WOAK AT DESIGN VARIATIONS (MDW2024) – THE WOOD PIXEL STAGIN AND THE NEW COLLECTION

Images courtesy of Woak

Woodworking traditions/innovative materials/manufacturing prosess

Woak’s staging for Milano Design Week 2024 showcases new products designed by Constance Guisset, DWA Design Studio, Marta Ayala Herrera, Matteo Fogale, /àr-o/ studio and Zaven. The staging also features a convergence of new manufacturing technologies and traditional woodworking.

Designed by /àr-o/ studio, the Milan-based creative duo who are Woak’s art directors, Wood Pixel enchants with vibrant colors and rhythmic patterns, using similarities and differences to highlight the company’s special bond with its chosen material, wood. The graphic element printed on the space’s horizontal and vertical surfaces, designed by Peter Gregson, depicts the cross-section of a tree, reinterpreted in a blue-and-green pixelated pattern, reflecting the studio’s intention to highlight the intersectionality between the natural and technological worlds that underlies Woak’s philosophy.

Reflecting a continuous pursuit of meaning and union, the staging becomes the setting for Woak’s new collection: the Rudi stool, the Leon chair, and the Snoop collection designed by Zaven; the Flesso console by DWA Design Studio; the Wing console by Constance Guisset; the Repeta storage unit, the Wedge screen, the Wherry chair and the Blok end table designed by /àr-o/ studio; the Radiata table by Marta Ayala Herrera; and the Burly hanging cabinet Matteo Fogale.

Presented by Melandas Indonesia

The Rudi stool designed for Woak by Zaven puts the accent on the beauty of the raw material: solid oak that seems sculpted in simple, clean lines. In high- and low-back versions, it’s a familiar object with a minimalist aesthetic based on a few interlocking geometric elements joined in meticulous yet primitive harmony.

Rudi by Zaven

The Leon chair designed by Zaven is an assemblage of simple, delicate elements that create horizontal and vertical rhythms. Available with a leather-covered seat or a woven seat, it’s designed to offer comfort and practicality.

Leon by Zaven

The Snoop collection, the latest pieces designed for Woak by the Zaven duo, has a distinctive beam as the supporting structural element. Consisting of a table, bench and stool in wood, the collection is designed to adapt to a wide variety of rooms and environments, from public spaces to private homes.

Snoop by Zaven

Flesso is a solid oak console designed by DWA Design Studio. Its curves and lines follow the passages of the detail-oriented craftsmanship and reveal its flowing design – a design that’s all about the details: the tray-like top surface with rounded edges, the legs with cylindrical heads, and above all, dialoguing with the geometric lines, two gracefully curved linoleum-clad doors create a harmonious tactile and expressive contrast.

Flesso by DWA Design Studio

Wing is the new console table designed for Woak by Constance Guisset, part of the homonymous collection of pieces distinguished by solid yet light profiles. This sculptural object hides two shelves behind its wide base structure, making it perfectly suited to grace the entryway of a home, like a welcoming friend.

Wing by Constance Guisset

The new storage unit designed by /àr-o/ studio is part of the Repeta collection of side tables and storage units. The repetition of identically-shaped pieces like the teeth in gears refers to Woak’s industrial woodworking heritage, while the attention to detail and finish highlights the company’s handcrafting ethos. The result: sculptural, cylindrical décor elements in which solid wood dialogues harmoniously with other materials like metal and marble. Another product of the collaboration the Wedge screen is made up of interwoven wooden elements that rhythmically overlap in an unexpected play of geometries. The natural raw material that is the focus of the composition is transformed into a sort of painting in the multicolored version.

Wedge by /àr-o/ studio

The Wherry chair is an achievement in fine cabinetmaking. The name comes from the traditional English boats that inspired the design, evoking in particular the shadows of oars on the hull. The square-section legs contrast with the softness of the upholstered seat. The thin panels that make up the backrest create a rhythmic wrap-around effect similar to that of traditional Windsor armchairs.

The Blok side table features a clear architectural inspiration in its pure forms and simple profile, recalling the massive blocks of the “blokovi” of Belgrade’s Brutalist-style residential neighborhoods. The structure is based on the intersection of two horizontal planes – the wood expresses its qualities through unexpected graphic lines and the vertical blocks of the base serve as pilasters supporting the entire composition.

Designed by Matteo Fogale, the Burly hanging cabinet expands the homonymous collection, which also includes bookcase and shelves. The idea behind the pieces is to highlight the strength and solidity of solid wood. In fact, the design plays with different cross-sections of the material, alternating thick and thin to create contrast between heft and lightness.

Burly by Matteo Fogale

The Radiata table by Marta Ayala Herrera is designed as an exploration of the most innovative expressions shaping contemporary design. Initially conceived as a creative exercise, the piece was developed following the designer’s self-imposed objectives: use only basic geometrical shapes to be combined, modified and rotated; explore the space by creating volumes; transform something useful into something frivolous and vice-versa, with a minimalist, functional approach. The result is an object the combines great simplicity with strong character, an exploration of the essence of rhythm, reflections and nuances.

Radiata by Marta Ayala Herrera

Along with the new products, Woak is also displaying some of its quintessential pieces: the Nervosa chairs designed by Francesco Faccin, the Haku storage unit designed by Christophe de la Fontaine, the Wherry collection and the Blok sofa designed by /àr-o/ studio, the Lepida chairs by Constance Guisset, the Vesna bike stand by Matteo Cibic, the Brioni bar stool by Zoran Jedrejcic and the Saguaro coat rail by Matteo Zorzenone. Completing the staging are familiar objects from the Original collection designed by Peter Gregson.