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Weaving Wood Kabinet by ZKW Studio

Weaving Wood Kabinet by ZKW Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Gangsa in Reka Bentuk Perabot Competition Category.


GangsaPerabot· 2025

Weaving Wood Kabinet

by ZKW Studio

Client: ZKW Studio

A' Design Award Gangsa Winner in Perabot Category

Colors

The Design

About Weaving Wood Kabinet

Kabinet Kayu Anyaman ialah sebuah kabinet walnut berbentuk trapezoid yang menampilkan tiga panel sisi yang dibina daripada tekstil venir walnut teranyam. Ketumpatan anyaman berbeza-beza di seluruh permukaan, menghasilkan gradien yang halus dalam tekstur. Proses manual ini, yang tidak dapat dicapai melalui cara mekanikal, menggabungkan kekukuhan struktur kayu dengan kelenturan tekstil. Apabila terdedah kepada cahaya matahari, permukaan menghasilkan bayang-bayang berlapis, dan penjajaran ira kayu menyumbang kepada irama visual yang konsisten.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Gangsa

Weaving Wood Kabinet ialah pemenang A' Design Award Gangsa, pengiktirafan yang amat berprestij yang dianugerahkan kepada reka bentuk cemerlang yang dicirikan oleh kreativiti, kecerdikan dan ketajaman fikiran. Pemenang Gangsa ialah artifak yang amat mahir dan sangat kreatif yang membuktikan pengalaman luas, imaginasi dan akal budi pereka bentuknya. Weaving Wood Kabinet diharapkan menjadi objek yang sangat dihargai, dikagumi dan disayangi, sangat profesional dan inovatif. Reka bentuk pemenang A' Design Award Gangsa ini merangkumi amalan terbaik dalam seni, sains, reka bentuk dan teknologi, dan cemerlang dalam perhatiannya terhadap butiran. Weaving Wood Kabinet memenuhi keperluan dengan indah, menyentuh keinginan, memikat perasaan dan menarik rasa ingin tahu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties
This piece of furniture employs a unique weaving technique that integrates walnut veneer into textile, transforming the originally fabric into a unique screen. When exposed to sunlight, the woven surface casts delicate and beautiful shadows. Weaving veneer into textile is a unique technique that machines are not capable of doing. Each wooden board undergoes a meticulous selection based on its grain and color, building a consistent sense of nature beauty.
Dimensions & Packaging
W * D * H : 508 * 304 * 1118 mm
Tags
Cabinet, Veneer Textile, Furniture, Material Innovation, Indoor Furniture
Production Technology
This cabinet is entirely handcrafted from walnut, including the textile panels on both sides, which are woven from a combination of cotton thread and walnut veneer. The technique of integrating wood veneer into textile weaving is a process that cannot be replicated by machines. Due to the hardness and thickness of the walnut veneer, the tension of the weave must be carefully and continuously adjusted—tight enough to securely hold the veneer strips in place, yet flexible enough to maintain structural integrity without causing displacement.
Design Challenge
The project posed creative and technical challenges, particularly in adapting thick wood veneer for weaving. Wood veneer lacks the tension typically required by a loom and thread fabric, making it necessary to carefully calculate the spacing between each column to maintain a good structure. Beyond the textile, the frame designed to hold the textile became another big technical challenge. Though the grooves are invisible from the outside, there are 28 hidden channels that secure the woven surface in place. Due to their seamless requirement and the thinness of each wooden board, cutting precise grooves along narrow edges proved fine-tuned craftsmanship, merging material research with construction precision.
Research
The project is rooted in a deep investigation of materials and making techniques, centering on a textile innovation that integrates thin walnut veneer into a woven structure using a loom. The process involved extensive experimentation, beginning with a series of prototypes that tested veneer thicknesses, thread weights, and weaving patterns. A key challenge was preserving the tension necessary for weaving while accommodating the rigidity of wood—an issue resolved through careful calibration of spacing, tension, and structural support.

Traditional weaving tools were adapted for this process, with each strip of veneer hand-cut and softened for flexibility before being woven alongside cotton thread. Machines proved incompatible with the delicacy and precision required, making the technique entirely dependent on manual craftsmanship. The final textile achieves both strength and fluidity, allowing the wood grain to appear continuous across a pliable surface.

In parallel with material research, the project draws on classical furniture forms—particularly the trapezoidal cabinet, a shape now rare in contemporary contexts. Reinterpreted through this new textile language, the form is both familiar and reimagined, merging historic references with a distinctly modern sensibility.
Inspiration
Inspired by the balanced spirit of nature, this cabinet reinterprets a classic trapezoidal form with three side panels composed of walnut veneer textile. The veneer is woven more densely near the frame, creating a visual and tactile gradient , not only in the viewing but also in the tactile experience. By blending rigid walnut with flexible textile, the piece explores harmony through material, offering a unique sensory experience that invites closer interaction and touch.
Project Duration
The project started in October 2023 and finished in March 2024 in United States, and was exhibited in ICFF WANTED in May 2024.
Operation Flow
The cabinet features a slender profile suited for storing small objects, making it well-suited to living spaces and compact interiors. Its low height allows it to sit neatly beside a television, serving as a functional storage piece. Designed to be freestanding, the cabinet reveals its tactile quality when illuminated. Sunlight filtering through the woven textile creates a soft interplay of light and shadow. The pale-toned fabric responds gently to natural light, introducing a sense of airy and a renewed lightness to the surrounding space.
Team Members
Textile Partner: Huining Liu

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