Design
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Shou Sugi Ban: A Popular New/Old Technique For Treating Wood
Shou Sugi Ban (which translates as “the burning of Japanese cypress”) is a traditional Japanese technique of charring wood to make it repel water, prevent sun damage and make it rot and insect resistant. A number of woods can be treated this way, including spruce, accoya (a thermally modified wood), Western red cedar, Douglas fir, and so on but cryptomeria japonica or Japanese cedar, was the traditionally used wood, indigenous to Japan and China. Shou Sugi Ban (which translates as “the burning of Japanese cypress”) is a traditional Japanese technique of charring wood to make it repel water, prevent sun damage and make it rot and insect resistant. A number of woods can be…
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Shou Sugi Ban Fowl Play
When Ilse Ackermann describes herself as a “chicken consultant to the stars,” her tone is tongue-in-cheek. But she has the nondisclosure agreements to prove it. Her job, which involves 24-hour “fowl consultations” for anxious clients with broody birds, stems from her years living on Skyfarm, the Los Angeles area urban farm she shares with her husband, photographer Meeno Peluce, their two daughters and 25 animals. She may design custom coops for Hollywood’s A-list, but her own is more modest, built of inexpensive wood and a galvanized roof from Home Depot that she estimates cost around $1000. By contrast, the coop’s black charred exterior makes a statement in an orchard filled…
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Chotto Matte Plays with Tokyo-Meets-Miami Design Award
A retractable roof, 33,000-pound volcanic boulder, and bright murals are some of the memorable touches Pedestrians may misconstrue the long, white structure in the narrow alleyway just off Lenox Avenue as a standard wall and walk right by — but that would be a mistake. As what lies behind it is Chotto Matte, a high-end restaurant specializing in Japanese and Peruvian fusion Nikkei cuisine, with a design that makes it a destination worth seeking out. Set in the heart of Miami Beach, the 220-seat eatery opened in April 2018 as the first U.S. outpost of the London original. Beyond the myriad of traditional dishes like the best-selling Nikkei sashimi, shrimp and pork…
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A Modern Retreat at the Far Edge of Ireland
As in all the best B&Bs, tea is offered within seconds of arrival. At Breac.House which opened recently on Horn Head near Dunfanaghy, it is served in little grey goblets of Inishowen clay commissioned from a local pottery. “We wanted a particular shade of grey,” owners Niall Campbell and Cathrine Burke explain, “with a slight purple hue. The colour of Muckish.” They nod through vast windows to the inky mountains of north Donegal. It’s just a detail in a house where attention to detail has been taken to magnificent extremes. A Pantone reference given conversational depth by two Dublin accountants who realized ten years ago that their careers were at…
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DIY Tips for Shou Sugi Ban
How should DIYers approach the Shou Sugi Ban process for the best results? For a durable burnt wood finish that will last 50 years or more, follow these Shou Sugi Ban application tips: Apply on softwoods only. As a result of its porous nature, cedar—Japanese cedar in particular—readily chars to the depth needed for a protective and appealing burnt wood finish. However, other softwoods, including pine and fir, are also good candidates. Avoid hardwoods, such as teak or walnut, which are denser and don’t char as readily. Skip the sanding. Because burning the wood surface removes any existing rough patches, there’s no need for sanding the wood before scorching it. If, however,…
