Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[TheFoo]

The Japanese are wood-magicians, so however they're able to work their hinoki miracles has as much to do with the properties of the wood as their people's ingenuity. What you have is not so much miracle-wood, but wood used by miracle-wood-workers. If you let your tea tray soak for more than a couple of hours, hinoki or not, the wood will be damaged (think mold-growth and other unpleasantness). Certainly the tray will stain, but I'd fight this process with such a light colored wood. I'd baby even more than a traditional rosewood or ebony tray.

I'm very interested to see how this hinoki experiment turns out. On paper, hinoki seems ideal, but it leaves me scratching my head why I've never seen it used for a tray. Stains? Some other unthought of reason? My curiosity is piqued.

I'll leave you with this article:

"In conclusion, our study showed that touching hinoki wood with the palm calms prefrontal cortex activity and increases parasympathetic nervous activity, thereby inducing physiological relaxation..."

Physiological effects of touching hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) - Journal of Wood Science

This study aimed to clarify the physiological effects of touching hinoki cypress (hereinafter called “hinoki”) (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood with the palm of the right hand on brain activity and autonomic nervous activity. Twenty-two female university students (mean age 21.1 ± 0.2 years)...

link.springer.com

Alaskan yellow cedar is highly mold resistant. That’s why it’s used for bathtubs, boats, outside furniture, etc.

 

[GeneralEmployer]

Alaskan yellow cedar is highly mold resistant. That’s why it’s used for bathtubs, boats, outside furniture, etc.

Yes, for sure. I've done some quick reading, and I'm now thinking the only reason the wood isn't used for trays is its rarity, price point, and the fact its found in Canada.

You may start a new trend.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Using coasters solves all problems apparently.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Excellent! Great photos, Foo! Glad you are enjoying it.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

That’s really beautiful Foo. Great work, SG! The tapered supports are a thing of beauty - were those done with a finger plane?

Thank you! I used a chisel for those.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Yellow cedar (which is actually a cypress) is great stuff, extremely rot resistant. The tree can stand dead for hundreds of years.

 

[Big A]

It would be hard for me to care less about tea sets, ancient Chinese ceramics, or Foo's lineage, and yet this is currently the best thread on the site

 

[TheFoo]

It would be hard for me to care less about tea sets, ancient Chinese ceramics, or Foo's lineage, and yet this is currently the best thread on the site

. . . Thank you?

 

[double00]

the ru ware disco is terrific. i wouldn't deny the beauty or rarity (or even quibble with the associated value) but imo the type is somewhat oversold in terms of cultural import.

 

[TheFoo]

the ru ware disco is terrific. i wouldn't deny the beauty or rarity (or even quibble with the associated value) but imo the type is somewhat oversold in terms of cultural import.

Oversold? In what sense?

 

[double00]

oversold as a material reference of human art, craft, and tech.

in short, i doubt that ru ware is worthy of imitation. i'm unsure that the type could or would even bear further development.

setting aside eminent, obvious collectibility of the OG specimens: to what does ru ware lead us?

 

[TheFoo]

oversold as a material reference of human art, craft, and tech.

in short, i doubt that ru ware is worthy of imitation. i'm unsure that the type could or would even bear further development.

setting aside eminent, obvious collectibility of the OG specimens: to what does ru ware lead us?

As I think I noted earlier, it is a particularly beautiful celadon glaze. The real stuff—whether the original imperial pieces from the Song dynasty or high-quality contemporary pieces made in the same way—has a very special depth and luster. The top surface of the glaze is glass-smooth and glossy while the bottom is matte and milky. Plus, because the glaze is applied so thinly, the underlying grey porcelain peeks through at the edges and adds a greyish undertone throughout.

The aggregate effect is very unique and very difficult to achieve.

Then there is the fact that the beauty of the glaze inspired the use of simple and unadorned forms. This reflects a purposeful and modern honesty toward material and design that would not take hold in the West for nearly a millenium.

What more do you want?

 

[GeneralEmployer]

oversold as a material reference of human art, craft, and tech.

in short, i doubt that ru ware is worthy of imitation. i'm unsure that the type could or would even bear further development.

setting aside eminent, obvious collectibility of the OG specimens: to what does ru ware lead us?

While Ru ware may not be to your taste, it was extremely rare even when it was being produced during its heyday in 1100. Poets would write poetry praising Ru often without actually have seen the true originals. Imitation Ru ware flooded the market nearly 900 years ago: here we are. I have a friend who has some excellent early Korean copies.

As to the question "to what does ru ware lead us?" Functional yet elegant pottery. Not everything needs to be an innovation or an improvement. If you tried building a pyramid, I would not fault you if it wasn't up to snuff.

 

[emptym]

The stuff is pretty amazing in person. I saw it at the National Museum in Taipei and thought it was the most interesting stuff in the museum, perhaps tied with the huge landscape paintings with small people that I also love. I have some plant pots that were clearly inspired by them (shape, colors, crackling), bought years before I visited Taiwan or had any idea what they were based on.

 

[sugarbutch]

It's beautiful stuff