Final Show V

With only a few days left before photographing my work, I had just finished casting the concrete units. This meant I had to complete the shelves in an incredibly tight timeframe, which posed a significant challenge. Considering the constraints of cost and time, I decided to use plywood as the material and planned to cut it into the desired shapes using CNC routing. However, selecting the right colour and texture for the shelves became a major obstacle.

Matching the textures of concrete and wood proved to be quite difficult, as they convey entirely different visual languages. Concrete feels cold and silent, while wood appears warm and approachable. To address this, I referred to some modernist furniture designs, such as works by Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé. I noticed that these designers often used wood with slightly saturated colours and a glossy finish. This choice emphasized the artificial processing of the material, contrasting with the more natural finishes commonly seen in furniture today. Inspired by this approach, I decided to use a medium oak varnish to paint the shelves, aiming to capture a similar modernist aesthetic.

Unfortunately, the painting process did not go as smoothly as I hoped. Many edges were unevenly coated, and the shelves ended up feeling rough to the touch. Reflecting on this, I realized I had not given enough attention to the design and material selection of the shelves from the start, which led to a rushed and imperfect finish. That said, the colour turned out as I expected, and from a distance, the shelves appear satisfactory.