asphalt mediates between metal and stone blocks in so koizumi’s furniture collection

‘As’ furniture Series Examines Asphalt’s Role as Material Mediator

SO KOIZUMI DESIGN introduces ‘As,’ a furniture collection centered on the structural and expressive potential of asphalt. The series examines the material’s historical role and reinterprets it within a contemporary design context.

Asphalt has long been used as an adhesive, functioning as a connector between different materials. Although today it is most commonly associated with road paving, its essential purpose remains the act of binding. Drawing from this origin, the collection approaches asphalt as a mediating material that links heterogeneous components. References include its early use in Japan during the Jomon period, when it bonded wooden shafts to stone arrowheads. The collection applies this approach by pairing asphalt with metal, stone, resin, and other materials to create furniture pieces such as stools, side tables, and lamps.

all images courtesy of MATOYA

Asphalt and Mixed Materials fuse in So Koizumi’s Furniture Series

In the ‘As’ series, the designer expands on the material connecting concept by combining asphalt with metal, stone, resin, and other materials to form stools, side tables, and lighting pieces. Some elements, including portions of the asphalt itself, are shaped and finished through in-house material experimentation. This process involves cycles of refining structure and texture in order to study the inherent properties of each substance and the relationships that form when they are brought together.

The collection is presented at Gallery MATOYA in Aichi, Japan, from November 22nd to 30th, 2025, alongside a selection of earlier works by SO KOIZUMI DESIGN.

‘As’ collection explores the structural potential of asphalt in furniture design

asphalt is reconsidered as a connecting material between different components

asphalt acts as a mediator linking metal, stone, resin, and other materials

lighting pieces experiment with the material’s binding properties

the project explores how heterogeneous materials interact through asphalt

stools in the series combine asphalt with contrasting materials

asphalt surfaces reveal traces of the making and shaping process

the design process investigates how different substances relate when joined

pieces highlight asphalt’s adhesive origins through visible junctions

sections of asphalt are shaped and finished through in-house experimentation

the collection showcases a contemporary reinterpretation of an ancient technique

project info:

name: As
designer: So Koizumi | @so_koizumi_design

host: Gallery MATOYA

dates: November 22nd to 30th, 2025

photographer: MATOYA | @mato_ya

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: christina vergopoulou | designboom