Eugene Duclos' winning "Wright Bench" is made of Perennial Wood.
Eugene Duclos, a furniture design student at Appalachian State University, received the Best of Show award for the Design Emphasis Showcase at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta.
Duclos, of Cary, N.C., received the award for outdoor furniture he designed and built as part of the Perennial Wood Appalachian State Design Studio. Duclos' winning piece, “Wright Bench,” is an outdoor park-type bench with a built-in bike rack, which is made of Perennial Wood, manufactured by Eastman, sponsor of the design studio. Perennial wood is real wood, sourced in the U.S. and modified on a molecular level to provide a barrier against rot and decay. For his winning design, Duclos was awarded $2,000 in prize money.
“Eugene’s innovative bench design turns heads and starts conversations at every show where it has been displayed,” said Brant Mitchell, market development manager for Eastman and Perennial Wood. “His work illustrates the unique qualities of Perennial Wood in a creative design that is not only beautiful, but functional as well.”
For the chance to compete in the Design Emphasis Showcase, students submitted photographs and written descriptions of their furniture designs for prejudging. Fifty projects from 41 students were finalists. The students attended the IWF at the Georgia World Congress Center to participate in the showcase, where their projects were judged by a panel of furniture industry designers, manufacturing and retail executives, and members of the trade media. For more information on incorporating Perennial Wood into designs, contact info@perennialwood.com.