Ming Table & Yin Shelves

The collections created for Barel Italy display the significant potential of fusing European heritage with the spirit of a traditional Asian style.

In 2017 Jarrod Lim was invited by Barel to develop a collection of designs that displayed the distinctive qualities of Barel craftsmanship and to fuse it with his own unique design perspective. Following research into Barel’s long history and focus on hand-forged iron, Lim thought to merge the character and emotion of traditional Asian furniture into that story.Of all the furniture developed throughout Asian culture, the Ming dynasty period remains the most iconic. Most apparent and most captivating amongst Ming dynasty items is the honesty of craftsmanship. Support structures and joints are often emphasised as design features rather than hidden from view. The Ming Tables, reference this idea of support structures as a feature of the design. The legs of the Ming table are crafted from hand-forged iron in a form that hints at the iconic Asian style in the most subtle and elegant manner. The Yin Tall Shelves and TV console again, reference the Ming period but refine the iconic style to a point where the objects no longer appear obviously Asian but distill and transform the style until it is capable of being featured in even the most sophisticated European interiors.