Virtual winners' podium – the ICONIC AWARDS 2022: Innovative Interior (7/9)

The 1920s is remembered as the decade in which the world began to depart from the accepted furnishing styles of the day and started to interpret interiors more as moods. In the meantime, there is no decade from the past century that has not already provided material for celebrated re-editions. Material innovations, new material combinations, colour spectra and manufacturing methods bring these into the here and now, forming an explicit link between the classics and new furniture designs.

A good example is Polish furniture company Vank's Peel chair which was awarded the title 'best of best' at the ICONIC AWARDS: Innovative Interior. Designed as a visitor and lounge chair, the furniture is made of moulded plywood, as it has been processed for around 90 years. In addition, the ergonomically shaped seat shell is processed with an innovative micro-slotting technology that gives the furniture an undulating shape and forms a visually expressive connection with the sinusoidal frame. Vank is additionally focused on saving natural resources and uses veneer remnants in the production of the Basic variant.

Oechsler also utilised material innovation for its 3D-printed lounge chair Slope, and for which it was awarded 'winner' by the jury. With this piece of furniture, the plastics processing industry experts demonstrate the possibilities of 3D printing technology. The individually manufactured seat elements made of TPU have locally different degrees of hardness, while a grid structure creates optimal ventilation properties. ‘The 3D-printed Slope lounge chair promises a high level of seating comfort, is easy to assemble and also recyclable. An interesting design approach that impresses with its special aesthetic and for taking the aspect of sustainability into account,’ as the jury said.

Three more furniture designs that all deserve their 'winner' title and are similar in form are the V-Rock and V-Alpin chair collections by Voglauer Gschwandtner & Zwilling, and the Turn chair by Stern. A closer look, however, reveals their quite different construction methods. V-Rock, for example, is based on a self-supporting back shell pressed from felt. The seat cushion is made of leather, the frame of solid wood. According to the jury, ‘The self-supporting back shell pressed from felt gives the V-Rock chair its own unmistakable identity. A timelessly elegant and – thanks to other natural materials such as leather and solid wood – high-quality looking piece of furniture that promises pleasant seating comfort and which fits into numerous modern contexts.’

The V-Alpin swivel dining chair by the Austrian manufacturer also offers a particularly high level of comfort thanks to its flowing solid wood and leather elements, leather upholstery and tilt fitting. A return spring always returns it to the centre. Meanwhile, the Turn lounge chair by Stern's offers a surprise in its suitabliity for outdoor use – something only revealed in the reading of its material specifications. Whether it's a dinner evening or a home office outdoors, the chair from the Baden-Württemberg-based outdoor furniture manufacturer also helps to train the spine, thanks to Sitness® technology, which activates the back muscles while sitting, gets circulation going and in turn improves the user's ability to concentrate. Indoor and outdoor can thus be designed as a seamless continuum.

For those who prefer to be absolutely sure that everything from surfaces, edge bands, roller shutter systems and wall connection profiles match and can be executed in a consistent look need only to seek out the Edelmatt collection from Rehau. Deservingly awarded the 'best of best', prize by the jury, ‘The Edelmatt collection from Rehau enables architects and planners to create an exceptionally high-quality, modern and, above all, uniform-looking interior without material and colour breaks.’

‘Change the function – change the mood. All in One Apartment by Mood Stories‘ by Pfleiderer Polska is neither a material nor a specific piece of furniture, but nonethelss another entry awarded the title of 'winner'. The furnishing concept is based on offering a well thought-out, sustainable, waste-free and all-in-one system that serves all living needs, which change depending on the time of day, in an area the equivalent of just two shipping containers. Thanks to 'Mood Stories' decors, the space can be adapted to serve different moods and functions at any time.

Finally, the Tojo-stau sideboard by Tojo Möbel also stands out in terms of concept. In addition to the flat-pack capability and the component-optimised design, the development of this MDF furniture also focused on the fact that the carcass can be assembled and disassembled by one person without tools. Tools are only needed to fasten the hinges. A nice detail of this 'Winner' are the handle recesses discreetly milled into the top, which complete the minimalist exterior of the sideboard.

Further evidence of the diversity of new designs, materials, shapes and constructions on show at the ICONIC AWARDS 2022: Innovative Interior can be found in the pictures below:

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