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AHEC Presents No.1 Common

at Material Matters

‘No.1 Common’ at Material Matters
Three designers uncover wood’s natural beauty at 3daysofdesign
• Timber and furniture producers across the world label
lumber on the basis of knots, characteristics, variations
in colour and grain
• No.1 Common is not commonly used in Europe, in favour
of clear grades of timber
• The exhibition celebrates a sustainable approach to material
selection and to ‘use what nature provides’ have in prioritising environmentally conscious decisions, rather

• AHEC commission new works by designers Andu Masebo, than simply following trends that don’t always respect the
Daniel Schofield and Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng to celebrate rhythms and needs of nature.
the natural variety of timber
What is No.1 Common?
On 18-20 June 2025, the exhibition ‘No.1 Common’ Timber and furniture industries across the world label lumber
opened in Copenhagen to make the case for often-overlooked on the basis of a number of factors—in the US, these include
hardwood qualities and species in design. Three visionary the size of the cutting area, the number of knots or other

designers unveiled unique works at the festival’s Material natural characteristics in the surface, and variations in colour
Matters fair, each championing a sustainable approach to and grain.
material selection: ‘use what nature provides’. In other words, the grade reflects the percentage of ‘clear
wood’ in a board of lumber.
The beauty of the overlooked Number 1 Common—aka No.1C—hardwood generally
American hardwood forests contain more than twice the comprises a similar amount of clear wood as upper grades,
volume of standing timber today as 50 years ago. but in smaller cuttings.
To maximise the potential of this natural resource, we Although this category of timber was originally created
need to rethink how we use timber—learning to appreciate as the ‘cabinet grade’, specifically selected to be used in

and utilise not just the most ‘pristine’ cuts, which make up cabinetry, flooring or furniture parts, it is not commonly used
only up between 10 and 15 percent of the tree, but as much in Europe, in favour of clearer grades of timber.
of the tree as possible. Launching at 3daysofdesign, AHEC’s ‘No.1 Common’ project
Debuting at Material Matters, ‘No.1 Common’ questions is an argument for broadening the grade’s usage categories,
what quality means when it comes to natural materials and presenting three visually and texturally unique designs to
highlights how sustainable and thoughtful material selection showcase the potential of No.1C hardwoods as aesthetically
can shape the future of our forests and our world. rich, high-performance design materials.

The exhibition aims to demonstrate the shared power and The initial inspiration for the project came when American
responsibility that designers, industry leaders, and consumers Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), commissioned the English