In the face of mounting global environmental challenges, we need to make the most of all the sustainable raw materials available to us. The timber choice we make will have a long-term impact on the health of our forests. Over-reliance on a narrow selection of wood types ultimately results in supply stress – so collectively we have a responsibility to use what nature provides.
These are the themes behind the award “A Seat at the Table“, promoted by Riva 1920 and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and launched in January to bring a new generation of designers into the limelight, committed to sustainable design that is more attentive to environmental impact and the entire product life cycle. In particular, the project was an opportunity for the four awarded designers to experiment with the aesthetic and functional characteristics of three beautiful, high performing but underutilised species of American hardwood: American cherry, red oak and maple.
“Strong, tactile and visually appealing – emphasises David Venables, Director AHEC Europe – wood is essential in an age of over-consumption and climate change, thanks to its low impact on the environment and the fact that it can be easily recycled. This project challenges the assumption that the best-known wood varieties are always the only ‘right’ woods to use and showcases three underused and beautiful woods that make up 40 percent of the American hardwood forests”.
“As the iconic piece for this project,” explains Maurizio Riva, ceo of Riva 1920, “we chose the table, whose volumes allow the three varieties of wood to be displayed in all the beauty of their textures. One of the factors that emerged during the pandemic is in fact the tendency of the design ecosystem to focus on a restricted range of woods. Last year’s boom in global demand highlighted this dynamic in all its fragility, and for many it was impossible to find certain popular species on the market. It is clear that this model is no longer sustainable or strategic, and it is important that designers and architects also start to embrace new types of wood so that the whole sector converges towards a more sustainable management of resources, and to accompany the public’s taste in this direction.”
PROJECTS AND DESIGNERS
Alter Ego by Ilenia Viscardi
American maple Alter Ego stems from the desire to give lightness and freedom to a usually static and imposing piece of furniture such as the table. To achieve this, the designer wanted to bring opposites into dialogue: the freedom of form of the curved lines that seem to seek infinity and the symmetry that develops from a central point around which everything rotates, continually changing its appearance without ever losing rigour. The result is a solid table in which everything contributes to giving life to shapes and materials, without any one element prevailing over another. The designer opted for American maple as its light colour with golden hues enhances the sculptural appearance of the design.
Libra by Federico Degioanni
American red oak Libra was developed in American red oak with an eye to highlighting the strong connection with nature. The lines reflect the stylisation of a dragonfly, with the ground support representing its tapered body, while the top depicts its wings. At the point of intersection, the top is reduced to its essence, while in the central portion it has a greater thickness to connect the elements. Lightness, elegance of line and dynamism are the keywords of Libra, which presents itself as a useful and versatile table for many environments.
Navalia by Matteo Benedetti
American red oak Crafted in solid American red oak, the Navalia table is made ‘via di levare’: blocks of wood are carved
and refined until the final shape is achieved. The countersinks and inclinations build a dynamic form that mixes aesthetic and structural harmony in this complex trilithium. The name echoes the nautical world, and by extension also the aeronautical world, where the profiles and shapes of objects sublimate the relationship between form and function, expanding it into the realm of beauty.
Morso by Alessandro Gazzardi
American cherry Morso is a table with simple workmanship, which can be assembled completely by hand,
without the use of tools. The concept is inspired by traditional carpentry: the starting point is the classic carpenter’s bench. The legs are attached to the top with a countersunk dovetail joint, a reinterpretation of a traditional joint: this allows the binding properties of the joint to be maintained while facilitating assembly. Two large screw clamps run horizontally through the legs and the top, and close together to hold all the parts in place. For this piece, the designer chose the American cherry.
MATERIALS
American red oak (Quercus species, mainly Quercus rubra)
Warm, grainy, tough and bendy. Reaching a height of 21m, with a trunk diameter of 1m, red oak is the most abundant species in America’s hardwood forests. Named for the colour of its leaves in the fall, this classic oak wood has a light brown sapwood, and a heartwood characterised by attractive warm reddish-pink tones. Red oak is strong, straight grained, coarse- textured and distinctive. Its porosity makes it a premium wood for bending and staining.
American maple (Acer saccharum, acer nigrum, acer rubrum)
Light, fine, hard and incandescent. A close cousin of European maple and sycamore, American maple can reach heights of 23–27m, with a trunk diameter of 75cm. This project uses two botanical subspecies, hard and soft maple, which share similar characteristics and are both relatively abundant. Hard maple is a cold-climate species favouring the northern states, whereas soft maples grow more widely across the mixed hardwood forests of the eastern United States. Both hard and soft maple produce syrup.
American cherry (Prunus serotina)
Rich, smooth, vibrant and flexible. A medium-size tree, reaching a height of around 20m, cherry has a relatively short rotation, taking less time to mature than other hardwoods. The narrow sapwood is a light pinkish colour, while the heartwood varies from rich red to reddish brown, and darkens on exposure to light. American cherry had a long period of popularity in furniture making; it became less popular but is on the verge of a revival.
