Here are a few of our favorite winners from the Furniture Design category at last year’s A’ Design Award and Competition. Now the purpose of this roundup is twofold. If you’re a fan of furniture design (either as a design lover, or as a furniture designer yourself), go ahead and bookmark this page for inspiration, or add these images to your Pinterest by clicking the Pin button at the top left of any image. The second purpose is to spark your imagination and get those creative juices flowing so that one day, you could design something worthy of a design award.
Now if you DO have a design that’s relatively new or gathering dust in your portfolio, leveraging its creative appeal to win a design award can actually do wonders for your career. You’re just in time to send your work over to the A’ Design Awards. The multidisciplinary design award program spans a whole variety of categories, ranging from the traditional design disciplines like furniture, interiors, architecture, lighting, consumer tech, to more niche areas like social design, differently-abled design, education design, and even jewelry design. The international award program is hosted every year, with a grand interdisciplinary jury of 209 experts from different fields. The awards program is currently on the last leg of its 2019-2020 run, and the deadline for submitting your work is less than two weeks away! So if you’ve got yourself a great design with a lot of potential, go ahead and let it boost your career and brand! If not, don’t worry! This showcase should provide enough creative fodder to motivate and inspire you!
Register to participate in the A’ Design Awards now! Hurry, this is your last chance to win an A’ Design Award in 2020! Deadline: February 28th, 2020.
01. Lollipop Armchair by Natalia Komarova
I couldn’t agree more with Natalia Komarova’s statement that inspiration can literally come from anywhere. The idea for the Lollipop Armchair came to her when she was visiting the Sweet Museum. The chupa-chups shape forms the basis of the armrests and the back and seat are made in the form of classic candies. The purpose of the chair is to add a splash of playfulness and color to interior spaces, and from the looks of how inviting (and delicious) it looks, I’d say it does a remarkably good job!
02. Lunule Chair by Arsalan Ghadimi
In South-Eastern countries, it is more common for people to sit cross-legged on the floor than to sit on chairs. Not only is this an integral part of their culture, but it is supposed to be quite good for the posture too! Drawing inspiration from the tradition of his country, Iranian designer Arsalan Ghadimi created the Lunule Chair. Featuring a wooden frame with leather-lined cushions, the chair incorporates the tradition of sitting cross-legged. Its circular form provides the perfect structure to place the lower half of our bodies onto, with sufficient space for our knees and legs as well! The doughnut-like seat evenly distributes the force exerted upon our body when we sit, enabling us to maintain a solid posture. A backrest with a soft foam cushion can be attached to the Lunule Chair, paired up with the already ergonomic form of the chair, this provides further support to our caudal vertebrae and waist.
03. Symphony Number 7 Art Chair by Ting-Hsian Chen
Similar in spirit to the Butterfly Chair by Eduardo Garcia Campos, the Symphony 7 Chair is inspired by the softness and sweetness of the 7th Symphony by Beethoven. The rocking chair is made from a pipe frame, and comes with leather cushioning, combining comfort, strength, and an incredibly organic skeletal design that makes for a great silhouette. The chair looks even beautiful when paired together with another of its kind, creating a beautiful symmetry!
04. Intermodality Desk by Attila Stromajer
Inspired by the prominent role and place of grand pianos in homes, the Intermodality desk is just as grand. With a design that follows the cues of the large instrument, the desk comes with a similar shape, size, and even features a large lid that opens sideways, like in a grand piano. Standing on three legs, like the musical instrument, the Intermodality desk is crafted from antiqued plywood, and features copper trimmings near the handles and at the base of the legs, adding a touch of finesse to the desk’s grand design.
05. Mountain Bench by Yi Feng
Crafted from individual mahogany slats, the Mountain Bench not only provides seating, but also adds an element of art to its space. Inspired by the high mountains of Chinese paintings, the bench’s undulating backrest actually does look like a mountain range. Individual layers of wood give the bench depth too, lending volume to the design while also giving it a tranquil, meditative spirit.
06. Oceania Couch by Simon Haeser
Designed to be what I’d describe as a modern-day take on the Eames Lounge Chair, the Oceania couch comes with a design featuring a molded plywood backrest and base, with cushions to provide comfort. Oceania’s clean lines and flowing curves are designed to embrace and comfort. The visual language of the couch tries to capture the designer’s interpretation of fluidity, inspired by Australia’s beaches.
07. Beel Seat Ware by Selami Gündüzeri
The Beel Chair’s unique biodynamic aesthetic literally takes inspiration from the part of your body that rests against it… the spine! Mimicking the shape of two vertebral bones, connected together by a spinal column, the Beel chair offers comfortable sitting and healthy posture, while being flexible, thanks to the backrest’s design. Designed by Selami Gündüzeri, the Beel is reminiscent of the design aesthetic championed by late German design stalwart Luigi Colani.
08. Koron Sofa by Reza Salianeh & Hamid Packseresht
The Koron Sofa isn’t one to shy away from its proud Persian heritage. Inspired by the Iranian instrument Taar, the Koron comes with a voluminous design that replicates the Taar’s hollow, bulbous body. The couch uses a combination of metal and leather to give it its distinct appearance that makes it look visually heavy, but also comfortable, making it a great addition to the very center of contemporary houses, retail spaces, and offices with semi-Persian styling.
09. Eget Desk by Adrian Soldado Cid & Paula Terra Bosch
Eget’s modern interpretation of the desk truly makes it award-worthy. The desk is more than a mere elevated surface on legs, and Eget’s ability to tie the desk to its user’s behavior allows it to truly be remarkable. The Eget comes with a minimal styling, sticking to simple surfaces and the use of wood, white, and grey. the desk’s ply wraps around the sides to provide storage space within, enough for books, stationery, and even chargers galore. On the top, the Eget has its own adjustable drafting table that lets you set your writing/drawing surface at an angle. Behind it is a panel of felt that acts as a visual partition that also dampens noise and lets you pin notes to it. Slots on the side of the desk allow you to store extra notes, pads, sheets, and pens for quick access, and here’s my favorite part. The desk even has its own dedicated wireless charging area built in, so you can juice your phone while you’re being productive!
10. Shell Sofa by Natalia Komarova
With a voluminous yet hollow frame, the Shell sofa is visible, yet visually light. It is, in a strictly physical sense, minimalist (because it’s mainly hollow), but visually, the Shell sofa is almost pillowy, spacious, and a treat to look at. The sofa is a frame that curves from the left to the back and to the right, with space in between for cushions, or even two side tables if you remove the cushions at the extreme ends. It’s visually imposing, but still manages to look light and airy, thanks to its wickerwork of metal rods. The interwoven rods also create this moire effect that creates a dynamic optical illusion, making the Shell sofa’s body incredibly interesting to look at… and while we’re on the subject of interesting, the sofa comes with two small openings at the beginning and end of its structure, making it perhaps the most entertaining play area for a domestic cat. Good luck getting it out though once it goes inside!
Register to participate in the A’ Design Awards now! Hurry, this is your last chance to win an A’ Design Award in 2020! Deadline: February 28th, 2020.
