Studio TOOJ’s DUK collection quietly disrupts the boundaries between form, function and materiality. Conceived as an exploration of illusion and tactility, the made-to-order series presents sculptural pieces that appear to be soft cloth draped in space – yet on closer inspection, each one reveals itself as a precisely carved, immovable form.
Unfolding as a wall-mounted corner table, side table and pedestal, the DUK series embodies the Stockholm-based studio’s fascination with perceptual ambiguity. Underpinning each piece is a carefully sculpted wooden core, but it’s the surface material that elevates the collection into new terrain. Wrapped in Reishi™, a proprietary mycelium-based biomaterial developed by biotechnology company MycoWorks, the furniture plays on instinctive associations – asking the viewer to reconsider what is hard vs what is soft.
The interplay between Reishi’s leathery tactility and the visual suggestion of a draped textile creates a compelling tension. The material’s natural texture and soft matte finish enhance the illusion, while its sustainable credentials support a broader design ethos aligned with regenerative thinking. As a lab-grown material derived from fungal root structures, Reishi challenges traditional approaches to upholstery and surface treatment. Unlike animal hides, which impose limitations on size, shape and consistency, Reishi is engineered to offer designers control over strength, appearance and form, opening new frontiers for creative exploration.
While the concept for DUK predates the material collaboration, Reishi’s introduction deepens the conceptual narrative. Its presence amplifies the surrealist qualities embedded in the design – a nod to the studio’s long-held fascination with dreamlike, slightly uncanny forms that demand a second glance.
The DUK x Reishi™ series debuted internationally during Milan Design Week 2025 at the Le Labo showroom, presented alongside other Reishi-based works including a folding screen by Fanny Perrier.
With DUK, Studio TOOJ doesn’t just offer an artful design object – it offers a provocation. Blending emerging biomaterials with surrealist cues, the collection invites us to question how we see, touch and interpret the objects around us. In doing so, it points to a future where design doesn’t merely serve function, but actively reshapes perception.
