New York & Copenhagen, 2025 — Among the standout works spotted at this year’s ICFF in New York and 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen was Unearth, a trio of sculptural vessels by Los Angeles-based designer Ruiting Xu. Presented in collaboration with Re-craft, the pieces stopped visitors in their tracks with their quiet yet powerful exploration of material transformation.
Each vessel is built from wood, metal, and biodegradable components, assembled in a modular structure that can be reconfigured or adapted over time. Surfaces bear subtle marks of their histories, including grain variations, oxidized edges, and tonal shifts, revealing the passage of time in tactile detail. The forms balance precision and irregularity, inviting touch and interaction.
Unearth invites a deeper consideration of objects as living narratives, shaped by time, use, and the traces of past lives. It offers a tactile meditation on renewal and permanence, resisting the purely ornamental in favor of a layered, emotional presence.
At ICFF 2025, North America’s leading contemporary design fair, Unearth stood out in a sea of innovation for its restrained elegance and conceptual clarity. Weeks later, in Copenhagen’s historic design district during 3daysofdesign 2025, the work resonated with European audiences, sparking conversations about craft, sustainability, and the evolving role of design in everyday rituals.
Ruiting Xu’s Unearth affirms her position as a designer who bridges the poetic and the practical, offering works that are not only beautiful to behold but also meaningful to live with.
Ruiting Xu
Ruiting Xu is an award-winning designer whose work spans architecture, objects, and research. She engages with ecological systems, material reuse, and spatial storytelling, and has been recognized with Muse Design Awards (Platinum & Gold), A’ Design Award, and Paris Design Awards. Her projects have been exhibited internationally.
