No. 1 Common at 3 Days of Design: Redefining Beauty in Imperfect American Hardwoods

A New Chapter in Sustainable Furniture Design at Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design

At the 2025 edition of 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) initiated a striking and timely conversation about beauty, value, and sustainability in material culture. In a world where perfection is often the default aesthetic, “No. 1 Common” defies expectations. It invites us to embrace variation — not as a flaw, but as a visual and structural opportunity.

The project commissioned three bold designers — Andu Masebo, Daniel Schofield, and Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng — to create contemporary furniture pieces using Number 1 Common grade American hardwood, a timber classification often dismissed in Europe for its natural imperfections like knots, color shifts, or mineral streaks. These are woods full of story, full of contrast — and ironically, full of untapped potential.

Working in collaboration with British furniture maker Benchmark, AHEC initiated deep material research into the performance and aesthetic qualities of No. 1 Common hardwoods. The resulting body of work was more than furniture — it became a curated study in texture, history, and craft. By using wood that is typically underutilized, the exhibition not only celebrates whole-tree sustainability, but also questions the narrow definitions of material perfection in contemporary design.

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London-based Andu Masebo delivered a dynamic system of eight modular tables and semi-stackable stools, using No. 1 Common red oak and brown maple. With subtly curved profiles and precise joinery, the pieces form a cohesive family that’s both adaptive and architectural.

Rather than hiding material inconsistencies, Masebo designed around them, letting the visual rhythm of the wood grain shine through. During the exhibition, the furniture was rearranged multiple times to accommodate designer talks and workshops, proving its flexibility in public, participatory space.

Visitors were also invited to craft lighting pieces using off-cuts from production, giving the materials a second life and reinforcing the exhibition’s core value of circular thinking.

Function, Imperfection, and Tradition: Daniel Schofield’s Workspace Collection

Daniel Schofield, a Copenhagen-based British designer, interpreted the No. 1 Common cherry wood through the lens of modern workspace design. His Common Room collection — featuring a table, bench, stools, and divider screens — is tailored for multipurpose environments, ranging from collaborative hubs to quiet corners.

Schofield leaned into imperfections. Knots were patched, splits were stitched using traditional joinery, and the visible joints — shaped like rounded triangles — became signature visual elements. Rather than a polished veneer, Schofield’s work reveals the honesty and narrative of the material, positioning imperfection as a deliberate act of design.

Sculptural Memory of the Forest: Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng’s Organic Cabinetry

Norwegian designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng brought a sensuous, sculptural energy to the collection through her cabinet and mirror crafted from yellow birch. Drawing inspiration from twisted branches and roots, she laminated diverse cuts of birch to highlight color gradients and grain inconsistencies.

By carving along the grain, she allowed natural striations and imperfections to emerge as surface texture, making the wood feel alive and tactile. The organic forms, juxtaposed with flat surfaces, reveal how “No. 1 Common” wood can transition from rawness to refinement without compromise.

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The No. 1 Common project offers more than just an aesthetic statement — it is a design manifesto against waste and uniformity. In an era of climate urgency, the project quietly critiques the longstanding industry standard of discarding perfectly usable timber. Instead, it calls for a cultural and professional reassessment of what is deemed acceptable in high-end furniture.

By merging experimentation with ecological responsibility, this exhibition shows that design can be critical, material-led, and socially conscious — all at once. More importantly, it raises a question that reaches beyond design: What are we willing to consider beautiful when our survival depends on better resource use?

Closing the Loop: Offcuts, Process, and Legacy

The exhibition space itself embodied its philosophy. Danish designer Kia Utzon-Frank created an installation from the production offcuts, assembled in a way that allowed disassembly and reuse. The central shelving recalled stacked timber yards and forest log piles, visually linking the end product back to its source.

By integrating waste into form, the entire show becomes a working diagram of circular design thinking, proving that even exhibition production can become a model of low-impact making.

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