Take Note: HBF’s Note Desk Wins The Chicago Athenaeum’s Prize Designs Award
HBF is delighted to have received The Chicago Athenaeum’s Prize Designs Award for the Note Desk designed by OEO Studio, in the Modern Furniture and Lighting category.
Originally founded by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1959, this historic global program was relaunched seven decades later by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum. For 2022, Global Design News received a record number of submissions from the world’s leading manufacturers and design firms, representing the most important and critical mass of influential furniture and lighting corporations from over 40 countries. In June, the jury convened and selected over 60 new designs worthy of the Prize from over 24 nations. HBF’s Note Desk was selected as the winner of the 2022 Prize Designs in the Modern Furniture and Lighting category.
“The remake of Prize Designs for Modern Furniture + Designers seeks to recapture that same bold spirit of vitality and experimentation by the world’s most prominent architects, designers, and manufactures as was captured by MoMA in the 1950” states Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, President/CEO, The Chicago Athenaeum. “This international Prize Design competition hopes to redefine the term ‘iconic’ by introducing and awarding the “Best of the Best” from the world’s most prominent design and manufacturing hothouses."
The Note Desk is a refined follow up to the Simple Writing Desk, launched in 2017. Based on a design approach rooted in “honest, clean, and simple” aesthetics, the Note Desk further streamlines the table desk typology to create HBF’s very first flatpack product that is easy to ship, assemble, and use without sacrificing its workmanship and versatile functionality.
“When the Simple Writing Desk was introduced four years ago, it truly resonated with designers and specifiers due to its quality, performance, and modernity in design,” commented Thomas Lykke of OEO Studio. “The new Note Desk offers an entirely fresh perspective on the original Simple Writing Desk concept. With its organic structure and an intimate feel, this piece of furniture is meant to be timeless and can perfectly complement a public work space or a private home office.”
OEO Studio’s designs for HBF are defined by the inherent warmth of the natural materials used, which are often applied in novel and unexpected ways and inspired by their cultural context to support human interactions.
The Note Desk is manufactured entirely from solid Red Oak and comes in three different color choices: light natural oak, stained, and black. In addition, four components of the desk are available for mix-and-match specification: the desktop; back panel plus shelf; drawer/cubby; and leg assembly.
The Note Desk 'design study', launched at NeoCon 2022, revealed vibrant custom color capabilities to demonstrate the simplicity of specifying custom colors for projects at all scales, from small to expansive.
“Our collaboration with OEO Studio further solidifies HBF’s commitment to adaptable, sustainable, contemporary furniture design for work and living,” remarks HBF Creative Director Adrian Parra. “As the boundaries between the traditional office and home office rapidly blur due to hybrid work models and Zoom, we developed HBF’s Note Desk as a timely response to the profound changes shaping contemporary work culture.”
The Note Desk is meant to be a thoughtful yet dynamic piece that works in any setting, from contemporary offices such as Zoom Rooms and libraries to creative commercial environments, and private WFH setups.