Farmhouse tables

I must have made hundreds of tables over the years.

The type of tables I always enjoyed designing and making are the so called farmhouse tables.

I lived in France for a year about 15 years ago and I became aware that culinary entertaining with friends and family is regarded as an integral part of life.

The long Farmhouse tables often used for this purpose had so much character they just symbolised

a way of life steeped in tradition.

The New Zealand way of living is not dissimilar in many ways and with fresh food and good wine in abundance kiwis are fortunate to enjoy the finer things in life.

It feels good that these tables are there to give people a sense of togetherness and purpose.

I make these Farmhouse tables in a variety of designs using rusticated oak planks.

A multitude of finishes are on offer to coincide with your decor.

In my studio in Oratia I have examples on display to show you all the options on offer.

My studio is open on Saturdays from 10 till 3 or by appointment.

Time and Effort

Some of my new furniture designs have come in a flash of inspiration.

If one can catch that moment and translate it into a finished product , there can be a sense of accomplishment.

However more often than not it takes time and effort .

I get inspired in a multitude of ways and by a variety of artists and designers.

With all that information that gets soaked up, it is so easy to go in so many directions and basically

get lost.

The challenge is to move forward in a way that is recognisable and authentic.

I often get clues through the work that I do for clients as to pursue a certain direction.

Other times its my desire to challenge myself and raise the bar to such an extend that the finished

product has been worth the effort.

Good design is instantly recognisable and takes a great deal of thought, expertise and craftsmanship.

The devil is in the detail and a subtle difference in a measurement can make a huge difference as to how a

design is perceived.

The same goes for the choice of materials utilised and how they interact with the overall composition.

It is all a balancing act but one that is worth the effort.

The beauty of timber

Combining timber with tubular steel and fabric has been a wonderfull thing.

These different materials lend themselves to create unique adaptations to existing design themes.

Choosing which timbers to use takes careful consideration.

Over the years I have often worked with American oak.

It is a very hard wearing timber that lends itself beautifully for constructing furniture.

Another characteristic is the fact that it can be stained and finished in such a way that the grain

exposes itself in unforseen ways.

Basically the timber comes alive.

We all seem to have certain connotations when we think of different kinds of timbers.

However with an unexpected design interpretation and or colour combination it can be amazing

how our preconceptions can be challenged in a favourable way.

Another timber I enjoy working with is American Maple.

It has a very fine texture, straight grain and cream pinkish overtones.

To me its light colour gives it a youthful exuberance.

When combined with painted tubular steel and colourful fabrics the designs

exude a sense of understated sofistication.

The hundreds of different tree species are all unique and it is all ways a joy after machining

a particular timber, when a new design slowly takes on a new life.

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Creating and collaborating

Working with clients is all about listening and sharing knowledge.

Over the years I have worked with many individuals and companies to create tailor made

solutions to their furniture needs.

I always consider it a privilege when someone gives me the opportunity to create a furniture item.

A prerequisite for a fruitful cooperation is in my opinion a sense of common ground.

This is why it is so important to have designs on offer where the client feels instantly enthusiastic

about the style that is on offer.

It might be that the client wants a variation on an existing item, be it size, colour, timber or something else that can be changed without doing injustice to the overall theme.

Those aspects can be talked about and often after some careful consideration it leads to some

novel solution.

Every residence or office situation is unique and asks for a sharp eye and a certain approach.

As a small manufacturer one has the advantage that these unique pieces can be incorporated in

the overall approach of making and designing furniture.

Personally its all ways incredible satisfying when I deliver a finished piece of furniture and

one has been able to capture what the client has envisaged and a sense of occasion has occurred.

Fast Fashion, Fast Furniture

When I first encountered the term fast Furniture, I realised that it is a term that is very much part of contemporary life, and is perhaps the result of unprecedented global trade with all its ramifications.

I imagine, just like fast food, and fast fashion, one can talk about fast furniture or even fast politics.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times, but when you give it some more thought, one realises that every development when taken too far must inevitably lead to some kind of counter occurrence.

With world resources dwindling, and climate change wreaking havoc, it makes sense to ask valid questions about the supply chain and the human resources involved in the manufacturing process.

Of course, not everyone is in the position to ask these questions, either because of budget restraints, or a lack of concern for these matters.

Often specific information is lacking, about the ethical footprint of a retailer or manufacturer, one just does not know where a piece of furniture is made and under what circumstances.

As more and more people realise that an end product is more than the sum of its parts, hopefully a shift might occur that could have a very positive impact on local manufacturing but also the enjoyment that the consumer gets from knowing that he or she is doing their bit for a sustainable environment.

The other important aspect, is that a small manufacturer has a vested interest in making sure the product that is being made is of substantial quality.

By doing so will create a customer base that has longevity.

Design as a language

Whenever I admire someone’s artistic endeavors I try and look at more than the one work that I have stumbled upon.

I always look for context . Where is the designer from . In what period was it designed .What was the cultural significance. How come the work in question had some kind of following or even the opposite question

why was there a lack of recognition .Was the designer more likely to have his work made under license by a big manufacturer or was he or she more engaged with the actual craftsman ship .

I find it all ways very exciting when I come across someone I admire and I can do a bit of digging to unearth interesting back ground info that gives me a clearer picture.

If one looks at a longer period of the output of a designer or artist one can see a development that gives clues and can be very informative.

Some designers have become household names and there work has been distributed far and wide.

However the number of pieces sold of a particular item is no prerequisite for its uniqueness.

Often I do admire a furniture item that has longevity and is hard to put into a time period .

These days it takes great foresight on the part of the crafts person to forge ones own path and come up with a unique design language that can stand the test of time.

The Bauhaus connection

I have always had a fascination and interest in the bauhaus movement.

It basically revolutionised the art world when it was first established in the nineteen twenties.

With its cooperative approach between numerous creative disciplines and knowledge of technology

and production it was destined to change the way the general public perceived a whole range of goods and products.

Arts and craft lay at the core of the bauhaus movement and was used in a way to promote equitable acces

to well made goods for every day living regardless of social status.

Students were encouraged to have a rigorous understanding of a multitude of disciplines while working

together to foster cooperation.

Knowledge of materials and fabrication were regarded equally important to aesthetics of the finished

product.

In terms of my approach to designing furniture I can relate to the bauhaus movement with admiration

for its dedication to a variety of crafts and making it more accessible to the general public.

These days its hard to find small manufacturing businesses that have an interest in combining a variety

of disciplines into one finished product. Personally I love utilising timber, metal and fabric into a piece

of furniture that is comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and can relate to the New Zealand way of life.

In the above table, the so called Aero table I have combined polished alluminium, oak timber and granite.

I love the challenge of creating a piece of furniture that has its own language but still has a reference to other time periods and ways of doing things.

A Passion for designing tubular furniture

I have always had a fascination for furniture that combines a variety of materials like for instance timber and tubular metal. So after many years of designing and manufacturing solid timber furniture I decided to acquire a device for bending metal tube.

The style of furniture that attracted me enormously was by the French designer Jean Prouve who in the fifties came up with a range of lounge chairs that had a unique industrial aesthetic. There seemed to be a unpretentious approach to designing functional furniture that could stand the test of time and had a classic feel to it. For this reason I decided to replicate one of Prouve’s most iconic chairs the so called Visiteur Chair. I was keen to get my head around some of the technical details as how to manufacture a lounge chair that was full of curves and bends and which was for that very reason enormously comfortable.

The short story is that I managed to finish this project and subsequently I designed and made a whole range of furniture in a related style. I would say that most of the design clues can be traced back to mid century furniture aesthetics.

The many interpretations of this style can be found everywhere in New Zealand and have generated a steady following as it often compliments the interiors and architecture that can be found in this part of the world.