Press Release
Mingbo Hou Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Woodland Branch Like Hanger Chair in Homeware Design
Mingbo Hou honored for homeware design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 16, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Woodland Branch Like Hanger Chair by Mingbo Hou has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Homeware Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 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.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Woodland Branch Like Hanger Chair
Woodland is a coat rack chair designed for small living areas and entryways. The chair combines ergonomic seating with practical storage. Branch-shaped armrests act as hooks for coats, bags and accessories. The curved backrest wraps around the sitter like tree branches. Woodland is made from sustainable hardwood and recycled steel, with a non-toxic matte black finish. The wood is hand-bent to form the curved shape, and the joints are reinforced for stability under load. The design turns the common habit of placing clothing on a chair into tidy storage.
About Mingbo Hou
Hou Mingbo is a product designer based in Tokyo, Japan. Her work explores the relationship between daily life, cultural context, and emotional experience through furniture and product design. She received a Silver Award in the Furniture Design category at the A' Design Award and has participated in international exhibitions, including Milan Design Week. Her practice integrates research on contemporary lifestyles with hands-on design development, with a focus on how objects can support human interaction, environmental awareness, and cross-cultural understanding.
Award Record
This recognition makes Mingbo Hou a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Decorative Items and Homeware Design Award
The A' Homeware Design Award is an international homeware design competition recognizing good homeware designs by leading brands and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to homeware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and ceramic artists from all countries. Typical entries include tableware, lighting fixtures, cookware, decorative accessories, bathroom accessories and furniture. The awarded homeware designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/homeware
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/177614
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/177614
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!177614
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/374916
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
- Woodland Branch Like Hanger Chair
- Function
- Branch Like Hanger Chair
- Category
- Homeware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Light Gray, Gainsboro, Linen, Tan and Rosy Brown
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Mingbo Hou
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #177614
Credits
- Image Credits
- Mingbo Hou
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Tree-Branch Coat Rack Chair is a multifunctional piece of furniture that combines ergonomic seating with practical storage. Its unique branch-shaped armrests function as hooks for clothes and accessories, making it ideal for small living areas and entryways. The design balances beauty and utility, providing users with a modern interior solution that is both functional and distinctive. It expresses a lifestyle that values simplicity, comfort, and individuality.
- Inspiration
- One day, after coming home, I casually threw my jacket over a chair. That simple habit inspired me-what if the chair itself looked like a tree, turning a careless gesture into a thoughtful act of storage? I designed a curved backrest that wraps around the sitter like branches. Each hung garment makes the “tree” seem to grow. Placed at the entrance, it lets users hang accessories freely and express a stylish, personal lifestyle.
- Research
- The design process included qualitative research on biomimicry and ergonomics, focusing on the structural characteristics of tree branches. User testing was carried out to improve comfort and function, and material studies explored sustainable options. The findings inspired the organic form and multifunctional features of the chair, creating a design that combines beauty, practicality, and environmental awareness. The research also shows how nature-inspired solutions can help create personalized, emotionally engaging home furniture.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was balancing the organic branch-like structure with overall stability. Achieving this required repeated prototyping and testing to ensure it could support both sitting and hanging functions. Another challenge was sourcing sustainable materials without sacrificing durability. The final result is a design that successfully combines visual impact with reliable performance.
- Realization and Technology
- The chair is made from sustainable hardwood and recycled steel, ensuring both durability and environmental responsibility. The production process involves hand-bending wood to create the curved, wrapping form, then mechanically cutting and manually refining it. The joints are reinforced with eco-friendly adhesives and fasteners to ensure structural stability. The surface is finished with a matte black, non-toxic coating for a stylish and modern appearance.
- Operation and Interaction
- This chair offers an intuitive experience. Users can sit comfortably on its ergonomically designed seat while hanging coats, bags, or accessories on the branched armrests. The well-balanced structure ensures stability even when fully loaded. Its dual function naturally integrates sitting and storage, turning everyday actions into pleasant, seamless interactions within living spaces.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Okinawa, Japan, in October 2024 and was completed in December 2024. It was exhibited at the Tokyo Furniture Fair in March 2025 and at the Milan Design Week in April 2025.
- Specifications
- Dimensions: 1800 mm (height) x 900 mm (width) x 550 mm (depth) Weight: 6 kg Materials: Sustainable hardwood, recycled steel Load Capacity: 150 kg (seating), 20 kg (hanging) Finish: Non-toxic, matte sealant Color Options: Black
- Keywords
- Branch-shaped chair, multifunctional furniture, sustainable design, biomimicry, ergonomic seating, eco-friendly materials, modern furniture, space-saving design, organic aesthetics, innovative furniture
