Making is such a luxury. Nothing teaches you about the accuracy and legibility of your drawings like making your own designs.
Recently I ventured back into the workshop to test myself in such a way. Surrounded by the sweet smell of sawdust I worked to create the first Peak coffee table.
The table is chiefly comprised of a stone top that balances over a peak of timber. The stone, honey onyx, is trimmed with a dark sliver of Wenge timber. This flecked chocolate brown trim is juxtaposed with the fiery grain of the Yaka timber that forms the supporting peak. The light glints as it is reflected off the honed surface of the stone.
The grain of this Yaka swirls and deftly changes colour as one looks over its surface.
The finish of the timber is two hand applied coats of Danish oil. The oil brings out the richness of the timber while still allowing the original, natural, colour of the timber to be seen. Preserving the integrity of the design and the material is always a goal in any of my designs.
Projects such as this are a pleasure. They allow not only the meeting of the hands and the mind towards the creation of something new, but they are also a reminder of the great many skilled craftspeople I have the pleasure to work with in my architectural practice.
