The Process — 329 Design — Chicago 2024

The Process, hosted by Spot! in Chicago’s Chinatown, was a long-awaited exhibition documenting the creation of AFS.DSGN’s signature works. The owner of Spot!, Matthew Marchetta, had initially reached out to Anna Stechschulte in 2022 about acquiring the Bubble Chair if it became available. Following careful consideration after her graduation in spring 2023, Anna decided to produce the Bubble Chair professionally, collaborating with a century-old wood-turning manufacturer, her former classmate’s upholstery studio (Upp Studio), and sourcing premium leathers from Horween Leather Company and textiles from Kvadrat.

By November 2024 the exhibition featured AFS.DSGN furniture and ceramics alongside iconic refurbished vintage pieces curated by Matthew, presenting a narrative of ideation, material exploration, and craft. Visitors were invited to trace the evolution of the Bubble Chair and Orb Lamps, encountering mood boards, swatches, samples, prototypes, and test pieces that revealed the full spectrum of the creative process; from inspiration to finished object. Through this layered presentation, The Process illuminated the careful consideration, experimentation, and storytelling embedded in the making of each work.