There’s something special about preparing for Design Miami each year.
It always brings me back into a more experimental mindset: slowing down, sketching, sculpting, and working with materials in a way that feels intuitive rather than planned. This exhibition gives us a space to show the ideas and material explorations that have been developing in the background.
I’m excited to share that TF Design will be part of the 20th anniversary edition of Design Miami, within the curated Design Miami 2.0 section led by Glenn Adamson. It’s an honor to be included among these inspiring designers.
Introducing the Orbit Collection in Bronze (Photos Coming Soon)
I first introduced the Orbit Collection in resin during 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen earlier this summer. For Design Miami, the Orbit forms have evolved into something new.
Each shape began as a clay model in my San Francisco studio, and for Miami, they have been realized in bronze for the first time. The change in material brings a different feeling to the work, one of weight, permanence, and a sculptural presence that feels grounding.
While the resin versions had a softness and lightness to them, the bronze pieces reveal something deeper in their curves. The surfaces are hand-polished to preserve the natural striations of the clay, so the original gesture remains visible in the metal.
The Orbit Collection draws from astronomy, meditation, and the quiet movement of celestial paths. Each piece explores balance, interconnectedness, and the way forms can feel both fluid and grounded at the same time. The three works began as clay studies in my studio, capturing the gentle motion of an orbiting line, and in bronze, that sense of serenity and sculptural presence becomes even more pronounced.
We won’t be sharing photos until the VIP Preview on December 2, but I’m looking forward to revealing how the pieces have grown since their debut in Copenhagen.
Exploring Materiality Beyond Resin
Resin has been at the heart of TF Design since the beginning, but it has never been the only material that inspires me. Over the years, we’ve introduced brass, stainless steel, and copper pieces, each offering its own texture, glow, and way of interacting with light.
Working on the Orbit Collection in bronze has deepened that exploration.
Metal holds shape differently.
It reflects light differently.
It sits in a space with a kind of quiet confidence that feels distinct from resin.
And while the Orbit works shown at Design Miami are large sculptural pieces, anyone wanting to experience this material direction in a more everyday way can explore our metal collections in brass & brushed brass, stainless steel and copper. They reflect the same sculptural language of TF Design, expressed through warm, reflective surfaces that live beautifully in any space.
Make. Believe.
The fair’s theme this year, Make. Believe., feels especially fitting.
So much of my practice is rooted in imagining what an object could become, not just how it functions, but how it feels, how it sits in a space, how it relates to the body and the environment around it.
This Orbit collection allowed me to approach familiar curves and organic contours through a different material lens. Resin will always be an essential part of TF Design, but I’m excited to continue expanding the studio’s sculptural language.
Inside The Lab
Much of this collection began in The Lab, my space for experimentation.
Some days it’s filled with clay; other days resin prototypes, color tests, or early forms that may lead to something or to nothing at all. But these explorations matter.
The Lab is where I make without expectations and where many future pieces are already beginning.
See You in Miami
VIP Preview: December 2
Public Days: December 3–7
Location: Convention Center Drive & 19th Street, Miami Beach, USA
We’ll share updates throughout the fair and reveal the full bronze Orbit Collection on December 2.
You can follow along at @tinafreydesigns.
I can’t wait to show you more!
- Tina
