At first glance, Jakub Kubica's works look like they’re part of a dystopian movie’s set design. The sturdy, sleek and altogether sumptuous furniture designs by Kubica have a certain alluring quality, reminiscent of cyberpunk aesthetics—as if they were designed for a world that prioritises streamlined function and a certain detachment from ornamentation, embracing instead the cool, aloof traits of polished metal. A certain German sense for precision, then, is evident in his designs. Yet, offsetting the precision of metal, the Berlin-based artist and designer brings in the suppleness of leather or the roughness of stone to some of his creations.

As he notes, these products are meant to be a medium to foster a conversation about nature and how humans interact with it. It’s this tension that is the most exciting part for the artist, whose work spans minimalist furniture, functional design objects and futuristic artworks. “While form and function are essential, the conceptual narrative born from material contrast is the most critical consideration in my work,” he tells STIR.

Kubica’s background is multifaceted, enhancing the curated sensibility of his projects—chic and understated, yet sculptural in their own right. Coming to furniture design from a background as a graphic designer and later as an art director for a shoe brand Trippen, in addition to a stint with Vivienne Westwood in between, he brings some of his artistic vision to product design. “My artistic practice was highly conceptual, focused on installations and sculptures. It was from these initial art concepts that I translated my first furniture collection in 2020/2021. For instance, the juxtaposition of modern materials with natural rocks appeared in my early artworks and became a cornerstone of my design language,” Kubica elaborates. The juxtaposition of stone and metal, alluded to by the furniture designer, is part of a distinct design language.

The harsh confrontation and creative resolution between the natural and artificial that Kubica hopes to demonstrate in his practice are manifested in his ongoing series of table designs aptly titled Merge. Pitting the flawless qualities of metal against the jagged, natural texture of stone, the series features coffee tables and side tables. It offers, seemingly, a laboratory for Kubica to experiment with different combinations of natural materials with metal’s meticulous craftsmanship. Not particularly adhering to an inherent logic to determine their form, the tables in the collection are all distinct. Yet, even the same form or shape could be interpreted completely differently if the stones that seem to grow out of them were changed. It’s this interplay between materiality that is crucial here.

Kubica confirms this in conversation, noting his primary fascination with aluminium, which he believes is a material that is not as popular for furniture making. Speaking about the role of materiality in his works, he says, “The choice of material is absolutely crucial; it is the foundation of the formal aesthetic. However, I am less interested in a single material and more in the dialogue between them…For example, in my Drone sofa chairs, I use vegetable-tanned leather full of natural imperfections, scars and marks of life. I’ve also worked with a 3,370-year-old subfossilised oak from the Elbe River. My approach is to keep these natural materials in their rawest form and work respectfully around them, rather than forcing the material to conform to my will.”

The Drone series is similarly rife with an aesthetic that feels futuristic but rendered intimate through the polarity of the two materials: supple leather and hard metal. Particularly notable in the chair and sofa designs, the angularity of the metal framework for the seating is offset by round forms encased in leather. On the other hand, the shelves, drawers and desk that are part of the collection are pure, unmarred and razor-sharp. Noting the tendency towards a dystopian aesthetic for the works, Kubica explains, “I’m fascinated by the tension between modernism and traditionalism, often viewing natural objects through a slanted, almost futuristic lens.”

For Kubica, whose works are sculptural but at the same time functional (their function enhanced by this insistence on form), distinctions between the two are not necessary. Art and design for him are a continuous spectrum. As he emphasises, it's this liminality through which his works are shaped. “[It] translates into objects that serve a functional purpose while also carrying a strong conceptual narrative and emotional weight. They are designed to be used, but they are also born from the same exploratory drive as my sculptures…What is most important is that I maintain the freedom to follow my creative impulses and live an artist's life, whether the outcome is called a sculpture, a chair, or something in between.”