The Exchange receives dual nominations for our Tables and Chairs!

Community Craft Organisation, The Exchange, Receives Dual Nominations for 2023 Wood Awards and Dezeen Awards

The Exchange is celebrating a double triumph as it receives nominations in two prestigious design awards: longlisted for the 2023 Dezeen Awards in the Furniture Design category, and shortlisted for the Furniture & Product Design category in this year’s Wood Awards. These nominations underscore The Exchange's dedication to innovative design, sustainability, and community empowerment.

Both nominations celebrate the same project: designed by Mentsen, commissioned and made by The Exchange, the folding tables and stackable chairs are made from solid FSC certified European Oak. The furniture is designed perfectly for its community craft space within the historic Carnegie Library in Erith. Both pieces of furniture are designed for space efficiency - foldable tables custom made to be stored on the wall when not in use, echoing the panels which once lined the Newspaper Room of the Old Library. The stackable chairs were designed to complement the tables, and are used by the community during all sorts of events. Both are completely repairable, promote sustainability and community engagement.

The designers, Yasuyuki Sakurai and Risa Sano of design studio Mentsen, Co-founder and Creative Director Peter Nutley, along with lead volunteer Richard Websdale, played pivotal roles in the creation of these pieces. It is, however, the team of volunteers, led by Richard, who have done the hard work on this project which began in early 2022.  After an intensive four days of skill sharing with the designers, the timber workshop volunteer team went on to produce twenty-six tables and are now in the process of making over a hundred oak frame chairs, complete with linen webbing.

The project has been nominated for the Furniture Design category of the Dezeen Awards 2023, a globally renowned accolade recognising exceptional achievements in architecture, interiors, design, and sustainability. This year, more than 4,800 entries were received for the Dezeen Awards, with only 123 entries making it to the longlist. The project has been recognized for its beauty, innovation, and benefit to people and the planet. Judges seek entries that exhibit aesthetic rigor, original thinking, and considerate design for users and the environment.

The Wood Awards judges seek thoughtful, inventive, and aesthetically pleasing designs across various categories. Competing with 13 other nominees, The Exchange's nomination underscores its commitment to sustainability, innovative design, and community engagement. The 2023 Wood Awards will reveal shortlisted projects during the Material Matters exhibition this week at Gallery@Oxo, London Design Festival, from September 20 - 23, 2023.

The project is a part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project to repair and reopen Erith’s Old Library as a space for community, craft, and empowerment. With additional funding from London Borough of Bexley, Power to Change, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Co-ops UK, National Lottery Community Fund, Orbit Housing, Arts Council England -and the community who invested in the organisation itself.

Both nominations represent a remarkable achievement for the entire team at The Exchange and recognise the thoughtfulness and clarity of Mentsen’s design.

The Exchange has made these unique pieces available for pre-sale, to help ensure the financial sustainability of the organisation and to see this beautifully designed and made furniture enrich many different homes and spaces.