There are many people who like sitting in front of an indoor or outdoor fireplace and enjoying each others company. In fact, humans have been using wood-based fires to keep ourselves warm for thousands of years. However for LA-based designer Paul Foeckler of Split Grain, a simple block of firewood has a different use. He creates beautiful wooden lamps.

It’s the inherent beauty of foraged firewood that inspires his Light Structure collection. The project began after Foeckler was making a fire and picked up an ordinary piece of firewood. He began thinking that the object was too beautiful to burn. After that he started experimenting with different pieces of firewood he found in California forests, searching for their hidden beauty. Soon he realized that cutting the wood into precise slices brings out natural beauty that would otherwise go unnoticed.

His experiments with different cuts and shapes of firewood soon found that different splitting techniques, followed by sawing the form into slices, enhanced the cross sections. It revealed even more incredible formations and imperceptible grain patterns.

Foeckler explains: “The repetition of slices heightened those qualities even more. And the addition of light from within unlocked beautiful intricacies across the grain itself.”

Foeckler’s collection is his homage to the natural architecture of the noble California trees. He sells his beautiful lamps on Etsy for people to include in their everyday spaces.

“There’s no sense in finding hidden beauty in things without people seeing them. I thought combining nature with contemporary design would appeal to people to include it in their everyday spaces.”

The pluggable lights burn bright and beautiful; all the while bringing a bit of organic nature into the home. The minimalist design of slats in a wood chunk allow just enough light to peer through without compromising the stability and structure of the wood itself.

Source: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/light-sculptures-splitgrain-etsy