Woak at Design Variations during MDW 24

A convergence of new manufacturing technologies and traditional woodworking is the key concept of Woak’s staging at Milano Design Week 2024.

Hosted at the new Design Variations space in Viale Gorizia 14, the staging is a showcase for the brand’s new products designed by Constance Guisset, DWA, Marta Ayala Herrera, /àr-o/ studio and Zaven.

Dualism is the distinguishing element of all of the pieces created by this Bosnian firm specializing in the creation of wood furnishings. The essence of the brand is its multifaceted, diverse origins: Woak draws on skills and techniques from various cultures, bringing woodworking traditions together with international designers and innovative materials and manufacturing processes.

Designed by /àr-o/ studio, the Milan-based creative duo who are Woak’s art directors, the exposition space enchants with vibrant colors and rhythmic patterns, using similarities and differences to highlight the company’s special bond with its chosen material, wood

As a first preview of the collection, Woak presents the Rudi stool designed by Zaven. The seat, in high-back and low-back versions, puts the accent on the beauty of the raw material: solid oak that seems sculpted with simple, clean lines. A familiar object with a minimalist esthetic based on a few interlocking geometric elements – rectangular backrest and legs and round seat - joined together in meticulous yet primitive harmony.

“Working and shaping wood is always a unique experience,” say Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno of Zaven, collaborating with the brand for the first time. “We can define and mold it to create sculptural objects with unique textures. With Woak we jumped at the chance to use solid wood to construct elements that lend character to the space like little works of architecture – strong, solid and functional.”

Collaborations with Zaven and the other designers contributing to the new collection are integral to what the company does: Woak embraces the willingness to be open to new things, along with an almost nomadic calling to travel and absorb know-how from every corner of the world, aiming to be a sort of receptacle of creativity in which designers’ different styles are channeled into a consistent but multidimensional approach to design.