Wedgewood Furniture's Beat Line: Sustainable, Stylish, and Easy to Assemble

A Revolutionary Approach to Flat Pack Furniture

A patented assembly system is behind each simple, sturdy, and comfortable piece of Wedgewood Furniture—no metal fasteners or screws are necessary. What’s more, assembly is quick and intuitive. Chairs use integral hooks that are held tight using tabs and wedges. Tables employ pairs of complimentary grooves held tight with a wedge. The beauty of the Wedgewood System is that it allows for pack flat shipping with easy assembly and easy disassembly for occasional or seasonal storage.

CNC machining requires flat sheet stock. We chose 25mm bamboo plywood for its beauty, strength, and durability. We also found a through-colored fiberboard material called Valchromat. Both materials are weather resistant when properly finished and are sustainably produced. CNC machining allows us to make consistently fitting pieces and create elaborate decorative patterns easily. An added benefit of CNC manufacturing is the interchangeability of parts in the event that a component gets damaged.

Wedgewood Furniture’s Beat Line is machined from bamboo plywood or Valchromat fiberboard on a CNC router. This results in the very tight tolerances and repeatability necessary to ensure a precise fit. Beat Line Furniture is packed flat for shipping and can be assembled in minutes. Additionally, it can be taken apart in minutes for transport or seasonal storage. The Wedgewood Assembly System is the simplest, strongest method available for constructing pack-flat, tool-free assembled furniture.

The decorative elements of the Beat Line were inspired by the cascading lights on a musical mixing board. We wanted to create a line of furniture that could be mass-produced from sustainable materials and finished with minimal handwork. It had to pack flat and be able to be put together and taken apart without damage to the parts. It also had to be durable, simple, comfortable, suitable for indoor or outdoor use, and visually appealing.

The project started in April 2012 in Mexico City, and the design team, led by I.D. Diego Arevalo and Arq. Gifford Cochran, overcame numerous creative, technical, and research challenges to bring the Beat Line to life. The system that evolved for this line of furniture came from hours of thinking about how to hold flat planar pieces together using just pierced tabs, wedges, and interlocking grooves. The components had to be able to be machined using a CNC router with minimal human handwork.

Wedgewood Furniture's Beat Line has been recognized for its innovative design and practicality. It was awarded the Iron A' Design Award in 2016, which is given to well-designed, practical, and innovative creations that meet professional and industrial requirements. The Beat Line's sustainable materials, easy assembly, and stylish design contribute to a better world.