When most people see a tree stump, they don’t think of it as something beautiful. But Duncan Meerding, a furniture and lighting designer, sees plenty of potential.
The legally blind artist, fascinated by the dispersement of light, creates the coolest lamps you’ll ever see using just LED lights and raw tree pieces. His goal is to create tactile work that exemplifies the “alternative sensory world” he lives in. Meerding uses new technology along with traditional woodworking methods to build his pieces, only crafting with sustainable wood, so as to not destroy the environment he attempts to emulate.
Check out his amazing work below. You’ve never seen a tree stump quite as beautiful as this.
The logs Meerding uses for his lamps would have otherwise been burnt. He says the warm, golden light represents the future this wood would have had, had he not created something with it.
Meerding notes that many timber-based works try to avoid the cracks his pieces embrace…
But he would rather “push the light through the things often associated with darkness.”
The craftsman makes two different kinds of log lamps, one for the outdoors and one for indoor use. Both aim to remind us of our “intrinsic connection with nature.”
Meerding has been honored by many conferences and with awards for his sustainable design.
He also makes wall sconces out of reclaimed timber.
This stunning stump knife block would look good in anyone’s home.
Meerding also makes other products that are inspired by nature, like this bird’s nest entry piece.
You can buy Meerding’s pieces on his website, including this lily lamp with a hand-carved stem. Check out his merchandise here.
It’s amazing what Meerding can do with wood that others have written off as useless. I love that he puts his experience and life into each piece, making them truly original.
If you enjoyed his work, you can follow Meerding on Facebook, and be sure to check out more of his stuff on his website.
