The ICONIC AWARDS are an international platform for architecture, interior design and product innovation. For Hettich and Maxim Kashin Architects, the award is a special endorsement of their shared approach: modern fitting systems can inspire unique, ‘iconic’ design concepts for furniture and interiors.

Suprematism Reinterpreted
The artistic concept behind the two award-winning pieces of furniture draws on Suprematism, a movement founded by Kazimir Malevich at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a movement within the Russian avant-garde that emerged in the early 20th century. A defining feature is the focus on pure, non-representational art and basic geometric shapes. The architect Maxim Kashin has now translated these design principles into artistic pieces of furniture for Hettich, which also boast functional qualities. Sculptural compositions emerge from surfaces and geometric solids, their appearance constantly changing depending on the angle of view and the movement of individual elements.

Sculpture or furniture? Both!
It was precisely this interplay that also impressed the international jury of the ICONIC AWARDS: in their view, the ‘Suprematist Bureau’ combines Russian avant-garde art with modern, largely invisible fitting technology to create a functional piece of furniture. What at first appears to be a sculpture turns out to be a well-designed piece of office furniture which, by rotating and opening its components, constantly takes on new geometric forms. Transformation also plays a central role in the ‘Suprematist furniture installation’, which has likewise won an award: geometric surfaces, reflections and movement cause the furniture and the space to merge visually. Finished on the outside with elegant walnut veneer, the bright red interiors of some of the drawers and cabinet bodies serve as a nod by these two pieces of furniture to the era of Russian avant-garde art.

FurnSpin brings movement to the art object
Hettich’s innovative FurnSpin turning and swivelling system provides a key technical prerequisite for this versatility. Thanks to its translational rotational movement, an entire piece of furniture can be rotated through 180 degrees in the blink of an eye: in the case of the ‘Suprematist Bureau’, too, the interior turns inside out, transforming closed front panels into an open storage area. The surprising thing is that, rather than opening doors or flaps, a large part of the cabinet body itself is moved. The fittings remain virtually hidden, allowing the furniture’s distinctive design to take centre stage. In this way, technology, as a design feature, also becomes a means of transformation. Movement alters the geometry, function and perception of the piece of furniture.

For architects and designers, this opens up opportunities to combine function and design in unexpected new ways. As well as FurnSpin, other Hettich systems are used in the two award-winning pieces of furniture. These include the AvanTech YOU drawers, some of which are equipped with the ‘Illumination’ LED lighting feature, or telescopic shelves on Actro 5D drawer runners, as well as the Sensys fast assembly concealed hinge for furniture doors and the interior fittings Iseo, Lario, Olona, Salso and Senio. In the case of the ‘Suprematist Bureau’, the ICONIC AWARDS jury highlights how innovative fitting technology can also open up artistically inspired forms for practical, functional spaces.

Hettich is committed to professional exchange
The jointly developed furniture pieces were previously presented to an international audience of industry professionals at the Furniture Interior Woodworking (FIW) 2026 trade fair in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Hettich Central Asia now wishes to continue its conversation with the architecture and design community: On 10 December 2026, the team at Hettich’s headquarters in Kirchlengern is planning to host the first ever “Hettich Design Days 2026” event, specifically for Russian-speaking architects, interior designers and designers. The focus will be on professional exchange and new ideas for furniture and interior design concepts.