Always Welcome and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) are collaborating on the launch of the second iteration of Future Heirlooms, a project exploring the future of sustainable South African design. The 2024 edition engages participants from cross- disciplinary backgrounds with a focus on the South African interior design and architecture communities. The designers have been invited to design an object for domestic use using American red oak. In line with the Future Heirlooms theme, they have to design a piece that lasts for generations to come and be of a quality that makes it worth keeping, and of collectible value.
For the design, designers might look to the contemporary furniture market to create something that will have a unique presence in the marketplace, not necessarily a commercial one (although it may also have that quality). Designers are also encouraged to consider antique typologies to reinterpret an object that was once useful, or relevant to the age, but is no longer commonplace. Equally designers can look ahead to new typologies – to create an object that could be of value in our rapidly changing future. The spirit of the challenge is to celebrate individuality, expressionism, quirkiness, and beauty in the design of the limited edition collectible piece.
“The five selected African designers have the unique opportunity to create an object that not only looks forward to the future of sustainable design, but also explores their own heritage and the story of South Africa’s rich design legacy. The hand-picked participants represent a diverse set of African design practitioners across multiple fields. From architecture, to interior design, design education,
costume design, creative direction, art curation and branding disciplines – Future Heirlooms 2024 celebrates the cross-pollination between disciplines as a vital aspect of African design,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director.
Participants for the 2024 edition include Moea Design Studio Duo (Cassandra Twala, Designer & Multidisciplinary Creative Entrepreneur and Johanna Von Stein, Designer and Architect); HerArtFelt Studio (Juliet M. Kavishe, Interior Architect & Design educator); Earthworld Architects (Andre Eksteen, Architect & Academic); Isa- MBU- LA Ndabo (Langa – Architect & founder of DGIT architects and Bandile Mbuli – indigenous craft inspired Creative Director & costume designer); and Nkuli Ni. Nhleko, Art Curator at Everard Read Gallery and the founder of Imbewu Design, an Interior Design Studio.
The 2022 edition of Future Heirlooms set the caliber and the tone for this year’s edition through the hugely successful first round of the call. Created in American red oak by celebrated hardwood furniture designer-manufacturers Houtlander and timber importers BOS Timbers, the seven pieces – by Dokter and Misses, MashT Design Studio, The Urbanative, Kumsuka, Kalki Ceramics, Joe Paine in partnership with Nathan Gates, and NØDE Studio – were a celebration of material and memory, and asked pertinent questions about our approach to the environment.
Future Heirlooms 2024 aims to kindle the relationship between product, interior design and architecture disciplines and visions in Africa; immerse designers in deep material knowledge of sustainable American hardwoods; enable designers to envision spaces that move beyond trend to embrace longevity, repurposing, and ecologically sound design and manufacturing practices; and embrace what we consider to be a salient African design value – sustainability and natural materials.
The American red oak for the project is once again being sponsored and supplied by wholesale timber specialists BOS Timbers. The team at BOS believe that investing in Future Heirlooms is investing in the growth of our design talent and marketplace, ultimately an investment in our shared future. For Always Welcome, Future Heirlooms forms a part of a series of initiatives driven by their platform called AW/AGILE – committed to introducing, enabling and nurturing the pipeline of designers to meet the demand for Africa’s rising talent both locally and abroad.
“Building on the success of the launch edition of Future Heirlooms, our 2024 challenge will offer our select African cross-disciplinary designers a unique opportunity to design a piece that explores alternative manufacturing methods, and the beauty and versatility of American red oak itself. The finished pieces will then be seen as part of Sustainable Design Week Africa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from September 10 – 14, 2024. The project will allow us to work with upcoming and established South African designers and makers, whilst also helping them to work with an abundant, versatile and beautiful, yet lesser-known American hardwood species,” concluded Wiles.