ColoRing Furniture Series / Schemata Architects (Jo Nagasaka)

Jo Nagasaka of Schemata Architecture Office is known for applying brightly colored resin to wood furniture as a means of squaring off, uneven edges and surfaces, seen in his ‘flat table’ series which designboom covered here. He continues his application of intense hues to what would otherwise seem like dull wooden objects, however this time exploring the traditional Japanese lacquering technique of  Udukuri— a process which is meant to emphasize and reveal the grain of the natural material. Presented at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Milan Design Week 2013, the surfaces of his ‘ColoRing’ series are polished with a brush made of sew grass that scrapes off the soft tissue exposing the rough natural texture of the wood grain. Nagasaka uses leftover paint from other constructions that would otherwise be discarded to stain the pieces, visually representing the ancient technique. the timber is then polished flat leaving the unique DNA of the individual members of wood, exhibiting both the grain pattern and texture in a functionally vibrant design.

images via designboom