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Dezeen Awards 2022: Five furniture design projects from the shortlist
Petra Table by Peca, Mother and Child cabinet by Adam & Arthur, and Low Seat by Ebba Architects
Image: Peca, Adam & Arthur and Ebba Architects. Courtesy of Dezeen
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Dezeen Awards 2022: Five furniture design projects from the shortlist

From amongst the various projects shortlisted for the upcoming Dezeen Awards 2022, STIR contemplates on a few sustainable design furniture projects.

by Almas Sadique
Published on : Sep 12, 2022

Dezeen recently announced a shortlist of 55 designs by studios and brands from across the globe, for the design category under Dezeen Awards 2022. Now in its fifth year, the annual awards honour stalwarts in the creative world for their works in the categories of design, interior design, architecture, sustainability, media, and studio. The projects selected in the design category include creations that fall under lighting design, product design, exhibition design, furniture design, wearable design, workplace design and graphic design, among others. The 55 projects, designs and practices shortlisted under 11 different categories are located across the globe with practices hailing from Australia, Norway, Spain, Mexico, Ghana and Latvia, amongst others. While the United Kingdom leads the way with the maximum number of shortlisted entries at 12, the Netherlands and the United States of America closely follow with eight and six shortlisted entries each. Amongst the impressive shortlisted projects in the design category are works by the likes of Kengo Kuma, Barber Osgerby and Snøhetta. The winners in each category will be announced in October 2022, after which they will compete for the title of Design Project Of The Year. In an attempt to keep the competition democratic, the awards, scheduled to take place in November this year, invite the public to choose their favourite projects from amongst the shortlisted ones.

Some of the projects that have made it to the shortlist include the Intersection Worktable by Snøhetta, Boa Pouf by Sabine Marcelis, Signals, a collection of lamps by Barber Osgerby, Mazha Lighting System 5.0 by Mario Tsai Studio, High Profile luminaires by MVRDV, and Goz rugs by Kengo Kuma. This selection of 55 projects was made by an eminent jury which included the likes of Italian industrial designer Alberto Alessi, Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro, V&A Museum contemporary programme curator Meneesha Kellay, and Pentagram principal Paula Scher.

From amongst the array of creations shortlisted for the awards, STIR offers a glimpse into the five notable projects under the furniture design category.

Intersection Worktable by Snøhetta

Snøhetta’s Intersection Worktable is made out of reclaimed wood
Snøhetta’s Intersection Worktable is made out of reclaimed wood Image: Snøhetta, courtesy of Dezeen
Snøhetta team in the Adelaide studio assisting in the workshop
Snøhetta team in the Adelaide studio assisting in the workshop Image: Snøhetta, courtesy of Dezeen

Norwegian architecture and design studio Snøhetta’s Intersection Worktable is a simply designed table made out of materials sourced from Lake Pieman in Tasmania and Australia. It merges the shape and form of a conventional work table with material exploration. The table, which is almost five metres long, is crafted by hand in the firm’s Adelaide workshop, and is an eye-catching centrepiece. The outline of the tabletop is seamless and continuous, just like the Australian coastline, which inspired its form. The process of building the table was experimental: textures and planes observed in Australia were juxtaposed against each other to give form to a usable furniture piece. The table, built using reclaimed Tasmanian Oak, which was ethically sourced from an ancient forest, carries a distinct pattern and is characterised by imperfections, the presence of which gives it an authentic look. Its warm appearance stands in stark contrast to the frigid features that usually characterise office furniture. The Intersection Worktable, chiselled out of wood that has aged in the depths of a lake for several decades, is a product of the Norway based studio’s ongoing exploration of finding valuable usage of forgotten material technologies.

Mother and Child Cabinet by Adam & Arthur

Mother and Child by Adam & Arthur
Mother and Child by Adam & Arthur Image: Courtesy of Adam & Arthur, courtesy of Dezeen
Mother and Child cabinets are made out of straw
Mother and Child cabinets are made out of straw Image: Courtesy of Adam & Arthur, courtesy of Dezeen

Mother and Child, a cabinet that combines sculptural art and design with expert craftsmanship, is an experiment in the designer duo's favourite material, straw. Australian industrial designer Adam Goodrum and French artist Arthur Seigneur of Adam & Arthur designed this piece in an attempt to explore and understand sculptural forms and their convergence with straw marquetry. The resultant form of the cabinet mimics the protective stance of a mother and the coy pose of a child, with both the counterparts bending towards each other at 170 degrees. Adam & Arthur call this cabinet design their "most ambitious project to date," with 16,000 ribbons of straw coming together to make up this piece. Sitting in contrast to the usually colourful creations by Adam & Arthur, Mother and Child features subtle hues of brown and black, with a rich pearlescent effect. This subdued tone helps in drawing attention to the form of the cabinet and the concentric lines that trail the cabinet’s outline. In addition to featuring as a unique furniture design product, the straw cabinet is also an example of a fast and sustainable design product, the raw material for which can be grown easily and naturally and used to build a wide range of objects.

Low Collection by Ebba Architects

Low collection furniture pieces by Ebba Architects
Low collection furniture pieces by Ebba Architects Image: Ebba Architects, courtesy of Dezeen
Low tables and Low chairs are inspired by Japanese zen settings
Low tables and Low chairs are inspired by Japanese zen settings Image: Ebba Architects, courtesy of Dezeen

Imagine solid objects defined by concave or convex meniscuses. Now, presume that you can occupy them: to sit, to hold objects. Low Collection by Ebba Architects, based in London, seems to exact this feature, typically associated with liquids, to build a collection of usable furniture products. Designed by the architect and director of architecture firm Ebba, Benni Allan, it seeks to question the ways in which people sit in different places across the world. It comprises six furniture items crafted out of solid oak. The pieces, built using a combination of modern manufacturing techniques and traditional craftsmanship, feature curvilinear forms that have been extruded and crosscut with precision in a manner that reveals the quality of the end grain. Together, the individual pieces come together like a sculptural art exposition, where one can sit, introspect, and imagine. Their shapes, inspired by the architect’s recent visit to Japan, as well as his experiences in China and Southern Spain, echo sensual forms and present a Zen spot in a contemporary space.

Petra Table by Peca

Petra table is made out of volcanic rock
Petra table is made out of volcanic rock Image: Peca, courtesy of Dezeen
Close-up view of Peca’s Petra table
Close-up view of Peca’s Petra table Image: Peca, courtesy of Dezeen

Peca created the Petra Table, inspired by the volcanic terrain of Mexico. It was the admiration for volcanic stone that led this Mexico-based design studio to build a sculptural table that evokes the texture of cataclysmic surfaces. The table, handcrafted by expert Mexican craftsmen, is entirely chiselled out of volcanic stone. Its top, defined by a rich, porous surface, sits atop three cylindrical monoliths, which act as metaphors for the Earth’s core, birthing volcanoes. The texture and form of the table come together to kindle a natural and sacred aura. In deriving inspiration from and using Mexican volcanic stone to build the Petra Table, Peca succeeds in building a product that serves as an homage to both Mexico and nature.

ReFramed Bed System by Tim Rundle Studio

ReFramed RF-100 by Tim Rundle
ReFramed RF-100 by Tim Rundle Image: Tim Rundle Studio, courtesy of Dezeen
ReFramed RF-100 is built using aluminium
ReFramed RF-100 is built using aluminium Image: Tim Rundle Studio, courtesy of Dezeen

ReFramed RF-100 by British industrial designer Tim Rundle is a modular bed system built using recycled materials. Designed for Danish design brand ReFramed, this aluminium furniture piece can be easily assembled and disassembled in a few minutes, with half turns of tension locks. “Our aim was to create a purchase experience more akin to an item of clothing or footwear. To achieve this we designed the frame to pack down to a size suitable for standard courier delivery,” shares Peca in an official statement. The bed can also be adapted and upgraded to include side tables, headboards, and storage drawers, and hence, can tend to the growing everyday needs.

Readers can go to the Dezeen website and vote for their favourite projects September 12, 2022 onwards. Projects with the highest number of votes in their category will win a public vote award. Winners will be announced in mid-October, ahead of the Dezeen Awards event in November.

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