shou-sugi-ban

Shou-sugi-ban is the ancient Japanese technique of burning Sugi, or Japanese Cypress, for use as a gorgeous and unusual siding on the exterior of buildings… this textured charcoal finish is accomplished by binding two planks of wood around an interior layer of stuffed newsprint, lighting the paper on fire and allowing it to burn the length of the wood for 7 minutes before extinguishing the fire with cold water… next, each board is scrubbed with wire brushes, taking off the most charred wood and embedding the grain with the ashes… after each board has dried, they are individually rubbed with natural oils to coat and preserve the finish… this act of charring and coating the wood is said to protect the cedar or cypress siding from weather, pests and rot for 80 years…materia designs has interpreted this technique as a finish for a collection of furniture, not only for its enduring wear, but for its deeply unusual silvery black look...