Item: Enso's “Soft Grounds” Collection Explores Permanence with Fruit-Inspired Designs
Crafted by Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding.
Summary
- Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding debuted “Soft Grounds” Collection 02 at NYCxDesign
- Each piece is named after fruit, symbolizing imperfection, memory and organic transformation
- The collection includes silk pendants, ceramic lamps and patinated metal furniture that are made to order
At NYCxDesign, designers Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding unveiled their “Soft Grounds” Collection 02. As part of their experimental outlet in Item: Enso, this collection serves as a nuanced study of permanence and impermanence. Each individual piece within the collection is named after a fruit, a choice that reflects an ethos of ripeness, imperfection and sensory memory, thus reinforcing a profound connection to the natural world and the subtle passage of time.
Among the standout designs is the Carambola Table Lamp, with its linked ceramic form and hand-patinated metal base, is softened by a washi paper diffuser, offering a warm, ambient glow. The Durian Table Lamp, sculpted from hand-patinated metal, allows light to escape through delicate slits, reinforcing the collection’s emphasis on material honesty and quiet transformation. Meanwhile, the Fig Ottoman is upholstered in repurposed silk and accented with grouted ceramic insets.
Furniture pieces like the Plantain Plinth and Apricot Coffee Table further highlight the collection’s dialogue between texture and structure. The plinth, wrapped in hand-patinated sheet metal, is puzzle-fit together with visible seams, expressing tension and form. Meanwhile, the coffee table, inspired by Roger Capron, reinterprets tiled ceramic surfaces with hand-assembled tiles that are framed in patinated metal atop a sculpted solid wood base. The Tamarind Sconce, constructed with interlocking metal components and frosted globe bulbs, merges utilitarian function with sculptural presence, reinforcing the collection’s fusion of raw industrial precision and organic warmth.
Every object in “Soft Grounds” is made to order in New York City crafted at the hands of Kailich and Harding. The collection captures the way metal bends toward the light like a flower, embracing transformation while remaining grounded in material integrity and quiet resonance. For more information, visit Item: Enso’s official website.
