ákos huber carves reclaimed wood into monolithic bench reminiscent of native totem poles

douglas fir beams shape the sunroom bench

Ákos Huber’s Sunroom Bench is a modular furniture object inspired by the idea of a growing family, crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir beams. For the Hungarian architect and designer, monolithic buildings evoke a sense of timelessness, reminiscent of vernacular farmhouses, native totem poles carved out of tree logs hovering between earth and sky, the monumental rock-hewn churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia, and more. The bench follows suit, with its design concept rooted in subtracting from a singular mass rather than assembling disparate components and composite materials to pluck the same string of the human soul and proclaim identity, naturalness, and timelessness. In this process, materiality solely carries the presence of the object.

Ákos Huber roots the process in a focus on materiality

In the age of rapid image generation and excessive visual impressions, the Sunroom Bench embodies a return to the intimacy of materials and more thoughtful production methods. Ákos Huber’s design process, spanning three-years from conception to realization, was characterized by sketches, hand and computer drawings, and models, allowing for unanticipated discoveries and refinement. ‘Providing a space for serendipitous accidents can only happen if you grab a pencil or start playing with a handful of clay,’ notes the designer. Modularity notably was explored through scale models, offering versatility in seating arrangements and compositions.

The material first started as Douglas fir trees growing in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, which were then utilized as structural beams, eventually continuing their life as a bench once salvaged by the designer from a demolition company. Their natural hues and textures had faded due to the patina that had accumulated on the surface over decades. In the workshop, the full scale object was executed with hand tools and simple machines in the spirit of maintaining individuality of the object. Huber prepared the wood – removing nails, machining, shaping, and culminating in the traditional charring technique of Shou Sugi Ban, resulting in a tactile texture and uniform black finish on the surface. Even then, the body of the bench embraces the ‘wounds’, remaining as a patina of time.

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project info:

name: Sunroom Bench
designer: Ákos Huber

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