Our Design Philosophy
We focus on a dialogue between two opposite materials. Creating an atmosphere of a living fire.
Peace, shaped by fire
We find that it's possible to drown in watching fire and find a more peaceful rhythm through it. That's exactly what we've tried to put into our design.
Burnt Wood
It all starts from the forest. We use regionally sourced wood in our products. Sometimes we even burn the wood in the forest, as it gives us a good moment to wind down.
Using burnt wood originates from Japan, where the charring technique called yakisugi, also known as shou sugi ban, was used villages to preserve and protect wooden houses from the weather and insects, as it basically "kills" the material.
Besides protecting it, charring brings out the wood's grain and leaves it with a matte black finish.
Raw Metal
Opposite to charred wood, metal is a living material that responds to its environment over time. Slowly it develops a unique shade, making each piece subtly different.
The surface reflects light softly, creating a gentle, characteristic glow. It brings warmth, depth, and a sense of constant change to the object.
Duality
The combination of dull charred wood and ever-changing copper forms a unique duality: the matte and the glowing, the burnt and the burning, the dead and the living.
The tension reflects the Japanese philosophical embrace of dualism. The opposing forces do not cancel each other out but instead define and elevate one another. Yaki brings this ancient harmony into a modern context and form.
Design for a lifetime
To make each detail flawless, we take three weeks to create one piece and craft only few pieces a month. We create our designs in our tiny workshop in Estonia.
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Each piece of wood is burned using natural fire, without any artificial methods.
We put obsessive care and attention into each piece. It is a collectible design piece for a lifetime not a fashion piece for few years.
Why we do this?
Yaki is founded in Estonia by two 25-year-old best friends: Risto and Sander. The first design was born out of a university project and perfected to offer exceptional beauty.
Yaki's first prototype.
Born out of curiosity
While in university, Risto encountered a task to build a lamp. Curious about how raw copper could reflect light in a room, he went in search of a complementary material and discovered burnt wood and an ancient wood-burning technique.
Brought to life by friendship
When he showed the first design to his best friend Sander one day, just for fun, the seed was planted not to leave the concept in a drawer. Risto began refining the design of the lamp, and Sander started building a website.
Creating peace
When the first floor lamp was ready and lit in the dark room, we found that we could just stay there, looking at the light for a while. It was like sitting next to a living fire. We felt peace.
After we understood that having this ritual in our apartment every night had become an enriching part of the day, we were sure we’d want to share it with others.
"Yaki creates an atmosphere that allows to flow into the cosmos of thoughts"
Producer - @thundion
