For novices, however, crafting this kind of joinery can be hard to pull off, whether you’re putting together a table or a much, much larger structure. So when companies produce kits that make assembly with wedge joints a snap, it’s always notable — especially when the resulting structures look this cool.

The HexBox Canopy is a modular system of prefabricated hexagon-shaped boxes made of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) plates that join together into beautiful undulating pavilions. The components all have slightly different shapes and sizes, coming together sort of like a puzzle to form rounded shapes. That makes it possible to build arched spatial structures like vaults and domes without the use of concrete or vertical supports. Plus, it eliminates some of the trickier parts of building vaults and domes the conventional way, like the use of formwork.

HexBox aims to rethink that building process altogether, taking advantage of the innate strength of newer forms of engineered timber. Since drawing, calculating, and cutting the components by hand would be far too complicated, each structure starts with computational design and digital fabrication techniques, both of which serve to automatically plot out the shapes and sizes of the elements, which are in turn robotically cut in a workshop.

The thin plates of the plywood boxes themselves are still glued together, but to connect each modular element to the next, the wedge joints come into play.

The designers explain that “due to their angular wedges, such joints allow you to compensate for certain tolerances that are intrinsic to the naturally grown material wood. These novel joints can be produced from waste material such as the smaller offcuts from the box component fabrication. Rather than attempting ultra-precisely fabricated elements, the wedges allow you to assemble boxes even when there are small imprecisions. Additionally, these joints allow for pulling and forcing the boxes together [and] closing gaps between the elements which may occur during assembly, similar to metal screw connectors. The closing of such gaps is critical for the overall precision and performance of the structure.”

A prototype called the HexBox Pavilion DTC was created in Darlington, Australia as a collaboration between researchers and students from the University of Kaiserslautern and the University of Sydney to show what this modular system can do. As you can see in close-ups of the individual modules, the wedge joints result in a beautifully clean and simple appearance, with the overall structure resembling honeycomb. Featuring 1531 timber segments making up 201 boxes, the all-plywood pavilion is used to shelter students from the sun and rain.

The success of this HexBox Canopy could pave the way for more architecture to be designed and built in a similar way. And it’s definitely cool to imagine it becoming more accessible to the average consumer: let’s say you could go to a website, design your structure with a digital tool, and have your custom prefabricated modules delivered straight to your door for assembly. Then, we could see a lot more organically shaped architecture popping up in unexpected places.

The post Modular HexBox Canopy Comes Together With Traditional Wooden Joints first appeared on Dornob.

Henk Verhoeff has taken the idea of furniture in motion a lot further with his line of dressers and cabinets that appear to have been broken by animation, pieces that make you think you’re seeing things that couldn’t possibly be real. The icing on this crazy collection is all the pieces are fully functional.

Standard Beginnings

Verhoeff spent 53 years as a joiner/cabinet maker in Auckland, New Zealand. He started crafting what he proudly calls “weird furniture” after he retired. But it isn’t animated movies that spur his creations. When asked about his style, Henk said in an interview with Bored Panda that he “[describes his] style of furniture as broken and weird,” adding: “I like making weird furniture, something that you don’t see in a shop.”

The Creative Process

The woodworker’s unique style is considered avant-garde by some, leaving many others to speculate just where his inspiration comes from. Verhoeff insists that fairy tales had nothing to do with sparking his unique line, instead maintaining that all of his designs are exclusively inspired by his “twisted brain.”

It all starts with the choice of wood. Verhoeff uses “recycled New Zealand pine, mostly, but if [he] can get my hands on some Rimu, [he] will also use that.” Of course, this apparently twisted and damaged furniture is much more difficult to build than standard fare. Verhoeff admits that “sometimes details or angles don’t work and I have to start again.” He adds that he creates the furniture at his own pace, a fascinating pastime he cherishes very dearly. “It’s hard to say how long each piece takes me. It’s unset times during the week and it could easily be 80 to 100 hours,” he claims.

How His Work was “Discovered”

Verhoeff’s daughter Linda was understandably amazed and proud of her father’s remarkable woodworking. On a lark, she posted photos of his unique work on Facebook. Fellow woodworkers went crazy, and the photo collection quickly went viral. “I was absolutely blown away at how this has gone viral, just a post my daughter put up on a page to share. I never expected ANYTHING like this,” Verhoeff admits.

Not for Sale – Yet

It’s not surprising that many people aren’t satisfied with merely seeing pictures of Verhoeff’s inimitable furniture — lots wanted to immediately order the pieces to be delivered to their homes. After all, any of his pieces would add a touch of whimsy to any room or decor scheme.

Although his fan base is teeming with potential customers, Verhoeff said none of it is for sale. “I started creating them for the pure love of it without the intention of selling them. But when I run out of space, there will be an eBay auction or two. Everything is for sale… except for my wife,” he says teasingly.

The post Henk Verhoeff Makes Wonderfully Weird Broken Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

These carpenters are said to be descended from Maya, son of the “divine engineer” deity Vishwakarma. For millennia, they’ve handcrafted everything from utensils to chariots to ships, organizing into guilds where fathers passed on their techniques as master craftsmen to their children. More impressive still, every family, religion, and region has its own style.

But, as the designers note, “traditions cannot outlive time,” and there are concerns that the Sutradhar art may not survive things like mass deforestation, the increasing cost of wood, and the amount of labor required to complete each piece. The government has even suggested that the craftspeople start using plywood in place of timber.

Occupying the first floor of a retail shop in a market complex, “Timber Rhyme” invites visitors to walk through and experience the piece in full and contemplate how the artform must evolve to remain relevant and accessible in the modern world. It’s made of digitally fabricated plywood ribs that are connected in a waffle-like pattern to achieve unique curvatures.

Once assembled, they’re almost self-supporting, with black metal bars connecting them to the ceiling in some areas and transparent acrylic supports holding them aloft in others. The design is reminiscent of the “Superdesk” created for an office by Clive Wilkinson Architects, but the possibility of functional use is far less important here — almost an afterthought.

The architects explain: “Represented through the ribbon that pours itself into space, ‘variety in a unified continuum’ nourishes our concepts. The ribbon is envisioned to blur the boundaries between the static, the movable, and the art both in and on these components of the built space. [The] role of static elements like partition screens is obfuscated with that of movable furniture. Propounding as a functional art space, a series of ‘wooden ribbons’ twist and turn to form the display shelves, sitting spaces, meeting tables, and other design elements each flowing into the other. This transcends the interior into an art-landscape.”

“This amalgamation of technology for cost, time, and ease of making with an advantage of old craft is a win-win situation for all stakeholders of the project. The retail shop becomes a setting befitting for a dialogue between the carpenter, the end-user, and the retailer, [thereby] deepening social engagement. As plywood-carpentry meets its entropic spiral, ‘Timber Rhyme’ hopes to create an opportunity to re-imagine [the] craft of the traditional curves as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the next generation of torchbearers of intricate carvings.”

Photos show the piece before it was put into use in its retail context, but it would be nice to see it in use, too. In any case, it’s a thought-provoking meditation on the resiliency of craft and tradition in a rapidly changing world.

The post Timber Rhyme: A Flowing Wooden Desk Inspired by Ribbons first appeared on Dornob.

Why Minimalism?

Most people who describe themselves as minimalists live with only the basic essentials; however, you don’t have to chuck out your futons and footstools in order to feel like you are living in a space of reasonable justification. It’s more about ensuring that whatever you place in your home has a significant meaning and role to play, thus avoiding clutter. Sure, we’re all fully aware that your fridge is quite an important appliance, and you definitely need that sink with all it’s taps and trimmings. But the point to focus on here is the idea that if an inanimate object brings you pleasure or happiness (such as a photograph or an ornament) then they serve just as much purpose as the hob you’re cooking your meals on.
Minimalism is about happiness. It is about de-stressing your home by only having objects that serve functionally or appeal emotionally to you. It’s the notion that every thing you use should have a personal meaning, or story, to create atonement in your humble abode. It may sound far fetched, but this movement is sweeping the world and has helped to motivate hoarders to cast their collections aside and begin again with a healthy, blank canvas.

FUGA

In an era where sustainable living and edgy aesthetics are over taking the need to showcase wealth, brands like FUGA are providing those with a conscience for the environment as well as style with products that are made raw and uniquely beautiful. Founded in 2015 by designer Yana Osmanova, FUGA’s objective is to allow you the freedom of filling your living space with household items that represent not only your morals, but the rich Russian culture that is so very often disregarded in the media.

The Products

Producing custom projects, FUGA design and create home decor and tableware from oak wood. Carved bowls, place mats, chopping boards, serving plateaus, and plates adorn their website and boast an array of shades available for each design. Every individual piece from their collections has its own distinctive features due to wood’s natural forms, cracks, textures, and tones, which are carefully left intact by using traditional technology during the manufacturing.

FUGA’s stunning handcrafted wooden tableware can only be handwashed, however, but the inconvenience is only minor. After washing it is recommended that you wipe it down using a non-abrasive towel in order to reduce prolong exposure to liquids which could eventually damage the pieces. You can also refresh the surface by rubbing over it with a cloth dampened in linseed oil. This also protects it against mold and makes it water-repellent.

Collaborations

FUGA have successfully collaborated with big name hotels and restaurants all across Russia, including Beer & Brut, the Moscow Four Seasons Hotel, NB Studio and restaurant, LavkaLavka, Dreamers, and more. Notably, FUGA created a series of dishes for each of Vladimir Perelman’s restaurants, which included a specifically designed two-sided square serving board and round boards for serving pizza, all emblazoned with the customer logo.

If you’re on the hunt for household objects that encompass naturalism, beauty, AND function—especially for your minimalist living space—then look no further than FUGA, inspired by the history of Russia and with the passionate intent to bring art into our every day lives. Their products bring elements of nature into your home whilst providing necessary hygiene and function for one of the most important parts of your day—your meal time!

The post Handcrafted Wooden Tableware from FUGA first appeared on Dornob.

Steam bending is an ancient woodworking technique that uses heat and moisture from steam to change the cellular structure of wood and make it more pliable, enabling beautiful curves that add visual interest to all sorts of projects. The process involves soaking, steaming, bending, and clamping pieces of wood so that its lignin hardens into a new shape when cooled. The results are striking, sometimes looking so natural that you imagine the wood must have come from an unusually curly tree.

While steam bending is most commonly used for decorative effect in handcrafted homes and sculptural pavilions, artist Bae Se Hwa takes advantage of its malleability for comfort, too. In his newest “Steam Bent” series of furniture, the Seoul, South Korea-born artist demonstrates how this way of achieving curvature can transform even hard, solid walnut into invitingly ergonomic objects with unexpected silhouettes.

Elegant and streamlined, the Steam Bent Series features benches, lounges, tables, chairs, and desks that almost seem like they’ve warped in response to human touch. The pieces transition seamlessly from conventional angularity to body-hugging curvature, making what might have been uncomfortable surfaces into ones that are decidedly more supportive.

Se Hwa starts with a geometric diagram, warming slices of walnut in a steam box before bending them over a structured frame to produce the final shape. In the behind-the-scenes video above, we get to see just what this painstaking, time-consuming process looks like, giving us a hint at why the artist only produces three to five pieces each year.

Seven of Se Hwa’s most “iconic” designs from this collection were chosen by R & Company for a solo exhibit this year, a first for the artist. Many of the works included in the exhibition had never before been shown publicly, despite being sold out in all editions. The New York gallery says Se Hwa’s disciplined approach and continual exploration of wood allows him to “push the limits of this material forward.”

Contemporary art and design gallery Seomi International’s artist statement for Se Hwa reads: “Bae Se Hwa made his international debut in 2010 at the Design Miami Fair in Basel. Since then, he has become a fresh sensation as a young Korean designer. Bae is best known for his dynamic collection of works called the ‘Steam Series.’ This collection embodies emotional function [and displays] a sense of calmness and serenity. In Bae’s ‘Steam Series,’ he utilizes a steam-bending technique in which he distorts and deconstructs very linear wood elements and then recombines them into new pieces that are bent and curvilinear in form. This process has allowed Bae to create beautifully organic flowing pieces that are very much alive with rhythm and demonstrate the flexibility of wood despite its solidity.”

“Bae’s philosophy is to reach balance and harmony through the use of form and function. His pieces follow this philosophy, each of them depicting curvaceous yet minimalistic designs: a perfect balance of natural elements and geometric construction that captivates and entrances the senses.”

The post Get Wrapped Up in Bae Se Hwa’s Steam-Bent Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

No single designer is more renowned for steam-bent wood creations than Tom Raffield, who has spent his career hand making sustainably crafted lighting and furniture in his Cornwall, England studio. With lots of practice, Raffield developed his own way of using steam to twist and bend wood into all sorts of surprising shapes, a process that requires no toxic glues and produces very little waste.

With a resume like that, it’s no surprise that Raffield’s own home is a showcase of his techniques and skills. Set on six acres of ancient woodland in rural England, the two-story dwelling is an architectural take on his steam-bent furniture and lighting designs, made almost entirely from sustainably sourced wood harvested from the property.

Raffield stretched narrow strips of timber across the facade of his home and bent it around every corner, with curves taking the place of sharp angles. The bent wood acts as exterior cladding and railing for a second-floor terrace, and also functions as decorative trim on an adjacent structure that once served as a gamekeeper’s lodge. Along one rock wall of the lodge, the curving timber jumps off the surface, swoops down to form a bench, and then rises again into a curlicue.

The theme continues indoors, where Raffield’s latest collection comes together into a cohesive design statement. The natural tones of the wood and stone are emphasized through a subtle, neutral color palette offset with black and white. The home was featured on an English show called Grand Designs in October 2016, and though that video is no longer available, you can check out a preview of a similar home he built here:

The brand takes a lot of pride in high-quality workmanship paired with timeless designs that will last a lifetime, continuing the tradition of heirloom pieces that stay in families for centuries. This philosophy is a direct response to modern-day “throwaway culture,” which encourages purchasing low-quality, limited-lifespan products over and over again, ultimately costing more money over time.

“We wanted to build a house with the same consideration and attention to detail we put into our furniture and lighting,” says Raffield. “Designing objects for other people to put in their home is an incredible privilege, we’d never design anything that we wouldn’t have in our own home, but we’d never had the chance to design for our own space before.”

The project is actually a collaboration between Raffield and his wife, Danielle, who’s also a designer on his team. “The experience of building your own space and creating pieces to put inside has been incredibly liberating,” says Danielle. “Then being able to share that experience is both nerve wrecking and incredibly exciting. I hope the program is a little window into the place where we live and work, and also the way all of our products are made.”

The post Steam-Bent Wooden Home Adapts Furniture-Making Techniques first appeared on Dornob.

The ears and generously proportioned rump of a hippopotamus are all that emerge from beneath a sheet of glass in an illusion so perfect that it is almost surprising to see the rest of its bulbous body in full view on the floor. While this concept has been around the block a few times with dolphins in particular, their heads or tails poking up beyond the glass, using the less graceful, but endearingly cute, shape of a hippo or the playful bodies of frolicking otters does take it to another level. Sculptor Derek Pearce has been producing these functional art pieces called ‘water tables’ since 1997, handcrafting them to order from wood, resin or bronze.

Each table is one-of-a-kind, consisting of a sheet of tempered glass and a sculpted animal in the shape of a hippo, dolphin, otter, seal or a frog perched on rocks. The resin bases are the most affordable, since they are cast rather than hand-sculpted, while the wood versions have all the texture and character you would expect from a natural material.

To make the originals, Pearce carves a piece of wood into the desired animal shape and then apparently slices a slight channel at the desired elevation for the table surface so that it fits snugly into place, creating a double-take-inducing illusion that is particularly effective when viewing the tables from above.

You can purchase a resin version directly at Pearce’s website or commission your own custom design. But Pearce says he understands that buying one of his pieces—which start at nearly $5,000 and go up to $6,500—is not an impulse decision, and he recommends contacting him to discuss the choice, saying “the piece selected needs to sit harmoniously within its setting.”

There’s no doubt that these are conversation pieces. On his sculpture portfolio website, you will find many more wood-and-glass creations depicting camels, a rhododendron bush, rocks, monkeys and even a woman in a bath. It’s a cool way to bring sculptural objects into the home with some added functionality, making them the center of attention in a frequently-used room.

The hippos and ducks have a tranquility to them, while the frolicking otters and dolphins are more playful, and some designs incorporate faux resin rocks. The tempered glass surface plays an important role in the visual effect while providing a place for your books and drinks.

Pearce brings his background as a stage carpenter, musical director, performer, lecturer and woodworking teacher to the table —literally—for this project. His work has traveled the world, with displays in Europe, America and Japan. His work has always been about flow and form, he explains, blending together different techniques and materials. The hippo table is his personal favorite.

“In a world of anonymous, mass-produced commodities, the vision, wit and craftsmanship of Derek Pearce’s singular works provides welcome relief,” says the artist’s website. “Investments they undoubtedly are, reflecting the skill and labour behind their creation, but irresistible to anyone seeking a modern heirloom that will provoke pleasure, amusement and comment for years to come.”

The post Sculpted Animals Emerge from Glass in These Creative ‘Water Tables’ first appeared on Dornob.

Love puzzles? Interested in art? Enjoy a good story? Well, the Codex Silenda is the trifecta.

Designer Brady Whitney has the imagination of a teller of tall tales and the soul of a traditional artisan, and his latest project is a gorgeous blend of both of these gifts.

The Codex Silenda is a five-page book that features five intricate puzzles. Want to move to the next page? Well, you have to solve the unique puzzle before you can unlock the bolts and proceed. (Hey, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.)

“As the puzzler moves through the book, a story begins to unfold, depicting the story of an apprentice in Da Vinci’s Workshop who encounters the same Codex,” Whitney explains. “However, in the story the Codex acts as a trap set by Da Vinci to capture any would be spies/snoopy apprentices in order to protect his work. The only way to escape is to solve each of the puzzles before the master returns from his trip.”

Of course, while you’re scratching your head and trying to figure out what’s stopping the Mechanical Iris from opening in the first puzzle (pictured above), you’ll be marveling at the laser-cut-wood construction and sturdy book.

No mass-produced shortcuts here either. Although the precision-cut laser process speeds up production, all the puzzle books will be assembled by hand in the U.S. Initially only 500 Codices will be made, but Whitney’s hoping to take more orders after the initial commitment has been fulfilled.

Whitney credits his boyhood adventures and his mom sending him outside to play with launching his creative spirit.

“Those years of childhood instilled a sense of imagination and wonder that still drives my designs today,” he says. “Taking in everything and being able to create and design things that no one else has imagined or thought up yet is the very thing that fuels my passion.”

(Check out his other work here.)

Whitney wants the person who picks up his puzzle book to be part of the creative team, not merely a customer making a purchase.

“The interaction between the user and the product should be both visually pleasing and physically engaging for all involved,” he explains. “I simply want to challenge the user, improve my abilities, and continue to discover new and exciting designs to benefit all.”

We’re intrigued by the whole book and suspect it may well drive us crazy. For example, one page is called “Geneva Gears” and features a “Geneva Wheel Mechanism” and a series of gears and wheels. You have to put the gears in the correct places to unlock the page, but since there are more slots than gears, how do you figure out what fits where? And there’s a page that’s locked by a four-rune code in a language you’ll not understand. Hmmm…

The Codex Silenda looks impressive, so at least you can show it off as a work of art even if you can’t solve its mysteries. But, you’ll probably keep picking it up, determined to get to the heart of the puzzle.

The post The Codex Silenda: A Gorgeous Blend of Story and Puzzles first appeared on Dornob.

We might carry briefcases and dabble in the stock market, but no matter how many adult responsibilities we take on, most of us are still kids at heart, with a fondness for things that bring back that carefree, innocent feeling. Some adults get to revisit their childhoods by sharing their favorite toys and television shows with their own children, but for the rest of us, nostalgia may come into our lives in a subtler and more abstracted form. For Cyprus-based designer Stelios Mousarris, that means infusing his creations with a sense of fun, combining functional objects with sculptural elements.

His ‘Rocket Coffee Table’ is a prime example, supporting an ordinary glass table top with the most unexpected shapes: five wooden rockets shooting up toward the ceiling, resting on resin supports in the shape of smoke plumes. Mousers combined various techniques from lathe to 3D printing, resin casting and traditional hand-curved pieces to create the creative table. One rocket pokes up higher than the rest to emerge from the glass, as if piercing the sound barrier, while the others aren’t attached so you can move them around however you like. Hoping to draw a smile from anyone who looks at it, the designer says he created the piece for “nostalgic adults, children, and children trapped in adult bodies.”

“Ever since I was a little boy, I loved playing with action figures and spent my weekend mornings watching cartoons on the TV,” says Mousarris. “I have been collecting toys and action figures and anything nostalgic from my childhood until this day. Every time I take a look at my collectibles I remember my childhood, when I used to play for hours on end without a care in the world. I wanted to recreate that feeling of carefreeness and nostalgia with the Rocket Coffee Table. The design is visually playful bringing cartoon-like clouds and aerial rockets from a personal toy collection to life, in the form of a table.”

The result is a piece of furniture that somehow manages to combine cartoonish qualities with a sense of sophistication, with the help of a subtle color scheme and simplified shapes. It’s a cool way to indulge in a trip down memory lane for those who are somewhere in between playing with their kids’ stuff and being a childless owner of a full-on adult toy collection.

Mousarris previously captured our imaginations with his incredible ‘Wave City Coffee Table,’ a design that flips an intricately carved cityscape onto itself, Inception-style. Streets, sidewalks and skyscrapers are arranged on a street grid like they would be in a real city, the plane they’re built upon curving upward so part of it hangs upside-down. One version is made primarily of wood in a simpler shape, while the second employs a bit more curvature and complexity, balancing a sheet of glass on top of the flipped wooden city. “I wanted to merge two completely different things together: the ocean, something very organic and beautiful, with buildings, something very manmade.”

The post Blast Off! Sculptural Rocket Table Rests on Plumes of Smoke first appeared on Dornob.

Woodworkers often throw out wood with pits, holes, or other imperfections because those imperfections make the material difficult to work with. Pecky cypress is an exception, and DIYer Mike Warren used the lovely pits in the unusual wood to make a table that literally glows.

Pecky cypress comes from cypress trees that have been naturally damaged by a fungal infection. The infection results in uniquely-shaped voids in the wood, making pecky cypress a sought-after material for unusual projects.

Mike Warren cleaned the rotten wood out of the voids in his pecky cypress wood and filled them with a mixture of clear resin and photoluminescent powder. The glow powder soaks up sunlight during the day, and in darkness or low light it glimmers a soft, cool blue.

The finished product is truly stunning and could be made in different sizes to suit different spaces. If you’re motivated enough to make a glowing table of your own, Warren posted very informative step-by-step instructions on Instructables.

“Photoluminescent (glow) powder mixed with clear casting resin fills the naturally formed voids in Pecky Cypress hardwood, creating a unique and stunning table. The glow powder charges up in sunlight and emits a cool blue glow when in partial or complete darkness.”

“Placing this table near a window will allow it to collect rays from the setting sun and then set off a pleasant glow from the transition from twilight to evening. Making your own is fun as you can customize it in any way you want. Instead of using hardwood you can use the technique of adding glow powder to resin to cast in all kinds of fun ways.”

About the designer:

“Hello! I’m Mike Warren, experimental fabricator and best-selling author based in San Francisco. Fluent in sawdust and CNC, I’m equally comfortable designing on the computer as I am fabricating with my hands. Since 2005 I’ve been producing digital and physical prototypes out of whatever I can get my hands on, turning crazy ideas into a tangible reality. My aim is to inspire, educate, and entertain. The results can be messy, but are always fun! Outside of building functional prototypes I produce my own show on YouTube about things Cut In Half.“

The post DIY Wood Table Collects Sunlight and Glows at Night first appeared on Dornob.

A white resin ribbon cuts a curving path through an office for a digital creative agency, seating all 125 employees and rising into occasional arches filled with storage niches. Finished in a gleaming gloss like a surfboard, the ‘Superdesk‘ eliminates the need for cubicles and creates semi-private spaces for meetings.

Designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects for New York City-based The Barbarian Group, the structure turns furniture into architecture, complete with roofs, dividing up a large warehouse-like space into smaller and more intimate sections.

The arches direct foot traffic through the space, while the continuous design creates a dialogue between different divisions of the company, an effect that architect Wilkinson describes as “making a village within a building.”  Benches and additional tables are built into the rooms-within-rooms created in the areas where the white desk surface is raised.

“The Barbarian Group, a new generation internet advertising agency, required a workspace design that would foster collaboration and transparency in their growing company, and challenge their creativity. They leased a 23,000 SF loft in the New York garment district to house 125-175 Barbarians, which we surgically gutted to create a large open space.”

“Since conventional office tools are now largely redundant, people simply need flat surfaces to work on and easily accessible places to meet and collaborate. We got excited about the idea of massively simplifying this concept by uniting all employees at a kind of ‘endless table.’ Like an electrical wire, the table surface itself becomes a medium for connecting and centering a community.”

“They plywood structure rises from the existing oak floor as pony walls supporting the table. Because the movement routes bisect the space, we lifted the table to fly over pathways and maintain surface continuity. The resulting grotto-like spaces underneath the ‘arches’ can accommodate meetings, provide private focused workspace or high counter workspace, and house bookshelves and other storage.”

The post Undulating Desk Weaves Through Modern Office first appeared on Dornob.

These whimsical little wooden rings, designed by Clive Roddy, are the cutest way to carry the world in (or, rather, on) your hand. The laser-cut birch rings are lovingly hand-painted to look like tiny landscapes on your fingers.

Each type of ring – house, tree, and mountain – come in sets of three. Wearing them all at once creates a sense of depth, as if you’re looking at a village or a nature scene from far away.

“Adorn your knuckles with a thoughtfully designed miniature wooden landscape. Each tiny landscape set is comprised of 3x laser-cut high quality birch plywood rings. Each ring is a slightly different size and position giving an illusion of depth. The rings are available in 3 styles, Houses, Trees and Mountains. Each one is carefully hand painted with a durable enamel finish before being wrapped in its own uniquely designed protective packaging.  The ring sets are designed to be fully interchangeable with each other. Combine the different sets for almost endless combinations.”

Wearing one of each creates a quirky little pastoral scene on your finger: mountains in the background, trees in the middle ground, and a house in the foreground. It looks just like the kind of place we’d love to escape to one day. You can find them on Etsy for $24 a set.

“Clive Roddy is a designer and maker based in a small rural town near Bath, UK. He has a genuine love for products and has been relentlessly designing and making things for over a decade. Clive’s overwhelming compulsion to create new products has led him to focus the majority of his spare time on design projects. He is most likely to be found tinkering away in his studio or workshop, where he is happiest!”

“He believes in developing simple ideas into remarkable designs that capture a sense of fun and originality. He prides himself on attention to detail and outstanding customer service, whilst aspiring to produce the perfect balance of unique yet desirable products, exquisitely made from the highest quality materials. Clive joined Etsy in 2012 and has now sold his products all over the world (he is still flabbergasted by this!)”

The post Tiny Wooden Landscapes to Wear On Your Finger first appeared on Dornob.

Strangely enough, the creative duo behind these hybrid synthetic/organic designs will be the first to tell you: they have no idea what each piece will ultimately look like. The unusual modern log furniture comes into its full form only after the resin solidifies and the finished object is revealed. Everything depends on a unique fusion between the highly variable wood and the resin as it seeks out each crack and wrinkle.

Michael Thomas Host and Tanja Hinder of mth woodworking in Vancouver, BC, use sections of trees ranging from 60 to 600 years old to craft new works. The older the wood, the more rings it has to reveal as the logs are sliced open.

The idea? Chaotic nature moves into contemporary contexts (and can be easily cleaned and eaten off of) but still use 100% all-natural materials.

Usually using the base of trees essentially as is, they decide how best to feature its inherent shape with a minimalist resin addition – rather than first imagining the result, then working to produce it.

The pair also prefers action to talk. And in that spirit, well, the beautiful items above can largely speak for themselves.

About mth woodworks

“Each piece from the bloom collection is designed and handcrafted locally in Vancouver British Columbia. Created from 100% locally salvaged cedar, this collection focuses its attention on showcasing the beautiful natural shapes and forms of our lush BC rain forests. Taken from the ground after an area has been logged, each bloom table/panel is a byproduct of industry and aims to fuse these natural elements with our award winning designs.”

“Our eco-friendly, non toxic resin is derived from peanuts and soy, offering extreme durability and tactile qualities. The cedars unique flare and growth rings help guide each design. Every piece is an original, numbered one of a kind. “

The post The Design of This Modern Log Furniture is a Surprise Until it’s Finished first appeared on Dornob.

Somewhere between a concept design and practical proposal sits this stool by designer Martin Vallin, perched perpetually (yet variably) on just three of five possible points of contact.

It is in some sense a play on the principle that a three-legged stool is balanced by default, but it has pragmatic potential as well. With an actual seat on top, you could, for instance, rock it around and lean in different directions as desired.

And yet, while potentially always more stable than a four-legged chair, there is a visual imbalance that keeps the user on edge, because some portion of the piece is always off the ground, appearing precarious. Is it a bit impractical? Depends on your perspective. Some people might like it just for its “active sitting” properties, which require you to use various muscle groups to remain steady.

“Landet exhibit in the Green House, the area for up and coming designers. As part of Landets exibition I made a stool. Ideas came from the rocking chair and the milk stool. It is really nice to turn around and lean in any way just like a pilates ball! A fun stool for fun times. It stacks and looks great in clusters.”

Another fun piece is the Capellini Chair, which looks a bit like a nest that’s big enough for a human to sit within.

“2010 in Milan it was a prototype, from early 2011 the Secret Clubhouse is part of the collezione!” says Vallin. “It is so nice, it is really comfy and the touch and fragrant of the pine wood is wonderful!”

Martin Vallin is a Danish furniture and architectural designer who enjoys these kinds of experiments and often hides complex ideas in simple wood forms. He has exhibited this and other pieces in Stockholm and Milan.

“Master in furniture and spacial design from Denmark Design School. I like to make furniture, products, indoor and outdoor spaces and micro architecture and planing.”

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When is a chair not a chair? When it forms the foundation for a wood-frame house constructed by artist/woodworker Ted Lott. Lott’s explorations of furniture and architecture highlight the inextricable connections between the two while crafting a carefree discussion on the relationship between design and its context.

This piece, entitled Sit/Stay, was constructed on top of an old chair frame. The front of the house – which is oriented at the back of the chair – looks just as you might expect a traditional wood-frame house to look, complete with ground-level entrance.

The back of the house dips into more playful territory, displaying a series of curves and slants that perfectly echo the curves and shapes of the chair foundation.

While the chair adds a certain set of limitations to the sculpture it supports, it also provides a stable sensibility and contextual inspiration for the house. In a very real sense, the house could not exist without the chair – and the aged, torn-down chair would be useless without the house.

Other designs in the same series created by Lott, like “Habitation #6,” above, still technically function as seating, with the sculptural elements set underneath, doubling as a lamp.

“Ted Lott is a Craftsperson, Designer and Artist whose work revolves around the history of wood in Material Culture and Architecture. Lott received his BFA in Woodworking & Furniture Design from the Maine College of Art, and his MFA from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Lott has exhibited work in numerous solo exhibitions, including at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Swarthmore College, and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte College of Art & Architecture.”

“He has taught Woodworking & Furniture Design at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Murray State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and teaches workshops throughout the United States. Lott lives with his family in Grand Rapids Michigan.”

The post Whimsical Wooden Buildings Supported by Chairs first appeared on Dornob.

Think you don’t have the skills to build furniture? Don’t sell yourself short. Sometimes all it takes is a little thinking outside the box to produce designs that are surprisingly sturdy and cool looking to boot. Take these DIY plywood chairs, for instance. The key here isn’t to hand craft heirloom pieces of wooden furniture. It’s in finding the balance that will allow the simple elements to fit together just right so they can hold weight.

Sometimes design errs on the side of art, and sometimes it trends toward engineering – this is definitely in the latter category. Designed by the Turner Collective, the Series 1A plywood furniture collection shows that sometimes the most basic and inexpensive materials can produce sculptural and highly functional results.

Here’s what The Turner Collective has to say about the series:

“Series 1A is a collection of minimalist objects, balancing objectivity, schematic clarity and inner logic, leading to a natural functionalism and geometric simplicity. Removing all representational imagery or similarity of subject, the objects are reduced to mathematics; rational, simple and clear, uncomplicated by personal, moral or philosophical boundaries.”

Reduced to their mathematics, indeed – but still, they are not without their humanity. The proportions of the people who will use them are critical, and upon the base designs could easily be built a series of more comfortable additions for further softening them.

Obviously, bare plywood furniture of this sort is not for everyone, nor are such stark, hard surfaces. But designs like these are a testament to how different people with different skills and ideas can take the very same material and come up with vastly different results. What do you think you would make if someone handed you nothing more than some plywood, a ruler and a saw, and asked you to produce your own line of furniture?

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