Denim furniture exhibition rethinks the role of everyday items
Harry Nuriev’s denim furniture exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery Paris (4 March – 31 May 2023) considers the changing function of our living space

Denim is placed in a functional new context by New York- and Paris-based artist, architect and interior furniture designer Harry Nuriev, who elevates the everyday material in his new exhibition, ‘Denim’.
Nuriev’s debut solo exhibition with Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris encompasses a collection of modular furniture pieces upholstered in denim, in a rethinking of our relationship with quotidian items. ‘In the same way that you layer your jeans, T-shirts and jackets in the order you want, I want my furniture to adapt and shape itself according to the user’s wishes,’ Nuriev says.
‘When I started my practice ten years ago, my question was what can I bring to interior design?’ Nuriev adds. ‘Interior design is a symbiosis of three major creative practices: design, architecture, and art. The big one missing from this equation is fashion, which I find very surprising. Fashion is a unique means of expression and I think that furniture is an extension of our wardrobe, our style and more broadly our identity. Fashion is everywhere, it surrounds us. It’s a medium that lasts over time so let’s infuse it into design.’
The exhibition builds on his fascination with the everyday, with the modular nature of the pieces inviting interpretation as to their use. Artworks mimic the layout of an apartment in their ordered presentation, the pieces themselves reflecting the changing demands we are making on our living spaces. In ‘Sofa Pool’, composed of a table and a sofa, one could comfortably eat and rest, eschewing the need to move and thus disturb the flow of conversation.
Other pieces created from separate elements can be easily manipulated as the need arises. ‘I conceived the pieces in this collection as assemblies of elements that can be dissociated,’ Nuriev says. ’A sofa can be an armchair but also an ottoman. Each element is its own entity that, put together, constitutes a piece. I think my favourite piece is probably the “DJ Booth” because it brings people together, not just in a party context but as a meeting space. And the “Vanity” too.’
Denim furniture collection and installation by Harry Nuriev, on view from 4 March until 13 May 2023
Carpenters Workshop Gallery
54 Rue de la Verrerie
75004 Paris
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
‘Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style’ at Design Museum interrogates the loaded history of swimwear
Curator Amber Butchart speaks to Wallpaper* about the Design Museum’s latest exhibition, which explores the cultural impact of swimwear – from Pamela Anderson’s bombshell ‘Baywatch’ one-piece to those made for sports, leisure or fashion statement
By Zoe Whitfield Published
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicate
The New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
Come as you are to see Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar on show in the UK for the first time
Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar goes on display at the Royal College of Music Museum in London as part of an exhibition exploring Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance
By Tianna Williams Published