With his project BLEND, Dutch designer Ward Wijnant designed furniture that is cut from one tree, but shows different kinds of grain patterns by using different sawing techniques.

Wijnant has a background in furniture design, having studied at the Wood and Furniture college where he learned about various furniture making techniques and gained a broad material knowledge. Because he missed depth, creativity and a story behind the project, he started studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven, graduating in 2015.

Wijnant’s work is characterised by experimenting with materials and looking for boundaries in them. With BLEND, he shows that wood can have an entirely different look, depending on how it is sawn. “The project BLEND is inspired by the thought that out of one and the same tree, the same wood, different kind of patterns and structures can be gained,” Wijnant says.

By using a quarter sawing technique the woodgrains appear as stripes, while a plain sawing techniques, the grain look like flames. The design of BLEND shows both of these techniques, playing with the inlay work and emphasising the woodgrain directions.

Wijnant designed two lamps and a cabinet using this technique, each in a vibrant colour that shows the different directions of the woodgrain.

Photos: Ronald Smits