tomaz tijerina konja
i am an industrial designer who works across disciplines, combining hands-on making with a deep interest in discursive and experimental design.
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8. Studio Stool, 2024
Designer
Lathe
Woodworking
N/A
Experimental
Project Statement
Studio Stool represents my first true immersion into woodworking, a project born from a desire to understand the material through direct engagement. Serving as an early foundation for what would later become Wood + Leather, this piece allowed me to explore proportion, balance, and functional form while learning the discipline of the lathe and the logic of traditional joinery.
The stool is lightly influenced by the familiar posture of a director’s seat, a reference to a period when filmmaking played a central role in my practice. That connection gave the piece a sense of creative identity—an object that belongs equally in a workshop and a studio.
Patina emerged as a conceptual thread throughout the project. Inspired by the work of Martin Margiela, I used white paint as a way to highlight future wear rather than conceal it. The finish is intentionally vulnerable, inviting marks, scuffs, and the slow accumulation of character over time. The stool becomes a record of use, not despite its imperfections, but through them.
Ultimately, Studio Stool is an experiment in learning, making, and refining. It marks the moment I began to understand how beauty, process, and material can inform one another, and how an object can be both a functional tool and a vessel for experience.
Process
The process for Studio Stool began with simple sketches to establish a general direction for the form. These drawings were intentionally loose, since the goal of the project was to design through making rather than rely heavily on predetermined plans.
Very early on, I shifted into hands-on experimentation, focusing first on learning the lathe. I spent time practicing how to turn wood consistently, eventually gaining the skill to produce uniform legs and stretchers for the stool. This stage was an exploration of technique as much as it was a step toward the final design.
Once the turned components were complete, I moved on to shaping the seat base and backrest. These elements were made using more traditional power tools, which allowed for cleaner edges and controlled geometry. After all individual parts were fabricated, I assembled the structure and checked the alignment and balance.
The next phase was sanding, ensuring each surface was smooth and cohesive. For the finish, I applied oil and wax to seal the wood and bring out its natural character. Finally, I added the white paint accents, a decision that connected the piece to the project’s conceptual interest in patina. With the finish completed, the stool came together as both an experiment and a functional object.