【Sunday Slow Time】Taichung’s “Lele Wood” Handcrafted Wooden Creations in Simple Natural Colors

As you enter Lele Wood’s exhibition space in Dongshi, an indescribable sense of tranquility envelops you. The wooden items on the display shelves are simple and unembellished. The stacked natural-colored wood pieces emit a concentrated calmness that makes you feel secure and unwilling to turn away. You find yourself stopping involuntarily to draw closer to them. “I like simplicity—no coloring, no chemical paint, just oil, to showcase the true color of the wood.”

Meng Yi admits that her woodworking style is deeply influenced by Japan. She has read extensively and absorbed many Japanese books, admiring how the Japanese highlight the raw texture and color of wood. In addition, with a background in industrial design, she considers practicality—simplifying the manufacturing process, shortening production time, and reducing costs are all key aspects of her design philosophy. “Does that sound too commercial?” Meng Yi laughs heartily, insisting that she is not an artist, nor does she aspire to be one. Although her starting point is rooted in production, when it comes to design, the simpler it is, the harder it is to execute.

 

During our conversation, we mentioned the wooden flower stand by the window in the exhibition room. Its sleek, hollowed-out design caught our eye, and we really liked it. “That’s scrap wood,” she said. What!? It turned out that after Meng Yi explained, we learned that the hollowed part was originally cut from a piece of wood meant to be made into a cup holder at a factory. The remaining large piece of leftover wood was picked up by Meng Yi. After observing and pondering, she decided to turn it into a flower stand. “This can’t be sold yet; I’ll add more supports to reinforce the structure.”

It’s truly incredible—what was once considered valueless scrap has been given a fresh new form under Meng Yi’s hands. “Woodworkers always keep leftover and offcut materials,” Meng Yi added while pointing to a door stop shaped like a woodpecker. “This was a triangular leftover piece. I thought about what I could make with it, so I turned it into a door stop. Later I realized it could also be used as a bookend.” Taiwan enforces a logging ban, so most wood is imported, and every bit is used as efficiently as possible. “This helps reduce tree felling, and small pieces can still come in handy.”

 

On the day of our visit, Meng Yi took a square block of wood and, through simple cutting, drilling, and sanding, turned it into a business card holder and pen stand. There were no flashy decorations or complicated processes—the wooden block became a functional household item, with its complete wooden texture and feel fully on display.