EduAsiaNews, Bandung — Yasmine Khalida Putri, a student of the Interior Design Program at the Faculty of Art and Design (FSRD), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), won First Place in the Student Awards category at the 4th HIMKI Design Awards, held during the Indonesia International Furniture Expo 2026 (IFEX 2026) at ICE BSD.
The achievement was earned through her lounge chair design titled “CHAIRKURU,” which explores an integrated seating form with a sustainable material approach based on rattan. The work was highly գնահատed by the jury for its conceptual strength, material innovation, and the quality of its prototype realization.
Yasmine, who is familiarly known as Mine, is an eighth-semester Interior Design student at ITB. Her interest in interior and furniture design has developed since childhood, particularly through watching home renovation programs and actively participating in arranging spaces with her family. “I enjoy how the design process can transform the atmosphere of a space and the user experience within it,” she said.
During her academic journey at FSRD ITB, Yasmine actively explored various disciplines in art and design before ultimately focusing on spatial and object design. She explained that her creative inspiration often stems from everyday phenomena. “I see great potential in human habits, which can lead to design solutions that are both relevant and familiar,” she noted.
Winning First Place was both unexpected and deeply rewarding. “Becoming First Place winner at the HIMKI Design Awards is a major validation for me that my design can be accepted and appreciated by the industry,” Yasmine stated. She also views this achievement as motivation to continue exploring the global potential of local design.
The competition process began with the submission of a concept proposal and progressed to the physical realization stage. Within a limited production timeframe, she directly supervised the workshop process to ensure the design quality was maintained. “With a deadline of around 20 days, the biggest challenges were time management and the technical complexity of production, especially since the chair’s seating form had never been created before,” she explained.
The CHAIRKURU design itself was developed from an assignment in the Furniture Design III course. It utilizes Karuun® stripe material, an innovative rattan veneer that emphasizes sustainability. “I want to demonstrate that natural materials like rattan can be transformed into contemporary furniture products with strong competitiveness,” she said.
In addition to its distinctive visual character, the chair was designed with consideration for production efficiency, structural strength, and user comfort. Its relatively lightweight construction also adds value by enhancing flexibility of use.
Yasmine believes her work holds strong potential for Indonesia’s furniture industry. “Chairkuru proves that local materials such as rattan can be elevated to the global stage. This can encourage the industry to shift toward more sustainable practices without sacrificing commercial value,” she remarked.
Looking ahead, she plans to develop this design into a series of furniture products with a similar design language, as well as explore the application of her design principles on a larger spatial scale. Currently, Yasmine is also focusing on completing her final project, which centers on the redesign of public spaces.
Through her achievement, Yasmine also shared a message for students and young designers: “Do not hesitate to expand academic assignments into something greater. The process is not easy, but it is through such challenges that we learn to face real-world conditions as designers.”
