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Wise wood : Architect and furniture maker, Thomas Leach. -
Wise wood : The woodenstate deck chairs are not only seriously comfy they look beautiful too. -
Wise wood : Approaching wooden furniture in an environmentally conscious way is what woodenstate are all about. -
Wise wood : The Deck Chairs caused a stir at Design Indaba 2010.
WORDS:Remy Raitt | PHOTOS: Shavan Rahim
We’re always impressed with clever, comfortable furniture items, but designs that are environmentally conscious earn double points. Thomas Leach from woodenstate produces exquisite deck chairs from local alien timber, thus doing his bit to combat global deforestation.
“I think all architects fancy themselves as furniture makers,” Thomas says, noting that, when his architecture practice experienced a lull in business, he jumped at the chance to dabble in the furniture game.
He had been exploring the use of alien timber, specifically from the Eucalyptus genus, in his architectural work at the time. Although this material is generally avoided in architecture, he felt that the durable material had its merits. “The timber splits and cracks and turns a silver grey over time, but it has rustic appeal. It’s also incredibly dense and hard and, as far as I can tell, it’s rot resistant too.”
The Kalk Bay-based architect believes that South Africans need to be more switched on about what’s available to them. “I feel strongly that the local timber industry needs to change direction. Deforestation is a big concern of mine.” This perception sparked the name “woodenstate”. “It represents a state of mind: being conscious about things,” Thomas explains.
The woodenstate deckchairs, which made their debut at the 2011 Design Indaba Expo, were developed last year. They’re made from off-cuts and waste material from architectural projects, and were inspired by a similar deckchair design prevalent in Central and South America. The choice of wood makes for an outdoor chair that gracefully weathers overtime. Each deckchair is treated with a natural linseed and beeswax formula that helps to preserve it.
Although the current design serves its purpose beautifully, the woodenstate team is constantly developing and working on new furniture items. An outdoor table, chair and footstool/side-table are currently in progress, while decor items such as vases, other vessels and trays are already on offer.
The deckchairs sell for R2 600 each.
More information: www.woodenstate.com or call 021 788 1896
TAKE NOTE: VISI 55, on sale now, is entirely dedicated to wood in design and architecture. Hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed compiling it
