Desafinado Bangku by Cass Saldanha is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Gangsa in Desain Parabot Competition Category.

GangsaParabot· 2026

Desafinado Bangku

by Cass Saldanha

Client: SAL+Co

A' Design Award Gangsa Winner in Parabot Category

6,013
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #180459

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Desafinado Bangku

Desafinado adolah bangku nan dirancang sabagai kajian tantang kasaimbangan jo katahanan diri. Bantuaknyo mangikuti kajalehan gaya Skandinavia, jo garih luruih sarato geometri sadarhano, digabuang jo barek sarato katagasan modernisme brutalis Brasil. Proporsi nan randah maundang sikap duduak nan santai, dan pamisahan antaro tampek duduak jo sandaran manciptakan tagangan visual. Bagian nan manjulua sacaro sangajo manyaimbangkan tampek duduak jo sandaran ka arah nan balawanan. Bangku ko dibuek ampia sadonyo dari kayu ek Eropa jo pawarna hitam, dan banta tipih nan dijaik jo tangan dari kulik pelana Brasil malangkokan tampek duduaknyo.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Gangsa

Desafinado Bangku adolah pamenang A' Design Award Gangsa, sabuah pangakuan nan sangaik bapresti nan dibarikan ka rancangan nan cemerlang nan dicirikan dek kreativitas, kacerdikan jo kabijaksanaan. Pamenang Gangsa adolah karya nan cukuik mahir jo kreatif sacaro mangesankan nan mamastikan pangalaman nan luas, imajinasi jo kacerdikan parancangnyo. Desafinado Bangku dipaokan manjadi bando nan sangaik dihormati, dikagumi jo disayangi, nan profesional jo inovatif sacaro nampak. Rancangan nan manang Gangsa iko mamuek praktik tabaik dalam seni, ilimu, rancangan jo teknologi jo cemerlang dalam parhatian ka rincian. Desafinado Bangku mamanuhi kaparluan jo elok, manyantuah karinduan, mamikaik parasaan jo manarik raso ingin tahu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The Desafinado bench is conceived as a study in balance and restraint. Rooted in Scandinavian design, it relies on simple, straight lines and clear geometry. The low-lying proportions invite a relaxed posture, while the split between back and seat creates a visual tension. An intentional overhang balances the extended seat and back to opposite directions, turning structure into function.
Dimensions & Packaging: Materials:
Black Stained Oak
Seat in saddle leather

Dimensions:
Width: 130 inches or 39624 mm
Depth: 16 inches or 4876.8 mm
Height: 22 inches or 6705.6 mm
Seat Height: 12 inches or 3657.6 mm
Tags: Bench, Brazilian, wood, Balance, furniture
Production Technology: The bench is built almost entirely from a single material: European oak. Finished with a black stain, the wood emphasizes grain, mass, and shadow. This restrained material choice reinforces the clarity of the design, allowing form, proportion, and structure to define the piece without distraction.
The bench is complemented with a thin, hand-stitched seat cushion upholstered in authentic Brazilian saddle leather forced from local small business.
Inspiration: The piece draws from Scandinavian clarity, but it is grounded in Brazilian brutalist modernism. Its forms are direct and architectural rather than delicate or refined. The bench avoids excessive polish, embracing weight, presence, and material honesty. This subtle roughness distinguishes it from Japanese minimalism and reinforces its brutalist character.
Project Duration: Conceived in Miami in 2022, the project evolved through an intensive four-month prototyping phase and reached its final form in August of that year. The bench exists as a true one-of-one piece; all remaining prototypes were deliberately destroyed upon completion, reinforcing its singularity.
Operation Flow: Beyond simple seating, the Desafinado Bench invites multiple uses: a surface to recline or stretch, a platform for books and objects, or an architectural element that works as a space divider or low table. It shifts easily between function and presence, adapting to the way the body and the room engage with it.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Cass Saldanha, 2022.
This design is available for reproduction. Please contact the Designer if you have interest in discuss intellectual property and licensing the rights.
Image Credits: Cassiano Saldanha