Milan 2010: at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last month London designers Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer of Raw Edges launched a collection of seats for Cappellini made of wooden veneer filled with expanding foam.

Called Tailored Wood, the pieces are all unique as the expanding foam distorts the wood's surface with wrinkles when it expands.

More about Raw Edges on Dezeen:

Designers of the future at Design Miami/Basel (June 2009)
OKAY Studio at The Aram Gallery (September 2008)
Stack by Shay Alkalay (May 2008)
Cut Attachez by Shay Alkalay (February 2008)
Pivot by Shay Alkalay (January 2008)

See also: Alodia by Todd Bracher for Cappellini at Milan 2010

See all our stories about Milan 2010 in our special category.

Here's some more information from the designers:

Tailored Wood

Usually veneer is used to cover solid wood surfaces. In Tailored Wood Yael and Shay oppose this old traditional process by first creating an empty volume with the veneer that is later filled with constructive foam. The foam unexpectedly expands within the volume and creates a unique and surprising crinkled wooden surface.

This experimental process results in a collection of seats that are always different from one another other, even within an industrial production. The process is unconventional in terms of industrialised furniture as the pattern itself becomes both the defining surface and the mould. In a sense it is a reversal of upholstery in which normally a skin is applied over the stuffing.

The project first shown at Aram Gallery London curated by Daniel Charny and since then took place in many international exhibitions. Tailored Wood was seen in its early stages by Giulio Cappellini and now is proudly being presented as a production piece within the collection by the leading Italian manufacturer.

Manufacturer: Cappellini
Design Credit: Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay, Raw-Edges Design Studio

See also:

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Raw Edges at Design Miami/Basel)	Stack by Shay Alkalay	Alodia by Todd Bracher for Cappellini