Decor from the Gdansk granaries
How our "Amberwood" surface decor was created
Our "Amberwood" decor has many stories to tell — how the charm of bygone times finds its way into modern living spaces and how design thinking and committed interdisciplinary cooperation combine to create a homage to the Gdansk Granary Island that is steeped in history.
At the Arena Design trade fair in Poznan, Poland in early March 2020, Schattdecor's Amberwood received the "Top Design Award" within the "Materials and Components" category.
When the charm of bygone times finds its way into modern living spaces
The story behind Amberwood is also the story of the Gdansk Granary Island. Our decor designers used the wood of centuries-old foundation piles as a basis for the layout. The piles had once played a major role in the construction of the island – between the 13th and 16th centuries they supported the port and industrial infrastructure. Over time, the piles sank deeper and deeper into the water. In the end they formed the base of the entire port infrastructure.
Apart from supporting extremely heavy loads, the structure was exposed to changing weather conditions all while being submerged in salt water. As a result, the wood changed: its dense growth rings took on a characteristic new color and the wood now has a rare look with a narrow grain and a unique color. The contrast between very rich shades of gray and yellow with green nuances creates a harmonious but yet a distinctive surface.
Interdisciplinary. International. Award-winning.
In addition to Schattdecor designers and developers, the Polish company Divadlo was also involved in the international decor development.
Adam Stadnik, founder of Divadlo, had the presence of mind to save the Gdansk harbor piles from irreparable destruction during the demolition of the old buildings between 2013 and 2015.
"We are dealing here with an absolutely unique material, not only in terms of age, but also in terms of its rich, expressive and incomparable coloring. Thanks to the collaboration with Schattdecor, it has become possible to preserve this material and present this to the public."Adam Stadnik
Top Design Award
All the more reason why the "Top Design Award" jury crowned our decor with the prize in the "Materials and Components" category. In March 2020, Claudia Küchen, Member of the Management Board of Schattdecor, responsible for Design and Marketing, received the award at the Arena trade fair in Poznan, Poland.
"With our new development Amberwood, we have succeeded in preserving a piece of European regional history, and reinterpreting it. Over time, the external influences have given the historical wood a special coloring and aging affect. International cooperation between design and reproduction has resulted in a decor steeped in history based on this centuries-old wood that, in the future, will exude its charm in modern living spaces."
Claudia Küchen | Chief Creative Officer Schattdecor HQ Thansau
Małgorzata Sarnicka, Customer Manager, involved in the Amberwood project at Schattdecor's Poland site passionately believes that "The ever-increasing versatility of styles, the ever-faster pace of life and the daily sensory overload make us yearn more and more for authentic and natural materials. That's why we were immediately enthusiastic about the exceptional, old wood from the foundation piles of the Gdansk Granary District"; "It's a great honor for us that our current technology makes it possible to preserve a piece of historic Gdansk material that is several centuries old. The wood that was chosen such a long time ago to build granaries and has gone through such a long life cycle, is still available today".
Urban Styles: Places of tomorrow
At Sicam 2019, we revealed the Amberwood decor for the first time – together with our trend concept for modern surfaces in urban living, working and public environments.
The decision to include "Amberwood" in the Schattdecor collection gives a new lease of life to a one of a kind surface structure that is steeped in history, thus preserving a touching piece of history of the Gdansk Granary Island.
We are very pleased to have become part of this extraordinarily intriguing chronicle.