Ugly Not Cute: Sculptural Stone Objects by Denys Sokolov

Ukrainian designer Denys Sokolov explores the uneasy boundary between attraction and discomfort with Ugly Not Cute, a collection of sculptural design objects created for deday.

Each piece looks like a pebble caught mid-transformation, assembled from a cluster of smooth, elongated forms that lean, fold and balance against one another. Their silhouettes feel strangely organic, suggesting abstract bodies, softened bones or developing creatures. Created in collaboration with Ukrainian stone specialist MUZ STONE, the sculptures are carved from materials including marble, travertine and richly patterned stone, shifting dramatically in character depending on their surface, from delicate neutral tones to deep greens, glossy blacks and expressive veining.

The collection’s title is deliberately ambiguous. Read one way, it rejects cuteness entirely. Add a pause, and “ugly not, cute” becomes an invitation to reconsider the first impression. That tension runs through every object, reflecting how ideas of beauty change over time and how forms once considered awkward or unsettling can eventually become appealing.

For more of Denys Sokolov’s work, visit his studio’s website and follow him on Instagram.

More art on the grid via Svoya Sokolov