The short film Studio Visit with Tesler+Mendelovitch is available to watch at the top of the page.
Orli Tesler and Itamar Mendelovitch, the innovative design tandem, are revolutionizing the field of design with their extraordinary work at Tesler+Mendelovitch, the brand that has pioneered the concept of wood textiles. They have elegantly blurred the lines between the rugged solidity of wood and the delicate flexibility of textiles, creating a fusion that defies convention.
Coming from a background in textile design, Orli and Itamar have the extraordinary talent to transmute a typically rigid material into a fabric that is both resilient and pliable. Their creations bear a minimalist aesthetic, underscored by an evident geometric influence. At the heart of their unique wood textile technology is the ingenious fusion of wood veneer and detailed incision patterns. This innovative technique turns the wood, typically seen as stiff and brittle, into a soft and flexible entity.
The versatile veneer, owing to its newfound flexibility, ventures beyond its traditional uses into a wide array of applications – from soft padding, acoustic installations, and functional furniture, to wearable art, standalone structures, and beyond. This unique adaptation of wood veneer disrupts our conventional perception and opens up new possibilities for avant-garde designs in architecture and interior design. The duo’s specialized engineering and construction methods facilitate the transformation of the brittle veneer into a flat, flexible, sound-absorbing textile.
Their innovative process extends beyond simply creating a flexible surface. They skillfully manipulate these malleable surfaces into three-dimensional shapes, further adapting and reinforcing them for diverse interior applications. With strategic incisions and specific setting techniques, they engineer an innovative line of 3D products. Amidst this groundbreaking design process, they also prioritize sustainability, reducing waste, ensuring durability, and pushing the boundaries of contemporary design.
Tesler and Mendelovitch’s work stands as a tangible breakthrough in a design era that values textile sophistication. Their creations offer an unprecedented range of forms and textures. Their product line is a testament to this, featuring twisted tables that create an illusion of motion in stillness, Diamond Wood Tables that seamlessly merge into diverse interiors due to their classic geometric design, and Acoustic Wood Panels that can transform flat walls into textured architectural masterpieces. They even venture into the fashion realm with their handcrafted Wooden Clutches made from the most exquisite wood species.
In the accompanying video, Orli and Itamar provide a peek into their creative process, showing how they manage to maintain the inherent beauty and integrity of wood while transforming it into forms that were once considered impossible. Their innovative approach and exceptional talent have created ripples in the world of art and design, and their unique take on materials and form continues to inspire and intrigue.
The featured video Studio Visit with Tesler+Mendelovitch is part of the web series Yotsrim by Shachaf Dekel. Yotsrim includes five seasons and 73 episodes. The series won the Best Documentary award at the NYC Web Fest in 2019.
