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ANDU MASEBO’S BENCHES FOR V&A

EAST ARE ROOTED IN THE STORIES OF

EAST LONDON

Bespoke family of foyer furniture created in No.1 Common, in collaboration with AHEC

hen the first visitors step inside the new V&A A Showcase For Sustainable Timber
East Museum at East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Andu Masebo’s choice of material has its basis in his
WOlympic Park on 18 April, one of the first sights collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council
that will greet them is the striking and sinuous series of (AHEC) on the 3daysofdesign exhibition No.1 Common in
American red oak benches crafted bespoke for the space Copenhagen in 2025.
by the designer Andu Masebo. The project saw three designers create work using timber

With one installed in an alcove in the upper-ground entrance classified as ‘No.1 Common’, an underutilised grade most
threshold, and another two framing the curved window into the often associated with cabinetry, characterised by an increased
museum’s Why We Make permanent galleries, the benches are amount of surface variations in the form of colour contrast,
constructed entirely from solid American red oak, introducing knots, splits and irregular grain direction.
a note of rich natural materiality into the space. Masebo’s design, the Around Table, successfully showcased
Designed by Andu Masebo, with material and fabrication the aesthetic potential, practical performance and durability
support from AHEC and craft furniture makers Benchmark, the of No.1 Common red oak.

benches showcase the sustainable application of underused Impressed by the opportunity the often-overlooked timber
timber grades, while offering V&A East Museum visitors offered to sustainable and more affordable furniture making,
somewhere to relax and take in their surroundings. the designer was enthusiastic to return to the material for
the V&A East project, and turned to AHEC as a material
collaborator once again.
"Andu’s designs are the perfect demonstration of how
underused wood grades like No.1 Common can—and
should—become beautiful and functional pieces of furniture. If
we are to adopt genuinely sustainable approaches to design,

we need to look beyond material conventions, and identify
the creative opportunities that overlooked hardwood timbers
have to offer designers and architects—which is exactly what
Andu Masebo has done at V&A East Museum," said David
Venables, European director, AHEC.
Masebo noted that the wood’s surface variations presented
a unique opportunity for storytelling.