Furniture Projects
I’ve always liked working with my hands, especially when it comes to giving new life to old things or building something functional from scratch. Here are a few furniture projects I’ve worked on recently.
Kauri Drawers
I found this set of drawers on Trade Me. They were in bad shape, someone had fitted them with clunky aftermarket handles, the wood was scratched and marked and the finish was totalled.
Underneath all that was solid Kauri, a native and highly sought after timber from the north of the north island of New Zealand. Kauri used to be used in everything from houses to furniture but is now protected and harvesting the timber is restricted. I sanded everything back, which was mostly easy except for the detailed decorative channels.
I used danish oil to finish the sanded surface.
I also glued and tacked some splits back together.
Finally i cut out some new handles from reclaimed Rimu (please don’t look to close).
I think they turned out great. I love the finished grain and light colouring. What a treat.
Reclaimed Rimu Stools
These stacking stools are made from reclaimed Rimu. Rimu is a endemic conifer from New Zealand that was commonly used in building in the early 1900’s. The design of the stools is based on the AA stool by Torafu Architects which is simple and clean. I sanded the timber back to remove some of the old paint and sharp edges, I left them unfinished to highlight the character of the reclaimed timber. The slight imperfections in the wood tell their own story, and I didn’t want to polish that away.
Plywood Speaker Stands
This project was a chance to try something a little more graphic. The speaker stands are heavily inspired by Tom Sachs, simple, direct construction, painted faces, plywood end-grain left exposed, and a shitload of holes. I used plywood for the build, keeping the forms clean and boxy. I wish i had used a higher quality ply so the end-grain would be a bit more consistent and clean, next time!
Equipoise Lamp
This Superlux Equipoise was another TradeMe find. It’s my second Equipoise which i bought specifically to repaint. I broke it down to its components, gave everything a clean, light sand, and repainted it in solid primary colours. The result is playful and fun.
