poetic lab cultivates a bamboo forest of furniture

poetic lab cultivates a bamboo forest of furniture

at salone satellite 2014, designboom spotted the work of poetic lab who has cultivated a ‘bamboo forest’ of furniture. the london-based studio has utilized the beauty of the wood – its elegant shape and subtle notches – to inform the collection of eight objects which consist of coffee tables, a rectangular and a round dining table, shelving system and two pendant lights.  

sofa table
945 x 692 x 380 mm

using bamboo both as a structural and aesthetic element of their designs, poetic lab takes advantage of the material’s naturally cylindrical form to employ a cost-effective process of reinforcement; in which a stainless steel structure, in combination with special resin, fills the hollow shoots to create a minimal, but super strong joint with the glass which it supports. contemporary furniture does not use bamboo in its original form because of its tendency to crack and buckle as a result of change in humidity and environmental temperature; so this special technique was developed by poetic lab, after much research and experimentation, with yokoyama (top bamboo supplier from japan) and windsor workshop – one of the best woodworking ateliers in the UK. outside of providing substantial strength and resistance, this method opens the gateway to more industry possibilities of using bamboo in its entirety, rather than just cut down into strips.

detail of the bamboo seamlessly supporting the glass table top

the ‘bamboo forest’ is a statement on how to use the natural beauty of the world around us to create well-crafted objects that showcase materials in their original form. the combination of the woody fibres, with the transparency of the glass, create an undefined void in space which makes objects resting on the furniture surfaces appear as if they are floating in air.

rectangular dining table
2200 x 1000 x 740 mm

stalks of bamboo are used to support the table tops while also expressing the vision of a forest

bamboo shelf

glass shelves seem to float between a bamboo forest…

detail of the bamboo intersecting the glass
image © designboom

‘bamboo light’
image © designboom

lighting elements are embedded into a stalk of bamboo, which when hung horizontally offers a diffused glow

underside of the ‘bamboo light’

up close of the technical components and how they are integrated into the bamboo stalk

shikai tseng of poetic lab
portrait © designboom

poetic lab: bamboo forest installation at salone satellite 2014

three coffee tables of varying sizes are available
image © designboom

detail
image © designboom

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