Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum by Nataliya Naymark

Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum by Nataliya Naymark is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Hlau in Tsim Rooj Tog Competition Category.

HlauRooj Tog· 2026

Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum

by Nataliya Naymark

Client: NNaymark.design

A' Design Award Hlau Winner in Rooj Tog Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #181782

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum

Nakovalnya yog ib lub rooj zaum loj heev uas hwm txoj kev siab ntawm kev lag luam hauv lub chaw ntaus hlau ntawm tebchaws Russia thaum tseem yog huab tais kav. Tau kev tshoov siab los ntawm kev ntaus hlau uas yog qub txeeg qub teg ntawm tus kws tsim qauv cov poj koob yawm txwv, daim ntawm no muab lub cev hnyav thiab ruaj khov ntawm lub anvil (thaiv ntaus hlau) hloov mus ua ib tug duab puab ntoo niaj hnub nimno. Nrog rau lub rooj zaum khoob tob uas raug txiav kom meej thiab ib lub duab qauv brutalist, Nakovalnya ua haujlwm ua ib lub rooj zaum siv tau thiab ua ib qho chaw tso khaub ncaws. Nws sawv cev rau lub ntsiab ntawm qhov pib, ib qho chaw ua haujlwm hloov mus ua ib qho khoom tseem ceeb hauv tsev los ntawm kev txawj tes ua zoo tshaj plaws.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hlau

Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Hlau, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom uas muab rau cov qauv tsim zoo uas ua tau raws li cov kev xav tau ntawm kev ua haujlwm thiab kev lag luam uas xav tau los ntawm cov khoom tsim zoo. Cov neeg yeej Hlau qhia txog kev txawj loj, kev paub tshwj xeeb siab, kev nkag siab ntawm cov kws tshaj lij thiab lub peev xwm tsim ntawm cov neeg tsim. Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum xav tias yuav yog ib qho khoom tsim uas neeg hwm, qhuas thiab hlub uas siv tau thiab tsim tshiab. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Hlau no sib xyaw cov kev coj ua zoo tshaj plaws ntawm kev lag luam thiab muaj cov yam ntxwv siv tshuab txawj ntse txuas nrog kev paub thiab txuj ci. Nakovalnya Rooj Zaum tau txais kev hwm vim nws tag nrho thiab tsim los muab kev txhim kho rau lub neej uas pab ua rau lub ntiaj teb zoo dua.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The Nakovalnya Chair explores ancestral heritage and the primordial act of creation. Inspired by the designer's great-great-grandfather, a blacksmith in Imperial Russia, the project embodies the grit and transformative power of the forge. The motive was to translate the "Anvil" - a site of intense labor and fire - into a domestic center piece. It serves as a tribute to the humble beginnings where raw materials are struck into beauty, positioning the chair as the essence of the home.
Dimensions & Packaging: 700*640*680
Tags: Anvil Chair, Nakovalnya Design, Blacksmith Heritage, Russian Brutalism, Sculptural Seating, Solid Wood Furniture, Valet Chair, Ancestral Storytelling, Imperial Russia, Modernist Craft, Monumental Furniture, Functional Art, CNC Woodworking, Hand-finished Timber, Heritage Design.
Production Technology: The chair is realized through high-precision solid wood joinery, using oversized ash or oak to achieve its brutal mass. The primary structural challenge involved the deep concave seat, achieved through multi-axis cnc milling and hand-finishing to highlight the grain. The assembly uses mortise-and-tenon joints, reinforced to support the cantilevered backrest and hanging rail. The finish is a matte, low-voc oil that preserves the raw, tactile nature of the timber.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was balancing brutalism with human ergonomics. To honor the anvil, the chair needed to feel heavy and immovable while remaining a comfortable seat. Overcoming the internal factor of personal history, ensuring the tribute was respectful yet modern, required multiple iterations of the silhouette. Structural limits of wood when mimicking the weight of iron posed engineering challenges. Achieving the deep seat curve without compromising the grain was the main technical hurdle.
Research: This project is a work of Applied Conceptual Research aimed at bridging ancestral history with modern furniture typology. The objective was to distill the "spirit of the forge" into a functional domestic object. The methodology involved a deep dive into 19th-century blacksmithing tools and Russian peasant heritage, translating heavy iron geometries into wood. Data collection consisted of studying anvil proportions and ergonomic testing of concave surfaces. Through experiments with 1:1 scale prototypes, the research successfully balanced "brutalist" aesthetics with seating comfort. The insight gained is that furniture can act as a vessel for historical memory, impacting design by moving away from clinical minimalism toward soulful, narrative-driven objects that resonate with a society seeking deeper connections to their past.
Inspiration: Nakovalnya is a sculptural seating element prioritizing a brutalist aesthetic. Characterized by thick-set wooden members and a dramatic concave seat, the design mimics the grounded geometry of traditional iron-working tools. Its unique strength lies in its dual functionality: it serves as a robust seating vessel and a sculptural valet for garments. Unlike standard furniture, Nakovalnya acts as a physical manifesto of historical labor, bridging the gap between utilitarian craft and art.
Project Duration: autumn 2025
Operation Flow: The chair functions as a heavy-duty sanctuary for both the body and belongings. Its deep, scooped seat provides a grounded sitting experience, while the high, sturdy backrest is designed to double as a valet for hanging heavy coats or everyday clothes. Interaction is simple and tactile: the oversized wooden frame encourages the user to feel the history of the forge. It performs better than standard seating by offering a dual-purpose "sculptural anchor" that organizes the space around it.