Virella Furniture by Ghazaleh Abbasian is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.
IronFurniture· 2026
Virella Furniture
Client: Ghazal
A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #173192The Design
About Virella Furniture
This design is inspired by natural forms interacting with urban environments and features a twisting wooden structure that expresses movement and transformation. It integrates greenery, seating, and subtle lighting to create a balanced relationship between aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability. The structure is modular and ergonomically designed, supporting comfort and social interaction. Materials include durable timber, metal supports, and integrated ambient LED lighting, contributing to its adaptability and presence within a range of urban contexts.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Virella Furniture is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Virella Furniture is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Virella Furniture is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Interviews
Grand Interview
The twisted wooden structure of Virella Furniture is a genuinely compelling achievement, capturing a sense of organic movement within a form that is also asked to support everyday human use in public space. Could you walk us through the precise moment or observation that first convinced you that this kind of gradual, parametric twist in timber could serve not only as sculpture but as a fully functional and comfortable seating object?
The idea came from thinking about how public furniture can do more than simply provide a place to sit. I wanted to design a sculptural urban bench that could encourage social interaction, while still giving people a subtle sense of personal space in a public environment.The gradual twist allowed the bench to change direction and create different seating orientations, so people could choose to sit together, beside each other, or slightly apart. At the same time, integrating greenery into the center helped soften the object and bring nature into the urban space. That was the moment I realized the twist was not only a visual gesture, but also a functional strategy for comfort, privacy, and social connection.
Urban furniture is increasingly expected to address psychological and social dimensions of public life, and Virella Furniture appears to respond to this expectation directly by embedding greenery, ambient light, and ergonomic form into a single cohesive structure. How do you believe Virella Furniture reframes what urban furniture can contribute to the social wellbeing and sense of ease of people inhabiting contemporary public spaces?
I believe Virella Furniture reframes urban furniture as more than a functional object. It becomes a small social and emotional space within the city. The use of natural material, especially timber, helps create a warmer and calmer experience for users, compared to more rigid or cold urban elements.The integrated greenery also plays an important role. It softens the public environment, keeps visual openness, and at the same time creates a gentle sense of separation between users. This can help people feel more comfortable and secure in public spaces, regardless of their age or background. In this way, Virella supports both social interaction and personal ease, which are very important in contemporary urban life.
The decision to remove specific planks from the surface of Virella Furniture to create pockets for living greenery carries both ecological and symbolic meaning, suggesting that nature is not an afterthought but a structural participant in the design. In what ways does this integration of plant life within Virella Furniture address broader questions about returning natural life to urban environments, and what practical material and horticultural considerations did this decision demand?
For me, the greenery in Virella is not just a decorative element. By removing some of the timber planks and creating planting pockets, nature becomes part of the structure and part of the user experience. It reflects the idea that urban spaces should not be made only of hard surfaces, but should bring back small moments of natural life into everyday public environments. This integration helps soften the furniture visually and emotionally. It also creates a more pleasant micro-environment for users, while maintaining openness and a sense of connection to the surroundings.From a practical point of view, this decision required careful consideration of the timber, drainage, soil depth, and plant selection. The wood would need to be durable and properly protected against moisture. The planting pockets would need waterproofing, drainage, and enough space for roots. The plants should also be hardy, low-maintenance, and suitable for outdoor public spaces, preferably species that can tolerate sun, wind, and limited irrigation.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- This design stands out through its sculptural wooden form that seamlessly integrates seating, greenery, and lighting. The twisted geometry enhances ergonomic comfort while maintaining visual dynamism. Its modular structure allows flexible placement in various urban contexts, promoting both social interaction and ecological awareness.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Height = 30 cm, Diameter = 30 cm
- Tags
- Furniture, Sustainable, Bench, Public space.
- Production Technology
- The product is composed of wooden planks in varying lengths, a linear LED light, and metal supports that ensure the bench remains level.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge is creating a piece that can be used for seating in public spaces while being both environmentally friendly and made from natural materials . At the same time, it must respect personal boundaries, bringing people together in a way that allows them to feel comfortable and at ease.
- Research
- This qualitative research explores how urban furniture design shapes user behavior and social interaction. Using observations, interviews, and ergonomic analysis, it found that thoughtful design guides behavior, respects boundaries, and fosters social harmony. The study highlights integrating ergonomics, psychology, and aesthetics to create inclusive, user-centered urban spaces.
- Inspiration
- The design is inspired by the continuity of natural forms and their interaction with the urban environment. The gradual twist of the wooden structure evokes a sense of movement, flexibility, and transformation. Integrating greenery within the form symbolized the return of natural life to urban spaces, where contemporary design, functionality, and environmental sustainability find a balanced harmony.
- Project Duration
- Two months - Melbourne, Australia
- Operation Flow
- The overall design of this product is composed of wooden planks arranged side by side, forming a twisted parametric shape. In the upper surface and central section of the bench, some of these planks are removed to create space for planting flowers and greenery. A linear LED light is integrated beneath the bench, following its curved form to illuminate the surrounding area in harmony with the design.
- Team Members
- Ghazaleh Abbasian
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