Origami
The art of folding
To us, origami is more than a technique. It is the free space where we put our knowledge, skills and creativity to work, and show what ceramics can do when you fold it instead of carving it.
馬 Horse
舟 Boat
豹 Panther
狐 Fox
紙飛行機 Paper plane
Folding instead of carving
Natural stone is shaped by taking away. A block is cut from the mountain and worked until the form remains: heavy, and with a lot of waste.
We work the other way round. As in origami, every form starts with a single thin sheet, just 3 mm thick. We cut it on the waterjet, fold it in mitred panels around a lightweight core and assemble it into an object that looks solid, but is not.
Because the decor runs over every fold like a printed sheet, the seam disappears. The eye sees stone, the scales do not.
折
Ori · to fold
Every form is made of planes that meet in a mitre.
紙
Kami · paper
For us, a ceramic slab of 3 mm: thin as a sheet, with the look of stone.
切
Kiri · to cut
As in kirigami: first cut on the waterjet, then fold.
M/Y Oritõ — a little ceramic origami boat
Who says you can’t fold ceramics?
2.5 m
long, 85 cm high and wide
± 60 kg
total weight
3 mm
ceramics
Sometimes innovation starts with a simple question: what if? What if we applied the principles of origami to ceramics, and built a large, three-dimensional construction from slabs of just 3 mm?
The shape is inspired by origami. Sharp fold lines create a powerful, geometric look, while subtly rounded facets add softness. In the finish we deliberately sought contrast: matte and polished ceramic surfaces by Cotto d’Este, combined with mosaic by Bisazza.
For us, Oritõ is about more than making a boat. It is about exploring the limits of ceramics: experimenting, taking on technical challenges and discovering which applications become possible when you approach existing materials differently.
How Oritõ was made
How do you translate a folded geometry into a ceramic construction, with sharp lines, precise joints and a refined finish, while keeping the whole thing light?
1. Design
The folded shape designed and unfolded into flat panels.
2. Cutting
The 3 mm panels cut on our StM waterjet.
3. Building
Bonded onto a lightweight core, at constantly changing angles.
4. Finishing
Matte and polished Cotto d’Este surfaces, with a sail of Bisazza mosaic.
5. Result
2.5 metres of ceramics, about 60 kg.
Bon voyage
And now her journey around the world begins
At the Damen Yachting open day, M/Y Oritõ made her maiden voyage. Then she came ashore on a beach close to where she was made. Where would you like to see her moor? At a special harbour, a boat show, an iconic building on the water or somewhere completely unexpected?
Small boat. Big ideas. Endless possibilities.
Design object
Kiri
The faceted washbasin
Kiri is Japanese for cutting, as in kirigami: the folding art in which paper is also cut. That is exactly how this freestanding washbasin is made. Cut on the waterjet, folded into a sculpture with clean lines and sharp mitres in two contrasting decors.
It looks like a solid object carved from natural stone, but is in fact built from thin slabs of XTONE, the sintered stone by Porcelanosa, on a lightweight core. This makes it considerably lighter. The veining runs perfectly across every fold, and the drain is concealed in the top. Designed and made in Kapelle.
On display at Porcelanosa in Amsterdam, by appointment.
Design objects
The dice and the diamond
We also use smaller objects to learn and to show what is possible. The ceramic dice is folded from individual slabs, with sharp mitres on every edge.
From it, the ceramic diamond is now taking shape: eight facets like a brilliant cut, ceramics on a lightweight core, on a base in green marble print. It is still in development.
Japanese connections
What we learn from Japan
In the Japanese craft tradition we recognise much of how we work ourselves: patience, precision and respect for the material.
職人
Shokunin
The craftsman who devotes his life to perfecting a single craft. That is how we look at every mitre, every joint and every edge.
守破離
Shu-ha-ri
Learning in three stages: first follow the rules, then break them, then transcend them. That is how we pass on craftsmanship in our workshop, from master to apprentice.
改善
Kaizen
A little better every day. Every object, from dice to superyacht, teaches us something for the next.
金継ぎ
Kintsugi
Repairing breaks with gold and giving the repair a place. Our specialists work the other way round, invisibly, but with the same respect for the object.
From art form to application
What we discover in Oritõ and Kiri finds its way into our work on board. The same folding technique is in the vanities, shower floors and wetbars of CARVE Lightweight Solutions.
Planning a project?
We like to get involved early on materials, engineering and planning.