Characterised by fluid ripples of colour, Snedker Studio's Marbelous Wood designs are nature-inspired interpretations of traditional marbling. With a background in textile design and narrative environment, founder of the Copenhagen-based studio, Pernille Snedker Hansen challenges how we view the surfaces around us by transforming plain pine wood into mesmerising artworks.
Marbelous Wood "Refraction #1" by Snedker Studio
After years of experimentation, the designer has perfected her method, which is inspired by the old Japanese technique suminagashi and combined with a western marbling technique. The process begins with the marbling pattern, which Snedker creates by dropping a combination of different coloured inks into a shallow bath of water. As the ink spreads onto the surface of the water, Snedker looks for an interesting pattern that emerges from the layers of colour.
Once she finds a pattern, she slowly dips a single pine floor board directly onto the surface of the water so that the ink pattern is transferred on the wood. She continues this process until she has enough planks to form a surface.
“I’m also attracted to the organic and dynamic process, which I’m not completely in control of,” says Snedker about her marbling technique.
Inspired by naturally occurring motifs in nature, Snedker chose to emphasise the grain patterns in wood with bright colours instead of neutral tones that would create a visual imitation of the pine tree’s patterning and colour. The designer feels that the coloured ink gives the effect of “looking in a microscope and seeing the grain magnified.”
The arrangement of the wooden tiles is just as important as the marbling design. Each plank of wood has its own unique pattern, and the layout of the individual pieces contributes to the aesthetic of the overall surface.
