Press Release
Silver A' Design Award in Garden and Outdoor Furniture Design Goes to Palm Collection Lounge Seating by Helle Nielsen
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Helle Nielsen for garden and outdoor furniture design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Palm Collection Lounge Seating by Helle Nielsen, designed for Libra By Palma International, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Garden and Outdoor Furniture Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 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 scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More About Palm Collection Lounge Seating
Palm Collection is a set of lounge seating designed for indoor and outdoor spaces. The collection includes two related pieces. Palm Nest rests directly on flat ground and offers a grounded seating experience. Palm Swing is suspended from a dedicated stand and moves gently in response to body weight. Both pieces share a powder coated aluminum frame with handwoven synthetic rope surfaces. The cushions are made with quick dry foam and outdoor grade fabric. The calm sculptural forms suit homes, terraces, gardens and hospitality settings.
About Helle Nielsen
Helle Nielsen is a designer with a background in Scandinavian design principles, focusing on functional and material-driven solutions. Her work reflects a balance between craftsmanship and modern production, with attention to durability and everyday usability. Over the years, she has contributed to the development of furniture and design concepts for international markets, collaborating with manufacturers and creative teams across disciplines. Nielsen’s approach emphasizes clarity in form, responsible material use, and long-term relevance in design.
Award Record
This recognition makes Helle Nielsen a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Garden and Outdoor Furniture Design Award
The A' Outdoor Furniture Design Award is an international furniture design competition recognizing good outdoor furniture by designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to outdoor furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and outdoor furniture brands from all countries. Typical entries include deck chairs, garden benches, picnic tables, patio sets, outdoor daybeds and hammocks. The awarded outdoor furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/outdoor-furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/178291
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/178291
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!178291
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/290212
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
- Palm Collection Lounge Seating
- Function
- Lounge Seating
- Category
- Garden and Outdoor Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Dim Gray, Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Rosy Brown and Dark Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Libra By Palma International
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Helle Nielsen
- Country
- Indonesia
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #178291
Credits
- Team
- Finn Oestergaard
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Palm Collection is a seating project consisting of two related designs: the Palm Nest and the Palm Swing. Developed as a cohesive family, both pieces share the same visual language while offering different ways of resting and inhabiting space. The Palm Nest is designed to sit directly on flat ground, creating a grounded and protective seating experience, while the Palm Swing is suspended from a dedicated stand, introducing a gentle sense of movement and lightness. The collection was created in collaboration with Danish designer Finn Oestergaard, whose work is recognized for its refined Scandinavian sensibility and human-centered approach.
- Inspiration
- The Palm Collection draws inspiration from the form of nine leaves arranged like a bouquet, a natural symbol of balance and openness. This idea evolved into two expressions of comfort: the Palm Nest, resting gently on flat ground, and the Palm Swing, suspended from its sculptural stand. Rooted in Scandinavian clarity and tropical warmth, the collection reflects calmness, connection, and the quiet rhythm of nature.
- Research
- The design development of the Palm Collection involved exploration of organic forms and their translation into functional seating. Research focused on the relationship between structure and softness, particularly how woven materials can provide both support and comfort. References were drawn from natural arrangements, such as the radial composition of leaves, as well as from Scandinavian design principles emphasizing clarity and usability. Material research included testing aluminum for lightweight strength and rope weaving techniques for flexibility and durability in both indoor and outdoor environments.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was translating a soft, organic concept into a structurally sound design suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Balancing visual lightness with durability required careful development of the aluminum frame and woven surfaces.
- Realization and Technology
- The Palm Collection is realized through a combination of industrial production and handcraft techniques. The main structure is made from powder-coated aluminum, selected for its strength, durability, and resistance to outdoor conditions. The seating surfaces are handwoven using synthetic rope by skilled artisans, allowing flexibility while maintaining structural integrity. Cushions are produced using quick-dry foam and covered with outdoor-grade fabric to ensure performance in varying climates. The production process focuses on precision in the frame construction and consistency in handweaving to achieve both visual clarity and long-term use.
- Operation and Interaction
- The Palm Collection offers two complementary ways of resting. The Palm Nest provides a stable, grounded seating experience on flat surfaces, while the Palm Swing is suspended from its stand, creating gentle movement that responds to the user body weight. Both pieces encourage intuitive interaction through supportive cushions and woven surfaces.
- Project Duration and Location
- The Palm Collection was designed over a period of approximately 6–8 months. The design process was developed through collaboration between Denmark and Indonesia, combining conceptual development in Denmark with prototyping and production refinement in Indonesia.
- Specifications
- Palm Collection consists of two seating pieces. Palm Swing: W1220 D1030 H1470 mm. Palm Nest: W1320 D1610 H1110 mm. Both designs feature a powder-coated aluminum frame combined with handwoven rope seating surfaces. Cushions are made with quick-dry foam and outdoor grade fabric. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
