jeonghwa seo's 'aged blocks' marry metal + found wood

korean designer and creator jeonghwa seo continues his investigations into the relationships between contrasting materials in his newest project, ‘aged blocks’. the series includes a range of stools and side-tables created by placing aged blocks of found wood on bases of brass and cast aluminum.

the range is manufactured by korean brand ‘hue’
all images by yohan ji 

designed by jeonghwa seo for korean furniture brand hue, the series consists of four goose and three maple blocks that have been aged for roughly ten years before being set on their metal structures. texturally, the natural imperfections of the wood such as knots and holes have been preserved, lending to the tactile and multi-tonal diversity of the pieces and creating an interesting dialogue between the two materials. while the base consists of smooth, clean lines and curved corners, the hewn wood of the top is inevitably shaped by natural processes. 

the series consists of four goose and three maple blocks that have been aged for roughly ten years

the wood is sculpted to varying degrees throughout the series — the human hand is especially evident in instances where the table top becomes an almost perfect rectangular cuboid. the ‘aged blocks’ range challenges the concept of ‘found’ materials, and questions the point at which human intervention rids a material of its natural temperament altogether. when placed on top of their brass supports, the smooth uninterrupted surface of the cuboid seems as artificial as its metal counterpart.

the natural eccentricities of the wood are preserved, lending to the pieces character

the form of the piece is inevitably shaped by natural processes

the naturally occurring and diverse tones within the wood are held in contrast to the burnished metal below 

the wood is sculpted to varying degrees throughout the series  

the human hand is especially evident when the table top becomes an almost perfect rectangular cuboid

the base consists of smooth, clean lines and curved corners

the ‘aged blocks’ range challenges the concept of ‘found’ materials 

the range questions the point at which human intervention rids a material of its natural temperament

texturally, the natural imperfections of the wood such as knots and holes have been preserved

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom