Touch Wood by Studio Minale-Maeda

Studio Minale-Maeda
Touch Wood, 2003

Limited edition: 12 pieces

Touch Wood is a furniture project by the Rotterdam-based design studio Minale-Maeda that explores our fascination with precious materials and the way value is assigned in design. Rather than working with rare or exotic woods, the designers chose an alternative approach: expressive wood-grain patterns are printed onto silk and carefully stretched over furniture made from ordinary, readily available wood.

This deliberate contrast between appearance and structure creates a subtle tension. Visually, the pieces suggest luxury and rarity; physically, they reveal softness where hardness is expected and simplicity where opulence is assumed. Tables and storage pieces invite touch as much as observation, encouraging a slower, more attentive interaction with the object.

silk brocade; multiplex – beech wood
table: 100 x 65 x 74 cm
chest: 160 x 50 x 55 cm

By shifting focus from material origin to sensory experience, Touch Wood challenges conventional ideas of authenticity and craftsmanship. The project proposes that value in design does not lie solely in scarcity or cost, but in perception, tactility, and the thoughtful framing of materials—turning restraint into its most expressive quality.