Naco Design Labs: The Work in Progress

NACO Design opens its showroom and design studio to the public, inviting visitors into the working environment where its furniture is conceived, tested and refined.

Sketches, scale models, full-scale joints, prototypes and resolved pieces are displayed side by side, allowing visitors to trace the progression of an idea from its earliest drawing through to a finished product. Rather than separating experimentation from retail, the studio floor regularly hosts prototypes that are available for purchase. Designs are introduced in their developing state, discussed openly and refined over time through direct feedback.

The Design Lab operates as a framework for iteration. Many pieces exist somewhere between the bespoke and the standardised. Ideas are sketched quickly and without concern for polish, physical models are assembled to test proportion and joinery, and CAD models are developed to refine construction and accuracy. Some concepts move through dozens of iterations; others are set aside and later revisited with new clarity. The aim is to resolve designs through continuous testing rather than prolonged isolation.

Visitors can expect open conversations about the process — about what is working, what is unresolved, and how feedback influences the next revision. The showroom offers a close view of how a furniture design and manufacturing practice balances intuition, critique and craft. It is an opportunity to see not only finished furniture but the thinking, adjustments and physical trials that shape each piece over time.