Lay of the Land

Call them undulating, curving, fluid or simply weird, but this year’s topography-inspired fixtures shapes are getting attention. We think it’s a take off of last year’s obsession with organic shapes – remember all those cellular, hexagonal shelves? Those fun, organically inspired design riffs have moved into fixturing, and they’re stealing our attention from the now-pervasive in-shelf lighting so many fixtures offer.

We’ve spotted these artistic fixtures and funky shapes at EuroShop and GlobalShop, and they’re likely coming soon to a store near you. Topographical fixtures usually feature contoured layers or varying sizes for “something that feels more like an art object” than a display piece, according to a GlobalShop speaker who presented on fixture trends at this year’s show.

Up close, it’s impossible not to run your fingers over the curves. From afar, these fixtures add visual rhythm to any space.