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The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) is delighted to be collaborating with leading Indonesian designer Hendro Hadinata, unveiling the KARANA Collection at Indonesia Design Week (IDW), September 2025. Drawing on the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which means harmony between people, nature and spirit, Hadinata has created three striking furniture pieces: the Kuta Bench, Sanur Lounge Chair, and Ubud Light. Inspired by the sculptural works of Ida Bagus Nyana in the 1930s, the collection blends elongated, flowing forms with contemporary function, offering design that is both culturally rooted and globally resonant. What makes this collaboration unique is Hadinata’s fresh engagement with American hardwoods. Though an established voice in Indonesian design, this is his first major exploration of working in American hardwood timber with a collection created from American red oak and cherry. Known for their strength, sustainability, and expressive character, these hardwoods have...

Thai-born Australian furniture designer Nae Tanakorn's entry into the prestigious Australian Furniture Design Awards imagines a simpler, more harmonious way of life while showcasing impeccable craftsmanship Responding to a brief of ‘Design the World That You Want’, the Jintana cabinet draws inspiration from Tanakorn's vision of an ideal existence, one of equality, respect, sustainability and peace. For this year’s ATDA’s he wanted to create a piece that would evoke this philosophy while also providing a counterpoint to society's capitalistic tendencies. "I feel everyone has a chaotic lifestyle these days and I thought, why are we doing this?" Tanakorn explains. "My piece is to reflect the philosophy that we need to live a simpler life." The design concept centres around four connected pod-like structures, each representing a "seed" of purity, potential and new beginnings. Tanakorn elaborates, "Each pod represents an individual decentra...

Jarrod Lim and The American Hardwood Export Council presented their latest collaboration, Man x Machine x Material at the Interzum SEA showcase at Iffina Indonesia Meubel & Design Expo in last September 2024. Generative AI is a tool that will transform our lives, machines can process and transmit huge volumes of information at a speed far beyond the capabilities of humans.  But artificial intelligence remains very different from human intelligence. A computer cannot access context, it does not have an evolved understanding of the human condition and our emotional response to our environment and the materials within that environment. It does not sense nor care what we feel.  Lim experimented with human-computer interaction in his creation of Airstream table and Diffuse stools in American red oak. He collaborated with ChatGPT to explore the benefits and limitations of AI for a designer who works with a material so emotionally engaging as American red oak. The App...

Tristan Wong's use of timber creates an inclusive art experience in James Makin's Collingwood gallery. The archetypal art gallery, with expanses of white, square set walls may often feel somewhat institutional, rather than inclusive and cultural. This was precisely the type of experience that renowned gallery owner James Makin wanted to avoid when he opened his new exhibition space in Islington Street in Collingwood, Melbourne. The brief to architect Tristan Wong was for a space that challenged the seriousness and sterility of the gallery stereotype. Makin wanted to provide customers with the chance to explore and discover art in an environment which was both inviting and intriguing. Wong's design is a counterpoint to art gallery conventions, using blackened and curved timber to create a space that is dramatic, textural and tactile. Entering through a sliding, black stained hardwood door, visitors are guided past a 4.5-metre high curved timber wall that narrows at its ...

Designing furniture that will become works of art of excellence, ideally attaining the coveted A+ grade, expressing the highest idea of perfection and enhancing every interior with a distinctive touch. This is the mission of Atelier Plus Montecarlo, introducing a collection of products where the inherent elegance of marble seamlessly integrates with contemporary design. Atelier Plus Montecarlo crafts furnishings that are not simply functional, but real masterpieces that enrich and transform living spaces. The refinement of marble serves as the essence of each creation. A collection conceived from the imagination and creativity of three designers, Giuseppe Beretta, Beatrice Marelli and Anna Borga; with a selection of the finest marbles. Marble, the undisputed protagonist, is presented with a wide palette of colors and veins, giving every single element of the collection a distinct identity and unparalleled elegance. The outcome is a series of furnishings that stands as symbols of styl...

  For the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Milan Design Week has always been a crucial date on the calendar. The April event provides an unparalleled opportunity not only to showcase the design possibilities of sustainable hardwoods, but also to provide a platform for creative collaborations with extraordinary emerging and established talents. At this year’s Salone del Mobile, AHEC shone the spotlight on maple – a valuable yet underused hardwood with a delicate colour and a beautifully fine grain. Two UK studios participating in the Wallpaper* ‘Class of ’24’ exhibition at the Triennale were commissioned to create new work in maple: the artist and architect Giles Tettey Nartey, and Parti, the interdisciplinary studio founded in 2015 by Eleanor Hill and Tom Leahy. “We take immense joy in collaborating with creatives due to the unique opportunities it offers us as an organisation representing both an industry and a precious natural resource. Over the past two decades, we...

Product Designer Eugenio Hendro menekan sekali pendekatan keIndonesiaan dalam sebuah desain dan produk. ““Di studio kami fokusnya dalah menonjolkan keIndonesiaan dalam setiap produk yang dibuat untuk banyak brand. Itu mulai dari yang ready to sale atau market oriented hingga produk yang collectable seperti ini,” katanya. Ikuti kutipan paparannya di bawah ini. “Kalau lihat Pameran IFEX 2024 saat ini maka terkesan nyaris semua produknya sangat Indonesia banget. Ada yang suka, ada yang tidak suka. Ada yang bosan bahkan dinilai sudah kuno karena menggunakan kayu sebagai material utamanya. Beda dengan pameran di luar yang sangat beragam, tidak didominasi warna coklat kayu. Namun itu lah brand. Disini kita bisa mengukur apakah kehadiran kita tepat atau tidak. Apakah produk kita sama dengan buyer profiles di sebuah pameran. “Dibanding dengan pameran di luar maka pameran di sini berkesan kok begini-begini saja, tapi di kacamata orang luar negeri maka itu something sexy. Dan itu sesuatu yan...

Melesunya pasar bukan alasan bagi Otazen untuk berhenti bekreasi dan mengeluarkan koleksi-koleksi terbarunya. Manufaktur mebel yang berlokasi di Klaten, Jawa Tengah, memilih tetap berinovasi. Dalam tahun ini, Otazen telah berulang kali telah memproduksi berbagai koleksi desain seperti Stripes yang muncul penghujung tahun ini. Yang luar biasa adalah semua koleksi yang diproduksi itu merupakan hasil kolaborasi dengan rumah-rumah desain. Ini merupakan ciri utama yang membedakan Otazen. Stripes, misalnya, merupakan hasil kolaborasi Otazen dengan Lagranja Design asal Spanyol. Stripes merupakan furniture collection yang membangkitkan hubungan berkelanjutan antara manusia dengan alam, serta membangkitkan craftmanship yang diwariskan dari satu generasi ke genrasi berikutnya. Desain yang tak lekang dimakan waktu, dan perpaduan antara kayu dan ketrampilan tinggi dalam menganyam. Stripe Collection dari Lagranja Design merupakan koleksi mebel outdoor yang menggunakan kayu jati, yang mengkombinas...

Butuh waktu lebih lama untuk memahami perbincangan dengan James Lu, arsitek yang kini menjabat Regional Director Perkins&Will. Sebuah Firma Arsitek kondang yang memiliki 2800 staf di seluruh dunia. “Ada sekitar 100 staf yang bekerja dalam studio di Shanghai, China,” katanya saat diwawancarai di Chengdu, China. Arsitek kelahiran Taiwan yang besar di Kanada sangat bersemangat ketika berbicara mengenai Biophilia. Pendekatan yang diperkenalkan dipopulerkan Edward Wilson tampaknya sangat mengisipirasi desain-desainnya. Pendekatan ini pada intinya mencoba mengembalikan dan memposisikan manusia untuk lebih dekat dengan alam sekitarnya. “Desire or tendency to commune with nature”. Semacam gerakan back to nature dalam disiplin arsitektur. Pendekatan ini bertujuan memperpendek jarak antara manusia dengan alam sekitarnya, dan ini hanya bisa dilakukan dengan bersentuhan secara langsung dan mengalaminya secara nyata. Menurutnya, manusia sudah lama terasing dari alam sekitarnya. Dalam catata...