Bethan Laura Wood | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 (age 42–43) |
| Education | Royal College of Art University of Brighton |
Bethan Laura Wood (born 1983) [1] is an internationally recognised English designer of jewellery, furniture, decorative objects, lighting and installations. She has designed for media such as glass, laminates wood veneer and ceramics. Work produced by her studio, WOOD London, is characterised by colour, geometry and visual metaphor, [2] pattern and marquetry. She has been described as "[re-contextualizing] ... elements from everyday objects, often focusing on the pattern and coloration of objects as indicators of their origins, production, and past usage." [1]
Wood was born in 1983 and grew up in Shropshire. [1]
She was diagnosed with dyslexia at sixth-form college. [3] She studied 3D design at Brighton University, [4] then studied at the Royal College of Art in 2007, tutored by Dutch designer Jurgen Bey and the Italian Martino Gamper. [5] [6] [7] [8] While still a student, she founded her studio, "WOOD London", in 2009. [5] [1]
Wood has been commissioned by a variety of international companies to create works and installations, including Abet Laminati, Moroso, Valextra, Perrier Jouët, Bitossi Ceramiche, Tory Burch, cc-tapis, Tolix Rosenthal and Hermés.
Her work has been exhibited at the V&A Museum of Childhood, Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York, Daelim Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. [9] [10] She was a designer in residence at the London Design Museum.
In 2016 her work was shown in the Dresden Kunstgewerbemuseum in an exhibition called Friends + Design. [11] The show was curated by Tulga Beyerle and Maria Cristina Didero and featured works by designers including Philippe Malouin, Richard Hutten, Michael Young, and Wood working together on specially commissioned pieces that "testify to the time, the affection and the trust that form the bond between ... very different people." [12]
Wood was named in the 20019 Wallpaper* Power 200, which ranks her "among the world's pre-eminent design talent". [13]
In February 2025, the Design Museum in London launched a new initiative called PLATFORM, "an annual display dedicated to showcasing contemporary design practice", the inaugural edition focusing on Wood's work and career. [14] [15] Also in 2025, she was invited to Japan to take part in the Tokai Project, the second edition of the Craft x Tech initiative. [16] [17] The programme is an exploration of how traditional "aesthetic sensibilities embedded in Japanese craft can be reimagined through a thoughtful and skillful creative process" reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary design and technology. [18] [19]
| Year | Award | Category | Piece | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | German Design Awards | Outstanding Product [20] | Tongue with Rosenthal | Won |
| The Design Museum | Beazley Designs of the Year [21] | Super Fake with CC-Tapis | Nominated | |
| EDIDA Design Awards [22] | Floor Covering | Super Fake with CC-Tapis | Won | |
| The ELLE Decoration British Design Awards [23] | Floor Covering | Won | ||
| The ELLE Decoration Japan EDIDA Design Award [24] | Floor Covering | Won | ||
| 2017 | The Design Prize | Artist Realm [25] | Nominated | |
| 2016 | London Design Festival, London Design Medal [26] | British Land Swarovski Emerging Talent Medal [7] [27] | Won | |
| Hublot Design Prize [28] | Finalist | |||
| 2013 | Design Miami | Designer of the Future [29] | Won | |
| W Hotels Designers of the Future Award [30] | Making Connections | |||
| 2012 | The Design Museum | Design of the Year – Furniture | Moon Rock [31] | Nominated |
| Nominated |
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (August 2025) |
Wood's works can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, [37] the Wellcome Collection in London [38] and the Abet Laminate Museum in Italy. [39]
 | This article needs images .(October 2025) |
