polystyrene foam furniture with wood grain texture, designed by chiaki yoshihara

interior and product designer chiaki yoshihara presents ‘seam of skin’, a furniture collection born from a unique process. yoshihara has taken polystyrene foam and turned it into two colored stools, a seat and a box, all with a wood grain-like texture.

images courtesy of chiaki yoshihara

to make the collection, yoshihara first cut a large block of polystyrene into thin strips using a hot wire. the designer then spray painted one side of each thin sheet and pressed them together into a curved shape. she then sliced through the layered foam to generate the desired shapes for the furniture pieces. the polystyrene foam itself and the color of the paint are alternately exposed on the cut surface of the laminated material, and a wood grain texture is created.

the shape of the soft polystyrene foam seat will gently change over use

yoshihara designed the furniture according to the unique properties of the material. for the chairs and stools, yoshihara used polystyrene for its insulation properties, so heat doesn’t escape and the seating surface feels warm. for the boxes, the material’s resistance to water and cushioning came in handy to protect the contents inside. by identifying the visual and tactile expressions and properties of materials and products and treating them differently from their intended use, the designer intends to bring new value into our products and our spaces.

the blue foam itself and the color of the paint are alternately exposed on the cut surface of the laminated material

close-up of the wood grain-like texture that is created from the process

yoshihara first cut a large block of polystyrene into thin strips using a hot wire

the pressing process with sheets of polystyrene foam

once pressed together, the designer cut the layered sheets into the desired shape

slicing the polystyrene using the self-made hot wire cutter

project info:

name: seam of skin
designer: chiaki yoshihara

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.