Honest Design – The KYSS Range by Tom Fereday & Kenny Yong-soo Son

On principle I’m sure most designers would love to be more open to honest ways of working. Unfortunately it’s not always up to the designer thanks to the larger companies standing behind such projects. Materials are often substituted for materials of lesser quality. Methods of construction are sometimes even corrected in the manufacturing stage, which can mean the integrity and beauty of the original design is not fully showcased. That’s why I really appreciate this project by designer Tom Fereday and fellow Sydney-based metalworker Kenny Yong-soo Son.

Fereday brought over his motto of ‘Honest Design, true to materials and it’s process’ to this particular project and used FSC rated solid timber in combination with Kenny Yong-soo Son’s supreme metalworking skill to craft this brass stand that the circular wooden disc for the table can sit on top of. Thanks to this innovative craftsmanship this stand can be easily dismantled and put together with ease. A similar pattern has been fabricated to make a seating range and faceted vase.

Under the name ‘The KYSS Range’, which is referencing Kenny’s studio name ‘Studio Kyss’, these bold geometric shapes are quite wonderful and I hope they continue this collaboration for other works in the near future. It looks like it will be very fruitful! I also think that sharing this integrity in the design community, especially with a younger audience, is important so that these thoughts are passed on and incorporated at a larger scale. See more pictures on their portfolio linked below.

tomfereday.com
studiokyss.com

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