‘As’ furniture Series Examines Asphalt’s Role as Material Mediator
SO KOIZUMI DESIGN introduces ‘As,’ a furniture collection centered on the structural and expressive potential of asphalt. The series examines the material’s historical role and reinterprets it within a contemporary design context.
Asphalt has long been used as an adhesive, functioning as a connector between different materials. Although today it is most commonly associated with road paving, its essential purpose remains the act of binding. Drawing from this origin, the collection approaches asphalt as a mediating material that links heterogeneous components. References include its early use in Japan during the Jomon period, when it bonded wooden shafts to stone arrowheads. The collection applies this approach by pairing asphalt with metal, stone, resin, and other materials to create furniture pieces such as stools, side tables, and lamps.
all images courtesy of MATOYA
Asphalt and Mixed Materials fuse in So Koizumi’s Furniture Series
In the ‘As’ series, the designer expands on the material connecting concept by combining asphalt with metal, stone, resin, and other materials to form stools, side tables, and lighting pieces. Some elements, including portions of the asphalt itself, are shaped and finished through in-house material experimentation. This process involves cycles of refining structure and texture in order to study the inherent properties of each substance and the relationships that form when they are brought together.
The collection is presented at Gallery MATOYA in Aichi, Japan, from November 22nd to 30th, 2025, alongside a selection of earlier works by SO KOIZUMI DESIGN.
‘As’ collection explores the structural potential of asphalt in furniture design
asphalt is reconsidered as a connecting material between different components
asphalt acts as a mediator linking metal, stone, resin, and other materials
the collection draws from Jomon-period techniques of bonding wood and stone
lighting pieces experiment with the material’s binding properties
the project explores how heterogeneous materials interact through asphalt
stools in the series combine asphalt with contrasting materials
hybrid material combinations extend the concept of connection in design
asphalt surfaces reveal traces of the making and shaping process
the design process investigates how different substances relate when joined
pieces highlight asphalt’s adhesive origins through visible junctions
sections of asphalt are shaped and finished through in-house experimentation
the collection showcases a contemporary reinterpretation of an ancient technique
project info:
name: As
designer: So Koizumi | @so_koizumi_design
host: Gallery MATOYA
dates: November 22nd to 30th, 2025
photographer: MATOYA | @mato_ya
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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