Patrick TrautfieldThe Cal Poly Architecture Department and Vellum Build, a San Luis Obispo design and build firm, teamed up to host the third annual Vellum Build/Architecture Department Furniture Design Competition over the weekend.
The competition was open to all College of Architecture and Environmental Design students and faculty. Entrants both designed and built the furniture, working the pieces from concept to finish.
“Our motivation for this competition is to inspire creative thought and practice and to challenge students and faculty to the boundaries of material and design,” said Paul Abbott, a Cal Poly construction management graduate and head of Vellum Design Build, in a press release.
Many of the pieces were made from scrap or discarded materials.
“The idea is to take trash and turn it into something nice,” architecture senior David Abair said. “To come up with something beautiful out of something that you wouldn’t normally see as beautiful.”
Abair designed and built a coffee table entirely out of “trashed” two-by-fours. His design, “Simple Gestures,” uses no metal at all. The Douglas fir wood that comprises the base of his table is stacked in spirals that rotate seven and a half degrees at each level. The piece is finished with a glass top, also of his design.
Abair, who spent last quarter studying abroad in Italy, was excited to be back in San Luis Obispo and compete in the competition.
“There’s such a variety, and it’s such a fun event,” he said.
Architecture senior Steve Jones was among the top 12 winners. His design, “Be Still, a Mobile Sanctuary” was made from a scrap piece of hardwood ash and some old fence posts. The slim, slatted, body-length lounging chair was designed to be both beautiful and comfortable, he said.
“It’s something you can have on your front or back porch,” he said of the chair’s outdoor, casual feel, which was originally meant to be an indoor piece. “You could even put it in the back of your truck and take it to the beach.”
Architecture student Katie Walsh designed a table out of pine plywood and a piece of plumbing pipe that doubles as storage for books. The design was inspired by the book display in her own home. The idea was to “display books in a way where they actually become part of the furniture,” she wrote of her design.
The table’s base was stacked with books laid on their sides with the spines facing out toward the viewer. The tabletop is attached to the pipe and slides up and down to accommodate the number of books under it. The piece was finished with a light on top that illuminates the book placed on the tabletop.
Among the top three winners was architecture student Chung Shen Tang’s design, which consisted only of cardboard and glue. Tang’s design included a low chair and table, with a side table and a lamp that can be arranged into four different configurations.
The pieces were judged on function, individuality, beauty and production. The panel of judges included alumni of the Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design, artists, furniture designers and architects. The top 12 winning pieces will be on display until Feb. 11 at the Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St.