An Homage to the might of Wood

Founders of Houtlander, Phillip Hollander and Stephen Wilson have established an enviable reputation for their unique furniture pieces that are built without a single nail or screw. Relying solely on wood’s infinite ability to taken endless form and be pliable to seamless manipulation when in the rights hands, the duo have crafted one award-winning piece of furniture after other.

Earlier this year, the duo won the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa 2019 with the Interdependence Two bench, a twisted slatted seat for two people to sit intimately facing each other, and have recently exhibited at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery in Milan and the Grand Palais in Paris.

“We are a studio that strives to be as sustainable as possible – we don’t use mechanical fixings in our production, just good traditional joinery,” says Phillip. “We want to design furniture that is evocative and lasting, we only work with timber that is honorably sourced.”

Presenting for the first time in the Middle East, Houtlander will showcase their latest creation that pays homage to South Africa’s great love for the outdoors.

The Preservation Bench takes after the designers’ modern take on spindle furniture. Three grounded benches curve into one gravity-defying twisted form that seemingly disappears into the air. Made from thermally-modified American red oak and in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council, the unmistakable form celebrates the sapling growing from the forest floor, seeking the light and growing up towards the canopy.

“The Preservation Bench is an expression of the fact that the material we are using in our furniture comes out of the air,” says Stephen. “It is carbon which has been absorbed out of the air by the living forest and converted into timber.”

The bench is not only a masterpiece in timber design and craftsmanship, it also has a minimal environmental footprint, which speaks to the inspiration behind it. “We have calculated that all the red oak used to make the bench would be replaced through natural regeneration in the U.S. hardwood forest in less than 1 second” explains Roderick Wiles, American Hardwood Export Council Regional Director.