Alouyxius Bertrand Cleviandro’s Kaleles high stool in American red oak was awarded ‘best design for furniture by a student’ at the recent design camp 

Alouyxius Bertrand Cleviandro is currently a third-year university student at Binus University and an interior design intern at Hirsch-Bedner Associates Indonesia. Keen to gain more exposure to the design community in Indonesia and learn more about American hardwood, Cleviandro signed up for the design camp organised by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and HDII Jakarta. 

During the design camp, he was mentored by renowned Indonesian designer, Hendro Hadinata who challenged him to think beyond aesthetics, “As students, we often think only about beauty, shape and concept, but from the mentoring session, I learnt that we need to think beyond that, consider the structure and practicality in the manufacturing process, in order to make the concept even stronger.” 

Cleviandro set out to design a piece that was inspired by Indonesian culture as he felt contemporary design does not sufficiently reflect Indonesian’s rich cultural heritage. He took inspiration from the Indonesian island of Madura, which is famous for its centuries-old tradition of bull racing. The stool itself is reflective of the kaleles (the saddle) used in the race, the backrest is representative of the bull’s horns and the curved brass detailing on the leg represents the horseshoe support on which the jockey stands.  

He has always been interested in timber as a design material and was glad that he could learn more about American red oak during the design camp, “The sharing sessions gave me a lot of new knowledge about American red oak including the durability and the texture. The one thing I considered the most in my design is whether it is strong enough to hold the weight of the user.” Though his mentor and his research, he was assured that American red oak’s strength and durability was fitting for the task.  

Cleviandro’s approach to being a designer is one of problem-solving, “I think that we as designers should have our own ideation, but also be ‘hearing’ people, so that we can solve other's problems through the creation of useful designs.” 

Follow Alouyxius Bertrand Cleviandro on Instagram @bertrand_clv