Press Release
Olga Szymanska Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Hus Coffee table in Furniture Design
Olga Szymanska honored for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2016 - 2017 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2017 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Hus Coffee table by Olga Szymanska, designed for Olga Szymanska Design. The recognition forms part of the 2016 - 2017 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.
The Golden A' Design Award Explained
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
Regarding Hus Coffee table
Hus is a coffee table that also works as a toy house for children. The table consists of two modules and a removable top. Each module represents a floor of a building, with windows, stairs, movable walls and miniature furniture. The modules can be shifted, turned or separated, and guide rails keep them stable. An empty module serves as storage. The bottom piece and legs are made of solid oak, and the upper piece and top are made of MDF. Children can explore the textures and weight of construction materials such as wood, concrete and clear panels.
About Olga Szymanska
Olga Szymanska is a Polish designer based in Warsaw, with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She designs various industrial design objects, but her favourite field is furniture design. In her work she likes to use natural materials combined with new technologies and she believes in the "less is more" principle. Each visual design, however aesthetically pleasing, arises from the functionality of the item. She believes that working in design requires continues learning and self-improvement.
Award Record
With this recognition, Olga Szymanska is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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. It 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. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/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/54764
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/54764
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!54764
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/168451
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.olgaszymanska.com
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
- Hus Coffee table
- Function
- Coffee table
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Lavender, Rosy Brown, Gainsboro, Gray and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Olga Szymanska Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Olga Szymanska
- Country
- Poland
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2016 - 2017
- Design ID
- #54764
Credits
- Image Credits
- Images: photographer Didi Studio
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Hus is made of natural materials used in construction like wood, concrete or transparent panels. Children can get to know the smells, textures and weight of those materials. Simple forms of furniture and walls can help teach to arrange open space. After play the house turns into a table.
- Inspiration
- I noticed that the market is saturated with low quality plastic toy houses with distorted proportions and chaotic details. I wanted to create an object which could be a worthwhile place to play and learn for children. The form of the table is reminiscent of modernist architecture, which was noteworthy for its open space interiors. This means that the children are not limited to arranging fixed rooms and can use their unconstrained creativity.
- Research
- Wanting to create a worthwhile object for children, I observed groups for 4- to 10-year-olds during constructive play. I noticed that when children are not constrained in their imaginative play, they look down on their created mini-world from above (not from the side). I decided to use this idea and designed an object in which children could play with open space resembling modernist architecture. I made a prototype and allowed children to play with it. The design was well-received by children.
- Challenge
- The most important challege was finding materials which would be locally sourced and hand manufactured with attention to detail and quality; and at the same time with finishing that would be safe for children to use (non toxic lacquer, natural flaxseed oil).
- Realization and Technology
- The table consists of three main pieces. The bottom piece and legs are made of solid oak wood, the upper piece and the top are made of MDF. All small parts (the furniture) are made of solid oak wood and oiled with natural flaxseed oil. The miniature walls are made of concrete, solid oak wood and clear PVC. The window openings are cut with CNC milling machine.
- Operation and Interaction
- The table consists of two independent modules and a removable table top. The modules can be shifted, turned or separated. It is safe because of guide rails which prevent the modules from falling apart. Each of the two modules represents a floor of a building, with windows, stairs, freely movable walls and furniture. An empty module can be used as storage space.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Warsaw in January 2016, and was completed in May 2016. It was exhibited at Wawa Desig Festival in Warsaw and at the Institute of Design in Kielce, Poland.
- Specifications
- Whole object: Width 760 mm x Depth 400 mm x Height 370 mm Miniature walls: Width 150 mm x Depth 20 mm x Height 90 mm Miniature furniture: 30 pieces in various shapes and dimensions Paper box for the small pieces: Width 330 mm x Depth 220 mm x Height 102 mm Package: Width 860 mm x Depth 500 mm x Height 470 mm
- Keywords
- table, furniture, toy, learning, architecture, modular, minimalist, creativity, arranging, storage
