These Firewood-Turned-Lamps Are Too Beautiful to Burn

Design company turns reclaimed wood into stunning pieces of furniture.

California-based company Split Grain has found other uses for wood, other than to be burned to make cozy fires. Ordinary pieces of firewood are now being turned into sculptural lamps.

"The project began with me taking notice of an ordinary piece of firewood and thinking it too beautiful to burn," Paul Foeckler, founder of Split Grain, said in the website.

"The exterior texture and shape had such organic appeal that I started experimenting. I found that different splitting techniques followed by sawing the form into slices enhanced the cross sections and revealed even more incredible formations and imperceptible grain patterns.

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 discovery led to the creation of Split Grain, which focuses on creating wooden light sculptures and steel suspensions. Through splitting techniques, he was able to create the light sculptures, which are meticulously propped on metal posts to add emphasis on the intricate and natural details of the wood.

The light sculptures are made from reclaimed wood that could be found locally, which are taken from branches and debris of fallen and damaged trees, such as cypress, cedar and fir.

According to Treehugger, the pieces of wood will first be split and sectioned. Then a low-voltage, energy-sufficient LED light will be inserted inside the sliced wood to illuminate the sculpture. Aluminum will be added into the sculpture to serve as a handy heat sink. After sanding, the piece will be covered in a protective coat of clear urethane. Creating one piece alone would sometimes take Foeckler about 100 hours to complete, Treehugger reports.

"The final works are minimalist and formal with a strong architectural sensibility, which I think poetically speaks to the noble trees they came from," Foeckler said.

Split Grain's wooden light sculptures and steel suspensions can be purchased on Etsy, Two Enlighten and Formative Designs for as much as $725 a piece.