The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has worked with three young Nordic furniture design talents to explore the aesthetic and technical potential and highlight the sustainability credentials of three US hardwood species. The results took centre stage at the 3daysofdesign festival in Copenhagen in June.
The underlying theme of the project, naturally enough called ‘Three’, was the need for the design industry to make the most of what the global forest naturally provides and use the most sustainable hardwood species available. And the maple, cherry and red oak featured together comprise 40% of the US hardwood forest.
“Three was conceived to demonstrate the possibilities of these woods as sustainable, affordable materials through a trio of extraordinary pieces that tread the porous border between functional design and sculptural art,” said AHEC European director David Venables.
“The brief to each designer-maker was to explore the material they were given to work with and let that process inform the creative outcome in whatever direction they chose. This is a very different approach to that of our previous projects and is a deliberate attempt to make the materials the focus and celebrate a fresh perspective on their potential.”
One of the project designers Anne Brandhøj from Denmark was inspired to focus on natural, renewable materials she could source herself after an inspirational visit to a sawmill. She felled her own timber and started to value and explore using the natural imperfections of the material in her work. She describes herself as fascinated by the different shapes and substances she discovers within the trunk of a tree, and it is these which she has exploited in the American cherry she was given to work with for Three.
The outcome, Inner Beauty, is a range of consoles created by building up layers of carved wood. She encouraged people to touch the pieces to get the distinct feel of the timber. “To some people, wood is just wood,” she said. “But to me, different types give completely different experience.”
Pia Högman from Sweden was assigned red oak to work with for the project. She has also been focused on making the most out of the natural resource that is the forest. In her case, she’s been using birch bark, finding new ways to use what was once a widely employed material. She has used it to fashion bowls, platters, furniture objects and even roofing tiles.
“When I find an interesting material, I want to dive into it and see all of the possibilities,” she said.
This clearly came through in her use of red oak to make a set of five matching chairs for Three. She felt the wood, often overlooked for white oak, has untapped potential and she took the opportunity to explore how surface treatment could accentuate its visual and tactile qualities.
The finish enhances the open structure of the wood, which Ms Högman formed into linear and curved panels, with details to highlight the long end grains. She hoped her creation would show red oak in a new light.
“My goal as a designer is not to simply produce products that anyone could make; it’s more important to me to contribute to something bigger, like giving materials new life,” she said.
The third of the Three designers, Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng took against the straight and narrow of conventional furniture and homeware design and decided to take her inspiration from the wild forest landscapes of her native Norway.
“I was so bored of seeing straight lines everywhere. I wanted to make something different,” she said.
Her pieces are informed by the natural shapes of the wood she works with and she prefers to “think through my hands” rather than draw detailed plans. And she’ll use a range of tools, from chisels to a chain saw, as the material dictates.
She found the US maple she was presented with for Three behaved similarly to the Norwegian ash she knew. But she said the grain created more striking patterns.
“When you carve it, it creates an organic, double-curved landscape that is so aesthetically pleasing,” she said. This quality inspired her to make a shelving unit combining CNC-milled shelves with highly textural armatures, and a footstool and stool that make the most of maple’s annual rings.
All the trio’s pieces featured at 3daysofdesign at the Copenhagen Design Agency. The displays also told the stories of their making and connected visitors to the importance of the American hardwood forests, where the inspirational materials were sourced.
