For this week’s theme, we are inspired by the work of Bethan Laura Wood—The Queen of Super-Too-Much. A UK multidisciplinary designer driven by color, materials investigation, and the philosophy of objects, Wood received her MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art. Since 2011, she has worked with Nilufar Gallery in Milan to exhibit her limited-edition and one-off works. A lover of Alice in Wonderland, sedimentary rock, Meisen kimonos, and kaleidoscopic vision, Wood works with disparate materials to bring objects to life.

According to her website, “Bethan is fascinated by the connections we make with the everyday objects that surround us and, as a collector herself, likes to explore what drives people to hold onto one particular object while discarding another.” In my oneiric house, I would never let go of the Meisen Tall Cabinet, keeping it in my secret library, the one tucked away in another dimension.

1. Kaleidoscope-O-Rama Traveling Bluestocking Salon x CC–Tapis Milan

New in 2024, Wood explores kaleidoscopic fractals and the Bluestocking women’s salon in a collection of rugs made by CC-Tapis. Originally exhibited at CC-Tapis headquarters during Milan Design Week 2024, Kaleidoscope-O-Rama includes custom rugs and furniture in a space meant to promote “gathering, sharing and discussing.”

2. Chain WonderGlass Side Table

Wood investigates the possibilities of glass in her collaboration with Venetian glass company WonderGlass. Using rectangular donut brick molds, Wood stacked and interlocked colored glass units to create various objects, including the Chain WonderGlass Side Table. The bespoke cast glass “comments on the architectural possibilities of glass.” Personally, I’d like to see an entire city built from these vitreous assemblages.

3. Kaleidoscope-O-Rama

A precursor to Wood’s Traveling Salon (see number one), Kaleidoscope-O-Rama was presented as part of NGV Triennial 2023, in which 120 artists encapsulated the current state of the world in art for the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Wood collaborated with CC-Tapis to design a hand-tufted hexagonal wool carpet. She also worked with Italian furniture brand Alpi to create a stunning five-tiered hexagonal bookcase (which also belongs in my dream library, where I would dedicate it to the work of Jorge Luis Borges, an author who is equally kaleidoscopic).

4. Meisen Caterpillar Cabinet

A tribute to the enigmatic caterpillar of Alice in Wonderland, the Meisen Caterpillar Cabinet converts the character into a colorful tower of conveniently sectioned storage. Wood envisioned this little anthropomorphic wonder in great detail: “Bethan has stretched her little bug up into a multi-drawer cabinet with the psychedelic patterns of the bespoke Alpi veneer cascading down from his head to torso, evoking the colorful swirls and curls of ‘magical’ smoke he would use to illustrate his conversation and spark the imagination.” The Caterpillar Cabinet features ornamental handles akin to jewelry, which conveniently resemble antennae.

5. Tongue Tea Set

Wood created the Tongue Tea Set for Rosenthal focusing on the connective pieces. “The name references the flat ribbons that flow along the geometric body forms to create various elements from handle to spout,” her website notes. The soft blues and peaches evoke a sense of calm, while the conjunctional details add a fun spark.

6. Super Fake Rugs

Super Fake Rugs put a spin on sedimentary rocks. According to Wood’s website, “Each layer or facet is represented by a variety of beautiful rug-making techniques which have been developed over centuries by Tibetan artisans.” The shapes recreate a rock’s surface textures—but the bold colors convert the organic forms into foreign objects.

7. After Party–Sweet Dreams

Textiles have the power to transform experiences. When red velvet curtains open in a cinema, viewers expect a revelation. Pull aside a heavy cotton tent flap to discover a raccoon stealing your granola. Unfurl a flag to celebrate your identity. In After Party–Sweet Dreams, Wood converts textiles into “hypnotic sickly sweet” desserts. Produced in collaboration with TextielMuseum, these fabric concoctions echo “still life scenes and portraits in the Rijksmuseum.” Do you see how the cream recalls the pleated collars of royalty?

8. Criss Cross–Bloom

Criss Cross–Bloom converts luminaires into individual flowers, making up a fantastical, incandescent garden. Originally designed as part of a commission by Design Miami Basel Designer of the Future award, these glass lamps are like candles to light your way (into another universe?). Wood created Criss Cross–Bloom for communal spaces like hotel lobbies: “She was inspired by the long, void spaces between floors and at corridor junctions …” The grand idea was to entertain people in these in-between spaces, turning hallways and stairs into “viewing platforms to reveal the changing colours in glass when seen at different heights and from various angles.” Wood combined the skills of diverse glassmakers—artisan Pietro Viero in Italy and Nouvel Studio in Mexico—to create lighting that transcends place and time.