Every year, the intrepid editorial team at Dwell takes up the task of sorting through the design world’s best and brightest to find artists and makers creating work that feels exciting and fresh. It’s not that any of the work we see on a daily basis isn’t exciting, it’s just that there are always going to be standouts. And this year’s class of the Dwell 24—diverse and wide-ranging in discipline and process—feels like a solid reflection of where design is right now, and where it’s headed.

Trends, as seen through the filter of TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms, tend to drive modern aesthetics in a way that's both algorithmic and bland. The designers selected this year all defy that sameness, but some of them do share common ideas and interests. As always, there are a fair share of ceramics and tidy wooden furniture, but several designers have started working with metal—the delicate aluminum chairs by Ohla Studio and the playfully bulbous fire pit from Muhly are great examples. We expect to see more metallic furniture showing up in homes that we cover soon.

Even when we’re spotting designers who seem to be thinking about things that feel refreshingly current, we always select work that will stand the test of time. Trends come and go, but well-crafted, beautiful objects are forever.

View the 2023 Dwell 24 right now!

Top photo by Jackie Dewe Mathews

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Head back to the September/October 2023 issue homepage