Global Wooden Furniture Design Stage IFDA 2027 Opens, Inviting Designers to Return to Roots and Nature

The Asahikawa International Furniture Design Competition, known as IFDA 2027, has returned for its 13th edition. This year, it comes with a main challenge that tests creativity under the theme Origin, focusing on encouraging designers worldwide to rethink the profound relationship between human lifestyles, craftsmanship, and solid wood, while pushing the boundaries of traditional manufacturing technologies integrated into modern design.

Since its inception in 1990, the IFDA competition has served as a bridge connecting the global design community with Asahikawa city in Hokkaido, which is praised as the heart of the furniture industry and refined woodcraft ecosystem. Over more than three decades, this stage has attracted up to 10,084 submitted entries from 79 countries and regions, leading Asahikawa to be designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2019.

The key highlight that sets the IFDA stage apart from general competitions is its direct connection to the manufacturing sector. In the past, more than 50 submitted works have been further developed, produced, and distributed worldwide as official Asahikawa furniture. Selected designers will work directly with the city's master woodworkers to transform sketches on paper into tangible physical prototypes.

The rules and important schedule for submitting entries are detailed as follows:

• Entries must be brand new wooden furniture designs freshly created and never published or exhibited anywhere before.
• Wood must be the primary material in creating the work.
• Applications open from July 1, 2026 onwards.
• Submission deadline is December 11, 2026.

The judging panel for this round consists of world-leading experts, led by jury chairman Jin Kuramoto, a Japanese product designer, alongside Ronan Bouroullec, a French artist and designer, Cecilie Manz, a Danish designer, Tsuyoshi Tane, a Japanese architect, and Tetsuya Fujita, chairman of the IFDA organizing committee, who will jointly select works on this prestigious stage.

Source: designboom