Press Release
Golden A' Design Award in Furniture Design Goes to Niemeyer II Armchair by Joana Santos Barbosa
Joana Santos Barbosa recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ Niemeyer II Armchair by Joana Santos Barbosa, designed for InsidherLand, has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed 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 Niemeyer II Armchair
Designed by Joana Santos Barbosa, the rounded forms of the Niemeyer II armchair are influenced by the modernist House of Canoas of Oscar Niemeyer. Having a refined design with architectural details, this armchair is minimal and yet a statement piece. The upholstery work is meticulous, with seams reduced to essential, in order to reproduce the backward movement of flat roof when seen from an aerial view. Upholstered in a special woven bouclé, this welcoming armchair receives people with a gentle embrace and feels the most comfortable place in the room.
About Joana Santos Barbosa
Born in Oporto, Joana Santos Barbosa graduated in Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Oporto in 2006, later deepening her knowledge in Interior Design at St. Martin’s School of Arts and Design in London. Alongside with Architecture, the passion for the Detail motivated her to create her own exclusive furniture design. Created by Joana in 2012, Insidherland is a Portuguese brand of author design inspired by the natural wonders and the excellence of art. Joana explores influences from travels around the World to define her own Land as a place that transforms her unique vision into pieces of art.
Award Record
This recognition makes Joana Santos Barbosa 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. 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://designers.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://designers.org/138699
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/138699
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!138699
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/328977
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/36M9jjH
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
- Niemeyer II Armchair
- Function
- Armchair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Light Gray, Silver, Antique White, Sienna and Linen
- Images
- 5
- Client
- InsidherLand
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Joana Santos Barbosa
- Country
- Portugal
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #138699
Credits
- Image Credits
- Video: InsidherLand Images white background: InsidherLand Image in a house ambience: Weco Gallery
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This is an armchair with a challenging design. Having a strong narrative speaking behind its organic forms, the creative process was developed in a cohesive dialogue between the general rounded design and the focus on the correct location of the seams. The symbolism is strong and so it’s the design itself. This armchair is almost minimal in its inner hidden complexity. Reduced to the essential, the design and the details create a graceful symbiosis between form and function.
- Inspiration
- The rounded armchair is named after the Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer and its rounded forms are influenced by the House of Canoas designed in 1951. The modern flat roof offers its flowing forms to the round seat. The backward movement of the curve that frames a large granite boulder is recreated by the location of the diagonal seams that flow all around the arms and seat of the armchair. Seen from above, it really recreates the exact movement into the comfortable seat.
- Research
- Being influenced by the assumptions modernist architecture such as freedom of forms and volumetric organicity, the goal was to create a free design. The handmade production was a process of adjustments between the free sketches, the technical drawings and the real scale modeling. The construction was carried out in full-scale prototypes. While upholstery was improved, the structure had to be adapted to the new demands. Since its launch, this armchair has quickly been a commercial success.
- Challenge
- Challenges are part of the design process and a completely round armchair is no exception. Inside, the wooden structure presents the necessary complexity for its clean exterior appearance. The construction process included several adjustments, both in the wooden structure and in the exact collation of the seams, to reach the final design, in which we find a total simplicity. Another anticipated challenge was related to the stability of the chair. By reducing the contact of the base with the floor we were able to offer an enormous freedom to the design. However, several improvements have been defined for its stability. This armchair is also available with a swivel option.
- Realization and Technology
- Fully handcrafted in the city of Porto, located in the North of Portugal, this armchair is produced by local artisans. The use of traditional techniques is applied to create new contemporary designs. Product details Upholstery in InsidherLand Woollen fabric Base in oak finished in matt varnish
- Operation and Interaction
- Having a refined design and meticulous upholstery work, the Niemeyer II armchair is a best-seller among the designs created by Joana Santos Barbosa. It is a luxurious armchair that catches the eye of the public, being both a minimal design, yet a statement piece. Upholstered in a special woven bouclé, this armchair receives people with a gentle embrace and feels the most comfortable place in the room. It is also available with a swivel option.
- Project Duration and Location
- It took about a year to create the armchair and was released in September 2019 at Maison and Objet in Paris.
- Specifications
- Dimensions Height 86cm 33,86in Width 94cm 37,00in Depth 92cm 36,22in Seat Height 44cm 17,32in
- Keywords
- roundarmchair, roundchair, chunkychair, modernchair, bouclechair
