Nendo’s whimsical Coloured-Pencil Table installation for the Saint-Etienne Design Biennial offers a glimpse into the future of furniture through the manipulation of surface texture.
The designers used a technique called “udukuri” whereby the carved away at the soft parts of the cypress boards to reveal the harder curves of the lines and grain of the wood.
In achieving the final look and feel for the Coloured-Pencil Table the wooden boards were covered with paper and the relief of the wood grain was traced onto the paper with coloured pencils.
The final effect is one that juxtaposes the familiar proportions of the wood and the finish of the paper, with an “inviting fusion of subtle shades and the blur of the coloured pencil with the raised wood grain”.
The Saint-Etienne Design Biennial takes place in France from 14 to 31 March 2013.
