DURATION April 2026
CONTEXT Self-initiated, upcycling project
CREDITS rik´rak (workshop & tools)
Rekindle by Constantin Eich is a self-initiated project rooted in the conviction that discarded objects often carry unrealized potential. The starting point was two stool bases destined for disposal — a find that raised a simple question: what could these still become?
At the heart of the project lies an exploration of the Yakisugi method, a traditional Japanese technique in which wood is made durably weather-resistant through controlled charring. An oak board was cut to 1500 mm, planed, and formatted before being worked with a blowtorch. The charred surface was then brushed back with a steel brush a process that accentuates the natural grain of the oak and gives it a deep, matte blackness. Two coats of oil with a fine intermediate sanding completed the surface.
The result is a bench born from the meeting of salvage and craft: the raw elegance of the burned oak top against the clean, sculptural form of the chromed tulip bases. Rekindle is not a new design — it is a reassessment of what already exists