In the mid-1950s, American artist Saul Steinberg made a drawing of four figures embracing around a beloved pet, their image conjured through nothing but a handful of rectilinear forms. When architect and designer Francesco Paini happened upon this simple and playful piece some 70 years after its creation, he saw in it a complex and multifaceted portrait of contemporary family life. He also saw a cabinet.

Family Project was born – a design practice making furniture friends, inspired by human connection. Its collections distill the essence of important relationships into abstracted expressions for interior spaces, public and private. They often begin with a conversation, evolving to depict the connections between subjects and their loved ones.

Family Project has a modular framework at its core. Every piece can be produced in different forms and finishes, and they all work together – a family in and of itself. The different collections celebrate the beauty of simple, straightforward joinery techniques and, primarily, accessible materials, all of which are ecologically and sustainably sourced. They are designed with meaning, and built to last a lifetime.

Family Project was founded in 2021 by Francesco Paini, a British-Italian architect and designer interested in creating an emotional connection between objects and their users. Francesco is based in southeast London, where he shares his home with his partner and their young daughter.