Summer Trends: Concave Curves

A micro trend though it may be, concave forms on interiors objects are captivating for their subtle depth and allure. They beckon the eye with in, creating volume and a play of light and shad, adding both softness and forming a striking edge at the front to balance elegance with strong architectural presence.

Concave forms are a contrast to the outwardly rounded shapes that have dominated for a while. These curves pull you forward, creating the impression of shelter with their chiselled sense of dimensionality. It’s a design feature that’s classic and instantly recognisable, as well as comforting and unexpectedly dramatic.

When bringing the concave into the home, think about teaming it with flatter surfaces and straight lines to really let those inward undulations pop, and allow the scooped-out elements to serve as focal points. Keep the surrounding palette clean and minimal to highlight their prominent structural character, and ensure the contours stand out without competing with anything else in the room.

Acerbis’s Le Cupole table by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces is ‘a tribute to geometric purity and sculptural elegance’, its base composed of a trio of inwardly sculpted marble domes, both visually solid and light. The Etoile chandelier by Dordoni Studio for Foscarini is made up of concave modules, like dissected cylinders or hollowed arcs. And for pieces you can nestle into, Gallotti & Radice’s H2O by Studiopepe is made as if from cut out sections of a tube, while the Trench armchairs and seats by Philippe Malouin for Acerbis also tip inwards in single fluid dips.