Marbled Wood Flooring By Snedker Studio
I came across some magical wood flooring (and decorative wood for walls too!) last week and still days later, I can't stop thinking about it. This is always a sign that I have to share with all of you! I feel like I could write a glorious intro but the photos so beautifully speak for themselves that I'm not sure I could do better in words. All I can say is that this is wood and these floors and walls make me so deliriously happy.
Designed by Pernille Snedker Hansen of Snedker Studio, these surfaces definitely satisfy my love of interesting floors which is why I adore decorative tile so much. She is both an artist and designer who loves to explore color and patterns and is fascinated by the traditional craft of marbling, a technique she has brought to her wooden surface designs. Her work reminds me a lot of Suminagashi (floating ink) marbling, a Japanese technique that was practiced in the 12th century long before it landed in western cultures.
In 2012, Pernille won the Wallpaper Design Award and currently exhibits her work in conjunction with the Danish Crafts Council. Beginning today, she is also exhibiting in Copenhagen as part of 3 Days of Design at KONTEMPO, so go and check that out if you can.
When it comes to surfaces, I love the tile work that I've seen during my travels to North Africa, Turkey and Mexico. Even cities like Lisbon and Berlin have some of the best tiles; and old German tile from the turn of the century is gorgeous. But seeing decorative wooden floors is quite another thing, and it's inspiring because wood is so warm and has a different feel underfoot. It's also not as common to see patterned wood, is it? I've seen some that has had stencils applied to it, or given different washed treatments, but marbled? That's a whole new level of innovation and craftsmanship.
"The floor is the largest wooden surface in Scandinavian homes. Marbelous Wood reinterprets this classic domestic feature with vibrating colours across its surface. In Marbelous Wood – Refraction, both the form of the parquet floor and the applied pattern are inspired by the refraction of light through a prism, a graduating colour scale from one colour to the next. Its highly organic yet graphic patterning creates an optical experience as your feet move across the floor. The transparent marbling pattern merges with the wood, entering into a dialogue with the inherent ornamentation of wood. Marbelous Wood tells a story about time. Each print captures a unique frozen moment within the process. Produced one drop of colour after another, ring by ring, the pattern is constructed on the water surface. The final result is a reflection of the annual rings of wood."
I enjoyed watching this video from 2013 showing her process and hearing her comment on what's involved in making these floors (she speaks Danish but their are English subtitles). It's both fascinating and fills you with loads of respect for the thought and work involved. The video was made by Danish Crafts 2013 in connection with the exhibition MINDCRAFT13.
I'm so happy that I stumbled upon this flooring, it really made me smile and feel super inspired! Hope it did the same for you. And thank you dear Pernille for working with me to run this story on decor8. And all the best with your new baby, Pernille. And remember dear readers, if you plan to be in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design, definitely seek out the KONTEMPO exhibition and look for Pernille and tell her hello for me. ;)
(Photographs with permission from Snedker Studio)