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Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant by Ivan Levak and Iva Grgic

Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant by Ivan Levak and Iva Grgic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Bronze in Dissènh de Mobilièr Competition Category.


BronzeMobilièr· 2025

Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant

by Ivan Levak and Iva Grgic

Client: Iva.n Design Studio

A' Design Award de Bronze Winner in Mobilièr Category

Colors

The Design

About Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant

Mei que i penjatz d'objèctes, mei estable que devèn; aquò es l'afirmacion principala concernent aqueste objècte. Los penja-mantèls an ben sovent de problèmas d'estabilitat; las vestas, los mantèls, los tricotas, etc. pòdon faire bascular lo penjador. Dins lo cas d'Axel, pendent la concepcion, los designers an utilizat la gravitat coma aliada, per ajudar los utilizaires a mantenir lo penjador naut centrat en utilizant son axe median. Axel es un produch d'auta qualitat. Bastit amb solament dos elements; una articulacion d'acièr e un pè de bòsc massís. Multiplicat per tres. Facil de reparar perque es bastit a la man.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronze

Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant a ganhat la distincion A' Design Award de Bronze, una reconeissença plan prestigiosa acordada a de designs excellents que se destrian per la creativitat, l'engenh e la finessa. Los ganhaires del Bronze son d'artefactes largament abils e sorprenentament creatius que provan la vasta experiéncia, l'imaginacion e l'engenhositat de lors designers. S'espèra que Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant siá un objècte fòrça considerat, admirat e estimat, notablament professional e innovant. Aqueste design ganhaire de la distincion A' Design Award de Bronze integra las melhoras practicas de l'art, de la sciéncia, del design e de la tecnologia e es excellent per son atencion al detalh. Axel Penja-mantèls Autoportant satisfa esplendidament los besonhs, toca los desirs, encanta los sentiments e interèssa la curiositat.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties
'The more items you hang on it, the more stable it gets' - is the main statement regarding this item. Coat hangers very often have stability issues; jackets, coats, sweaters etc. are leaning the hanger. In Axel's case, while designing, we used gravity as an ally - to help us keep the tall hanger centered using its mid axis. Axel is a high quality product. Made only by two elements; a steel joint and a massive wood leg. Multiplied by three. Easy to repair since it's hand built.
Dimensions & Packaging
The hanger is 170 cm tall, and the base is 44cm wide, weights 4kg and comes in a flat box which is 173cm x 9cm x 4cm.
Tags
furniture, storage, hanger, wardrobe, clothes, interior, hallway, lobby
Production Technology
Made of 3mm steel and solid 4x2cm oak wood. Minimalized and reduced to be as light as possible, which makes it also very easy to handle and move it around the house. Axel has only two main elements that by multiplication, connected by 18 screws in total, becomes a heavy duty (15 items including coats, jackets, sweaters) holder. Very easy and quick to assemble by one person and a single #3 hex key.
Design Challenge
Regarding the challenges we faced while designing, the most complex was to find balance between solid stability and making the hanger as narrow as possible so it can easily fit into small hallways and rooms.
Research
Since both of us, Iva and I, have master degrees in industrial design, after a few sketches we started doing 1:1 models in wood, cardboard, metal and plywood. Everything we could find inside and around the house during the Pandemic. While doing the design index research, we come across that a lot of existing hangers have only three 'horns' to handle the load. And they are usually pointing towards the outer rim of the vertical composition... So we decided to turn these features the other way. Pointing the 'horns' towards the inside and using the central, metal construction for extra loading spaces (making hooks for coats in the process of CNC laser cutting). Also using the middle axis for better static stability.
Inspiration
While being a student and living a modern nomadic life, there were a lot of addresses. Constant moving from one apartment to another. A lot of temporary furniture, usually from Ikea, was left in those 'homes'. We all have our favorite piece of furniture that we love to take with us when moving to a new home. Axel represents a human size item that can easily be disassembled into a flat, narrow card box and easily carried away by hands or on a bicycle. A true piece of lightweight solid furniture.
Project Duration
The project started in Zagreb, during the Covid Era. First sketches were made in 2021 and the final prototype had a premiere in Milan during Salone Del Mobile 2023.
Operation Flow
This object can be operated by one or both hands. Once unboxed, the transformation from its flat pack 2D state to the final 3D composition can be easily done with 6 metal joints for the metal core and the additional6 screws to connect the central metal joint with the wooden legs. The interaction with this object isat least two times daily. Depending on how much its user takes on and off its wardrobe.
Team Members
Ivan Levak, Iva Grgic
Image Credits
Photo by Marija Gasparija

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