Winners in first Wood Stock Design Competition

The winners of the inaugural Wood Stock Design Competition, organised by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), have been announced. The 15 shortlisted entries were showcased at the Maison & Objet exhibition in Paris in January, when the top three projects were announced.

The winner of the category for stand-alone products or furniture design was won by Geoffrey Graven of Strate Collège Designers in Sèvre, France. His piece, Tandem (pictured), is a seat containing small shelves plus a revolving table, designed in American white oak, showing off the grain and texture of the wood. It impressed the judges with its commercial feasibility, suitable for both homes and public spaces such as airport lounges. It also won the public vote with 35 per cent of votes.

The category of interior design was won by Audrey Yaacouli and Mélanie Saillard of Lycée La Martinière in Lyon, with their project “The Contemporary Ornament”. It is a reception desk designed for a school, which perfectly fitted the brief to organise a space.  Reminiscent of work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the judges praised the repetitive use of squares and cut-outs which create shadows that would indicate to a school’s students whether the reception was open or closed.  The contrast of wood species chosen creates interesting patterns with the light American tulipwood against dark American walnut.

The third category of small extension or renovation tested the applicants’ architectural skills by asking them to design an extension or renovation to an existing building. It was won by “The Transition Cube” by Mathilde Lanoë of the Institut d’art visuels in Orléans. The innovative wooden cube structure is moveable creating an intimate and warm environment in the winter months, but can slide back to allow sunlight into the conservatory area in the summer months.  The cladding in American ash is contrasted by the darker foldable seats in American gum.

AHEC launched the Wood Stock Design Competition to encourage young professionals and graduates to explore the use of American hardwoods in design. The entries, from young designers and architects from France and Belgium, were manufactured into prototypes or scale models in American hardwood.

The jury was chaired by Christian Liaigre, interior designer and chief executive of Maison Liaigre, with a panel including leading architect Philippe Chaix, designer Guillaume Delvigne and Catherine Pierre, deputy chief editor of architectural magazine AMC.