Whimsy, at its best, feels deliberate. In the work of Chris Wolston, it’s less a flourish than a framework. The Nalgona Series and Forbidden Fruit pictured here read as confident, fully resolved pieces that happen to enjoy bending the rules.

This is whimsical furniture design built on restraint. Chairs extend outward with armatures that suggest posture and gesture. Lighting swells softly, glowing from within, atmospheric rather than ornamental. Color and texture add warmth, but form stays in charge, guiding how the pieces are seen and used.

The work holds its own in shared interiors, where furniture has to perform socially. These are pieces that anchor a lobby, animate a lounge, or lend personality to a cultural space without turning theatrical. They invite interaction, then reward a longer look.

That balance between expression and control is on view now in Profile in Ecstasy, Wolston’s first solo museum exhibition at Dallas Contemporary, on display through February 1, 2026. Seen together, the objects feel intentional and assured, designed to be lived with, not tiptoed around. There’s a similar rhythm in spaces meant for gathering and glow, a sensibility explored in Glow, Gather, Repeat.

This is whimsical furniture design that knows when to speak, and when to let the room answer back.