Press Release
Kromme Coffee Table by Robert Wakeland Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design
Robert Wakeland recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Kromme Coffee Table by Robert Wakeland, designed for Nice Form. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More About Kromme Coffee Table
Inspired by the natural pattern of ocean waves, the Kromme Table uses a single strip of veneer to symbolize the continuous flow of the sea. Crafted entirely out of solid walnut, the veneer sections are laminated using thin pieces molded together to form a sculpture like curve. Minimal supports crafted from aluminum are added for strength. The glass top provides a clear view of the wood grain beneath. The Kromme Table is a sculptural statement for those who want a piece of furniture that is both stylish and functional.
About Robert Wakeland
Robert Wakeland is a Group Creative Director with 20+ years experience in the advertising industry, working at agencies such as Ogilvy, BBDO and McCann. He excels at crafting compelling brand narratives and overseeing the development of innovative, award-winning campaigns. In addition to a deep understanding of consumer behavior and an eye for design, he helps inspire and mentor creative teams to deliver exceptional work. Robert's love for design started from his parents. His father Preston, who was an engineer, and his mother Beth a graphic designer. Preston ran his own business with a main focus of furniture making.
Award Record
This recognition makes Robert Wakeland 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/165909
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/165909
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!165909
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/356978
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.nice-form.com/kromme
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
- Kromme Coffee Table
- Function
- Coffee Table
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Gainsboro, White, Dark Olive Green, Dark Slate Gray and Silver
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Nice Form
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Robert Wakeland
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #165909
Credits
- Image Credits
- All images and videos are created by Nice Form LLC.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Crafted entirely out of solid walnut veneer, the Kromme Table uses a very simple curvature to allow for a glass top. The veneer sections are laminated using 1/16” pieces molded together to form a sculpture like curve. Minimal supports crafted from aluminum are added for strength. The glass top provides a clear view of the wood grain beneath. The design is inspired by ocean waves, using one long strip of veneer to symbolize the continuous flow of the sea. A sculptural statement for those who want a piece of furniture that is both stylish and functional.
- Inspiration
- The goal was to create a table that was unique in both construction, form and inspired by nature. It was also important from a design point of view to be very simple, hence staying with one fluid piece of veneer for the construction. A finished piece that was just as bold as it is simple.
- Research
- The initial concept of this design was inspired by ocean waves. I wanted to create a piece of functional and beautiful furniture that was constructed in a unique way. Hence the long single strips of veneer used to laminate the structure. You don’t often see bent lamination executed in this complexity. Which was part of the motivation behind this method of construction. Sure, joinery could have been used. However the result would not be the long flowing grain often seen in nature. One of the details that was important to maintain.
- Challenge
- How to build this long flowing structure out of a single strip of wood was the main challenge. Steam bending was another option that was explored. However, you need to cut strips at a thicker weight to still maintain sustainability to some extent. And ripping 90 inch strips 4 times per section proved to produce too much waste. Thats's when bent lamination of thinner veneers was decided upon for construction.
- Realization and Technology
- Due to the nature of how veneers are cut with a knife, not a blade, it produces almost no waste as opposed to a thicker saw producing about 40% sawdust. While the visible layers of the piece are straight grain walnut, the interior uses the less desirable sections you typically get from true veneer. Such as sap wood. Those were placed into the center layers which ended up creating very minimal waste. Attention to detain when creating the form was the key to a successful and accurate production. The form used to create the molds was fixed to a flat surface using dovetail sliding joinery. It served as a perfect track and avoided any movement while clamping.
- Operation and Interaction
- The result is a sculptural piece of furniture that is as much of a conversation starter as it is functional.
- Project Duration and Location
- This project was started in July 2023 in New York City. It was executed and finished in upstate New York in August of 2024.
- Specifications
- Width 444.5 mm x Depth 1333.5mm x Height 355.6mm
- Keywords
- Sculptural Furniture, Coffee Table, Bent Lamination, Curved wood, Solid Walnut Veneer
