Some of the creations of the Pratt Institute designers. Marisa Lefton's '73.5° Glide' desk and chair is visible on the left. Wanted Design & Studio Marenzo

American red oak supplied by Lebanon’s own Weaber Lumber was used by industrial design students to create these sleek furniture designs.

The project that spurred the creation of these pieces was a competition, “The Sovereign Wood,” part of a semester-long course entitled “Special Project: Red Oak Reimagined” at the Industrial Department of the Pratt Institute. Nine students were each given 75 board feet (a board foot is an inch-thick square foot) of American red oak for the project.

According to Weaber Lumber’s Darren Grier, the Hardwood Manufacturers Association had initially reached out to the company for sponsorship, and CEO Matthew Weaber offered to donate the wood on behalf of the company.

The students participating also visited the Weaber facilities along Mt. Wilson Road. There, the students were taken through the Weaber design studios, followed by a start-to-finish look at how the wood was brought in and processed into a finished product.

View the designs below. Photos credited to Hardwood Manufacturers Association and its American Hardwood Information Center.

‘The Twisting Cabinet’ by Zilan Chen.
‘Float’ by Jiahong Guo.
The two-piece ‘Sky-wonder’ by Shuwen Jiang.
‘Quan’ by Kaiheng Zhang.
‘Slant’ by Chase Philpotts, tied for third place. There is a chair on the left that can be pulled out.
‘maisoNique’ by Hyun Woo Lee, tied for third place. This table unfolds for more space.
Second place went to this chair with an arresting armrest–‘Lean’ by Sisi Hong.
A makeup vanity entitled ‘ritual’ by Jeongbin Im, which took first place in the competition.

Check out more information about the contest here.

Josh Groh is a Cornwall native and writer who began reporting for LebTown in 2019. He continued to regularly contribute to LebTown while earning a degree in environmental science at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has lead conservation crews in Colorado and taken on additional...

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  1. Having been involved in a similar competition over 50 years ago this article is of particular interest. Great to see a local business supporting students using their creativity and craftsmanship combined with environmental and production requirements.

  2. Beautiful work! Weaber Lumber has a strong commitment to the community. They also donated 20 logs to the new Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum in Annville — more on that soon!