Weaving Wood Mba'erupa by ZKW Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Brónse in Mba'epyru Jejapo Competition Category.

BrónseMba'epyru· 2025

Weaving Wood Mba'erupa

by ZKW Studio

Client: ZKW Studio

A' Design Award Brónse Winner in Mba'epyru Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Weaving Wood Mba'erupa

Yvyra Ñembosako'i Mba'erupa ha'e peteĩ mba'erupa nuésa-gua trapezoidal oguerekóva mbohapy paha lateral oñembosakóiva nuésa pire'a ao reheve. Pe ñembosako'i atýi iñambue opaite superficie javeve, omoheñóivo peteĩ gradiente hu'ỹva textura-pe. Ko tembiapo po rupive, ndaikatúiva ojehupyty maquinaria rupive, omoĩ oñondive yvyra mbarete estructural ha ao iflexibilidáre. Oñeha'ã jave kuarahy resape, pe superficie ojapo hesa ojekyrẽva, ha yvyra ryrýi ñemohenda oipytyvõ peteĩ ritmo visual consistente-pe.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Brónse

Weaving Wood Mba'erupa ohupyty A' Design Award Brónse, peteĩ ñehechakuaa heta prestigioso oñeme'ẽva diseño sobresaliente-pe ojekuaáva creatividad, ingenio ha astucia rupi. Umi ganador Brónse ha'e artefacto hábil ha creativo ohechaukáva experiencia, imaginación ha recurso umi diseñador-pe. Oñeha'ãrõ Weaving Wood Mba'erupa ha'eha peteĩ objeto ojehayhúva, admirado ha estimado, profesional ha innovador. Ko diseño ohupytýva A' Design Award Brónse ombojoaju mejor práctica arte, ciencia, diseño ha tecnología rehegua ha iporãiterei detalle rehe. Weaving Wood Mba'erupa ombohory necesidad, ohupyty ipotapy, ombovy'a sentimiento ha ohenói curiosidad.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This piece of furniture employs a unique weaving technique that integrates walnut veneer into textile, transforming the originally fabric into a unique screen. When exposed to sunlight, the woven surface casts delicate and beautiful shadows. Weaving veneer into textile is a unique technique that machines are not capable of doing. Each wooden board undergoes a meticulous selection based on its grain and color, building a consistent sense of nature beauty.
Dimensions & Packaging: W * D * H : 508 * 304 * 1118 mm
Tags: Cabinet, Veneer Textile, Furniture, Material Innovation, Indoor Furniture
Production Technology: This cabinet is entirely handcrafted from walnut, including the textile panels on both sides, which are woven from a combination of cotton thread and walnut veneer. The technique of integrating wood veneer into textile weaving is a process that cannot be replicated by machines. Due to the hardness and thickness of the walnut veneer, the tension of the weave must be carefully and continuously adjusted—tight enough to securely hold the veneer strips in place, yet flexible enough to maintain structural integrity without causing displacement.
Design Challenge: The project posed creative and technical challenges, particularly in adapting thick wood veneer for weaving. Wood veneer lacks the tension typically required by a loom and thread fabric, making it necessary to carefully calculate the spacing between each column to maintain a good structure. Beyond the textile, the frame designed to hold the textile became another big technical challenge. Though the grooves are invisible from the outside, there are 28 hidden channels that secure the woven surface in place. Due to their seamless requirement and the thinness of each wooden board, cutting precise grooves along narrow edges proved fine-tuned craftsmanship, merging material research with construction precision.
Research: The project is rooted in a deep investigation of materials and making techniques, centering on a textile innovation that integrates thin walnut veneer into a woven structure using a loom. The process involved extensive experimentation, beginning with a series of prototypes that tested veneer thicknesses, thread weights, and weaving patterns. A key challenge was preserving the tension necessary for weaving while accommodating the rigidity of wood—an issue resolved through careful calibration of spacing, tension, and structural support.

Traditional weaving tools were adapted for this process, with each strip of veneer hand-cut and softened for flexibility before being woven alongside cotton thread. Machines proved incompatible with the delicacy and precision required, making the technique entirely dependent on manual craftsmanship. The final textile achieves both strength and fluidity, allowing the wood grain to appear continuous across a pliable surface.

In parallel with material research, the project draws on classical furniture forms—particularly the trapezoidal cabinet, a shape now rare in contemporary contexts. Reinterpreted through this new textile language, the form is both familiar and reimagined, merging historic references with a distinctly modern sensibility.
Inspiration: Inspired by the balanced spirit of nature, this cabinet reinterprets a classic trapezoidal form with three side panels composed of walnut veneer textile. The veneer is woven more densely near the frame, creating a visual and tactile gradient , not only in the viewing but also in the tactile experience. By blending rigid walnut with flexible textile, the piece explores harmony through material, offering a unique sensory experience that invites closer interaction and touch.
Project Duration: The project started in October 2023 and finished in March 2024 in United States, and was exhibited in ICFF WANTED in May 2024.
Operation Flow: The cabinet features a slender profile suited for storing small objects, making it well-suited to living spaces and compact interiors. Its low height allows it to sit neatly beside a television, serving as a functional storage piece. Designed to be freestanding, the cabinet reveals its tactile quality when illuminated. Sunlight filtering through the woven textile creates a soft interplay of light and shadow. The pale-toned fabric responds gently to natural light, introducing a sense of airy and a renewed lightness to the surrounding space.
Team Members: Textile Partner: Huining Liu