Skip to content
Weaving Wood Skåp by ZKW Studio

Weaving Wood Skåp by ZKW Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award i Brons in Möbeldesign Competition Category.


BronsMöbler· 2025

Weaving Wood Skåp

by ZKW Studio

Client: ZKW Studio

A' Design Award i Brons Winner in Möbler Category

13,125

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #172721

Colors

The Design

About Weaving Wood Skåp

Weaving Wood Cabinet är ett trapetsformat valnötskåp med tre sidopaneler konstruerade av en vävd valnötsfaner-textil. Vävningstätheten varierar över ytan och skapar en subtil gradient i strukturen. Denna manuella process, som inte kan uppnås genom mekaniska medel, kombinerar träets strukturella styvhet med textilens böjlighet. När ytan exponeras för solljus kastar den skiktade skuggor, och träfibernas riktning bidrar till en konsekvent visuell rytm.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Brons

Weaving Wood Skåp är vinnare av A' Design Award i Brons, ett högst prestigefyllt erkännande som tilldelas enastående designverk som utmärker sig genom kreativitet, uppfinningsrikedom och klokhet. Bronsvinnare är mycket skickliga och slående kreativa föremål som styrker formgivarnas stora erfarenhet, fantasi och påhittighet. Weaving Wood Skåp förväntas vara ett högt skattat, beundrat och älskat föremål som är anmärkningsvärt professionellt och innovativt. Detta vinnande verk i A' Design Award i Brons införlivar bästa praxis inom konst, vetenskap, design och teknik och är utmärkt genom sin omsorg om detaljer. Weaving Wood Skåp tillfredsställer fantastiskt behov, rör vid längtan, charmar känslor och väcker nyfikenhet.

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

Sponsored

Explore Beyond Designers.org

Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

The A' Design Award is an international, juried accolade for good design. Take part in the A' Design Award to get an opportunity to earn meritocratic recognition, gain fame, prestige and publicity for your work. Nominate your work for the A' Design Award and compete for the coveted A' Design Prize.

Nominate