Woodland can be a dense forest, a scattered grove, or a small patch of trees. It can vary in size, composition, and ecological diversity, but it always has a trait: the prominence of trees within the landscape. Woodlands (and, of course, forests) are the habitat of many wildlife species and are a system that filters dust and pollutants from the air, produces oxygen, balances the temperature, and provides us with clean drinking water. They also produce a sustainable raw material.

One function currently receiving a lot of attention is the storage of carbon. Trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere, bind the carbon and produce oxygen in the process. The forest stores carbon in the wood, branches and leaves, and the forest floor: more carbon is stored here than in the above-ground biomass. Interest in wood as a material has risen sharply in recent decades in line with society’s ecological awareness. Wood has become a symbol of hope for sustainability. It is crucial for achieving goals like strengthening the bio-economy and decarbonising the construction sector. Timber buildings and products act as carbon stores, like a second forest. Planting new trees in place of the harvested wood ensures that the forest is able to permanently absorb CO2.

Wood is not only sustainable; it is also beautiful, both in its raw quality and polished condition. Its smell, feel and look, with a variety of colours and grains, is always unique, often imitated but never equalled. From cooking spoons to doors, chairs to flooring, many objects are made of wood, yet we rarely pay much attention to the type of wood they are made of, its material qualities and where it comes from. Each type of wood possesses distinct properties, from lightness and flexibility to heaviness and hardness, influenced by the tree species and growth conditions. Wood is efficient and sensual at the same time.

The carved chairs, the parquet floors both polished and raw, the imposing doorways, the dark sideboards, the inlaid tables, the panelled rooms, the gilded frames: all the furniture of Schloss Hollenegg is testimony to the inspiring ways in which wood has been shaped over the centuries. Like every year, over twenty designers have gathered inspiration from the rooms of the castle and poured their creativity into new objects. As always, the chairs, tables, textiles, and chandeliers are both an opportunity for experimenting with techniques and an excuse for expressing ideas. For the visitors, the objects on show are a journey of discovery in the land of wood.