Industrial Design MFA Candidate Yiran Li Wins 2026 SIT Furniture Design Award for Split Bend Sconce
Cranbrook Academy of Art is proud to celebrate recent graduate Yiran Li (Industrial Design 2027), who has been named a winner in the 2026 SIT Furniture Design Award in the Student category for her Split Bend Sconce.
The SIT Furniture Design Award is an international competition recognizing outstanding work by professional and student designers across furniture and interior design. Li was selected from a global pool of entrants by a professional jury, earning recognition among 67 student winners worldwide.
Split Bend Sconce is a wall light that explores steam-bent wood as both structure and form. The design consists of two wooden elements, a straight vertical piece and a steam-bent component that curves outward from the wall, with an integrated LED light source positioned within the bent element. The bent piece partially shields the light, creating an indirect, diffused glow that spreads along the wall and across the inner surfaces of the wood.
The project began as a material study investigating the possibilities of steam bending: rather than forcing the wood into a predetermined shape, the form emerged from the bending process itself. The result is a minimal wall sconce in which light, material, and structure work together — highlighting the natural grain of the wood and the expressive quality of the curved form.
Learn more:
All 2026 SIT Award Winners – SIT
