Furniture with a conscience

Did you know plywood imported from certain countries leaches a type of formaldehyde into the air? Furniture designer Cameron Barnes does, and for this and other reasons he only creates furniture from natural materials.

Cameron’s work focuses on the lifecycle of a furniture piece; he designs and creates in such a way that when the owner tires of a piece of furniture it can be reworked into a new item. In order to do this, Cameron cannot use glue or nails. He assembles his work using bolts and pivots.

“The joints decide how the piece will look,” says Cameron, “the outcome is usually an industrial aesthetic, and I like that”.

Cameron studied fine art and architecture in America. “I started working in architecture but realised it wasn’t for me, it’s all super regulated and I was spending way too much time behind a desk.” When he returned to South Africa Cameron became involved in the local environmental architecture scene, which he says “brought architecture alive again for me”.

Although he still consults part time on environmental architecture jobs Cameron’s main focus is his furniture, which he says has been greatly informed by his previous job. Principles like using site-found or reclaimed materials and alien species are all cornerstones of Cameron’s design philosophy. The cornerstone of his ideology however is “designing for disassembly”.

 “This sets up a language,” says Cameron, “I want to be able to re-use the wood again and again. The furniture is made with an emphasis on handwork, it’s labour intensive and this is also an ethical decision.”

Nothing goes to waste. Cameron says he will go as far as buying back his furniture items to rework them, although his real hope is that clients will bring them back with requests for a new furniture piece made from the older one.

Cameron makes and sells his work from his Woodstock studio, and he also has surprisingly affordable pieces in the Prototype store in Orphan Street.

“I keep my prices reasonable. I feel that design should be accessible and it frustrates me that so many people overcharge. I’m creating furniture for people like me.”

Cameron creates custom pieces and is in the process of developing his own range. Furniture pieces as well accessories like lamps made from repurposed bicycle parts are all on offer.

For more information: www.cameronbarnes.co.za, info@cameronbarnes.co.za