Ward Wijnant has created Carbon Bench, which was designed to push the aesthetic and textural possibilities of steel.
Ward’s work is characterized by experimenting with materials. It is his mission to interpret the diversity of older methods and materials, translating them into contemporary designs that pay attention to detail and finish. This unexpected element of discovery is what’s meaningful in a product or design.
The Carbon bench, which was designed to push the aesthetic and textural possibilities of steel, has an iridescent blue and pale yellow finish that doesn't stem from paint or lacquer but from the chemical reaction set off by the firing process.
To create the product, Wijnant welded a pattern of raised stainless steel welts onto thick slabs of steel. These building blocks have a more or less uniform colour when the steel is first welded, but once it goes into the oven to be tempered, the two kinds of steel respond in different ways.
"I really wanted to create a more organic object, because steel is normally super hard and straight. I want to change this perception." — Ward Wijnant
