CHINESE DESIGN USING APPALACHIAN WOOD WINS FURNITURE CONTEST AT KENDALL COLLEGE

Furniture World Magazine

The checkerboard design allows blocks of light and shadows to sway in a pattern under the four legs of the table. That was the intent of the creator and one of the features that allowed a maple and walnut table to win the 1997 Furniture Design Contest at Kendall College of Art & Design. Sponsored bi-annually by Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. (AHMI), the contest pits students against each other for a cash prize. A panel of judges selected a maple and walnut table designed by Meng-Fang Wu at the 1997 competition on Sept. 23. Wu, a senior in furniture design from Taipei, Taiwan, turned a class assignment into an award winning design in just over one year. He said Chinese construction methods and the beauty of Appalachian hardwoods were the focus of his work. "I tried to build something that can be used and also be a sculpture in a living room," Wu said. "That's why I used the Chinese style for construction with the square blocks." Built from Appalachian maple squares, the tabletop allows light to pass through to the floor which give the appearance of movement when walking around the table. The walnut legs contrast with the light surface and gives the table a unique perspective from every angle. AHMI, a trade association based in High Point, NC, sponsors the contest by providing lumber to qualifying students and donating the cash prizes. The contest is unique because students must design an occasional casegood product for use in the home, it must be manufacturable, made from solid hardwoods and they must build a full scale prototype. Kendall College is world renowned for its furniture design and art degree programs. The college has more than 800 students in its fine art and design programs in the heart of Grand Rapids, MI. The campus also offers a complete wood shop so students can actually build the piece they design. "The contest gives the students a terrific opportunity to see the process from design to product development and into actual production of a prototype," said Max Strangle, Kendall College Furniture Design coordinator and assistant professor. "This is a great life experience for our students because some of them don't realize how difficult and time consuming it is to match the measurement that they draw." AHMI represents more than 190 companies that produce and distribute Appalachian products around the world. For more information, contact AHMI at (910) 885-8315 or visit our website at http://www.appalachianwood.org.