kawakami—whose inventive approaches to fabrication push the boundaries of what is possible with natural materials. Each piece included in the showcase embodies sustainable, deeply localized production methods. Among them: a geothermally powered factory committed to restoring surrounding forests while producing world-class furniture.

Exhibition Design With Purpose

Beyond the works on display, Form & Forest itself is a statement on responsible design. Together with Rarify, Office Office created a bespoke, digitally fabricated wooden display system designed for easy assembly and disassembly. Once the fair concluded, the structure was repurposed by Auburn University, where it will serve as a dynamic platform for student exhibitions and future design programming.

“Every piece of design we create should live a life beyond its current purpose,” said Jeremy Bilotti, Co-Founder of Rarify. “This is one of the most important aspects of what we do as designers, architects, collectors, and educators.”

The Dining Lounge: Craft in Conversation

As part of their sponsorship, Rarify also curated the Be Original Americas x Rarify Dining Lounge, designed by RADS – Rodolfo Agrella Design Studio. The lounge functioned as both a hospitality space and an extension of the exhibition, offering a setting to engage with the value of authentic design.

Rarify’s curation brought warmth and continuity to the space, connecting the dining environment to the themes of Form & Forest. The selections highlighted legacy craft-focused manufacturers from Denmark and Japan:

• Branch dining tables by Blu Dot, crafted in solid American white oak

• Seating from Fyrn, Fritz Hansen, and vintage DSC-106 chairs by Giancarlo Piretti (curated by Rarify)

• Flos’ Gustave lamps in a lacquered brown finish, paired with clusters of Gregg lamps by Foscarini and Raimond lamps by MOOOI

• A grounding, chocolate-brown carpet by Chilewich

The atmosphere—dimmed lighting, warm wood, and iconic design pieces—invited attendees to experience dining as an extension of design education.

With Form & Forest, Rarify and Office Office presented more than a collection of furniture: they staged a lesson in how design, sustainability, and education can converge. By rooting contemporary craft in responsibility and authenticity, the exhibition set a new standard for how design can—and should—be experienced.

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Provocations for the Future of Design