Stellantis Design Studio has claimed one of the design industry's most prestigious honors with their unconventional creation, The Joker Throne. The automotive design powerhouse, in collaboration with Italian luxury furniture manufacturer Formitalia and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, won the coveted Archiproducts Design Award 2025 for this bold piece that bridges the gap between automotive design and luxury furniture.
The award ceremony took place on November 6th during the ADA Night event at Superstudio in Milan, where an international jury of design experts recognized the throne for its daring conceptual approach, provocative styling, and powerful emotional impact. While the piece represents a departure from traditional automotive design, it showcases the same innovative design philosophy that Stellantis applies to their next-generation vehicle interiors, featuring bold geometric forms, contrasting thematic elements, and narrative-driven design.
First unveiled at the Salone del Mobile 2025 in April, The Joker Throne serves as the centerpiece of the comprehensive Joker Collection, an entire furniture line inspired by DC Comics' iconic villain, the Clown Prince of Crime. Stellantis Design Studio approached this unconventional project with the same creative methodology they employ for automotive design: developing products that are expressive, highly functional, and deeply rooted in character development.
Klaus Busse, Head of Stellantis Design Studio, emphasized that the project was specifically designed to challenge industry expectations and conventional design boundaries. "This collection is a bold statement of duality and conflict," Busse explained. "Seeing The Joker Throne recognized by the Archiproducts Design Awards is an extraordinary honor, confirming the validity of our commitment to transcend borders and challenge conventional aesthetic canons."
The throne's design perfectly captures The Joker's complex and twisted personality through its exaggerated smile motif, dramatic sculptural forms, and an overall presence that simultaneously feels playful and menacing. The design team deliberately crafted the piece to evoke the atmosphere of the villain's lair – luxurious yet deeply unsettling, theatrical while maintaining full functionality. This thematic approach extends throughout the entire Joker Collection, which includes additional pieces such as the Chaos Sofa, Asylum Armchair, Smile Sofa, and the playfully named Prankster/Dispenser.
Each furniture piece in the collection explores concepts of asymmetry, tension, and contradiction, masterfully combining high-end Italian craftsmanship with unconventional humor and design elements. Stellantis incorporated artificial intelligence technology during the early stages of the creative process to help capture the chaotic essence of The Joker character, before Formitalia's world-renowned artisans transformed these digital concepts into physical reality through traditional luxury furniture-making techniques.
Hugo Nightingale, Global Creative Director for the project, provided insight into the conceptual framework behind the collaboration. "We loved the idea of creating this villain's lair," Nightingale said. "A space that gives you a false sense of security – just like The Joker himself." This philosophy guided the development of each piece, ensuring that the furniture collection would create an immersive environment that reflects the character's unpredictable and deceptive nature.
For Stellantis, this recognition represents far more than a simple design award – it serves as concrete proof that automotive design expertise can successfully transition into completely different product categories without compromising the company's core design identity. The success of The Joker Throne demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of contemporary automotive design principles when applied to luxury furniture and lifestyle products.
The project represents a significant milestone in cross-industry collaboration, showing how entertainment properties, automotive design expertise, and traditional luxury craftsmanship can combine to create innovative products that push creative boundaries. At its core, The Joker Throne transcends its function as furniture to become a statement piece that reminds us that exceptional design doesn't remain static – sometimes, it challenges expectations and laughs in the face of convention.
