Israel-based product designer Hilla Shamia blends clean, modern lines and aluminum with natural materials to create all kinds of incredibly unique pieces of furniture. Through innovative wood casting techniques, the artist has developed interesting ways to combine cast aluminum with wood so that the materials sit in harmony together and function as stylish tables and stools.
To create the pieces, Shamia pours molten aluminum into a mold and directly onto the wooden surface of cypress and eucalyptus tree trunks. The melted metal quickly absorbs into the cracks while the remaining, pooling liquid remains on top and slowly burns through a layer of the wood. Each richly textured piece is as original as each tree found in nature.
When speaking about how the project came to be, Shamia explained, “I kept on thinking about how I find joy in nature. Nature has paths and things get stuck along the way. I wanted to do the same with wood, to take it and do something to it that's never been done.”
