Part furniture, part art, The Preservation Bench rises above the rest

Unveiled to astonished onlookers at this year’s 100% Design South Africa showcase, Houtlander’s Preservation Bench is anything but your average perch. Working with the American Hardwood Export Council, the bench was designed using sustainably grown, thermally modified American red oak and aims to push the boundaries of the timber’s properties.

Comprised of three benches in the brand’s telltale traditionally joined, spindle-back language, the trio converges in the centre and rises into the air, twisting as it does so with a wink to the impossible. With its elegant lines, gravity-defying form and impressive green credentials, this bench is a design hero. That it’s suited to use outdoors, thanks to the thermally treated timber, is yet another reason why we love it.