Duane Chong

As founder of Grow-Wellbeing, a local non-profit connecting communities with nature, natural materials are at the centre of my practice. Inspired by Wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic and philisophy, I work with characterful wooden slabs whose irregular edges, grain and colour are preserved rather than cut away, retaining marks from the cutting and working of the wood to create unique, hand-finished tables and benches.

Each piece celebrates the tree’s history – from 3000-year-old bog oak to 80-year-old olive – while offering a tactile, durable and aesthetically pleasing object for everyday use, inviting people to live with and care for the natural world indoors.