The Weekend Notebook: Wonderful Wood
Posted: November 19th, 2011Written by Mikaela
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Since time immemorial, humans have been building, constructing and crafting using wood. Some of the earliest buildings humans constructed were of wood; tools were of wood, or of stone with a wooden handle. In modern times we all have objects made of wood surrounding us – furniture, children’s toys, kitchen utensils, picture frames. It’s easy to take this ubiquitous substance for granted.
The wonderful thing about wood, as so beautifully put by German artist Georg Baselitz in the quote below, is that everything made of wood is unique. Each timber has its own properties, each cut of wood its own distinct grain, colour and texture. Wood is also warm and pleasant to touch.
Nowadays we’re all aware that certain woods are a rapidly diminishing source, and great care has to be taken to ensure that the timber we use is sourced in an environmentally sustainable manner. Timbers such as bamboo, pine and types of eucalyptus can be farmed sustainably, and recycled timbers are rapidly becoming more sought after for their provenance and patina.
Bride & Wolfe Circle Shelf
Australian native Blackwood, steamed and shaped using Scandinavian wood-bending machinery dating back to the 1850s. Somehow this shelf manages to look both traditional and modern-minimalist, proving that great design is truly timeless.
Cedar Magic Deck Chair
This ingenious design folds flat, weighs only 6kgs and never needs oiling or varnishing. Cedar – even tougher than the Australian climate.
Adam Cantwell Starlight Light
A light fitting of extraordinary beauty, this Adam Cantwell piece (in collaboration with The Jam Factory) is equally at home suspended from the ceiling or sitting on a table.
Deep Turned Redgum Wooden Burl Bowl
The intricacies of the wood burl, the ‘Australian-ness’ of the piece, the craftsmanship to bring out the natural beauty of the piece of redgum: all of these factors combine to make this bowl the next item on my wish list.
Antique Georgian Bedside Table
The Georgian era producing pieces that were beautiful in their simplicity. This antique bedside table in mahogany is a lovely example.
Brewster Butler’s Tray
A piece that would just as well in a traditional setting as in a modern home environment. Rattan and whitewashed timber is a great combination.
Life Interiors Lace End Table
Made from sustainable bamboo, this end table features an intricate laser cut lace pattern. I can picture this being equally at home in a house or a retail/professional setting.
Dandi Mini Kitchen Tools
Humans have been making tools from wood for millennia, and these kitchen implements prove that it’s just as relevant to use wooden tools today as it was 3,000 years ago.
Wooden Bulb by Barend Hemmes
Another example of laser cutting, this wooden lightbulb holds a real lightbulb and can be suspended, stood upright or laid on its side as pictured.
Marquetry Panel – Gannets
Wood as art – and something as painstakingly handcrafted as this marquetry panel cannot be described as anything but fine art. Made from a variety of timbers, this panel has been made by French-born, Australian-based artist Max Clerteau.
Sculpture by furniture artist Bae Se-Hwa
The fluid, organic form of this piece by Korean furniture artist Bae Se-Hwa is from his ‘Steam’ collection.
‘House on Bowen Island’ designed by Sturgess Architecture
Some of the first houses humans built were constructed of wood, and it’s still a popular and beautiful building material today, as this Canadian beauty attests. Timber houses blend into their natural surroundings and really help to make the inhabitants feel at home within the environment. Overlooking the water, this house is constructed mainly of cedar shingles, naturally finished slate and a copper coloured roof.
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