Apparatus unveils Afsaneh, a sculptural divan of brass and marble

Apparatus, the New York design studio known for its sculptural approach to furniture and lighting, presents Afsaneh: a divan collection that transforms the ancient Persian art of fable telling into tangible form. The name itself, written in Farsi script, speaks to the teller of fables, the custodian of dreams and collective memory.

The collection emerges from a meditation on narrative and the objects that witness our intimate moments. Sinuous brass tubes, their surfaces warm with patina, curve and flow with the grace of calligraphy, anchored by blocks of pale marble that ground the composition. The interplay between the burnished metal and cool stone creates a rhythm that feels both contemporary and timeless, as though the furniture itself is narrating something just beyond the listener’s grasp.

Light moves differently through this collection. Where brass catches illumination, it glows with amber warmth; where marble receives it, the stone seems to hold the light tenderly, as though cradling something precious. The forms suggest movement and repose simultaneously: the curves invite recumbence, but the sculptural language keeps the eye in constant motion, discovering new proportions and relationships from every angle.

Afsaneh marks a chapter in Apparatus’s ongoing conversation with materiality and meaning. By anchoring contemporary design in the rich linguistic and cultural traditions of Persian storytelling, the collection suggests that the most enduring pieces are those that speak not merely to the body’s comfort, but to the imagination’s hunger for narrative and beauty.

The Afsaneh collection is available through apparatusstudio.com.

Imagery courtesy of Apparatus (@apparatusstudio).