FAYE TOOGOOD IS MAISON&OBJET’S DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2025
Maison&Objet has named Faye Toogood Designer of the Year 2025, recognizing her multifaceted approach spanning art, craft and fashion. In her WOMANIFESTO! installation, showcased during the fair from January 16-20, Toogood presented a deeply personal journey that explores her subconscious, blending surrealism with her signature sculptural forms. Divided into four thematic areas – drawing, sculpture, materials, and landscape – the installation reflects Toogood’s evolving design philosophy, where contrasts of light and dark, nature and artifice, and feminine energy redefine the creative process.
In an exclusive interview with designboom, Toogood guides us through her installation, reflecting on how embracing feminine energy is influencing her work and reshaping the future of design: ‘WOMANIFESTO! is a manifesto for myself, but also for other women designers coming up behind me. I feel that we haven’t been entirely free in the way we’ve been able to work, and I want to address that.’
Maison&Objet recognizes Faye Toogood as Designer of the Year 2025 | all images courtesy of Toogood
REVISITING THE TOOGOOD STUDIO’S ARCHIVE THROUGH SURREALISM
As Maison&Objet’s Designer of the Year 2025, Faye Toogood is celebrated at the trade show for her polymorphous career, which has led her studio to become a hub for bold, interdisciplinary work that spans fashion, furniture, craft and fine arts. Her installation, WOMANIFESTO!, presents a surrealist reimagining of her own archive where past collaborations and iconic pieces are revisited and transformed into ephemeral, site-specific artworks.
When discussing the influence of surrealism on her installation, Toogood explains, ‘I approached the theme by playing with surrealism, tapping into that dream-like state. I think this installation is probably the closest I’ve come to a surrealist presentation because it’s an expression of what’s happening in my unconscious mind.’
WOMANIFESTO! by Faye Toogood presents a surrealist reimagining of her studio’s archive | image © Celia Spenard-Ko
A WALK-THROUGH WOMANIFESTO! WITH THE DESIGNER HERSELF
Stepping into WOMANIFESTO! offers a glimpse into Faye Toogood’s evolving perspective as a designer and artist. The installation is divided into four thematic pillars: drawing, sculpture, materials, and landscape – each representing a crucial element of the Toogood studio’s DNA. Her attention to geometry and form is a defining feature of her designs. However, she pointed out that her fine art background, particularly in painting and drawing, is less known. The combination of handmade expression, which she refers to as the ‘painted hand,’ is her intent to connect people more deeply with objects and design.
‘People are familiar with the sculptural side of my work, but they may be less aware of my fine art background in painting and drawing. I’m now starting to merge the sculpture side with drawing, revealing the painted hand. I believe this is something we need more of, to help us connect to objects and design in a deeper way,’ Toogood explains as we enter her installation WOMANIFESTO!
Toogood’s expression through drawing intends to foster a deeper connection between people and design | image © Celia Spenard-Ko
The sculpture section features collaborative pieces the designer has created with brands such as Tacchini, Poltrona Frau, and Hem. Entirely designed in black, the space reflects Toogood’s ongoing exploration of light and dark, masculine and feminine, natural and crafted. This tension has defined a pivotal shift in her career, marked by the Roly Poly chair, where she moved from rigid, angular designs to softer forms and textures, which became more closely aligned with her identity as a female designer. The black walls symbolize a pause in her journey, signaling a new era for both her creative expression and the design world.
‘You need darkness to understand light. It’s a play between contrasts. I think there’s a resurgence of black, actually, because we’re approaching a sort of full stop. We’re at the end of one era and about to enter another. Black feels like a fitting punctuation, a moment of pause. It’s reminiscent of the early 20th-century modernists, who often used black as a way to signal a fresh start – a kind of “enough, now we begin again,”’ she says, explaining her color choice and reflecting on the shift in her design language. ‘Roly Poly was the beginning of me embracing my identity as a female designer more openly. From that point on, it’s been a series of moments that have brought me to where I am now. I feel more comfortable and free than ever to express everything that’s happening in my head.’
the monochromatic sculpture area features Toogood’s iconic designs reimagined in all-black materials | image © Celia Spenard-Ko
Moving on to the next space, Toogood shares, ‘The materials room represents the heart of the studio. Everything we do is centered on materials, and the self-portraits I’ve created here reflect that. I’ve worked with different manufacturers and craftspeople to bring these pieces to life, and they’re a tribute to the importance of materials in my work.’
For Toogood, materials are a playground, offering endless possibilities for assembling, collaging, and experimenting. Alongside the sculptural self-portraits, she showcased smaller maquettes – early prototypes for her clothing designs – and items from her fashion archive, linking her exploration of materials to her broader creative output. This section of the installation encapsulates her belief that materials are the foundation for innovation across all her disciplines, from furniture to fashion.
the self-portraits explore the connection between form and substance, reflecting Toogood’s view of materials as a creative playground | image © Celia Spenard-Ko
The final section of the installation, centered on landscape, captures the designer’s deep connection to nature and its influence on her design philosophy. Featuring a forest of hand-made, tree-sized cardboard sunflowers, it evokes the elemental energy of the natural world that has long informed her creative process. This room, as she explains, is a response to the growing disconnect from nature, an homage to the earth in the face of advancing technology and AI.
‘The landscape room focuses on nature and the importance of reconnecting with the earth. I believe that with AI and technology advancing, there’s a risk of losing our connection to nature. My palette for this room is inspired by the landscape, and it serves as an homage to the natural world,’ ends Faye Toogood our exclusive tour around WOMANIFESTO!