Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa by JOHI Furniture & Design

Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa by JOHI Furniture & Design is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award Fierru Premiu in Tiyarina Kamay Competition Category.

FierruTiyarina· 2020

Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa

by JOHI Furniture & Design

Client: JOHI Furniture & Design

A' Design Award Fierru Premiu Winner in Tiyarina Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa

Pohihi nisqaqa yaykuna mesam, waqaychanapaq kay kunan pachapi wasikunapaq disenasqa. Kurkunqa haywachasqa beech kawsaqmanta ruwasqam, tawa cajón ñawinkunataq monkeypod kawsaqmanta ruwasqam. Cajónkunaqa sut'i beech kawsaqmanta ruwasqam, k'aspi ñankunapi purinku. Makiwan away Danés waskaqa cajón punkuta hinaspa uk uraymanta anaqta ruwan. Away punkuqa allin sumaqta rikuchin, hinallataq maqchinapaq kanmi, mana huk t'aqasqa maqchina churasqa kaptin. Imán fierrokunam punkuta wisq'asqata hap'ichin, ukhupitaq huk anaqmi kan. Awasqanqa Arabe hinaspa Hawaiano kawsayta rikuchin.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Fierru Premiu

Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa A' Design Award Fierru Premiu mishak kan, yupaychay, kayta ruray yachak shinallatak industriapak mañaykunata paktachik alli diseñukunaman kun. Fierru mishak kashkakunaka hatun ruray ushayta, hanak yachayta, yachak yuyayta shinallatak ruray kamachiyta rikuchinku. Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa sinchi yupaychashka, kuyashka shinallatak kuyashka ruray, ruranapak alli shinallatak mushuk yuyaypi kanata munanku. Kay Fierru Premiu japishka diseñuka industriapak ashtawan alli ruraykunata tantachin shinallatak yachaywan shinallatak ushaywan tantashka tekniku ushayta charin. Sinchi ruraymanta Pohihi Yaykuna Mesa yupaychashka kan shinallatak kawsayta alliyachik ruraykunata kuypak ruray kan, pachata ashtawan alli kachun ruran.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Monkeypod drawer fronts & handwoven laced danish cord stand out as highlights of this piece, framed with a stained beech body. The drawers are completed with solid beech, sliding naturally on wooden tracks. The danish cord cabinet door gives this piece a unique, clean, organic touch. Open the cabinet door to find a spacious interior with shelf. With an easy push the magnetic fittings will secure it closed. Mirroring the woven door, a low shelf allows a gorgeous touch, functional and decorative.
Dimensions & Packaging: W 394mm x L 1156mm x H 1067mm
Tags: furniture, home, joinery, weaving, residential, interior, storage, modern, living
Production Technology: Materials-wise, we needed to design around Hawaii's fluctuating climate, throughout the year moving from from humid to dry, hot to cold. For this reason, we chose to make the frame in dimensionally stable hardwood plywood and use traditional wood joinery that accounts for wood movement.

You'll find more about our approach to weaving and reason for weaving with laced danish cord in the Research section.
Design Challenge: One of the most challenging aspects of designing a piece with multicultural intent is leaving flexibility for future clients or customers to impart their own style and interpretation on it. There's also much more to share from a cultural and locale perspective than what is stereotypical. There is more to island style than white washing wood; more to Hawaiian design than kapa motifs. There is more to Arab art than calligraphy and geometric pattern. Our goal was to design a contemporary piece that represented a common ground of our cultures and felt true to ourselves.
Research: We challenged ourselves to design around commonalities in Arab and Hawaiian cultural practices. We looked to our personal experiences from youth to adulthood as well as cultural readings and contemporary practice in both areas. Rather than focusing on visual pattern, we were drawn to the process of weaving.

In the Arab world, Sadu (السدو) is the tradition of geometric embroidery for furnishings, rugs and saddles. This practice is historically carried out by the women of Bedouin communities, and it offers a chance to gather and share news and stories. As the world changes, this tradition is being left behind and is now considered a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Tradition in need of safeguarding.

The same may be said of needing to safeguard knowledge here in Hawai'i of making and using cordage. Within Polynesian voyaging, fishing, and land cultivation culture, there was always great need to create strong durable kaula (cord/rope) from available natural resources. The plants often used include olona, pulu niu (coconut husk fiber) & hau (sea hibiscus). After gathering and crafting certain sizes and lengths of cordage, it could be used for canoe lashings, carrying handles or net bags, slings, sandals, a sewing material, and more.

In reviewing weaving materials, we settled on weaving with laced Danish cord, a paper base product that began gaining popularity for use in furniture after WWII. Most cords feature a 3-ply construction, where paper is twisted together to produce a very strong laced cord. While it can be a little tricky to work with at times, knotting up on itself and untwisting, the cord is a perfect material choice for stressed applications and longevity in furniture.

Experimenting with different weaving styles, we ultimately found the design needed variation between a less complex weave and one with more density to create a stronger visual dynamic.
Inspiration: Designed to tuck away bits and bobs while jointly displaying household favorites. We strove to highlight weaving, as it is an important technique used in my family's cultures, Arab and Hawaiian. As modern homes tend to get cluttered quickly, it was important to create a clean aesthetic that could l provide ample storage. Together, the wood and laced danish cord are intended to bring a warm modern feel to the home.
Project Duration: Location: Haliimaile, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Year: 2019
Operation Flow: The handwoven Danish cord of the cabinet door acts both as artistic visual interest and a type of handle, as no distinct handle is in the design. The drawer handles are similarly low profile to let the clean lines of the overall design shine.
Patents: Copyrights belong JOHI LLC, 2019
Team Members: Holly Badr-El-Din
Image Credits: Image #1 - #5: Photographer Raja Badr-El-Din, Pohihi Entry Console, 2019