35 Unorthodox Ways to Embrace ‘Ugly' Design

— November 9, 2008 — Art & Design
Impeccably fabricated tables are turning and the design world is encouraging ugliness. An article recently written by Core 77’s Tad Toulis, a designer himself, suggests that we may be suffocating from good design.

Not that a beautifully shaped bath faucet isn't a thing to behold, but as Toulis says, "By degrees this pursuit of beauty has gradually been replaced with the much more predictable and less admirable accomplishment of achieving ‘pretty’.” In other words... boring.

Designers should look outside of the rigorously followed rule of 'form follows function' and embrace 'ugly.' Doing this could, as Toulis adds, "...serve to liberate design and design thinking, expediting the introduction of new voices and ideas that might stimulate and revitalize the practice of design."

We've seen a number of unorthodox creations on Trend Hunter and I reiterate, this cluster is NOT a collection of ugliness--it is rather a cutting-edge series of visionary design.
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35
"Chairman" Mao Chair
"Chairman" Mao Chair
This Chair Is Definitely Red
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34
Ornamental Libraries
Ornamental Libraries
The Bookman Shelf
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33
City Signs as Art
City Signs as Art
NYC Walk - Dont Walk chair
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32
Frosted Turd For Trees -Yule Doos Ornaments
Frosted Turd For Trees -Yule Doos Ornaments
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31
Sea-Inspired Seating
Sea-Inspired Seating
The Manta Ray Mini Chair
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30
Unique Philosophical Chair Designs
Unique Philosophical Chair Designs
Stick & Star Chair
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29
Luxury Branding Of Cheap Cars
Luxury Branding Of Cheap Cars
Hermes Makeover 2CV
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28
Fat Furniture
Fat Furniture
"Basho" The Sumo Wrestler Table
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27
The Bulldang Intestinal Sofa
The Bulldang Intestinal Sofa
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26
Rawhide Seating
Rawhide Seating
The Cow Hide Chair
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25
A Brush Inspired Sofa
A Brush Inspired Sofa
Comfortable Or Creepy?
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24
Nuclear Submarine Furniture
Nuclear Submarine Furniture
Matrix Unplugged Chair
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23
Wearable Instant Seating
Wearable Instant Seating
The Self-Sustainable Chair Dress
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22
Dangling Rodent Lighting
Dangling Rodent Lighting
The 'Rattus Norvegicus Rex' Chandelier
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21
Cutlery Chair- Recycled Art by Osian Batyka-Williams
Cutlery Chair- Recycled Art by Osian Batyka-Williams
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20
Musical Junk
Musical Junk
Ugly Noisemakers
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19
Recycled Home Oddjects
Recycled Home Oddjects
Alien Furniture
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18
Ecoweird Bamboo Cars
Ecoweird Bamboo Cars
The Battery-Powered BamGoo
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17
Bleeding Paint Chairs
Bleeding Paint Chairs
Anna ter Haar Designs
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16
Gaffer Tape Upholstery
Gaffer Tape Upholstery
'Period 1st Tape' Chairs by Anan Pairot
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15
Ugly is the New Hot
Ugly is the New Hot
Modern Studies on Ugliness
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14
Shopping Cart Bicycles
Shopping Cart Bicycles
The Cartrider
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13
Creepy Furniture
Creepy Furniture
Han Solo in Carbonite Desk
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12
Pimped-Out Bicycles
Pimped-Out Bicycles
Dekochari Pedal Craze Sweeps Tokyo
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11
14-Passenger Bicycles
14-Passenger Bicycles
The Bakfiets Cargobike
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10
Ugly Pizza
Ugly Pizza
Difficult Branding?
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9
Pretty Ugly Plush Toys
Pretty Ugly Plush Toys
Uglydolls
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8
DIY Lego Furniture
DIY Lego Furniture
The LunaBlocks Kit
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7
Agressive Art Furniture
Agressive Art Furniture
Brass Knuckle Chair
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6
Recycled Clothes Furniture
Recycled Clothes Furniture
The Meltdown Fleece Chair
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5
Recycled Junk Mail Tables
Recycled Junk Mail Tables
ReVision Furniture
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4
Recycled Balloon Furniture
Recycled Balloon Furniture
The Balloona Stool
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3
Obese Interior Design
Obese Interior Design
The Fat Chair is a Winner
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2
Earth Furniture
Earth Furniture
Lawn Chair + Lawn Couch
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1
Recycled Tire Seating
Recycled Tire Seating
The DIY Re-Tyre Lounger
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