High Stakes Storage: Bristly Cabinets Covered in Wood Spikes

Artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz is known for his startling, humorous, and sometimes absurd furniture pieces. A new pair of pieces called Magistral suite do not disappoint – they are bizarre in appearance but perfectly logical in function.

The Magistral Chest and Magistral Cabinet are both made of solid wood and covered in tens of thousands of sharpened wooden dowels.

Each piece represents a literal and figurative protection of the owner’s belongings. The sharp dowels protect the objects within, but when the concealed doors are opened the contents become accessible.

The objects both look intimidating at first, and rightly so – they are capable of causing serious injury. But when you get through the scary outer layer it becomes obvious that the tough exterior is simply a protective measure.

As with the entire body of Errazuriz’ work, these furniture pieces play at the boundary between art and design. Form and function mingle in a somewhat unusual way.

The cabinets’ quills were installed by a team of 12 woodworkers over a period of six weeks. They hammered each skewer individually into the already-carved wood. This attention to detail is evident in the sculpturally imposing yet graceful form of each piece.