REFUGE
Prize(s):
WINNER 2026 PRODUCT DESIGN / Furniture & Lighting
School / University Name:Institut Des Beaux Arts De Foumban
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Franklin Nguefack
Design Team / Other designer(s):Tazefack Nwamba Christian Evrard
Professor Name(s):Dr BENGONO fortuné
Photo Credit:Franklin nguefack
Project Location:Foumban / Cameroun
Design Status:Concept
Website: View
Video URL:View
Product Description:
REFUGE is a lounge furniture set composed of an armchair and a footrest, conceived as a space for rest, protection, and intimacy. The project explores the dialogue between organic architecture and African vernacular heritage, reinterpreting traditional forms such as gourds, baskets, and handcrafted seating through a contemporary design language.The chair is structured around an internal metal framework that ensures strength, stability, and long-term durability. This structure is entirely enveloped in handwoven natural rattan, forming an organic shell that creates an acoustic cocoon conducive to calm and introspection. Inside the shell, textiles featuring ancestral patterns are integrated not as ornamentation, but as a meaningful expression of cultural identity within a globalized design context.The footrest, sculpted from iroko wood, completes the comfort experience. A discreet storage compartment integrated into the chair’s structure allows the footrest to be stored inside the shell when not in use, optimizing space and functionality. More than a piece of furniture, REFUGE proposes a “habitation within the habitation”: a sanctuary where precision engineering and artisanal crafts
REFUGE is a lounge furniture set composed of an armchair and a footrest, conceived as a space for rest, protection, and intimacy. The project explores the dialogue between organic architecture and African vernacular heritage, reinterpreting traditional forms such as gourds, baskets, and handcrafted seating through a contemporary design language.The chair is structured around an internal metal framework that ensures strength, stability, and long-term durability. This structure is entirely enveloped in handwoven natural rattan, forming an organic shell that creates an acoustic cocoon conducive to calm and introspection. Inside the shell, textiles featuring ancestral patterns are integrated not as ornamentation, but as a meaningful expression of cultural identity within a globalized design context.The footrest, sculpted from iroko wood, completes the comfort experience. A discreet storage compartment integrated into the chair’s structure allows the footrest to be stored inside the shell when not in use, optimizing space and functionality. More than a piece of furniture, REFUGE proposes a “habitation within the habitation”: a sanctuary where precision engineering and artisanal crafts
Product Innovation / Specification:
The core innovation of REFUGE lies in the hybridization of a contemporary metal structure with a handwoven natural rattan envelope, combining technical performance with artisanal expression. This approach results in furniture that is structurally robust, visually lightweight, and durable over time, while maintaining a strong handcrafted identity. A key functional innovation is the integration of a built-in storage compartment within the chair’s shell, specifically designed to accommodate the iroko wood footrest. This multifunctional solution enhances everyday usability and spatial efficiency without compromising the object’s formal clarity or aesthetic purity.The design incorporates circular perforations and cut-outs that reduce the overall weight by approximately 30% while preserving maximum structural integrity. These elements also enhance visual lightness, encourage natural ventilation, and create dynamic interactions of light and shadow. Developed through a user-centered design process, REFUGE offers ergonomic comfort, acoustic protection, and a rich sensory experience, while affirming a strong cultural narrative within contemporary furniture design.
The core innovation of REFUGE lies in the hybridization of a contemporary metal structure with a handwoven natural rattan envelope, combining technical performance with artisanal expression. This approach results in furniture that is structurally robust, visually lightweight, and durable over time, while maintaining a strong handcrafted identity. A key functional innovation is the integration of a built-in storage compartment within the chair’s shell, specifically designed to accommodate the iroko wood footrest. This multifunctional solution enhances everyday usability and spatial efficiency without compromising the object’s formal clarity or aesthetic purity.The design incorporates circular perforations and cut-outs that reduce the overall weight by approximately 30% while preserving maximum structural integrity. These elements also enhance visual lightness, encourage natural ventilation, and create dynamic interactions of light and shadow. Developed through a user-centered design process, REFUGE offers ergonomic comfort, acoustic protection, and a rich sensory experience, while affirming a strong cultural narrative within contemporary furniture design.
Product Sustainability Approach:
REFUGE adopts a sustainable development strategy based on durability, responsible material selection, and the valorization of local craftsmanship. The internal metal structure ensures a long product lifespan and reduces the need for frequent replacement, while natural rattan renewable, biodegradable, and breathable forms an ecological and low-impact envelope.The footrest is crafted from iroko wood, a species known for its exceptional strength and longevity, thereby reducing environmental impact across the product’s life cycle. Manufacturing relies primarily on manual artisanal techniques, limiting energy consumption and contributing to low carbon production processes.The modular design allows the furniture to be fully disassembled for repair, recycling, or material recovery, actively addressing the issue of planned obsolescence in furniture production. By encouraging local sourcing, craftsmanship transmission, and repairability, REFUGE promotes a model of sustainable, responsible, and culturally rooted design aligned with contemporary environmental challenges.
REFUGE adopts a sustainable development strategy based on durability, responsible material selection, and the valorization of local craftsmanship. The internal metal structure ensures a long product lifespan and reduces the need for frequent replacement, while natural rattan renewable, biodegradable, and breathable forms an ecological and low-impact envelope.The footrest is crafted from iroko wood, a species known for its exceptional strength and longevity, thereby reducing environmental impact across the product’s life cycle. Manufacturing relies primarily on manual artisanal techniques, limiting energy consumption and contributing to low carbon production processes.The modular design allows the furniture to be fully disassembled for repair, recycling, or material recovery, actively addressing the issue of planned obsolescence in furniture production. By encouraging local sourcing, craftsmanship transmission, and repairability, REFUGE promotes a model of sustainable, responsible, and culturally rooted design aligned with contemporary environmental challenges.
Local and Regional Impacts of the Product:
REFUGE revalorizes craftsmanship from the Western region of Cameroon by integrating basketry, metalwork, and wood carving into a contemporary design project. It promotes the use of regional materials and supports local artisans, generating sustainable economic benefits and strengthening local creative ecosystems.Beyond its local impact, the project contributes to the international recognition of contemporary African design by demonstrating how traditional know-how can meaningfully engage with modern structures and global design standards. At a regional level, REFUGE acts as a catalyst for cultural identity, innovation, and economic development, encouraging a new generation of African designers to draw from their heritage as a foundation for sustainable innovation.
REFUGE revalorizes craftsmanship from the Western region of Cameroon by integrating basketry, metalwork, and wood carving into a contemporary design project. It promotes the use of regional materials and supports local artisans, generating sustainable economic benefits and strengthening local creative ecosystems.Beyond its local impact, the project contributes to the international recognition of contemporary African design by demonstrating how traditional know-how can meaningfully engage with modern structures and global design standards. At a regional level, REFUGE acts as a catalyst for cultural identity, innovation, and economic development, encouraging a new generation of African designers to draw from their heritage as a foundation for sustainable innovation.
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Franklin Nguefack
Profile Description:
Je suis Franklin Nguefack, étudiant et designer produit, spécialisé dans la conception et la réalisation d’objets. Fort de trois années d’expérience en entreprise comme designer produit à temps partiel, j’interviens à la fois comme concepteur et producteur. Ma démarche consiste à réinterpréter l’héritage traditionnel afin de lui donner une expression contemporaine, pertinente et ancrée dans les réalités actuelles.
Je suis Franklin Nguefack, étudiant et designer produit, spécialisé dans la conception et la réalisation d’objets. Fort de trois années d’expérience en entreprise comme designer produit à temps partiel, j’interviens à la fois comme concepteur et producteur. Ma démarche consiste à réinterpréter l’héritage traditionnel afin de lui donner une expression contemporaine, pertinente et ancrée dans les réalités actuelles.
Environmental Practices:
Ma pratique environnementale s’inscrit dans une démarche de design responsable et durable. Je privilégie des matériaux locaux, renouvelables ou recyclés, et j’optimise les procédés de fabrication afin de réduire l’impact écologique. Mon approche valorise les savoir-faire artisanaux et les circuits courts, tout en concevant des produits durables, réparables et adaptés aux réalités socioculturelles contemporaines.
Ma pratique environnementale s’inscrit dans une démarche de design responsable et durable. Je privilégie des matériaux locaux, renouvelables ou recyclés, et j’optimise les procédés de fabrication afin de réduire l’impact écologique. Mon approche valorise les savoir-faire artisanaux et les circuits courts, tout en concevant des produits durables, réparables et adaptés aux réalités socioculturelles contemporaines.
