The Leger Media Unit
Prize(s):
WINNER 2026 PRODUCT DESIGN / Furniture & Lighting
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Warren Turnbull
Project Location:Cape Town
Design Status:Commercialized
Website: View
Product Description:
The Leger Media Unit embodies refined modernism through precision craftsmanship and material honesty. Handcrafted in American walnut, the piece features 210 individually shaped solid-wood slats forming sculptural screens that play with light, shadow, and rhythm. Gentle curves and softened edges balance its clean, architectural lines, while elevated legs lend a sense of lightness. Behind the slatted facades, practical storage keep technology discreetly tucked away. Built using all traditional joinery, the Leger is designed for longevity - a quiet statement of skill, patience, and proportion. Both functional and expressive, it serves as a warm anchor to a living space, where contemporary living meets time-honoured craft.
The Leger Media Unit embodies refined modernism through precision craftsmanship and material honesty. Handcrafted in American walnut, the piece features 210 individually shaped solid-wood slats forming sculptural screens that play with light, shadow, and rhythm. Gentle curves and softened edges balance its clean, architectural lines, while elevated legs lend a sense of lightness. Behind the slatted facades, practical storage keep technology discreetly tucked away. Built using all traditional joinery, the Leger is designed for longevity - a quiet statement of skill, patience, and proportion. Both functional and expressive, it serves as a warm anchor to a living space, where contemporary living meets time-honoured craft.
Product Innovation / Specification:
The Leger Media Unit explores innovation through a return to slow, deliberate craftsmanship. Its defining feature is the use of 210 individually crafted solid walnut spindles, each shaped and installed by hand to form a continuous curved facade. The process demands precision, patience, and a deep understanding of material behaviour. Developing the curved form required custom jigs, repeatable methods, and careful sequencing to ensure consistency across all components. Every element is built from solid timber using traditional joinery, allowing the piece to age gracefully and remain serviceable over time. The result is a piece that challenges fast-production norms, demonstrating how time-honoured techniques can be applied at scale to produce refined, sculptural furniture for modern interiors.
The Leger Media Unit explores innovation through a return to slow, deliberate craftsmanship. Its defining feature is the use of 210 individually crafted solid walnut spindles, each shaped and installed by hand to form a continuous curved facade. The process demands precision, patience, and a deep understanding of material behaviour. Developing the curved form required custom jigs, repeatable methods, and careful sequencing to ensure consistency across all components. Every element is built from solid timber using traditional joinery, allowing the piece to age gracefully and remain serviceable over time. The result is a piece that challenges fast-production norms, demonstrating how time-honoured techniques can be applied at scale to produce refined, sculptural furniture for modern interiors.
Product Sustainability Approach:
The sustainability of the Leger Media Unit is rooted in longevity and responsible material use rather than short-term trends. Built from solid American walnut, the piece is designed to last for generations, reducing the need for replacement and minimising lifecycle waste. Traditional joinery allows for repair, maintenance, and refinishing over time, ensuring the unit can evolve with its owner rather than be discarded. Components are made from solid timber instead of veneers or composite boards, avoiding materials with shorter lifespans. The design prioritises timeless proportions and restrained aesthetics, encouraging long-term ownership. By focusing on durability, repairability, and honest materials, the Leger Media Unit promotes a slower, more sustainable approach to furniture making.
The sustainability of the Leger Media Unit is rooted in longevity and responsible material use rather than short-term trends. Built from solid American walnut, the piece is designed to last for generations, reducing the need for replacement and minimising lifecycle waste. Traditional joinery allows for repair, maintenance, and refinishing over time, ensuring the unit can evolve with its owner rather than be discarded. Components are made from solid timber instead of veneers or composite boards, avoiding materials with shorter lifespans. The design prioritises timeless proportions and restrained aesthetics, encouraging long-term ownership. By focusing on durability, repairability, and honest materials, the Leger Media Unit promotes a slower, more sustainable approach to furniture making.
Local and Regional Impacts of the Product:
The Leger Media Unit contributes to the local design and craft ecosystem by demonstrating the value of high-skill, small-scale furniture making in South Africa. Each piece is handcrafted locally, supporting specialised woodworking skills and keeping traditional joinery practices relevant in a contemporary context. By choosing to produce locally rather than outsource or mass-manufacture, the work contributes to the regional creative economy and reinforces the viability of independent makers. The piece also reflects a growing South African design language that values material honesty and craftsmanship. In this way, the Leger Media Unit supports both the preservation of craft and the visibility of locally made, high-quality furniture within the regional design landscape.
The Leger Media Unit contributes to the local design and craft ecosystem by demonstrating the value of high-skill, small-scale furniture making in South Africa. Each piece is handcrafted locally, supporting specialised woodworking skills and keeping traditional joinery practices relevant in a contemporary context. By choosing to produce locally rather than outsource or mass-manufacture, the work contributes to the regional creative economy and reinforces the viability of independent makers. The piece also reflects a growing South African design language that values material honesty and craftsmanship. In this way, the Leger Media Unit supports both the preservation of craft and the visibility of locally made, high-quality furniture within the regional design landscape.
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Warren Turnbull
