Fallen Tree Bench: Organic Chaos Meets Linear Minimalism
At one extreme, some woodworkers carve and cut endlessly at wood until the material is hardly recognizable – at the other, some craftsmen go for a rough-hewn and naturalistic look. This piece straddles the center of those extremes in a compelling way.
French creator Benjamin Graindorge carefully straightened the main portion into a traditional slatwork seat but left one side supported by an essentially untouched piece of fallen oak (the other, in stark contrast, held up almost-invisibly by a simple piece of glass). Per the context photos above, the piece manages to tie interior and exterior elements together – indoor furniture with outside greenery – across a plane of glazing.
The resulting object is also by itself dynamic and directional – it could almost be mistaken for a rocket in flight or some kind of strange undersea creature. But the joints are really where it all comes together – the careful integration of the wild and twisty branches with the streamlined body of the bench.
Via Archiproducts:
“Born in 1980, Benjamin Graindorge is one of the young talents of French design. Graduated from ENSCI – les Ateliers in 2006, his Domestic Landscape project was supported by VIA. Benjamin was selected for two consecutive years at the Design Parade festival and consecutively won the Cinna competition and the Audi Talents Awards in the Design category. After going in residence at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, he returned to France to collaborate with François Bauchet on the scenography of the
International Design Biennale of Saint-Etienne 2010. In 2011, he exhibited for the first time in solo show at the YMER & MALTA gallery
where he presented five objects designed around the theme of reverie.”
“Now, Benjamin Graindorge has the chance to work at all levels of design: industrial design with Ligne Roset or Artuce, edition design for a company like Mustache and research design with the YMER & MALTA Gallery.”
An exploration of design at all scales to continue discovering new landscapes and avoiding boredom.”
