The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2025
OFFECCT's Circulus seating wins Red Dot Best of the Best 2025 via design-for-disassembly
OFFECCT's modular Circulus seating wins Red Dot Best of the Best 2025 — and the Sustainable Design Award — for replaceable, glue-free parts.
OFFECCT (Flokk)
What it had to solve
Furniture for public spaces must survive heavy use and adapt to changing layouts, yet upholstered seating is usually glued together and impossible to repair or recycle. OFFECCT briefed designer Mario Ferrarini to make circularity the organizing principle, not an add-on.
How it works
OFFECCT Circulus is a modular seating group for public spaces designed by Mario Ferrarini, built around the principle of circularity across the whole product lifecycle — material sourcing, assembly and disposal. Its lightweight aluminum frame forms a slender skeletal structure that can be extended to almost any length, and three modules (seat, mid-height backrest, high backrest) allow single, double or triple configurations that can face each other.
The creative core is glue-free assembly: a perimeter clip fastens the upholstery to the frame without adhesives or tacks, so any color combination is possible and worn covers can simply be replaced. Perforated metal sheeting aids air circulation while high-density foam padding keeps comfort, and the recessed legs give the furniture a floating appearance the jury singled out.
At the Red Dot Gala on 8 July 2025, Circulus received Red Dot: Best of the Best, the highest distinction in Product Design 2025, and also won the Red Dot Sustainable Design Award. The jury called the design 'incredibly clever' and praised the balance between circular principles and timeless form, noting that recyclability is a feature but the design keeps the furniture in use for years.
The double recognition placed Circulus in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, on the official Red Dot website and in the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen — making a product whose main innovation is repairability into one of the most honored furniture designs of the year.
Why it lands
- Repair and disassembly were designed into the product from the briefing, not bolted on as a claim.
- The glue-free clip system makes replacing upholstery a practical, visible feature instead of a marketing phrase.
- Modularity solved two problems at once: flexibility for public spaces and a longer usable life.
- The reduced, skeletal form gave the product a signature look, so circularity produced aesthetics rather than compromise.
What it did
The Red Dot jury gave it the highest honor, Best of the Best in Product Design 2025, and the same product also won the Red Dot Sustainable Design Award. It earned a place in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, the award's official site, and the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, and became Flokk's flagship example of circular furniture.
What you can take
Circularity can be a creative constraint, not a green claim: when repair and disassembly are designed in from the start, they produce a distinct look and a defendable award story.
Since then
Circulus became a double winner at Red Dot 2025 — Best of the Best plus a separate award for design quality — and was featured in the Red Dot Design Yearbook and museum. Parent company Flokk used the award to position OFFECCT as a leader in circular furniture, and the design was also recognized by other outlets for sustainable production. The product remains in the catalog as a configurable system for lobbies, lounges and co-working spaces, demonstrating that a repair-first approach can anchor a premium design story.
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