We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all participants who submitted their innovative, original and appealing designs for WOUD's first international HIDN Design Competition based on the design principles of precycling. After careful consideration and evaluation by our jury, we are thrilled to announce the winning design that will be included and launched in the HIDN Collection.
Announcement of the winner
The HIDN design language is intended to inspire and motivate design minds in the process where a design comes to life. Based on this drive we established the international HIDN Design Competition. A space with room to challenge, play and flourish.
We are excited to announce the winner of our international HIDN design competition and the next member of the HIDN Collection. The winning design was by the jury described as a simple and very pure design, that fulfils the aesthetic purpose well and as a mix of sensuality, poetry and minimalism.
The winning design is Monolith incense holder designed by the German-based Oleg Pugachev.
Meet the five finalists
The jury has carefully evaluated every submitted design proposal and here we present the five selected finalist designs for the HIDN Design Competition. The winner was announced on 23 March 2023 at the HIDN Deign Award.
MONOLITH incense holder designed by Oleg Pugachev
The Berlin-based designer aims to create products that possess contemporary relevance. Suitable for the modern way of life focusing on relaxation, contemplation and well-being. Made from a solid, rectangular block of marble, Monolith incense holder embraces these feelings while embodying production and material optimisation. The cylindrical holder is cut out of the block, leaving a hollow centre to place the piece vertically. Clever use of counterweight and friction holds the incense sticks at the perfect angle while the plate provides a platform for burning incense cones or a piece of lava rock, which serves as an essential oil diffuser.
ARC lights designed by Birkan Gülöz and Jonas Nussbaum
From their own design studio, JBNG, the duo endeavours to create durable, useful and yet evocative objects. Their contribution is Arc. A two-piece lighting object that appears related but differs in appearance and use. Utilising an entire standard aluminium profile, the design gives an impulse for the resource-saving use of material, focussing on a no-waste approach during production. Creating one object for direct illumination and one object for indirect illumination. Each seamlessly interacting with the given space.
Explore their work @jbng.studio
Siivu candleholder designed by Simo Lahtinen
The Finnish designer is driven by creating honest and meaningful designs with a positive impact on users and the surroundings. The lines of Siivu arose from the shape of a single standard steel tube that has been expertly cut and bent. The bent part forms a sturdy handle, providing a safe grip for moving the candle with ease. Additionally, the cut portion of the tube forms a sturdy base, adding stability to the structure while offering a resting place for a lit match to burn out safely. Through the HIDN approach, new functions and design features are added to the candleholder using a simple production process that does not require any additional material.
Explore his work @lahtinensi
TWIRL vase designed by Deniz Aktay
In 2020, the German designer established his own design studio, dezin, with a focus on exploring the unique properties of different materials. This approach is exemplified by the TWIRL vase, a design that is created through a meticulous twisting process. By taking a standard glass tube and twisting it until it reaches a point of complete lock, which results in two parts divided by a tight separation. Giving it a function, produced using a simple and efficient production process that does not require any additional material. With its asymmetrical twisting point, the vase can be turned upside down to hold tealights or smaller flowers, providing a completely different appearance.
Explore his work @dezinobjects
REVRS cushion designed by Ivana Blaskova
Reflected on a visit to a textile museum, the Dutch Ivana Blaskova has adopted the traditional double weaving technique to make a double-sided textile. Weaved as a single piece with an integrated pattern, REVRS does not leave any excess fabric from cut-offs. By turning the enveloped-closed cover inside out, a slightly different pattern appears due to the envelope closure and reverse colours, utilising the durability of both sides of the fabric. Additionally, the pillow cover is made from a mono-material; low-impact wool material in pure, natural shades without artificial colour, allowing for easy recycling.
The jury
The jury for the HIDN Design Competition, comprised of five professional and international members, has completed the selection process. Being absolutely fascinated and drawn by the world of design, the jury was impressed and surprised by the submitted design proposals, all of which were reviewed by every member of the jury.
Mia Koed, Creative Director at WOUD
As one of the founders of WOUD and with more than 30 years of experience in the interior world, Mia possesses a profound competence in spotting and developing designs. From her position as Creative Director, she works with selecting designs, designers and trends every day. Furthermore, she has been involved, from the very beginning, in the development of the HIDN concept in collaboration with Roel Vandebeek.
“My heart especially beats for collaborating with the very young upcoming designers. It brings me so much joy to give them feedback and at the same time experience how they challenge me with their fresh approach to design. Therefore, I am looking very much forward to diving into the design proposals that the competition produces - in particular, I look forward to helping a new design enter WOUD's new HIDN Collection”
Anders Engholm, Danish designer and winner of 'Denmark's next classic'
Anders is a trained boilermaker and designer and has worked as an independent designer since 2014. With simple and recognisable designs, he creates personal and timeless furniture for everyday life. Anders balances the Danish design tradition and the forward-looking choice of materials, he strives to refine sustainable resources and brings focus on responsible manufacturing processes.
“This competition will result in amazing design! Design, where it is not only aesthetics that are considered, but also responsible manufacturing and the unexpected, surprising idea. For me, this is the type of competition we need, and therefore it is great that HIDN sets the scene for it”
Hanne Willmann, German designer and experienced jury member
Hanne has a degree from the University of the Arts in Berlin and Elisava in Barcelona. Since she graduated in 2014, she has worked for design studios, as a creative director, lectured at universities and been a part of juries in multiple design competitions. Through her own multidisciplinary design studio in Berlin, she designs from a profound fascination with details and a meticulous understanding of materials, colour and innovative production techniques. Resulting in a timeless aesthetic appeal.
“Design has a purpose. The philosophy of HIDN is giving products a very sustainable purpose - not reducing, but adding! I am very much looking forward to those purposeful ideas!"
Roel Vandebeek, Belgian designer and artist
Roel is the driving force behind the HIDN concept. As a graduate of the MAD Faculty in Genk, he has explored various spectrums within art, industrial and interior design, resulting in a list of acclaimed award-winning projects during his career. This holistic view of design projects made Roel establish the creative hotspot Dêpot des Arts.
“I hope HIDN triggers designers to discover new approaches and possibilities during their design process. A kind of dialogue with the new design you’re working on, showing unrevealed opportunities combined with a more sustainable way of working. What I hope most is that I will be surprised by many original designs, based on the Hidn concept. This way, the power and the innovation of this new design language are shown"
Rikke Palmerston, Danish designer and FSC award-winner
With a Master in Furniture Design (products, materials and contexts) from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Rikke has a fine appreciation of design processes - from sketches to scale models to production. In 2017, she won the FSC Award with her design Knaegt, showing her dedication to design from a sustainable mindset. Today, she is Design Assistant at WOUD.
"I love that designing from the principles of precycling is a playful and simple way to work with sustainability. I hope that some of the ideas behind the HIDN design language will stick to the minds of the designers participating and I can't wait to see all the creative designs!"
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