SYD – Fine Furniture/Design

Tag: frame

  • Barrister inspired File Cabinet

    Barrister inspired File Cabinet

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    My client wanted a file cabinet to go with the round meeting table I had made for his office. Not needing to store many files, I wanted a piece of furniture that has many functions. Along with being a file cabinet, I wanted a to create a little shelf to place books, artwork, or other things in. Taking a cue from a barrister’s bookcase, I decided to make two separate cabinets that is stacked on top to create a bigger cabinet. This idea solidifies the different function these two cabinets have but combines it in one unified piece. I also made the total height end up so that it becomes a little table surface to put keys, snacks, business cards, or cups on.

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    First, I created a wide drawer for all the hanging files and oriented them in a lateral orientation to maximize the amount of storage without the cabinet becoming too deep. I didn’t want just a regular plain old box so I decided to have the top poke through so you see the end grain from the side. I also put in brass splines to accent that joint, but also give a little jazz to an otherwise boring joinery.

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    The upped cabinet is created in a similar fashion but the door is a glass door with mahogany frame. The idea for doors in a barrister’s bookcase is that the glass protects the contents from dust, without blocking the view of the contents. I wanted the door to swing up and slide back so no one has to hold the door open to access the contents. The mechanism took some figuring out to do since the door wants to rack and pinch as it’s sliding back. I alleviated some of that tendency by creating a brass guide that runs in a slot created in the back side of the door. The track helps keep the doors aligned parallel.

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    The whole piece is created using solid Sipo Mahogany. The drawers are made from Hard Maple with a box joint joinery.

  • Sapele Round Table

    Sapele Round Table

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    This table was commissioned to be a meeting table for guests and clients at my client’s office. I had previously created other furniture for his office in a style that mixes traditional details and arranged in a modern way – Harmonson Desk & Harmonson Credenza. I wanted to keep those same ideas with this round table, so I worked on blending the traditional elements with modern elements without one being over bearing.

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    The top is a beautiful 1/16″ thick ribbon striped sapele veneered top. The perimeter of the top is made out of solid wood not only for looks, but for protection. I arranged the sapele veneers in quarter section so that each quarter lines up to meet in the center. This pattern creates a V- pattern where each sections meet. Since I was able to get a nice consistent line, I didn’t want to hide it so I decided that instead of doing a single inlayed line, I would do a double line and have the V-pattern become another focal point. Having that double line also meant that the lines need to terminate to the perimeter in a thoughtful and graceful way so I decided on another double line that follows the curve of the top.

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    To keep the modern element, I decided on a tapered square pedestal base. The sapele is used again for the panels, which sticks out 3/16″ to create a three dimensional element. The framework is blackened hard maple. A lot of the design elements of this round table is actually based on a square- the tapered pedestal base and the top being broken into quarters- so I wanted to follow that theme and create a square centerpiece with a decorative wood (pepperwood burl). I think the square ties the top and the base together.

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    The square is oriented so it looks like a diamond with the double maple inlay stringing terminating at each of the corners. I’m very happy with the combination of sapele and pepperwood burl together. The tones compliment each other and the straight lines of sapele counter-act the free form wazy grain of the pepperwood burl.

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  • FWC-18′ conference table

    FWC-18′ conference table

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    The good people of Far West Capital are so awesome that their business and staff just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I had made a 12′ conference table for them a few years ago, and they’ve already outgrown that one, so they commissioned me to make a 18′ conference table this time. They loved the traditional meets modern aesthetic of the last one, so we decided to design something that looks totally different from the last one, yet feels similar.

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    This was by far the biggest project I’ve had the opportunity to work on and logistics became the first and foremost in the design aspect. How can I make these parts in my shop and how can I break the pieces up so I can move it safely and easily? I decided that the top will be made from 3 parts and I wanted to make the top as light as possible since that has the biggest area. To support the top, there are thick and wide aprons that come apart and fit together with notches made in the wood. This gives stability to an otherwise flexible top. The aprons rest on pedestals that are angles and tapered in almost every direction. The taper came from trying to gain as much foot space as possible without sacrificing stability. One side of the pedestal is held in with clips so you can remove it to store and hide conference table equipment. At the feet there is a 1/4″ blackened plate steel that adds weight and distributes the footprint out so the top wont tip over.

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    The whole table is made from peruvian walnut veneered panels with solid wood edging. The removable center piece is made of spalted beech. Spalted is a figure in wood caused by fungal attack. The wood is left for fungus to attack, but then harvested before the wood rots completely and becomes unusable. It’s characteristics are black vein like lines with wood tones around it being different. I think the spalted beech was a nice compliment to the peruvian walnut and adds a little bit of country to the otherwise sophisticated elements.

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    To break up the large dark surface and to give a nod to traditional furniture we chose to inlay cross banding around the border. Cross banding is inlayed wood that is aligned so the grain is oriented side to side across the length. The outer cross banding is made from Bolivian rosewood and the inner cross banding that borders the spalted beech is Macassar Ebony. I feel the different tones in the woods give a nice transition to the different woods.

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    Sixteen people can sit all around the table easily and maybe a few more if people are willing to get close and cozy with each other. I think this design is a success because the real design elements are in the small details.