Inspired by Aira Force waterfall in the Lake District, this piece has been specifically designed for The Goldsmiths Company Pavilion exhibition at Somerset House in London.
The Aira Chest of Drawers has been an exploration of 3D form. The 'waterfall' spilling down the front forming the drawer handles, finally falling to the floor as the front supporting leg.
The rich, ripple sycamore wood has been specifically chosen to give effect of shimmering water, and glows in the light. Every piece of wood has been chosen to match the next, giving uniformity as if carved from a single block. This is exentuated by the 3Dimensional form of the piece.
Details : To maximise the storage, the top drawers rotate out. The wood for the right hand drawer has been made up from a single piece of wood that has been cut in to thin veneers and laminated back together over a curved mould. This means that the grain follows through uninterupted and insures that the wood will not warp, so the drawer will always open smoothly.
Details: Fitting the handles to the drawer fronts with dovetail joints makes for superb joint strength and longevity, but are also visually beautiful with every opening.
The top has been machined from a single piece of specially chosen ripple sycamore. The front face double curves making hand shaping a necessity.
Below: The initial model for the piece.
Photographs by Dayve Ward. Go to Dayve's site
