Weaving Wood Cabinet

My work often centers around wood, and while learning the technique of bent lamination, I was introduced to veneer. I became intrigued by this paper-thin yet remarkably resilient material and began exploring its possibilities through a variety of experimental methods. These included cold bending, steam bending, laser cutting, sewing, vacuum lamination, and combining veneer with textiles and fabrics.For instance, I tried stitching veneer to different types of cloth, as well as sewing veneer pieces together on their own. One of these explorations, where veneer strips were woven together with cotton thread to create a textile-like material, eventually led to the development of this cabinet.

This piece is inspired by the technique itself—the essence of the material lies in blending two contrasting elements, wood and thread, into a single textile-like surface. The result is a semi-rigid, partially soft material that explores the balance between opposites. Every design decision was made to enhance this sense of harmony and seamless integration.The cabinet’s panels, for example, are woven with a gradient density to create a smooth transition between the textile surface and the solid wooden frame. The same approach is applied across all surfaces: the top uses lighter walnut boards, arranged from light to dark, moving from top to bottom. The woven panels also follow a gradient—from warm orange to deep brown—echoing the natural tones of walnut.All these design choices work together to create a cohesive and balanced visual language. As the viewer approaches the cabinet, they’ll notice a surprise: the walnut is also woven into the panels. This unexpected discovery invites touch, encouraging tactile interaction. For furniture, this physical connection is essential. Users don’t just see it, they feel it, and in that moment, the object reveals its true material poetry.

Creating this woven wood panel didn’t require highly precise calculations, but it did involve hands-on craftsmanship. I collaborated with an experienced textile partner, Huining Liu, who wove the panels by hand on a loom. This material can only be handmade, and one of its key advantages is that you can physically feel the tension of each line during the weaving process, allowing for immediate adjustments if it becomes too loose.To maintain consistent tension, the wood veneer strips are limited to a maximum width of 3/8 inch. Varying widths can lead to an uneven fabric, so we typically use similar width strips in one area. Wider veneer tends to loosen the weave and can’t be placed too closely together, as this would result in slack tension.As for sizing, we found that the final panel tends to shrink slightly once removed from the loom. Since the wood can’t stretch like traditional textiles, we addressed this by adding a wider serged edge around the woven panel. This not only compensates for the shrinkage but also allows the piece to fit securely within the cabinet frame.