Wabi-Sabi

Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese philosophy of acceptance of the imperfect and impermanent. It is about appreciating nature as it is, and about letting go of the idea of perfection in order to better appreciate the world and our environment. AKA’s studio uses this concept as a core tenant in it’s creative practice, where design inspiration is drawn from the materiality and shape of the wood itself. It is an ongoing project where pieces are created by accepting conventionally undesirable or peculiar characteristics in the timber, and making them the centre piece of a design. It is about appreciating nature as it is.

The principal of Wabi-Sabi also informs AKA’s creative practice to seek beauty in the discarded. All wood, whether its an off-cut from a project or a found piece from a timber yard can be put towards making something that will add character and it’s own sense of spirit to a space. One just has to find the design hidden within the material to bring it out. In this way, AKA also reduces it’s studio’s waste by transmuting it into furniture and collectable objects, doing its small part to be more environmentally conscious.