Anna Horváth has been on the move, and her dynamic pieces reflect that. Over the past decade, she has worked in Malta, Germany, the U.K., and Hungary. Each locale came with new experiences and practices. She honed her skills at an architecture firm in Germany. She received an MA in narrative environments from Central Saint Martins in London. AHA Objects—her design studio—was born out of her time in Malta. Now, she’s returning to her home country to synthesize all she’s learned and experienced. “In all these countries, I’ve gotten to know the architecture, the structure, and the materiality,” says Horváth.

Her attention to place inspired Sorġi, a project reclaiming construction waste in Malta. There has been a lot of construction on the island. “A lot of beautiful buildings were demolished,” she says. In an ode to these lost buildings, many of which had no historical protections, Horváth salvaged the construction refuse and reworked it into new furniture for public spaces. Beyond drawing on their materials, her pieces stylistically mimic the demolished buildings, paying homage to the island’s lost heritage. She molded concrete into shapes that borrow from the buildings’ facades: Window silhouettes become decorative indents, columns are replicated in chair legs, and sharp roof angles are repurposed as striking stool silhouettes.

Despite her deep reverence for history, however, Horváth is not afraid to get playful. Her process incorporates “a lot of testing and a lot of fuckups.” She describes her practice as having one foot in sustainability and another in joy, and the work is eye-catching and fun. Strong conceptual backing doesn’t preclude her throwing in vibrant colors or lively ornamentation. “When one uses my objects or sees my spaces, I want you to understand what it is about,” Horváth says. “They’re changing you, in some sense.”

Even though she’s just getting settled in Budapest, Horváth is forever the explorer and continues to look forward. She jokes: “Out of the capitals, I’m still lacking living in Paris and New York.”

You can learn more about AHA Objects by visiting the studio’s website or on Instagram.

Top photo by Kata Geibl

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The Dwell 24: AHA Objects