The winner of the first ever Mobilia NEXT design contest, in collaboration with Index-Design, was announced last year at the Interior Design Show (IDS) in Toronto. Accompanied by Mobilia‘s president, Johannes Kau, the winning designer received a 5,000$ prize and will see his project distributed in stores and online.
Montréal’s Loïc Bard is the first winner of this new pan-Canadian initiative dedicated to creativity and innovation for professionals and students in design and graphic arts. The designer and woodworker caught the jury’s attention by presenting the NEXT01 bench, a creation with clean lines made of maple wood. “I designed this bench, both sensual and minimalist, by collaborating with a person who works with the blind. The bench has no sharp edges or angles, its surfaces are curved and are inspired by the smoothness of bones, inspiring comfort. “says Loïc Bard.
NEXT01 in Chamchuri wood in a natural finish
LOÏC BARD NEXT01 BENCH
This piece stood out from the other projects proposed by the six finalist designers, which were unveiled. “The spirit and originality of the design appealed to the members of the jury. Loïc has opted for a common object, a bench, enhancing its aesthetics and functionality, “says Johannes Kau.
NEXT01 bench in black
In addition to winning the 5,000 dollar purse, Loïc Bard see his bench marketed by Mobilia, in store and on the retailer’s online store. The designer will also benefit from a promotional campaign across Canada. IDS Canada Director Lisa Barnes and SSSVLL founder and creative director Guillaume Sasseville, also a member of the jury, were impressed, both by the piece created by Loïc Bard and by those submitted by other contest participants.
The five finalists for the Mobilia NEXT contest were: ALPHABET; Samuel Barker and Alexis Rondeau; Lambert Rainville and Nicholas Sangaré; Marco Dion and Studio Knowhow. Participants were invited to propose a creation that could fit into one of the four Mobilia worlds: Nature, Euro, Wow and Spontane.
Bone Bench 014 is beautiful.
What are the dimensions & when will it be available?
Hello Penelope. Thanks for inquiring about the Bone Bench 014! The current dimensions, as submitted in the prototype are 36″ (w) x 19″3/4 (d) x 17’3/4 (h) – this is not to say that the final production version will be exactly as measured, however the measurements should be similar. We hope to have the Bone Bench 014 ready for sale in stores and on line by late fall 2018. It’s arrival in store will surely be announced via our newsletter, you can subscribe to it via our website (we only send out quality information approximately twice a month).