Sofia Karakatsanis Furniture

Sofia Karakatsanis is fascinated by wood in all its forms: as a tree, a material, a fuel. As wood was once living, it reacts to processes it is put through, moving and twisting. She responds to this in real time while constructing and carving, allowing a dialogue between maker and material. She grew up in the Black Country, a hub of industry in the UK. This lifelong exposure to craft fostered a strong fascination with making that has led to her own practice in wood, the material she feels most drawn to.

Sofia's carving process is very organic, working with power carving tools such as angle grinders, down to finer hand tools, referencing sketches throughout. This allows her to create the forms intuitively, and react to the wood as it reacts to the processes, and allow the grain to inform the shape. Sofia subjects her work to extreme conditions when finishing; chemical bleaching Sycamore to achieve a bone white colour, and scorching Ash to create a blackened, highly textured finish. Working in this way allows the forms to be material-led. As she carves, Sofia exposes and focuses on the natural grain in the wood, using this to inform and accentuate the shape. She wants to evoke the feeling that these pieces were once living, appearing to come from one piece by allowing the grain to inform the shape.