Richard Lovell, Jut Chair (STUDENT 2025)

Student:

Tertiary

Name of school or tertiary institution, name of woodworking teacher (if you have one), and name of photographer:

TAFE NSW, Teacher: Georgina Donovan, Photographer: Richard Lovell

Country

Australia

This seating piece was designed and manufactured in response to a brief to create a prototype for the guest rooms of Ace Hotel Sydney. The brief called for a design that would “resonate with the hotel’s existing aesthetic.” Ace Hotel’s interiors favour solid timber construction and exposed joinery. In response, the design emphasises structural clarity and material honesty. I referenced the work of Fred Ward and Pierre Chapo - designers whose restrained yet expressive timber joinery aligns with the spirit of the hotel. The form was developed through sketches influenced by Frank Gehry’s Serpentine Pavilion and the structural language of Shinto shrines. The projecting joints, which extend visibly through and beyond their intersecting members, reference the carpentry traditions of shrine architecture, where structure is both functional and expressive. Constructed from reclaimed Oregon and Queensland-grown Hoop Pine plywood, the chair reflects a considered approach to sustainability - balancing the reuse of salvaged timber with the use of locally sourced, responsibly manufactured materials. A contrast in tone, grain and texture between the two timbers helps to visually delineate structure from surface: the Oregon provides a rich, tactile frame, while the smoother, paler plywood panels offer visual relief and warmth. With its wide stance, reclined backrest and generous proportions, the chair adopts a relaxed posture that invites rest, while its angular intersections lend it a sharp, architectural presence.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.