At Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign festival, the No. 1 Common exhibition – curated by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and Material Matters – targeted one of design’s most insidious prejudices: the desire for “perfect” materials.
The show highlighted No. 1 Common hardwoods – timbers marked by knots, mineral streaks and variations in colour. Often neglected in favour of flawless Select grades, this wood carries the irregular beauty of the forest. Three designers – Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng, Andu Masebo, and Daniel Schofield – were invited to transform this undervalued grade into contemporary pieces that celebrated, rather than concealed, its character.
For Norwegian designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng, the invitation was an opportunity to push her nature-inspired designs into new territory. Her Kontur Series – a cabinet and mirror – channels the movement of roots and branches, their silhouettes taking bold, fluid forms.
Her chosen timber, yellow birch, is rarely seen in high-end design. Working with master craftsmen at Benchmark, Øfstedal Eng experimented with its subtle tonal shifts, crafting laminated patterns that mix striking contrasts with quiet graduations of tone. The wood’s grain, often dismissed as too busy for refined furniture is a focal point—its irregularities reframed as texture, rhythm and depth.
In Øfstedal Eng’s hands, a so-called “cabinet grade” material took on the beauty of a gallery piece. The Kontur Series proves that luxury doesn’t depend on flawlessness – it can be found in the complexity of nature. Every streak, every knot, becomes part of the work’s character, giving it a sense of authenticity that uniform veneers can’t match.
