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Nakovalnya 椅子 by Nataliya Naymark

Nakovalnya 椅子 by Nataliya Naymark is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 铁奖 in 家具设计 Competition Category.


铁家具· 2026

Nakovalnya 椅子

by Nataliya Naymark

Client: NNaymark.design

A' Design Award 铁奖 Winner in 家具 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #181782

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The Design

About Nakovalnya 椅子

Nakovalnya 是一件极具纪念碑感的座椅,向帝俄时代锻造工坊的工业精神致敬。设计师从祖辈的锻铁传统中汲取灵感,将铁砧那厚重而沉稳的形态转译为一件当代木质雕塑。作品拥有经精密铣削而成的深凹座面与粗野主义风格的轮廓,Nakovalnya 既是一件实用座椅,亦可充当衣物置放架。它象征着"起源"的本质——通过高端工艺,将劳作之地转化为家居空间中的核心陈设。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铁奖

Nakovalnya 椅子是 A' Design Award 铁奖得主,这是授予满足人们对设计精良的创作所期待的专业与工业要求的优良设计的声望认可。铁奖得主展现出其创作者的高超技艺、高度专业化、专家级的理解力和创造能力。预计Nakovalnya 椅子将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的创作,既实用又创新。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铁奖的设计整合了行业最佳实践,并拥有与专业知识和才华相结合的称职技术特性。Nakovalnya 椅子因其严谨而受到尊重,旨在提供有助于让世界变得更美好的生活品质改善。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties
The Nakovalnya Chair explores ancestral heritage and the primordial act of creation. Inspired by the designer's great-great-grandfather, a blacksmith in Imperial Russia, the project embodies the grit and transformative power of the forge. The motive was to translate the "Anvil" - a site of intense labor and fire - into a domestic center piece. It serves as a tribute to the humble beginnings where raw materials are struck into beauty, positioning the chair as the essence of the home.
Dimensions & Packaging
700*640*680
Tags
Anvil Chair, Nakovalnya Design, Blacksmith Heritage, Russian Brutalism, Sculptural Seating, Solid Wood Furniture, Valet Chair, Ancestral Storytelling, Imperial Russia, Modernist Craft, Monumental Furniture, Functional Art, CNC Woodworking, Hand-finished Timber, Heritage Design.
Production Technology
The chair is realized through high-precision solid wood joinery, using oversized ash or oak to achieve its brutal mass. The primary structural challenge involved the deep concave seat, achieved through multi-axis cnc milling and hand-finishing to highlight the grain. The assembly uses mortise-and-tenon joints, reinforced to support the cantilevered backrest and hanging rail. The finish is a matte, low-voc oil that preserves the raw, tactile nature of the timber.
Design Challenge
The hardest part was balancing brutalism with human ergonomics. To honor the anvil, the chair needed to feel heavy and immovable while remaining a comfortable seat. Overcoming the internal factor of personal history, ensuring the tribute was respectful yet modern, required multiple iterations of the silhouette. Structural limits of wood when mimicking the weight of iron posed engineering challenges. Achieving the deep seat curve without compromising the grain was the main technical hurdle.
Research
This project is a work of Applied Conceptual Research aimed at bridging ancestral history with modern furniture typology. The objective was to distill the "spirit of the forge" into a functional domestic object. The methodology involved a deep dive into 19th-century blacksmithing tools and Russian peasant heritage, translating heavy iron geometries into wood. Data collection consisted of studying anvil proportions and ergonomic testing of concave surfaces. Through experiments with 1:1 scale prototypes, the research successfully balanced "brutalist" aesthetics with seating comfort. The insight gained is that furniture can act as a vessel for historical memory, impacting design by moving away from clinical minimalism toward soulful, narrative-driven objects that resonate with a society seeking deeper connections to their past.
Inspiration
Nakovalnya is a sculptural seating element prioritizing a brutalist aesthetic. Characterized by thick-set wooden members and a dramatic concave seat, the design mimics the grounded geometry of traditional iron-working tools. Its unique strength lies in its dual functionality: it serves as a robust seating vessel and a sculptural valet for garments. Unlike standard furniture, Nakovalnya acts as a physical manifesto of historical labor, bridging the gap between utilitarian craft and art.
Project Duration
autumn 2025
Operation Flow
The chair functions as a heavy-duty sanctuary for both the body and belongings. Its deep, scooped seat provides a grounded sitting experience, while the high, sturdy backrest is designed to double as a valet for hanging heavy coats or everyday clothes. Interaction is simple and tactile: the oversized wooden frame encourages the user to feel the history of the forge. It performs better than standard seating by offering a dual-purpose "sculptural anchor" that organizes the space around it.

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