projects
New Workshop
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In December 2009, Roseadora established a workshop/studio in Melbourne. Taking a year to fit-out the 500 m2 area with a furniture maker colleague, the workshop is fully-equipped with a range of heavy machinery, hand-tools, veneer-press, timber & office/studio.
The workshop/studio celebrated its 1st year with a party, attended by clients, suppliers, colleagues, friends & family.
Barabooka Bunya Tables, NSW
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The planning, designing & making of these Bunya Pine dining & hall tables took place over a number of years. Soon after the property was acquired, a visit to the site revealed where the recently felled Bunya Pines (Araucaria bidwilli) stood at the hilltop farm. Set in the dairy country of southern NSW, near Tanja, the hundred-year old specimens were milled and stacked on site to dry naturally in a barn. The slabs of timber were in lengths of 5m x 1m wide, with an 80mm thickness - all stacked to a height of 1.5m.
In 2004, all slabs were transported to the Melbourne workshop for a buffet & extension table commission, at a family members Melbourne residence. This project revealed the compelling character of the timber with its distinctive knots, softness and sensitivity to machining. However, the colours presented spectacularly, ranging from purple and black streaks through to swirls of yellow & orange. As the lacquered finish of the timber matured, it assumed a golden hue & enriching of other tones in the Bunya Pine.
As the design & construction of the new house at Barabooka took shape during the next 3 years, ideas evolved for the formal dining tables in the main room. The roofline of the new house and the exposed beams influenced the form of the tables. The client requested 2 x 10-seater large dining tables that could stand-alone and/or come together for functions. Hence, the whole length of timber was utilised in the design. Each slab was cut down the middle and then placed on its edge to be cut in half again to achieve book-matched tabletops. The grain at the table base panels continued through to the tabletops. This way, the tables were book-matched whether they were placed end-to-end or side-by-side.
A hall table was also designed & made to complement the style of the formidable presence of the dining tables in the open plan room overlooking the surrounding hills & valley.
Grindrod Entrance Door, Thornton VIC
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The American furniture maker Sam Malouf’s work was the inspiration for the entrance door and windows at the Thornton property. As the winding driveway made its way up towards the hilltop residence, the entrance would serve as distinctive entrée to the new mud brick house.
The client found an old wood oven door from the property, thus offering a useful handle & detail for the entrance door. The aged Jarrah timber was sourced from the Port Melbourne pier – its durability & character were well tested to serve as an entrance.
The slump glass panels either side of the door reflected images of the much-loved surrounding bush. As the clients were committed to regenerating the indigenous species of the region, the reflective quality & use of the glass lent lightness & openess to the entrance – offsetting the weight of the door.
2009 USA - Windsor Chair-Making Course with Peter Galbert
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The American Windsor chair is hand-crafted chair, employing scalloping of saddle seat, spoke shaving & steam bending techniques of green timber. Drawing on the 250 year-old tradition, the Windsor style chair offers comfort, durability and design flexibility. The making of the Windsor chair exemplifies the skillfulness, richness & fineness of the furniture making tradition.
The 6-day workshop presented a chance to make the finely crafted continuous arm Windsor chair from log to assembly. Working with Peter Galbert one-on-one allowed a polishing of skills & full immersion in the Jeffersonville setting of New York state.
www.petergalbertchairmaker.com
2009 USA Furniture Society Conference, North Carolina
The 2009 American Furniture Society Conference ‘Industrious: Design, Craft & Commerce of Furniture Making’ program included speakers; panel discussions on a wide array of topics related to furniture and it’s makers; presentations by artists, craftspeople and industry leaders; and demonstrations of tools and techniques by experts in their fields. Other conference events included the Award of Distinction presentation ceremony, the auctions to benefit The Furniture Society and the annual evening of Slide Wars.
Held at the Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, the 4-day conference marked an inspiring evolution as an Australian furniture maker. Extending networks, collaborative opportunities & undertaking research into materials & techniques, has served as an impetus to establish a workshop & extended portfolio range.
www.furnituresociety.org/furn/conference2009.php
2009 USA – Tour
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Accompanied by Australian furniture making colleagues, the free-form tour took us to the following furniture mecca of America’s north-east.
New York City - the quintessential Art Deco & contemporary architecture were all absorbing.
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, PA– the Dupont family home contains a magnificent collection of American furniture.
Bill Kerfoot Machinery Oxford, PA – a vast collection of America’s best second-hand woodwork machinery.
Wharton Esherick Museum Paoli, PA – American modernist furniture style started in 1920 with Esberick. The furniture is timeless – set throughout his beautifully crafted, compact home.
George Nakashima Workshop New Hope, PA – an American born with Japanese parents, Nakashima studied architecture and designed buildings all over the world, including Frank Lloyd Wrights’ ‘Imperial Hotel’ in Japan. Six buildings that he designed and built dot the property, including a barn the size of an aircraft hanger that stores a timber collection worth millions of dollars.
Trinity College Buffet, University of Melbourne VIC
The University of Melbourne’s Trinity College commissioned a design and construction of a buffet for the Senior Common Room. The client brief specified that the buffet was to serve as storage cabinet for audio-visual equipment, beverages, glassware, newspapers and journals. Also, the buffet was to blend into the existing interior architectural features as well to refresh the room with a contemporary design and finish.
The centerpiece of the Common Room was a large fireplace featuring a striking parquetry paneling above the mantle. The other distinct feature was a set of bay windows framed by ornate plaster work with a layered upward arrowhead formation – referring to the late Gothic Revival ‘Trinity Chapel’ on site. Both of these elements came to be reflected as significant design features of the buffet. Furthermore, the doors of the buffet mirrored the diagonal paneling above the fireplace, while the plasterwork of the surrounding bay windows can be seen in the pillars, between the pairs of doors.
As the piece is a sizeable 4 meters long and 1.1 meters high, it is surprisingly light in its presence. Held aloft by slim-line legs, the symmetrical composition of the pillars and striking upward merging of the diagonal veneer pattern lends the piece a harmonious balance. Further still, the gentle curving top and doors along with the semi-gloss finish of the soft brown timber compels a need to run a hand over the buffet the delight is in its stately form, intricate character of the timber and its pure functionality.
Being a local furniture maker, environmental and social conditions are at the forefront of the design and making process. The two key emerging issues are: use of natural resources in a sustainable way, and the need to respond sensitively to cultural and heritage conditions.
The three varieties of timber materials used in the project are either reclaimed or re-cycled. The buffet top is Grey Box timber salvaged from a farm in Bateman’s Bay (NSW). The pillars are made from Grey Box salvaged from dead trees at Rushworth, central Victoria. The veneer is reclaimed Queensland Walnut from the Arthurton tablelands, west of Cairns and the drawers were made with Queensland Maple left over from a boat built by a retired boat builder in North Melbourne.
With the ever-changing nature of the built urban environment, the challenges to respond to cultural and heritage issues is complex. Hence, in this project, the design delicately balances a response to the established institution‘s distinct architectural character with a contemporary design and application of materials.
The key to the success of this project was the communication between the College and the furniture designer/maker. The representatives from the College were included in the decision making process, such as concept development, timber selection, lacquer finish, etc. This semi-collaborative approach allowed the client to trust and enjoy the whole project from design right through to construction and its installation.
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The piece inspired further renovation of the Senior Common Room to accommodate a more refreshed aspect for the buffet. In fact, a special string quartet and harpsichord concert was preformed in the room to celebrate the renewed space.
ABAF
The Australian Business Arts Foundation selects artists establishing & expanding businesses in their respective art/craft. Nigel-Dalton-Brown (NEC, marketing) was matched with Roseadora to mentor over a 2 year period.