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DESIGN 47
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Working with red oak, he peeled it by cutting the panel’s Ikare by Taiho Shin
edge and removing the surface by hand, resulting in a jagged During his time in isolation, Shin noted that “objects help
effect where the texture of the grain emerges. human resilience through unusual situations”, and this thought
These imperfectly textured panels became the starting served as the basis for his project.

point for a design exploration that led him to a round table Guided by the ‘Ikea effect’ (consumers place higher value
shape, using the subtle material as a base to create the effect on products they partially created), he thought of a half-made
of an ancient tree trunk. design that users could partly assemble to foster interaction
with their objects.
Corners Lamp by Mew Mungnatee He created one small table, put together thanks to an
Mungnatee’s emotional response to the objects surrounding ingenious but simple-to-use joint system (no glue necessary),
her took in the relationship between form, light and shadow, and the design multiplies to create a stackable system of
and with this project, she explored this connection through shelves, suitable for different spaces.
geometry. He chose hard maple, as the density of the timber means

Her lamp designs, inspired by pagodas, are based on a bulb the joint can be moved in and out without crushing the fibre
casting a shadow over surfaces below thanks to an intricate of the wood.
grid composition featuring wooden slats and indented corners.
She worked with soft maple, because of the manner Reframe by Ivana Taylor
in which light bounces off its surface (“The wood has an Taylor’s own experience of solitude led to extensive periods
opalescent gleam,” she explains) and American cherry for of reflection, ultimately inspiring her to change her approach
its ability to take stain. to designing and making.

For this project, she aimed to “design a contemplative
The Roof Stool by Trang Nguyen sculptural object that triggered reflection on the multi-layered

Nguyen looked at traditional Vietnamese roof tiles for her nature of any experience, including isolation”.
project, creating a collection of nesting stools that replicate the A recurring theme of her research featured ways of framing
way the tiles overlap to hide the connecting structures below. a view at different scales, and the resulting design is a sculpture
Her simple stool design is inspired by traditional temple made from a series of small carved objects that layer to create
architecture and Vietnamese dresses, and features pins made
of contrasting wood at the joint, which remains hidden when
the stools are stacked and is revealed when they are in use.

“I chose three different types of wood; cherry, red oak Discovered Singapore
and maple, because of their colour differences,” explains
Nguyen. “By randomly using two of the species for the pins
and another one for the rest for the stool, users can explore
the various timbers when they unstack each piece.”
As people have been spending more time at home, her
design is imagined to provide additional seats, while creating

a beautiful composition when not in use.