The pieces in question, which industry watchers say are strikingly similar to a 2015 furniture series by designer Ana Kra?, will be removed from the collection NYCxDesign, aka New York Design Week, is in full swing, and with it comes the annual parade of furniture launches. One highly anticipated release is the U.S. debut of Japanese furniture company Kamarq, which worked with designers PieterJan Mattan and Nicola Formichetti on the inaugural collection.
Unveiled in New York yesterday, Kamarq?s first collection offers vibrant tables and modular storage solutions. It looks versatile and fun, and feels like a break from the pared-back minimalism served by Scandi mania over the last several years. Except this breath of fresh air may not be all that fresh, say close watchers of the industry.
Stackable racks.

Modular storage cubes.

After the collection?s reveal, various Instagram posts and comments have called attention to the resemblance between Kamarq pieces?namely the series of tables and stools featuring slab tops and columnar supports?and the Slon collection designed by Ana Kra? and produced by Brooklyn-based studio Matter Made in 2015.
Aside from similarities in form between the works (a situation that comes up often in design history), the Kamarq stools and tables were also originally named ?the Elephant series? (it?s since been changed to ?Pillar?); ?slon? means elephant in Serbian, Kra??s native lan...