SLOW | Slow Design for Fast Change

#2 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 PROPELLERS BY MAXIMILLIAN ROHREGGER

Visit the American Hardwood Export Council Website

[Please click here](https://www.americanhardwood.org/)

#5 Making of Forest

#8 COMBO BY THEO LUVISOTTO

#3 Making of Propellers

#9 Making of Endless Garden

Visit the Holzfreude Website

[Please click here](http://www.holzfreude.de/)

#8 Making of Combo

Play Video

Visit the SMB Kunstgewerbemuseum Website

[Please click here](https://www.smb.museum/museen-einrichtungen/kunstgewerbemuseum/home/)

#5 FOREST BY SARAH HOSSLI AND LORENZ NOELLE

#9 ENDLESS GARDEN BY HAUS OTTO

#2 ROCKING CHAIR BY CLEMENCE BUYTAERT

EXHIBITION WEBSITE | SLOW DESIGN FOR FAST CHANGE

[Please click here for more information](https://www.americanhardwood.org/en/examples/our-projects/slow-design-for-fast-change) or click here to [download the Press Kit](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/si4yad6q74057n3/AAA7LDGmgwymCKHd4YkXZrh8a?dl=0)

#7 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#4 Making of Kies

#4 KIES BY MAXIMILIAN BECK

#6 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#6 THE UN ORDINARY CHAIR BY ANNA KOPPMANN

#1 RE COLLECTION BY HANSIL HEO

#1 Making of Re Collection

#7 LEFTOVER SYNTHESIS BY SIMON GEHRING

Teleport to artwork 9 | ENDLESS GARDEN BY HAUS OTTO

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 Making of Rocking Chair

#3 PROPELLERS BY MAXIMILLIAN ROHREGGER

American maple
 Universität für angewandte Kunst, Vienna (AT)


Rohregger took inspiration from the distinct shape of the propeller-like seeds of the maple tree for his table and stools, with many subtle details that mirror the ingenious design of nature.

The clever form of the stool allows it to be adjusted in height by a screw thread, referencing the spiral trajectory of the maple seed as it falls from the tree. As seen in the natural world, the maple seeds hang from the tree branches and are carried away by the wind for pollination. Rohregger reflected this with his stools, which can be distributed around the room or hung under the table to save space. The collection is made using American maple as a celebration of this unique mechanism and refers to its origin.

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#6 Making of Forest

#8 COMBO BY THEO LUVISOTTO

American red oak
écal, Renens (CH)


Luvisotto started his design process by studying the modular and multifunctional aspect of objects, whilst keeping in mind the brief of questioning the current status quo of the furniture industry.

By observing the proportions of interior furniture, he unified two fundamental functions: seating and storage. Combo brings together a stool and a box into a single object, which can be stacked and adapted to fit with the user’s space and lifestyle.

The curves of his piece offer a combination of comfort, thinness, and solidity and the use of American red oak makes it a particularly robust and durable object.

#4 Making of Propellers

#4 Making of Propellers

#4 Making of Propellers

#4 Making of Propellers

#4 Making of Propellers

#4 Making of Propellers

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#1 Making of Endless Garden

#9 Making of Combo

#9 Making of Combo

#9 Making of Combo

#9 Making of Combo

#9 Making of Combo

Play Video

#5 FOREST BY SARAH HOSSLI AND LORENZ NOELLE

American red oak, maple and cherry
 écal, Renens (CH)


Hossli and Noelle began their research by studying the interactive forest maps created by AHEC that visually portray the volume, growth and removals of the American hardwood forests. These naturally regenerating forests are huge and diverse. Cherry, maple and red oak trees make up 40% of the total standing timber and grow in a way greater volume than they are used.

Forest is a collection of nine different bowls, the design of which is based on data from these maps. The individual bowls visualize the volume, growth and removals of the three species across Northern America. 

#9 ENDLESS GARDEN BY HAUS OTTO

American red oak
Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart (DE)


Endless Garden is a modular shelving system which conceptually addresses the meaning of the word "Slow" in an ever faster changing world and deals with aspects of longevity, sustainability and deceleration.

In contrast to today's big cities, which are characterized by industry and speed, rural regions can evoke an image of deceleration and tradition. The associative and playful approach to the motif of the fence as a symbol of a romanticizing idyll of home ownership creates new scope for interpretation, drawing on original and simple woodworking techniques. The fence as a symbol of our sedentariness thereby creates new spatial structures, demarcates, unites and redefines our human living spaces again and again.

Endless Garden is based on a fragment of the fence that can be expanded through both vertical and horizontal multiplication to grow with and adapt to our spatial changes. The emphasis on the horizontal structure, through the interlocking connecting elements, thereby creates the impression of infinity.

#2 ROCKING CHAIR BY CLEMENCE BUYTAERT

American red oak
 écal, Renens (CH)


For Buytaert, the definition of “slow design” is taking time, reducing waste, producing higher quality products and finding balance between the society and environment in which we live.

For her, a rocking chair embodies the meaning of “slow design”. The back-and-forth motion of the chair encourages mindfulness in activities, whilst the object itself is traditionally passed down through generations.

The chair’s thoughtful design gives it an artisanal feel but allows it to be flat-packed for practicality and to reduce the carbon footprint of transport.

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#8 Making of Leftover Synthesis

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#5 Making of Kies

#4 KIES BY MAXIMILIAN BECK

American cherry, maple and red oak
 KISD – Köln International School of Design, Cologne (DE)


Beck started his design process by studying the natural formation of pebbles. Over years, sediments from mountain ranges are transported through glaciers and rivers until they reach the ocean – a process that slowly erodes the rough surface of the stones until a smooth and even shaped pebble is left.

For him, this process was the embodiment of the SLOW brief. His collection of tables and stools alludes to a pile of pebbles, the smoothed edges and neutral colours bring a sense of calm -  a deceleration that stands in direct contrast to the fast-paced world of our day and gives the term “slow furniture” a new shape.

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#7 Making of The Un Ordinary Chair

#6 THE UN ORDINARY CHAIR BY ANNA KOPPMANN

American red oak, maple and cherry
 Universität der Künste Berlin (DE)


Is beauty just a question of looks, or could there be more to it than meets the eye? Inspired by Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison’s book Super Normal, Koppmann designed a chair which flirts with the idea of an archetype to draw attention to a more important issue: supporting a sustainable forest system.

Today, combining different types of wood in one piece of furniture is still unusual and often a matter of taste. But the forest can’t be healthy and climate resistant in the long run if we have the tendency to simply cherry-pick material from it.

With its classical form, The (un)ordinary chair makes the wood combination both visually and physically appealing for our living spaces, while contributing to a sustainable use of the forest.

#1 RE COLLECTION BY HANSIL HEO

American cherry, maple and red oak
 Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (DE)


In reflection of the brief, Heo asked herself ‘So, what is slow? Slow doesn't mean stop. Slow seems to have stopped, but it is still changing. And it isn't immediately noticeable, but by recording, we know. What is changing without us noticing? What would you like to record and remember?’

She was inspired by historic Korean culture for her sculptural storage system. Traditionally, a tree was planted every time a baby was born. It would grow over time and become their playground, shelter and a companion and end its life as a piece of furniture or a coffin, uniting their lives together.

RE;collection is an object that will grow over time with the user, acting as a storage space for memories and stories, keeping your most valuable items safe.

#2 Making of Re Collection

#2 Making of Re Collection

#2 Making of Re Collection

#2 Making of Re Collection

#2 Making of Re Collection

#2 Making of Re Collection

#7 LEFTOVER SYNTHESIS BY SIMON GEHRING

American cherry, maple and red oak
 Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart (DE)


Gehring’s piece is an exploration into making better use of wood scraps from furniture production, combined with computational design methods.

Leftover timber that falls below a certain dimension is often sorted out, incinerated or shredded. His concept aims to minimally process those leftovers, whilst retaining their individual forms and shapes.

By using algorithms that adapt to the varying shapes and sizes, the leftover timber is precisely arranged, like building blocks, to create the form of a furniture piece, giving the timber a second life as a functional object. The variable size and number of parts used for each chair, means each final piece is assembled in a different way, with a unique finish.