Didi NG Wing Yin Presents In Between Wood and Fire at Milan Design Week 2026

At Milan Design Week 2026, Hong Kong designer Didi NG Wing Yin unveils In Between Wood and Fire, a new collectible furniture series presented as part of RoCollectible 2026 curated by Galleria Rossana Orlandi. Installed within the gallery’s historic space on Via Matteo Bandello, the collection continues the designer’s ongoing investigation into wood as a living and unpredictable material.

Rather than selecting refined timber typically associated with collectible furniture, NG works with solid sawn construction lumber measuring 10 by 10 centimeters. Commonly avoided in furniture production because of its tendency to crack, warp, and deform, the material becomes central to the project’s conceptual and tactile identity. Through splitting, carving, and charring techniques, the collection exposes the internal tensions of wood, transforming structural imperfections into expressive surfaces and sculptural form.

The works presented during the week include the Rocket Coffee Table and Rocket Side Table No.2, both crafted from spruce and pine with layered ink and lacquer finishes that emphasize the grain and fractured geometry of the wood. Through carving, splitting, and surface darkening, the pieces reveal a raw tectonic quality that balances sculptural presence with functional form.

The tall Pith Floor Lamp, made from spruce, pine, Indian ink, lacquer, and integrated lighting components, extends this language vertically. Its charred timber surfaces and softened glow create an object that feels simultaneously primitive and architectural, somewhere between furniture and spatial installation.

Alongside these larger works, Pith Stool A and Pith Stool B explore more compact forms shaped through direct carving and blackened lacquer treatments. Produced from spruce with Indian ink and lacquer finishes, the stools retain the tactile irregularities of the material, highlighting the collection’s focus on process, material instability, and craftsmanship rather than repetition or industrial precision.

Across the exhibition, NG approaches wood not as a neutral construction material but as something active and unpredictable. Cracks, burns, textures, and irregularities are preserved rather than concealed, allowing the furniture to communicate a sense of physical transformation shaped by both making and time.

Presented within the experimental context of RoCollectible, In Between Wood and Fire positions collectible design between sculpture, furniture, and material research, offering a quieter and more tactile counterpoint to the polished surfaces often associated with contemporary design culture.

Project Credit

Project Name: In between Wood and Fire
Artist Name: Didi NG Wing Yin / @dd_ng
Event: Milan Design Week 2026
Exhibition Title: RoCollectible 2026
Curated by: Galleria Rossana Orlandi
Location: Via Matteo Bandello 14, Milan, Italy
Public Dates: Mon 20 – Sun 26 April, 09:30 – 20:00
Photo: Didi NG Wing Yin