Optique 벤치 by Albert Potgieter is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 철상 in 가구 디자인 Competition Category.
철가구· 2022
Optique 벤치
Client: Albert Potgieter Designs
A' Design Award 철상 Winner in 가구 Category
13,510
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #129032The Design
About Optique 벤치
Optique 벤치는 기능적인 예술품으로 디자인되었습니다. 이 디자인의 초점은 시각적 측면에 있기 때문에 이름이 Optique입니다. 아프리카에서 설계되었기 때문에 자연과 야생의 특성을 일부 가지고 있습니다. 움직이는 듯한 느낌과 살아 있는 듯한 느낌을 주어 시선을 사로잡는다. Optique Bench는 원목을 자르고, 샌딩하고, 준비하고, 기름칠을 한 다음 함께 접착하여 퍼즐처럼 단단한 가구 조각으로 만들어지는 별도의 원목 조각으로 만들어집니다.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 철상
Optique 벤치, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 철상 수상작으로, 잘 디자인된 창작물에 기대되는 전문적·산업적 요건을 충족하는 좋은 디자인에 수여되는 권위 있는 인정입니다. 철상 수상작은 창작자의 뛰어난 기술, 높은 전문성, 전문가다운 이해, 창의적 역량을 보여 줍니다. Optique 벤치, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 창작물로서 실용적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 철상 수상 디자인은 업계 모범 사례를 통합하며 노하우와 재능으로 연결된 유능한 기술적 특성을 갖추고 있습니다. Optique 벤치, 이 작품은 철저함으로 존중받으며 삶의 질을 개선하여 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들도록 디자인되었습니다.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Optique bench was designed to be a functional art piece. To be a unique furniture piece in the house, but that also gives an atmosphere to the room it’s in. The uniqueness of this design lies in its visual aspect, hence the name, Optique. It captures the attention as it gives the impression of movement and being alive. Being designed in Africa it also carries the properties of nature and wildness with it, giving it a very special, unique look. The core of the design is to attract, to gather around and to enhance the space it fills.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Length 1600mm x Width 550mm x Height 450mm
- Tags
- bench, interior, handmade, seating, home, art, living room, design
- Production Technology
- The Optique Bench came to be in a very unique way. Only an idea or part was designed on paper at first, when Albert jumped into the building process. This turned the building and designing process into one and as a result, caused the bench to form organically into the piece it is today.
The Optique Bench is all handmade in solid hardwood. Piece by piece it’s cut, set in the right position, glued together and slowly it is built up into bigger and bigger pieces. Only wood and glue is used in the production of the Optique Bench while a tiny bolt is used in the bottom of the leg to give a bit of detail. - Design Challenge
- The hardest part of this design was to make the Optique Bench strong enough so that it can be moved around etc. Since there are so many joints, this can cause a problem in durability. The first prototype was made by using screws at every joint, but this causes the wood to split in some places and it is actually not as strong as wood glue. In the second bench, no screws were used, only wood glue. The joints were strong to use and sit on, but moving the bench around too much caused some of the joints to split open slightly. A solution was found by strengthening every joint with a wooden dowel or domino, causing the bench now to be strong for use and for transport.
The other creative challenge was getting the wood pieces in the legs in exactly the right angle so that when you put the joints together it doesn’t split open in the back of the joint or has a gap in the front of the joints. This was overcome after a few trials and making a mold, where every piece of wood, that is used in the legs, gets put into the mold one by one and put through the planer before being glued.
Another creative challenge was the finishing phase. As a result of using the individual pieces of wood and the gaps between each piece, it is difficult to sand and oil everywhere and inevitably adds an enormous amount of time. This can cause inconsistencies in the aesthetics of the Bench if not done properly. However, this is overcome by sanding and oiling every individual piece before gluing, excluding the portions that will be glued together. - Research
- Research, when it comes to designing, cannot necessarily be define as something specific or to a date or time. It is a way of living, keeping your eyes open to what is around you. Seeing the abstract forms or the natural lines of nature outside. The cracks and grooves in a tree trunk, the way leaves are scattered on the ground, the shapes it makes, the ripples in water when the wind blows over it. That is the kind of constant research that in the end accumulates and comes together into a product, such as the creation of the Optique Bench.
- Inspiration
- Many of Albert Potgieter's inspiration comes from the awe of observing nature, the lines and shapes that it produces. The Optique Bench design is no exception. The inspiration came whilst being on the family game farm in South Africa, observing tree lines, golden grass fields waving in the wind and the many intricacies of the bushveld. The design idea that started in South Africa, together with the need to produce an environmentally friendly design by using off-cut pieces of wood, turned into the first prototype of the Optique bench. This design still carries those raw, wild yet linear lines and awe that is seen in nature.
- Project Duration
- The designing process started in December 2018 on the Family game farm in South Africa, and the production was finalized in February 2019 in Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Operation Flow
- The Optique Bench is considered functional art- it has the ability to create an atmosphere of comfort and community, while it also has the ability to initiate conversation as only art can while you are admiring the visual aspects of the design. It was designed to be visually attractive while still being used functionally and through this, has the ability to change the atmosphere of a home.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
