The Blushing Bar

The 'Blushing Bar', a vibrant pink circular bar stole the spotlight at the recently concluded Wallpaper* Handmade X: With Love exhibition. It was designed by architects Chan + Eayrs and made by Sebastian Cox, in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Made of American red oak, the bar is composed of 10 modules each of which forms a variation of a curved sculpted element. To dye the wood, Sebastian Cox and his team machined a series of uniform holes into the end grain of red oak, around 25mm deep and 14mm x 30mm wide. The wood was then put into a purpose-made dying jig. The holes in the end grain were filled with red calligraphy ink, which was distributed evenly across the board of red oak. Calligraphy ink ensured a very intense color, which highlights the wood's grain in a bright red color.

According to the designers, a better understanding of oak's unique cellular structure can influence the design process. The inking process could also be scaled up to make large sheets, potentially even for use in housing as well as furniture. "We are in the dawn of the wood age and we must constantly reconsider wood as it's the only material that stores CO2 and is such an obvious part of the solution to our current climate crisis."