Handmade in Romania
Hand-turned Wooden Plate · Shō Sugi Ban
Carved from linden wood by artisans at LUN Studio in Romania’s Banat region, this plate is entirely finished by hand, the surface carbonised using an ancient Japanese charring technique that creates a natural, water-repellent barrier, making it suitable to use with food. The matte black surface invites touch, and the wide rim gives the plate the organic form that defines its character.
MORE ABOUT THIS OBJECT
The Craft. The artisans at LUN work with linden wood sourced locally and sustainably. Each piece of wood is chosen with near-ritual care and finished by hand, honouring the grain and the memory held within its fibres. Working in small batches allows a rigour of detail that gives each piece a living presence. LUN describe their practice as neo-organic design – a commitment to letting the wood's natural character lead the form. To finish the surface, they use shō sugi ban, an ancient Japanese technique in which the wood is charred to create a stable, carbonised layer that is both water-repellent and visually distinctive.
The Heritage. Iohanisfeld is a small village in the Banat plain of south-western Romania, one of the quiet agricultural settlements founded by German
Swabians in 19th century, shaping the region's relationship to wood and land.
Romanian woodworking traditions are embedded in everyday life – from structural
timber to domestic objects – and the forest has long been understood here not
as resource but as collaborator. Wood was never just a building material, but a means of carrying the collective memory of the village from one generation to the next. LUN draws on this understanding whilst looking outward: the shō sugi ban technique, developed in Japan and now practised by craftspeople across the world, finds unexpected harmony with the linden groves of the Banat region.
The Maker. LUN Studio is the expression of an ongoing dialogue between Manuela Marchiș Blînda, artist and sculptor, and Cezar Blînda, psychologist and craftsman, whose collaboration began in 2020. Their objects are designed to spark curiosity about wood and activate the senses, inviting reflection and touch. The studio insists on slowness, on imperfection, on the quiet intelligence of wood grown over decades. The work is an invitation to pay attention: to the object, to the gesture, to the moment itself. LUN is included in the Homo Faber Guide, a platform dedicated to the celebration and preservation of master craftsmanship worldwide.
DETAILS
PRODUCT CARE
MEET THE ARTISAN
LUN STUDIO
Manuela Marchiș Blînda and Cezar Blînda united their lives and blended their visions to create LUN - a space where they explore the relationship between art and craft. Their objects are designed to spark curiosity about wood and activate the senses through aesthetic sustainability. In nature, elements flow and undulate in perfect symbiosis, and humans are part of it. The artisans at LUN brought this concept into their creations, in an attempt to create through objects a connection of humanity to nature.
LUN features in the Homo Faber Guide, a platform dedicated to the celebration and preservation of master craftsmanship worldwide.
