Press Release
John G Williams Receives the A' Design Award for Beke Kitchen Bar chair in Furniture Design
The international grand jury of the 2018 - 2019 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes John G Williams for furniture design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 25, 2019 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Beke Kitchen Bar chair by John G Williams, designed for John G Williams Fine Furniture. The award was conferred within the 2018 - 2019 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.
What the A' Design Award Means
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.
About Beke Kitchen Bar chair
Beke is a kitchen bar chair designed for use at a kitchen counter or breakfast bar. The name Beke means peace and to be connected to. The geometry of the seat, backrest and footrest is tailored for comfort during long periods of use. The seat is a custom plywood laminate finished with walnut veneer. The rear legs are steam bent in two parts and then laminated for long term dimensional stability. The backrest is coopered from shaped staves. The clean ash frame is shaped to give the chair a light and calm appearance.
About John G Williams
John G Williams Fine Furniture attempts to take bespoke timber design and craftsmanship to a new level. Traditional techniques are taken from their original context and applied in daring new ways to generate designs that are distinctive and fresh. The designs are luxurious without being fussy – they pair beautiful hardwood timbers with elegantly sweeping ash frames to deliver high impact furniture. The work captures the overall lightness of the Scandinavian style, while celebrating the rich colour and intensity of American and African hardwoods.
Award Record
This recognition makes John G Williams a winner of 3 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2017 - 2018 to 2018 - 2019 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
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/71063
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/71063
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!71063
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/194456
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.johngwilliamsfinefurniture.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
- Beke Kitchen Bar chair
- Function
- Kitchen Bar chair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Dim Gray, Dark Olive Green, Gray, Rosy Brown and Gainsboro
- Images
- 5
- Client
- John G Williams Fine Furniture
The Recognition
- Laureate
- John G Williams
- Country
- South Africa
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2018 - 2019
- Design ID
- #71063
Credits
- Image Credits
- John G Williams
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- An elegant and stable chair for use at a kitchen bar or counter, in the same range at the Beke dining chair. The chair is designed to be comfortable for extended periods of use, and the geometry of seat, backrest, and footrest have been tailored with this in mind. The seat is a unique custom plywood laminate finished in walnut veneer to an architectural form. The rear legs are formed in two parts: first by steam bending the graceful form, and then laminating for long term dimensional stability. The rails are profiled in an attempt to reinforce the overall lightness and sense of peace, and to support the cantilevered seat over the front rail.
- Inspiration
- Beke means 'peace' and 'to be connected to'. This design is intended to put the user at ease, for extended comfort at the breakfast bar – to provide an ergonomic and aesthetic sense of peace. The design attempts to realize this sense of well-being, and at the same time to support a sense of connection with the space at the bar. The design: respects the simplicity of the Danish Modern, and yet incorporates luxurious hardwood in the seat and back; integrates South African Cape Dutch architectural motifs with a sweeping architectural profile; uses a clean ash frame to showcase the richness of local and international hardwoods.
- Research
- Research focussed mainly on: the geometry of kitchen bar counter and chair; and the various manufacturing processes required to generate Beke
- Challenge
- The main aesthetic challenge in this project was to conceptualize a design that would be recognizably 'Beke' and congruent with the existing dining chair, without merely looking like an elongated version of the same. The manufacturing challenges were numerous. Combining steam bending with laminating for the rear legs required, in the end, a very complete understanding of the dynamics of steam bending. In particular, how steam bent parts spring back over time required extensive modeling and test work to realize the desired designed end product
- Realization and Technology
- The chair design incorporates a number of innovative components: custom plywood seat; steam bent rear legs; coopered backrest; and shaped rails: Custom plywood seat. The seat is formed from 5 plies, which are then finished top and bottom with a walnut veneer. The profile is a custom design that is used to build a purpose made forming press to generate finished seat forms. T nuts are encapsulated in the ply, so that the seat can be securely bolted to the frame with no interruption at all of the top surface of the seat. Steam bent rear legs. The rear legs are steam bent in two pieces; cooled and stabilized; and then laminated to generate the final leg forms.
- Operation and Interaction
- The Beke kitchen bar chair sits permanently near or at the kitchen counter. The user easily steps into the chair, using the front foot rail if preferred. The user can readily sit forward to the kitchen bar, given the small angle of inclination. The user is also comfortably supported by the inclined backrest, which remains comfortable for a number of hours. This sustains the most engaged of mealtime conversations, or possibly a shared sports match at a home bar.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was completed over the course of approximately 4 weeks. All design and manufacturing was completed in Johannesburg.
- Specifications
- Overall dimensions: 1080mm high x 470mm wide x 670mm deep Seat dimension: 470mm wide x 440mm deep Backrest dimensions: 540mm wide x 200 mm high Seat angle: 3 degrees Backrest angle: 18 degrees Included angle: 15 degrees Seat height: 660 mm Backrest height: 1025mm Weight: 7.0kg
- Keywords
- Beke, kitchen bar chair, south africa, hardwood, curved, danish modern, minimalist, ash, walnut, gracefu
