Designer on board with Tenon

Wood products group Tenon and Maori designer Carin Wilson are formulating a plan to market New Zealand-designed furniture overseas.

Tenon's radiata pine is already being used for a furniture line that has been selling in upmarket European furniture stores for three months.

Sold through Zenia House, in which Tenon holds a 20 per cent stake, the "Northland" range plays on nature and conservation values, with environmentally aware German-speaking customers in mind.

The range was developed by Danish designer Hans Thyge Raunkaer and is more European than New Zealand in design.

But Auckland-based Wilson has been recruited to design a second line which will begin selling next year.

New Zealand's clean, green image will again feature in the marketing of the new range.

The Northland range's promotional material introduces it as "forestry in tune with nature".

The brochure tells the story of the area around Lake Taupo.

"Today the volcanic soil provides trees with plentiful nourishment. And the climate of abundant rain, evenly distributed throughout the year, helps create optimal growing conditions for a specially raised kind of wood - Taupo Clearwood," the brochure reads.

A major marketing point is Zenia's adherence to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainability standards - it has to be proven that sustainable logging is taking place in the forests where the wood for the furniture is harvested.

The New Zealand wood readily meets the standard and there is less wastage with the Taupo Clearwood than with European timber.

"We have a high regard for timber and that's generated by the presence of our native forests," said Wilson.

He has begun working on the next range which he plans to make more obviously New Zealand in design.

Wilson, who has built his reputation with one-off, hand-made pieces of furniture, said there were likely to be more "sculptural elements" in his designs.

"My objective will be to create a strong New Zealand identity but not so strong that it won't appeal to Europe," he said.

Decorative materials would be used and there would be more detailing in the woodwork.

Design would be influenced by New Zealand's landscape.

"We've a real feeling for the environment. I'm expecting that to be expressed in the work," he said.

The partnership began when Raunkjaer and Wilson retreated to Wilson's Northland beach house to talk design and determine whether they could work together.

They found the European-Kiwi mix of ideas worked well.

"We found we had so much in common," said Wilson.

"We took the philosophy of a Danish company and tried to draw a framework for New Zealand input."

The Northland range is made from radiata pine, a light-coloured wood with long, uniform lines.

The furniture is finding its way into stores in Britain, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Japan.

"When we want to start a new concept we always look for a history," said Zenia House managing director Claus Petersen when Fletcher Challenge Forests (now Tenon) first teamed up with the furniture maker.

Tenon's strategic marketing manager, Scott Morris, said the wood was suitable for making minimalist-looking furniture which was popular in Europe and Japan.

"There's a lot of pine in Europe already but it's much knottier. They don't prune their trees as much."

The target market for Zenia was consumers looking for better quality and aesthetics than Europe's popular Ikea furniture chain supplied.

"The Ikea-type stuff is made from wood from local mills. The top-end is Italian-made hardwood one-off pieces."

The Northland range fits somewhere in the middle.

For Tenon the furniture venture was a determined attempt to "add more value to the log".

While the wood was exported for treatment in Europe, Tenon was keen to carry out more of the manufacturing in New Zealand, no doubt eyeing up a wider export opportunity in furniture.

The Northland line has been selling since August and Tenon said it was too early to say how successful the range had been.

Wilson said the work with Zenia House goes hand in hand with the Government's Design Taskforce strategy, which is spending $12.5 million over the next four years pushing the virtues of New Zealand design.

The likes of Fisher & Paykel, wetsuit-maker Orca and office furniture company Formway have got behind the Government's strategy.

Wilson said New Zealand companies were known for the high quality of their products but faced stiff competition from sharp overseas designers.

"Where we're lagging behind the world is in that design aspect," he said.

The newly designed furniture destined for the European market would be displayed at the giant Milan furniture exhibition in April next year.

 

FURNISHING THE WORLD

* Designer Carin Wilson will design the second line of furniture to be sold through Zenia House, 20 per cent owned by wood products group Tenon.

* The range will emphasise New Zealand's clean green image as well as the use of renewable resources.

* It will be sold in stores throughout Europe and Japan from next year.