Apple unveils the 2026 Designers of Tomorrow
Apple’s Designers of Tomorrow exhibition returns to Paris, showcasing emerging talent whose work explores presence through Apple-integrated creative processes.
Apple, in partnership with Design Miami, presents the second annual Designers of Tomorrow showcase at Hôtel de Maisons in Paris, highlighting four emerging designers whose work examines how objects shape human experience amid modern distraction. Curated by Rodman Primack, the exhibition focuses on presence, inviting reflection through original pieces that engage the senses and shift perspectives. The designers were selected by a global jury for their storytelling, material innovation, and craft, with Apple products central to their creative workflows.
Salem S. Charabi, an Egyptian Danish architect, created The Eminence of Light, a lantern blending Egyptian palm fronds, Japanese banana paper, and limestone, constructed with 3-millimeter-wide fronds split by hand and sharpened with a chisel. Charabi used a MacBook Pro for 3D modeling and detailed planning, mapping every component to achieve precise alignment in the piece’s complex assembly.
Isabel Rower, based in Brooklyn, explores presence through sensory transformation in Padded Chair 1860, a reinterpretation of 18th- and 19th-century furniture featuring a high-gloss finish and beaded fringe that produces sound when touched. Rower relies on iPhone for documentation, AirPods Pro for music, MacBook Pro for archiving, and Keynote to juxtapose ideas, integrating Apple tools throughout her creative process.
Yoonjeong Lee, based in Seoul, repurposes overlooked objects in New Form, transforming worn pencils into nails for a wooden table-lamp base made from 5,000 stacked veneer sheets. Lee credits iCloud, AirDrop, Notes, iPad Pro, and Apple Pencil for maintaining a seamless workflow, emphasizing how device connectivity enhances her iterative design process.