In their latest furniture-design effort, Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay of design studio Raw-Edges continue their examination of colour's potential, taking their ongoing research to a new level.
The studio now presents 'Endgrain', which explores natural wood patterns through vibrant hues. 'Endgrain' launched at the Brussels design gallery Senne, on the occasion of the city's design week.
The inspiration for the collection comes from nature itself. The designers used their understanding of how water and nutrients travel through the woodgrain to feed a tree to imagine how colour would affect the grain of the wood. They stained the wood by adding different pigments to the grain from the inside out, 'just like those fake blue roses', they explain.
'Endgrain' is essentially a materials project: the duo used coloured timber blocks as a starting point, which became the building blocks for a larger design collection. They created benches, tables, stools and shelves by combining blocks of different colours and shapes. The new visual language merges a strong graphic sensibility with more random elements that appear when the wood is cutting and sculpted into shape.
The designers' playful approach comes through in the wild colours, which emerge from the otherwise simple forms. The collection sets a new bar for experimentation with colour and form, so we're curious to see where the pair take us next.
The designers soaked the wood in colour and glued the timbers to one another in vivid patterns.
The three-dimensional shapes distort the graphic patterns in unexpected ways.
The designers likened their process to staining roses that unusual blue hue.
The duo used coloured timber blocks as a starting point. They became the building blocks for a larger collection of tables, seating and accessories.
A shelf with a built-in bookend.
The building blocks of the collection.
The designers' playful approach comes through in their choice of wild colours, which emerge from otherwise simple forms.
The new visual language merges a strong graphic sensibility with more random elements that appear when the wood is cut and sculpted into shape.
ADDRESS
Senne
19 rue de la Senne
Brussels
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