Furniture is usually measured by comfort and function, but certain pieces transcend utility. Museums and galleries, traditionally reserved for painting and sculpture, increasingly recognize that select design objects have the power to provoke thought, evoke symbolism, shape perception, and redefine space much like an artwork would. This is why in museums we no longer find only painters and sculptors, but also design brands... the same ones we might choose to furnish our homes.

From Edra to Vitra, these furniture brands not only create seats and tables, but design objects that demand to be seen, curated, collected, and preserved. From the Jacopo Foggini's Ella Chair to Michel Ducaroy's Togo Sofa, this article explores how some of these design creations can be positioned at the intersection between design and contemporary art.

Sitting with Art: Edra at the National Gallery in Rome

Few brands embody the dialogue between art and design as powerfully as Edra. Founded in Tuscany, the company has long treated furniture as a form of artistic expression: pieces that invite contemplation as much as use. At the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome (GNAMC), Edra’s pieces are not just exhibited, they are lived. Since 2018, pieces like the Edra Pack Sofa and the Boa Sofa have furnished several rooms of the museum, as part of the exhibition Time is Out of Joint. Today, some of the Edra furniture collection remain integrated into the permanent museum layout, alongside the Ella Chair by Jacopo Foggini and the Standard Sofa, also by Binfaré. Visitors are invited to sit on them while observing the artworks, transforming the act of viewing into a tactile, immersive experience.

Cassina’s Design Classics: From Living Rooms to Museum Halls

The brand’s reissues of pieces by Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Gerrit Rietveld are considered milestones of 20th-century design and are now part of major museum collections worldwide. The LC1 Fauteuil à dossier basculant is included in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, while the LC4 Chaise Longue has been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Cassina’s production reflects a commitment to preservation and research, ensuring that these modernist icons continue to exist not just as commercial products but as cultural artifacts. Each exhibition reinforces the idea that functional objects can also be part of our shared artistic heritage.

When a Brand Becomes a Museum: The Vitra Legacy

Vitra’s story is distinctive: the Swiss-German company not only manufactures furniture but also maintains an entire museum infrastructure. For example, the Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames is one of the most iconic pieces of modern design. It is so emblematic that it is permanently displayed in institutions such as the MoMA in New York and the Design Museum in London. Other pieces, such as the Panton Chair or the Standard Chair have also been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The implication for Vitra is profound: their products carry the weight of legacy, designed to last and to engage with design discourse.

From Surrealism to Minimalism: BD Barcelona’s Museum Collaborations

In Barcelona, BD Barcelona Design has long inhabited the space between art and furniture. In fact, BD produced furniture based on designs by Salvador Dalí, such as The Dalilips, and Antoni Gaudí. Recently, in 2024, their Stedelijk Chair by Sabine Marcelis was made specifically for the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam’s entrance hall. This demonstrates BD Barcelona’s philosophy: furniture is a cultural statement. For them, a sofa or a side-table might equally belong in a gallery as it does in a living room.

Designing the Exhibition: Ligne Roset’s Art of Display

Ligne Roset approaches the museum world from a slightly different angle. The French brand is more actively engaged with exhibition practices as part of its identity. "Onirium", a recent exhibition held last June at the Palais de Tokyo, showcased Ligne Roset’s new collection, including the Kashima sofa by Michel Ducaroy and the Facett by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Meanwhile, the company’s factory has been transformed into a museum-like space where archival pieces from '70s are displayed alongside contemporary production; in doing so, Ligne Roset embraces the narrative of craftsmanship and design heritage, positioning its furniture as an artifact.