O / 06
The Shapes I Keep
NOTES ON WOOD,
FORM, AND QUIET
OBJECTS
I’ve noticed that certain shapes follow me through the years. Not intentionally, not because I set out to collect them, but because they speak in a language I understand instinctively. Soft curves, carved voids, rounded edges, the weight and warmth of wood— these forms have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
In my home, several wooden objects share this same quiet presence. A small sculpture carved from smoked ash with an unexpected hollow. A side table turned on a lathe, its form playful but grounded. A few smaller pieces gathered over time— each one shaped by an artist exploring balance, asymmetry, and the spaces in between. They are different, yet they carry the same sensibility. Familiar, without being predictable.
What draws me to these pieces isn’t just how they look, but how they feel in a room. Wood has a way of softening space. Even when the shapes are abstract, their warmth makes them approachable. I find myself running my hand along the grain, noticing the dents, the weight, the places where the maker’s tools left a subtle trace. These imperfections make them human.
“I’m especially drawn to forms that break symmetry —objects that begin with something traditional and then shift slightly into something unexpected.”
A carved void interrupting a turned wood form. A surface that gently dips inward, almost like an invitation. A silhouette that makes you look twice. These gestures feel philosophical in their own way, as if the maker is asking a quiet question rather than offering a clear answer.
When I look around my home, these pieces create a kind of conversation with each other. They aren’t loud. They don’t compete. They simply exist together, shaping the room with a feeling I’ve always gravitated toward — calm, intentional, grounded in nature, and shaped by human hands. I think that’s why I keep them close.
They reflect something about how I see the world—drawn to softness, subtlety,
and the spaces that hold meaning without needing to explain themselves.
OBJECT: HEW SIDE TABLE
ARTIST: PAT KIM
MATERIALS: SOLID AMERICAN WALNUT
MADEIN: POLAND
PHOTOGRAPHY: TAKAHIRO IGARASHI
