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The first edition of the Muuto Design Contest invited designers from around the world to rethink the role of accessories in everyday life. It was an opportunity to explore Muuto’s values from new angles: embracing curiosity, honesty, and the evolving language of Scandinavian design. 

To guide the selection process, we brought together a jury of diverse perspectives. Ivy Ross, Vice President of Hardware Design at Google, Toronto-based designer Jamie Wolfond, and Josephine Yaa Akuamoah, Founder & Creative Director of File Under Pop, joined members of the Muuto design team in reviewing anonymized submissions—each evaluated on its own merit. 

From this process emerged three standout projects: the Veil Room Divider by Nikola Gaytandjiev & Florian Neubacher for its new take on dividing spaces, the Omni Rug by Sia Hurtigkarl for its craftmanship and tactility, and the Waves Vase by Francesc Gasch for its great balance between form and function.  

Distinct in expression but united by intent, these designs offer new perspectives on what Scandinavian design can be today: open, thoughtful, and deeply connected to how we live. 

  • Portrait of designers Nikola & Florian standing side-by-side in a minimalist white interior. Both wear plain white T-shirts under dark buttoned jackets.
  • A translucent lavender mesh panel from the “Veil” collection hangs in a softly lit space, partially concealing a dining table and wooden chairs behind it. A person in motion, dressed in a pink top and gray pants, walks by, creating a blurred silhouette and evoking a sense of privacy in motion.
  • Two sheer textile panels from the “Veil” collection—one in citrus green and the other in dusty lavender—are suspended side by side. Behind them, a figure in a pink top is faintly visible through the mesh, demonstrating the screen’s layered transparency and spatial division effect.
  • Detail of the top corner of a suspended “Veil” fabric panel in soft orange mesh. The panel is attached to a cylindrical aluminum track, suspended by a thin steel wire.
  • Full view of a softly lit space where two “Veil” panels—green and lavender—hang from the ceiling to divide a minimalist wooden dining setup. A person in pink walks by the panels, adding scale and reinforcing the project’s aim to softly delineate interior zones without enclosing them.

Veil Room Divider

by Nikola Gaytandjiev & Florian Neubacher 


Softly architectural, Veil rethinks the room divider as something less rigid, more felt. Semi-transparent and opaque textiles slip between structure and atmosphere, casting shadows and offering privacy without shutting a space off entirely. It invites movement, adapts to context, and softens the space it occupies. 

“We both had just moved or were renovating our homes when we started this project. So this idea of creating space within space—of framing and softening the room around you—came directly from personal experience.” Florian explains.

Veil rethinks the room divider with clarity and ease, providing a useful solution that feels light, adaptable, and intuitively designed for modern interiors. For jury member Jamie Wolfond, this was the measure of innovation—not novelty for its own sake, but meaningful contribution.

“In my work, the most fundamental measure of success is whether a design answers the question: Why create something new in a world already filled with so much?” he shared. “Every designer has to find their reason for making something new. For me, it goes beyond just creating something long-lasting or well-crafted—though those are also important values.” — Jamie Wolfond.

  • Portrait of Danish designer Sia standing in her studio beside shelves and paper prototypes. She wears a dark blue matching set with stitched motifs, embodying a functional and creative style. The space around her features soft lighting, stacked kraft paper models.
  • The Omni rug is clipped to a rail in a bright, loft-like space with large windows. The rug’s rich brown and tan blocks and dense fringe are illuminated by natural light, casting windowpane shadows across its textured surface.
  • A clean, modern interior featuring the Omni rug beneath a wooden table and chair. The rug’s color-blocked pattern in rust brown, speckled tan, and light beige adds warmth to the neutral space. Afternoon light casts long shadows across the minimalist setting, highlighting the handwoven detail.
  • A full view of Sia’s Omni rug laid out on a minimalist floor, with a person walking past in motion blur. The rug showcases a geometric patchwork of brown, beige, and cream squares, bordered by dark and light fringe. The soft, angled sunlight creates dramatic shadows across the walls and rug, emphasizing its rich texture.
  • The Omni rug by Sia draped over a low ledge in a sunlit room. The design features a large-scale block pattern in warm browns, tan, and cream, woven with visible texture. Thick fringes border the edges, and sunlight casts soft shadows across the neutral-toned floor and wall.

Omni Rug

by Sia Hurtigkarl


Sia Hurtigkarl’s Omni Rug is built on contrast—two tones split evenly across a square form, fringed on all sides to allow flexible placement. The prototype was designed in collaboration with Nepalese artisans using 100% Himalayan sheep wool, reflecting a deep rug-making tradition through simple, honest construction. Though visually restrained, Omni is quietly expressive. Its flat surface invites interaction—it’s made to be lived with, not observed from a distance. 

“I really believe that if people understand how something is constructed—how much care, intelligence, and craftsmanship go into it—they relate to it differently. It builds affection, even responsibility, Hurtigkarl muses.” 

Omni stood out for the very reasons we hoped the contest would uncover—its tactility, its honesty, and its sense of care in both form and making. For jury member Josephine Yaa Akuamoah, this meant looking beyond surface aesthetics to something more grounded: honesty in material and intention. “I believe a new design should ground me and make me feel at ease,” says Josephine. “It has to be functional and beautiful. For me, beauty is rooted in honesty—working with authentic materials and taking the time to process them thoughtfully is also crucial.” — Josephine Yaa Akuamoah. 

  • Portrait of designer Francesc Gasch standing in his studio beside a metal shelf filled with design books and objects. He wears a navy button-up shirt with arms crossed and a wristwatch visible. Behind him are stacked wooden stools, a vintage radio, and a colorful framed illustration of European-style buildings resting on a desk.
  • Three sculptural “Waves” prototype vases by Francesc Gasch, with undulating, rhythmic silhouettes. Each vase has a stepped wave-like profile and is displayed on a concrete floor in natural sunlight. The tallest vase is a pale cream, the medium one is ochre, and the smallest is terracotta red. Each holds a minimal floral arrangement.
  • A warm-toned interior scene showing a person seated at a wooden table, partially obscured by a suspended semi-transparent fabric panel. The panel, part of the "Veil" project by Nikola & Florian, creates a soft division in space.
  • The same three “Waves” vases—cream, ochre, and terracotta—are displayed empty, emphasizing their clean, contoured profiles and material texture.

Waves Vase

by Francesc Gasch Studio


Barcelona-based designer Francesc Gasch created Waves through what he describes as an intuitive process—shaping, shifting, letting the form emerge. The result is a set of 3D-printed vases with soft curves and sandy tactility, inspired by how water moves around the coastline of his home city. 

“I was inspired by the shoreline and the water that surrounds Barcelona, how it flows around objects and shapes things in soft, unpredictable ways. I wanted to translate that into a form that felt calming but also dynamic.” 

We looked for designs that elevate the everyday and the atmosphere of a home—where form, function, and beauty come together with care. For jury member Ivy Ross, it was about thoughtful details and well-crafted ideas that invite interaction and create lasting connections in daily life. 

“When reviewing a submission, I focus on its originality and context,” Ross shared. “What resonates with me is the balance of innovative ideas and beauty—something I can easily imagine in a space, with people interacting with it. Thoughtfulness, craftsmanship, and emotional connection are essential. Over the years, I've learned to trust my instincts, as they've consistently pointed me toward what truly stands out and leaves a lasting impression.” — Ivy Ross.

  • Four sets of handwoven Omni rug swatches are neatly arranged on a light wooden table. Each swatch features bold color-blocked patterns with visible weaves and thick fringe edges in varied palettes, including earth tones, blues, greens, and oranges, against a soft lime green wall and sheer curtain backdrop.
  • Inspiration board for the “Waves” vase by Francesc Gasch, featuring a white scale model, orange wave-shaped ribbon, dried botanical samples, and photos of ocean ripples and desert sand dunes. The elements are arranged on a table in front of a light green mesh curtain, echoing rhythmic natural flows.
  • A miniature architectural model of the "Veil" system on a wooden tabletop. Two fine metal rods support sheer blue mesh panels, separating a small white lounge area from a round table and chair. A green mesh curtain in the background echoes the partition’s light and airy character.

From prototype to product

Each winner will receive the first prize reward and begin a close collaboration with the Muuto design team. Together, they’ll refine their prototypes into finished products—working through every stage from material selection to final details, ensuring each design meets Muuto’s standards for quality and craft. With this, the process begins of bringing the pieces into the Muuto collection—shaping early ideas into enduring, real-world objects. 


The final pieces will be revealed and celebrated at the Muuto headquarters during 3daysofdesign 2025 in Copenhagen. 

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