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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Focal Bookcase by Yilmaz Dogan Wins the A' Design Award in Furniture Design

Yilmaz Dogan honored for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Focal Bookcase by Yilmaz Dogan, designed for QZENS Furniture, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Regarding Focal Bookcase

The Focal bookcase combines neoclassical symmetry with Art Deco elegance, featuring metal columns and asymmetrical chamfered shelf edges for a dynamic yet balanced look. Drawing inspiration from architectural rhythm, it merges classic refinement with modern craftsmanship. Precision-cut and hand-finished surfaces ensure a smooth texture, while hidden connection points provide structural integrity, creating the illusion of floating shelves and enhancing the design’s refined aesthetic.

About Yilmaz Dogan

Yılmaz Doğan is a designer who has been interested in interior architecture and product design since childhood and started to develop his skills in this field at a young age. His design journey began as an apprentice in his family's carpenter's workshop in Siteler, Ankara, where he quickly realized the importance of structure in both space and furniture design. His passion for pushing structural boundaries led him to study civil engineering at university. With his unique style that blends engineering and design disciplines, he has won many prestigious national and international design awards, including the iF, Red Dot and the A' Design Award.

Award Record

Yilmaz Dogan is a winner of 8 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2018 - 2019 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Furniture Design Award

The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Focal Bookcase
Function
Bookcase
Category
Furniture Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Furniture & Home
Colors
Dim Gray, Lavender, Dark Gray, Silver and Light Gray
Images
5
Client
QZENS Furniture

The Recognition

Laureate
Yilmaz Dogan
Country
Turkiye
Recognition
A' Design Award
Edition
2024 - 2025
Design ID
#168209

Credits

Image Credits
A. Murat ARIK Erinç ULUSOY Giray AYDOS

Design Details

Unique Properties
Focal Bookcase is a meticulously designed bookcase that seamlessly blends intricate surface details with impeccable craftsmanship. Its leg structure, reminiscent of vertical columns, creates a dynamic appearance with asymmetrical grooves along the shelf edges. Brass details emphasize luxury and elegance, while the flawless surface symmetry ensures aesthetic balance. It reinterprets the timeless lines of neoclassical architecture through a modern design language.
Inspiration
Focal Bookcase draws inspiration from the balanced symmetry of Neoclassical architecture and the refined details of Art Deco. The brass supports, resembling vertical columns, reflect the rhythmic form of architectural structures. By combining the modernism of the 1920s with fine craftsmanship and luxurious materials, it offers a timeless design. With its flawless craftsmanship and surface details, it embodies the harmony of classical and contemporary aesthetics.
Research
Research on Neoclassical architecture and Art Deco design principles formed the foundation of Focal Bookcase’s inspiration. The architectural column form was combined with refined brass details to achieve a balance between aesthetics and functionality in furniture. Material, proportion, and symmetry analyses supported the integrity of the design.
Challenge
The main design challenge of the Focal Bookcase was adapting architectural elements to a furniture scale while maintaining a balanced structure. Specially developed hidden connection points were implemented to allow the brass columns to function as structural supports without losing their delicate form, ensuring that the shelves remain suspended in the air.
Realization and Technology
Focal Bookcase is crafted from a perfect fusion of high-quality wood and brass materials. The surfaces are shaped using Cnc cutting and finished by hand to achieve an exceptional smoothness. The brass columns serve as structural supports, while the asymmetrical chamfered edges of the shelves add dynamism to the design. The enhanced material structure ensures durability and long-lasting use.
Operation and Interaction
Focal Bookcase is designed to be both decorative and functional. It offers an ideal shelf arrangement for books, objects, and artworks, while the vertical brass columns enhance stability. The asymmetrical edge details create a different perspective from every angle, adding aesthetic dynamism to the space.
Project Duration and Location
The project began with the initial sketches during a trip to Paris in 2023. The production was completed in 2024, in Ankara.
Specifications
Height: 208 cm, Width: 120 cm, Depth: 40 cm. Its balanced form and open-shelf structure create a transparent composition within spaces. The lightweight and elegant design, combined with a closed lower compartment, makes it ideal for both storage and display.
Keywords
Focal, Bookcase, Neoclassic, Art Deco, Asymmetry, Wood, Brass, Modern, Elegant, Architecture

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