nendo layers fabric to create alcantara wood furniture and flooring

in conjunction with expo milano 2015, japanese designer nendo has collaborated with italian material manufacturer alcantara to produce ‘alcantara-wood’. the exhibition ‘alcantara, technology of dreams‘ is presented at the palazzo reale in milan, consisting of a collection of chairs and a table. the distinctive quality of the furniture is characterized by the method of layering fabric in various colors, then rolled up to create a ‘log’ and in turn, cut into panels. this creates the marbled, tree-ring effect that is unique to each piece. the exploration of this new technique has opened opportunities for flooring to furniture finishes, bringing out a whole new expressive dimension to alcantara.

the pieces have been selected for their resistance ‘to fraying around the edges even when cut apart from the whole’
all images by akihiro yoshida

the alcantara wood chair is presented in conjunction with expo milano 2015

various colors have been layered and rolled up to create a kind of ‘log’

then sliced to create singular panels

a distinctive timber and marbled effect has been produced